US Army use of 20-sided and 12-sided dice in 1922

[Malchor]

Looks like military use of the 20-sided die predates Francis J. McHugh and his U.S. Navy Fundamentals of War Gaming. It also predates the use and availability of 20-sided dice in Japan in the 1950s for statistical quality control as taught W. Edwards Deming.

In 1922, Captain C. C. Terry C.A.C. in the Journal of the United States Artillery, Volume 55, 1922, p. 329–334 "Simulating Dispersion of the Terrain Board," make mention of:

• Icosahedral Dice graduated 1 to 10 and repeat
• Decagonal Prisms graduated 1 to 10 on sides
• Use with two dodecahedral, or twelve faced dice

Captain Terry was not talking about a wargame, but simulations for training purposes—similar, but different.

This is in place of using "many poker chips or many pieces drawn from a bag"—in other words, Captain Terry is talking about a method to replace chits with dice!

Captain Terry notes:

It has been found that icosahedral dice are very hard to obtain but, as indicated in the parenthetical remarks above, decagona] prisms marked on sides 1 to 10, inclusive, bases blank, may be used exactly as described for the isocahedral dice, the probabilities of throwing the various numbers from 2 to 20, inclusive, being the same with dice and prisms. '

On dodecahedral die Captain Terry says:

...the dodecahedral dice have the advantage of larger faces for the same bulk of material and are more easily made, or obtained from dealers in school supplies or scientific apparatus.

Emphasis added.

Captain Terry closes:

This “game” may prove attractive to those who enjoy other games played with two dice and the fact that the isocahedral dice and decagonal prisms give results on the basis of a hundred or in percentages may make them more useful in teaching or demonstrating to students the laws of probability than the ordinary cubical dice.

[increment]

Seems like a cool find, keep digging. Creative Publications couldn't have been the first school supply company to sell polyhedral dice; be interesting to identify a company actually selling them in the 1920s.

[grodog]

Might be worth checking the Sears catalogs too---they were all over the place back then, and are relatively-available in PDF too (I've used them in the past as CoC props!).

Allan.

[scalydemon]

I served in the US Army, but not in 1922.

March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free
Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory
We’re the Army and proud of our name
We’re the Army and proudly proclaim

First to fight for the right,
And to build the Nation’s might,
And The Army Goes Rolling Along
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle’s won,
And the Army Goes Rolling Along.

Then it’s Hi! Hi! Hey!
The Army’s on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong (TWO! THREE!)
For where e’er we go,
You will always know
That The Army Goes Rolling Along.

Valley Forge, Custer’s ranks,
San Juan Hill and Patton’s tanks,
And the Army went rolling along
Minute men, from the start,
Always fighting from the heart,
And the Army keeps rolling along.


Men in rags, men who froze,
Still that Army met its foes,
And the Army went rolling along.
Faith in God, then we’re right,
And we’ll fight with all our might,
As the Army keeps rolling along.