Throwing Stones was released as both an RPG and a "board" game. The book was only essential for the RPG - each dice tube came with a sheet of paper detailing arena combat. Each character has four dice that define him. Four dice of the same type can be used, but that limits the player's abilities. The dice were collectible: there were quite a few different types made, some more powerful than others. All dice are six-sided and have special glyphs on them. Some of the glyphs include: Unarmed combat, various magic spells, knockdown, bypass armor, poison, luck (reroll some dice!), roll with the blow, strike again, counterstrike, disarm, berserk, centered, zealous, sword, stun, skill+, and many others. All are described in detail in the 96-page book.