A mathematician, Eric Harshbarger, was challenged at a gaming convention in 2012 to create dice that could determine the starting player in a game without the risk of a tie. The concept aimed to expedite the game setup process and allow players to begin playing promptly.
Harshbarger, a senior lecturer at Auburn University in Alabama, found the challenge intriguing due to its lack of an obvious solution, a common draw for mathematicians. While he devised a theoretical set of dice ensuring a fair chance for each player to win without ties, developing functional dice proved to be a complex task.
After years of collaboration with computer scientists and mathematicians worldwide, Harshbarger and his team successfully crafted a set of dice called the Go First Dice for five players. These innovative dice enable a fair determination of the starting player in a board game, guaranteeing a winner with a single roll.
Despite initial success with dice for fewer players, designing dice for five players posed a significant challenge. The team explored various mathematical theories to reduce the dice’s sides, eventually settling on a set of five 120-sided dice, thanks to a breakthrough from an Australian researcher.
A Canadian software engineer, Paul Meyer, later joined the project and devised a solution using five 60-sided dice. Meyer’s computational approach, leveraging mathematical patterns and extensive computer searches, led to a viable strategy. The resulting golf ball-sized dice are now available for purchase, designed to ensure fairness in gameplay.
Harshbarger and his team continue to investigate the feasibility of using fewer sides for a five-player set and expanding the concept to accommodate six players. While current tools may not suffice for these inquiries, Harshbarger remains open to unexpected solutions, as seen with Meyer’s breakthrough.
The ongoing research underscores the allure of challenging mathematical problems for Harshbarger, despite their seemingly impractical nature. The quest for innovative solutions and the unpredictability of outcomes drive mathematicians to persist in exploring complex puzzles.