During a gathering at a gaming convention in 2012, a board game designer challenged mathematician Eric Harshbarger to devise dice that could determine the starting player without the chance of a tie. The main goal was to streamline the process and kickstart the game quickly.
As a mathematician and senior lecturer at Auburn University, Harshbarger found the challenge intriguing. After years of collaboration with computer scientists and mathematicians worldwide, they successfully created a set of dice called Go First Dice for five players. These dice ensure a fair decision on who goes first with a guaranteed winner from a single roll.
The journey was not without its hurdles. The team initially developed four 12-sided dice that worked for up to four players. However, the puzzle became more complex when trying to accommodate five players. After much experimentation and theoretical work, they settled on a set of five 120-sided dice, a practical solution proposed by a researcher from Australia.
Further progress came when Canadian software engineer Paul Meyer joined the effort. Meyer’s innovative approach led to the discovery of a solution using five 60-sided dice, marking a significant breakthrough in the project. Despite skepticism from some researchers about the dice’s practicality, Harshbarger stands by their mathematical integrity, emphasizing that any imperfections would arise from the manufacturing process, not the core mathematics.
The research continues, with ongoing exploration into the feasibility of fewer sides for a five-player set and the potential expansion to accommodate six players. Harshbarger remains open to unexpected solutions, acknowledging that the beauty of the problem lies in its complexity and the allure of finding answers to seemingly impossible questions in the world of mathematics.