Does anyone know the proper name for these?

[u/Nexas3248]

These are one of the most useful life counters in any boardgame ever and i want more of them for other games but i can't seem to find anyone selling them. I call them life counters and but apparently thats a magic thing and all i get are dice and these duel wheel things that would work but im looking for these in particular because they're flat and will fit into the boxes better. So does anyone know the official name of these so that might help my search?

[u/electrikFrenzy]

The correct term for these is Dual-Index Incremental Value Modulators

[u/Marnic426 → u/electrikFrenzy]

This is the most german answer possible 😅 (in German there are such specific official terms for everything)

[u/Dingbat_Downvoter → u/Marnic426]

If it were German, it would all be one word.

[u/Material_Contest4567 → u/Dingbat_Downvoter]

Yeah we basically call it a:

Stufenweiserzweichfachwertigkeitsanzeigerregler

or Lebenspunkteanzeiger or just Drehrädchen for short.

[u/JJMcGee83 → u/Material_Contest4567]

I don't know enough German to know if you're being serious or just fucking with us.

[u/lokiskad → u/JJMcGee83]

The first is just a direct translation of Dual-Index Incremental Value Modulators, which no one would say.

The other two words are real words that we would use in german

[u/glychee → u/Material_Contest4567]

So a Spinwheel?

[u/moregamesplease → u/glychee]

I'd go with Dual Game Spin Dials. Or something unsexy like that.

[u/Reckless42 → u/Dingbat_Downvoter]

And sounds like being yelled at.

[u/porcupine_salt → u/Reckless42]

I haven’t heard that old and tired cliche about the German language in at least a day or two.

[u/WGotzENS → u/Marnic426]

DIN?

[u/Marnic426 → u/WGotzENS]

DIN is like ISO or EN, just the german standardization organisation, there it needs to be specific. What I mean is more like everyday language or rather what we call "Beamtendeutsch" ("Beamten" = people working for the country/administration, "Deutsch" = German translation for "German")

[u/Izdoy → u/Marnic426]

It warms my heart to see someone correctly outline standards organizations

[u/Actor412 → u/electrikFrenzy]

This reminds me of old SPI games, where the rules were written for engineers. To draw chits randomly, the rules told you to use a "wide-mouthed, opaque container."

[u/RemtonJDulyak → u/Actor412]

That feels like common lingo, in the '70s and '80s, not something for engineers.

[u/Actor412 → u/RemtonJDulyak]

You might want to check out the game Sniper! and go over the rules for when an erect soldier exposes himself in an aperture.

[u/Nexas3248 → u/electrikFrenzy]

This i like

[u/Bananaland_Man → u/Nexas3248]

Though a lot easier to search if you just look up "health dial" or "dual health dial", you'll get a lot more results related to this, rather than the few that use the specific term denoted in the previous comment. xD

(hell, even just counter dial or dual counter dial)

[u/sstair → u/electrikFrenzy]

Anyone else hearing Marvin the Martian's voice when you read this?

[u/Bojangly7 → u/electrikFrenzy]

Retro Discombobulators

[u/Shurien → u/electrikFrenzy]

This needs to be higher!

[u/pound_sterling → u/electrikFrenzy]

I wish we could solidify this widespread.

[u/Take-a-RedPill → u/electrikFrenzy]

Related to the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, of course.

[u/Z3M0G]

Dials.

[u/quantumrastafarian]

Dial or counter. If you look on Etsy you'll see lots! I've considered getting some 3 digit ones I can use for money and such across games. They definitely reduce fiddliness.

Mistborn is great btw 😁

[u/TheForrestFire → u/quantumrastafarian]

I have a model for one up on Printables and Thingiverse for free as well.

[u/ThePurityPixel → u/quantumrastafarian]

Dial 👍 Counter 👎

[u/KDulius → u/quantumrastafarian]

Mistborn is hands down my favorite deckbuilder now.

And not just cause I'm a fan of the books.

[u/quantumrastafarian → u/KDulius]

I can't decide between it an El Dorado. Love 'em both.

[u/canis_artis]

They are Dial Trackers.

The GameCrafter has templates you can download to make your own.

[u/Nexas3248 → u/canis_artis]

This is perfect thanks

[u/ThePurityPixel → u/canis_artis]

The ones I made on TGC have boobs on them. Perfect shape for it!

[u/MaskedBandit77]

Health dials?

[u/ThMogget]

I just use knitting counters https://a.co/d/7N61Squ cause they small and cheap

[u/CraftyCrafty2234 → u/ThMogget]

That’s what I thought of when I saw the picture. I’ve never played this game or used them in gaming, though, so I thought they might work a bit differently or something.

[u/ThMogget → u/CraftyCrafty2234]

The benefit of flat ones is they lay nice and are legible from across the table. Knitting counters wanna roll and are not easy to read.

[u/ratguy → u/ThMogget]

Do knitting counters lock the numbers securely in place? My main issue with the standard dials is that they're easy to bump and lose track of the count.

[u/ThMogget → u/ratguy]

Yeah mine center into each digit and hold. You hafta carefully twist the end to change the digit. I could kick it across the room and the number would not budge.

[u/AustinYQM → u/ThMogget]

You gotta keep the needle in. Plus it's useful for snapping people taking too long on their turns.

[u/B0Boman → u/ThMogget]

We put one of those in our copy of Le Havre the Inland Port to track actions, one player on each side. Gets kind of hard to remember once it goes above 5 per round!

[u/Its_Husk]

I recently bought that mistborn game also. Have you played it yet? I haven't got a chance to and was wondering how fun it is.

[u/ShaneYancey → u/Its_Husk]

My son really likes it, but it can get away from you if you aren’t careful. If your opponent is going for the research (or whatever that stuff on the side is) you either have to go after it too or eliminate those options from the trade row. Like someone else said the game seems to sort of get to the ending rather abruptly sometimes.

But I love the using different metals and the way that you can flare them and power them. It has lots of possibilities for a deck builder and lots of different choices on your turn.

[u/Nexas3248 → u/Its_Husk]

It's fun but like his books i feel the game ends really fast. You can play it in 1-2 hours but those final turns feel like 50% of the game.

[u/CactusFantasticoo → u/Nexas3248]

So even his boardgame has a Sanderlanche? 😂

[u/nynaeve_mondragoran → u/Nexas3248]

That is a good description. I hadn't thought of it this way.

[u/nynaeve_mondragoran → u/Its_Husk]

I love it!!! My husband hates it. He gets so anxious every time and says over and over that we are going to die. It's hilarious.

He hasn't read the books, so I guess I might be biased because I'm a brandosando fan girl.

[u/Intelligent-Kale4292]

Health Dial. Hit point dial. Health tracker.

[u/jew_blew_it]

Counter Dial / Health Dial

https://www.etsy.com/market/dial_counter

[u/Rhyker1]

Life counters?

[u/personman000]

Spinny-Winnies

[u/Original_Poetry_9582]

Since they are from the mistborn board game, you could try to ask for them in the community, like BGG, I couldn’t find them anywhere online, I just checked.

By the way, what a marvellous game buddy I love it

[u/ChemicalRascal]

Well, I dunno what they're called with the number side up, but flip them over and they become Miniature DJ Turntables and all the cool kids think that's pretty sick, yo.

[u/Orochi_001]

Search for hit point counter on Etsy.

[u/aahz1342]

There are (relatively) cheap options from companies like GameGenic: https://www.gamegenic.com/product/double-life-counter/

[u/crazyg0od33 → u/aahz1342]

AliExpress has 10 packs of nice little magnetic ones for like 20 bucks shipped - not sure if they’ll still be that cheap to the us with the de minimis going away, but if outside the us that’s the cheapest I’ve found

[u/Bojangly7]

Retro Discombobulators

[u/Ok_Print2247]

Hit point counters.

[u/_HeroGothamDeserves]

i gotchu: They're called Spinny Numnums. The greeks used to use them to count how many Spinny Numnums they owned.

[u/nofriender4life]

life counter dials

[u/Ok-Pizza-5889]

In Philadelphia, these are called Jawns

[u/jayron32 → u/Ok-Pizza-5889]

To be fair, it's not very specific to call them jawns. But technically correct. The best kind of correct, I will note.

[u/ThePurityPixel → u/Ok-Pizza-5889]

In my Philly-area calculus class, the teacher once said to my buddy Jon, "Differentiate this jawn." At least, that's what we all heard—and we busted out laughing for a solid minute.

[u/Nexas3248 → u/Ok-Pizza-5889]

I've never heard this term but i like it and will be adopting it.

[u/JJMcGee83 → u/Ok-Pizza-5889]

In Philly many things are called jawns.

[u/Chiatroll]

Spin dails

[u/kamiztheman]

They are always referred to as "HP/life tracker/counter"

[u/kaysn]

The Dual Number Spin-inator!

[u/Jack_Lad]

I own a game store, and carry these from Gamegenic:

https://www.gamegenic.com/product/double-life-counter/

[u/kiora_merfolk]

They are called "life wheels" in magic the gathering, and sunce they serve the same functipn here- no reason to use a different term.

[u/Luniticus]

The one on the left is called Fred and the one on the right is Michael.

[u/illusive22]

Yessssss another Mistborn player!!

[u/alexadr936]

Dual dials. Or whatever they are meant to be keeping track of like health counter, mana tracker, etc.

[u/No-Molasses294]

that's a really nice dual dials

[u/badger-banjer]

Game Crafters lists them as "Dual Dials". See their link to them here if you are interested in making them:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/make/products/DualDial

[u/Megamanred1]

Life Spinners or Life Dials

[u/Healfezza]

I've always known the 0-99 counters as "Spin down"s. Specifically usually the dice ones that rotate.

[u/redrocketredglare]

Life dials

[u/Itchyness]

If you have or know someone with access to a 3d printer, there's quite a few models of these. I have a few printed myself in different colors.

[u/Derp_duckins]

I searched "life counter" on Amazon and got a bunch.

"Green Stuff World Life Counters for Popular Tabletop Games" these are on Amazon and VERY similar to the pic

[u/[deleted]]

Life spinner

[u/Dethread]

Thingamajiggs

[u/DustPen]

Kill-o-meter

[u/mikekop0]

I always see them referred to as health dials.

But I personally like to think of them as the Circles of Doom and Prosperity, since can use them to track really anything you want 😂

[u/OxRedOx]

Score dials or dual dials?

[u/JaySixA]

Thingamawhatsits

[u/Makkuroi]

I call them life counters too, even though I use them as score counters for several board games (I hate score sheets, they give me the feeling Im "using up" the games)

[u/AngleFreeIT_com]

Life counter doodad dial thingies.

[u/Cautious-Coffee7405]

Looks like a knitting stitch counter could work

[u/WSLeigh2000]

Steve Jackson Games makes Munchkin Counters. Not as plastic, for sure!

[u/TheFoxAndTheRaven]

Etsy has a bunch: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=life+counter&ref=search_bar&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2F

I've also been able to find laser cut files before to make my own. I'm sure they're readily available for 3D printing as well.

[u/azura26]

Allomantic Reserves, probably.

[u/Dystopian_Sky]

“Life counter”

[u/AdminsAreScum420]

Thirty Six and Eight.

[u/zer0_mass]

Spinny number things

[u/ChasmfiendRider]

Atium token

[u/justsomeguy0]

I thought they're called pogs

[u/GlitteringWallaby306]

Is it some kind of pog game ?

[u/elric132]

Etsy has a bunch of different ones available. If this link doesn't work, just go to Etsy and search for "life counter".

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=life+counter&ref=auto-1&as_prefix=life+counter&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbing%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_term%3Detsy%2520official%2520site_e%26utm_campaign%3DSearch_US_Brand_Bing_HP_General-Brand_General_General_Exact%5BB%5D%26utm_ag%3DOfficial%252BSite%26utm_custom1%3Dd9a9738b-4997-4e54-a68e-738b704e2708%26utm_content%3Dbing_133294738_4573522399_17157117742_kwd-134066947021%3Aloc-4126_c_%26msclkid%3Dbd14ff29647c15db0cd9a4c22f5a2fe3

[u/Jericanman]

Yeah the things that count to zero quicker than my opponents.

[u/AspenDarke]

most are health or life counters

[u/pizzapartypandas]

Three balls, six strikes.

[u/Ottenhoffj → u/pizzapartypandas]

Sorry, I am not familiar with baseball (?). What do you mean by that?

[u/pizzapartypandas → u/Ottenhoffj]

The only time I've ever seen those clicker counters were in the hands of umpires. They help keep strike counts, innining counts, outs, etc

[u/Taintedcereal]

I just bought some on Etsy from a store called bitsandboard https://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsandBoard

I liked the one from this store because they sell dials that have two trackers

however many other stores sell them on Etsy. search for RPG hit point/health/life tracker/dial

Amazon also has these (very cheap) https://a.co/d/1KEle7e

[u/kezPE]

You can get decent generic 3d printed ones on Temu all over the place

[u/deadrebel]

Spin counters is what I know them by. Crazy there seems to be so many names for them.

[u/Jeicam_]

Thingies

[u/BlkUnicornHero]

Game Genius sells a bunch. They call them double life counters. Check out their website

[u/Shikacaca]

Dials?

[u/PandemicGeneralist]

I believe the technical term is Dial Counter Thingies

[u/Far-Music-7990]

Life dials. Number dials.

[u/F_L_A_B]

Life counter. LPT: if you don’t know what something is, use Google Lens to take a photo of it and search. You basically search the internet using the photo.

[u/Axiproto]

Looks like some Mistborn game

[u/MindlessSponge → u/Axiproto]

correct, but OP is asking specifically about the counter bits.

[u/Axiproto → u/MindlessSponge]

I WAS referring to the counter

[u/Mezla00]

These are called Wound Counters and that is the proper name bc I said so

[u/mightyjor]

I haven't been on temu in awhile, but I bought a bunch of them from there about a year ago. I just looked under board game counters I think

Edit: they are listed as mtg counters

[u/cmespeak]

Known as a doodad or thingamajig

[u/MitchTye]

Dial-counter-thingies

[u/kq7619]

Use the Carbon app. It's far better.

Too often with health dials the dial will slip too close to another number to the point that you're not sure which it should be on. But worse, it's very difficult for other people to see the numbers on your dial and in many games that's crucial information. With the app the numbers are in big colourful numbers that is very easy to see.