In 2012, Eric Harshbarger was challenged at a gaming convention to create dice ensuring a clear winner for determining the starting player in board games. The goal was to expedite the game setup process. Harshbarger, a mathematician at Auburn University, found the challenge intriguing due to its lack of an obvious solution.

After years of collaboration with computer scientists and mathematicians worldwide, Harshbarger and his team devised a set of twelve-sided dice enabling fair outcomes for two, three, or four players. However, creating dice for five players posed a greater challenge.

The team explored numerous possibilities, including dice with an unfeasible 1,440 sides. Eventually, a breakthrough came when a researcher in Australia proposed a practical solution involving five 120-sided dice. Subsequent contributions from a Canadian software engineer led to the development of a set of sixty-sided dice.

Despite skepticism from some researchers, Harshbarger stands by the mathematical integrity of the dice, emphasizing that any discrepancies would likely stem from the manufacturing process rather than the mathematical principles.

The research continues, with investigations into the viability of fewer sides for a five-player set and the potential expansion to accommodate six players. Harshbarger acknowledges the unpredictability of the field, welcoming new theories and challenges to further refine the solution.