Yes it’s true. Even before D&D, the Romans were using the now-famous d20 for their own gaming.
According to Wired.com, an ancient d20 was recently auctioned by Christie’s.
Christie’s, auctioneer to the rich and famous, sold a glass d20 from Roman times. It was included in a collection of other antiquities that sold in 2003. The markings on the die don’t appear to be either Arabic or Roman numerals, but it’s probably a safe bet that it was used in a game of chance. As the auction catalog notes that several polyhedral dice are known from the Roman era, but remarks, ” Modern scholarship has not yet established the game for which these dice were used.”
If you want to say “critical hit” in Latin, that would be “maxima plaga”.
If Ceasar was your Dungeon Master, you wouldn’t want to be a rules-lawyer-ass, wouldn’t you?
