The problems with dice and how to solve them...

If you're into role playing games you probably own a lot of dice. Most players love them but lets face it; they are not without problems. They make a lot of noise and they have a very annoying tendency to roll off... Often they end up under furniture or in dark and distant corners never to be found again.
I have devised a simple and very inexpensive solution to both those problems.

(Click image to view larger version.)
You need one of those small and extremely light trays they use for selling certain fruits and vegetables in you local supermarket.
The ones you're looking for are made from some sort of synthetic foam that might be made of polypropylene (or 'flamingo' as we call it in Danish) They are about 1/5 of an inch or 4 mm thick and come in different shapes and sizes. Since they are made for packaging of food I assume they are fairly nontoxic. Also they are water, cola and coffee resistant.
As you can see this one used to contain fresh whole ginger (ingefær)...

The point is that this material has amazing sound dampening properties. Not only that but the trays have raised edges that reduce the risk of dice getting lost.
The damping properties of this foam is so impressive in fact that I find the whole dice rolling experience slightly unsatisfactory.

What I do is this: I glue a piece of thin cardboard or - as in this case - photographic printing paper to the inside bottom of the tray. You could probably use a postcard to good effect. The cardboard improves the rolling experience without adding to the noise. You can use colors and motives that you like and find inspirational to your game.

It's an extremely simple solution to a couple of annoying problems. It works quite well and it costs virtually nothing to make.
What's not to like?