New Video Showcasing WWxDD GEMSTONE DICE in Wyrm Lyfe!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, May 19, 2021 at 04:53:24 AM

Hey everyone!

I'm just dropping in with a quick update in the form of a clip from our YouTube series, Wyrm Lyfe. This raw, lightly edited vlog follows developments in the company, upcoming projects, and various other goings-on that impact all things Wyrmwood.

We primarily showcased Dispel Dice in the Kickstarter video, but we wanted to give some of the unseen gemstone dice a bit more love in the form of a sweet video showcasing them, too. We're working on an edit of the clip to add to this new dice video to the main campaign page, but I don't want to make you wait for that, so I'm just going to include the full episode here. The gemstone dice segment starts about 90 seconds in, and while we'd love it if you stick around to watch the whole thing, I've queued up the embed below to skip right to the dice, just in case you've got better things to do than watch our shenanigans:

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet, so that'll do it for today. The gang is off to PA to run those world record tests we talked about, so we'll be able to show you some of the results of that before too long. Wish us luck!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Kickstarter

Quality Guarantees, Campaign Philosophy, and a Deeper Look at some Materials & Colorways
almost 5 years ago – Sat, May 15, 2021 at 01:31:01 AM

Hello, everyone!

The campaign is still pushing forward. We're back with some more important information for you, including guarantees, a deep dive into some materials and colorways, and our overall philosophy concerning this campaign. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get into it!

Guarantees & Backer Satisfaction

When Wyrmwood & Dispel were working out the details of our collaboration, we found we had a lot in common. One area that was definitely common ground was our feelings on customer satisfaction. Let's talk about warranty and guarantees.

Wyrmwood: The Craftsman's Promise

Our Craftsman's Promise guarantee has been a Wyrmwood staple since our first Kickstarter project, and remains our standard today. All Wyrmwood products in this campaign are covered by this guarantee, which reads, in its entirety:

There is only one acceptable outcome for our Craftsmen: a product that they can take personal pride in and an -absolutely- satisfied client. If you are unsatisfied with your product for -any- reason at all, we will fully refund or replace the item (at our discretion) free of charge. We always guarantee our products, and we will always pay for shipping.

Dispel also believes in standing by their product and doing everything possible to ensure that you, the backer, has a positive experience. One condition of our collaboration was that customers could expect the same level of service and back with the same confidence and trust, no matter what combination of dice they were choosing - and Dispel, already conducting business this way themselves, readily agreed.

The bottom line is that if you are unsatisfied with the items you receive, for any reason, get in touch with us and we'll work to make it right for you.

Materials & Colorways: A Deeper Look

There are a lot of materials and colorways to choose from in this campaign. We wanted to take some time in each update to focus more closely on what makes them all special. This time, we'll be looking at some gemstone sets from our collection.

1) Raised Obsidian

Formed by cooling lava, obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass. The majority of gemstone dice in this campaign are engraved, but the opposite approach is taken with the "raised" dice. The raised font allows these dice to be read without inking, for an even more striking look and feel. These dice, with their bold black-on-black look, are the darkest in our lineup, making them an easy go-to for players looking for something beautiful in the shadows.

2) Opalite

Opalite, also referred to as the Tiffany Stone, Sea Opal or the Stone of Eternity, is a translucent, opalescent glass. It appears frosty blue, but shows a wide variety of colors, depending on the light passing through it and the angle one from which one views it. The pale blue hue and muted, gently diffused prism effect combine for a subtle, yet alluring, material.

3) Picture Jasper

Jasper, meaning "spotted" or "speckled stone," comes in many varieties and colors. Picture Jasper is a variety of jasper that features extraordinary inclusions and patterns. These patterns often appear like landscapes or other scenes to the human observer. Are they really there, or is your mind just seeing what it wants to see, and imposing a pattern on randomness? There's only one way to find out...

4) Blue Sandstone

Also known as "aventurine glass," this material is composed of metallic crystals, formed in glass, and dates as far back as the 12th-13th century. A deep, dark blue, with countless sparkles throughout, it distinctly resembles the night sky, and is an enduring favorite in our lineup.

5) Prismatic Glass

Known more technically as dichroic glass, Prismatic Glass is among the most stunning materials we offer. While the roots of this material date all the way back to the 4th century, we have none other than NASA to thank for its modern form, who developed it for use in special light filters. The glass is created with thin layers of metal film inserted within it, which filter light and result in shifting colors, which change depending on lighting conditions. A fascinating combination of art and science, but all of this pales in comparison to the experience of handling and viewing the dice as they tumble onto the rolling tray. One roll, and you'll see why they're among the most coveted sets we've ever offered.

Recent Pledge Calculator Updates

Some of you may have noticed that we have added the high variance d20 option to the pledge calculator! We don't have photos of all of the materials in this numbering pattern yet, however you can see the numbering map itself and full pricing for all of the options. Pricing has generally been set to standard d20 pricing, +$3.

In addition, we've also included our standard Dice Vaults and Tabletop Vaults in the pledge calculator - while we aren't featuring them on the main campaign page here on Kickstarter, we will be offering these in BackerKit after the campaign. These are the same models currently available for order on our website - we will offer them in BackerKit as well, as a convenience for those wishing to add one onto their pledge, so they can avoid placing multiple orders.

Campaign Philosophy

There have been some who have reached out, asking why we aren't adding more stretch goals, expanding the campaign in various ways, or otherwise taking action to make things seem more "exciting" - an interesting question.

Wyrmwood has launched many new products and product lines via Kickstarter over the years, and we've learned a lot. One of the things we've learned, both through our experience and the experience of other, less fortunate creators, is that getting swept up in the excitement of a big campaign, and adding features, free items, or new features, without carefully considering the costs, can spell disaster. That disaster can take down a project - or even an entire company. And when I say "costs" I don't just mean the expense of materials, but also the time and labor needed to make it a reality.

This project was carefully planned ahead of time - much of which played out on our YouTube vlog, Wyrm Lyfe - and we went in with pretty clearly defined parameters of what we would and wouldn't offer. There were - and remain - plenty of unknowns. We don't know which materials and colorways will be the most popular. We don't know if people will tend to opt for extra d6 or d20s, or how high variance will do. Of course, most of all, we didn't know how much demand there would be for the dice in general, for the project as a whole! These unknowns make the project a perfect fit for Kickstarter. We can create this full line of dice, offering a great many SKUs and options, while tailoring our respective production processes to exactly what is needed based on your specific pledges, after the campaign concludes.

But the fact remains, we have carefully mapped out the next several months of time, anticipating a successful project and planning for how to manage that success. And, with your support, that success is a reality. Throwing curves into the mix, when you're dealing with thousands upon thousands of orders and items, gets very dangerous, and we're simply not willing to jeopardize the campaign, and your experience as a backer, to "spice things up" with some last-minute additions or options. The goal of this campaign isn't to offer lots of reveals, bonus extras, or surprises, but to plan and create the best lineup we can, show you everything we have to offer, and deliver awesome dice on time and as promised. No more, and no less.

We're confident in our ability to do that, according to the timetable we've laid out in our pledge tiers. Wyrmwood and Dispel are fully committed to delivering and giving you, our backers, a great experience - applying all of the hard lessons we've both learned in campaigns past.

We are working to generate more content - different views of the dice, the special Dice Vaults, and more - and will certainly include that in future updates, along with deeper looks at the materials and colorways on offer. But we don't, at this time, plan on adding additional stretch goals or bonuses beyond the Guinness World Record die - which we are hard at work finalizing the design and packaging of, while we plan the attempt itself.

Speaking of GWR... and unknowns...

Why do we have 1,000 of these dice? Good question. In the next week or two, some of our team is going to visit the Wyrmwood Pennsylvania campus to lock in more concrete details for the record attempt. Part of that trip? Lining up these sample dice. Until now, we haven't actually tried it... and with nearly 16,000 of you so far, we're going to have an awful lot of dice to line up. We should probably gather some more data on what that event is going to look like, how long it's going to take, and how many people we'll need to pull it off.

Stay tuned, we'll let you know how that goes soon!

Two Weeks to Go

With 14 days left in the campaign, we're working to get BackerKit prepared, line up all our plans for production, and, of course, the world record attempt that you're all contributing to. As we get closer to the line, we'll be giving you more information and all the content we can generate for you as we race towards the finish line.

In the meantime, please keep sharing with those you think might be interested in dice from this collection. We love the line of dice we've curated for you, and we're excited to offer them to gamers all around the world. When last we dabbled in the world of dice, the world was entering an unprecedented period of great uncertainty, with most places going into lockdown. Tabletop gaming was going away for a while, but that was truly the least of the world's problems. We're still dealing with the impact of that, as are all of you.

As this campaign progresses, a year later, some things are the same... but much is different. And much feels different. We're looking forward to coming back. There's light at the end of the tunnel - though still some tunnel to traverse. By the time you're receiving the dice from this collection, many of you will be sitting across the table, playing games, sharing laughs, and telling each other stories once again. And that thought means a lot to us. One of the best parts of doing what we do is the pride you can take in playing a part in the gaming experiences of our backers. That sense is, perhaps, stronger than ever now. Thank you all for inviting us to your table.

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

~ Karen Wang, Founder/CEO for Dispel

Project Timeline, World Record Attempt, and More!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, May 07, 2021 at 02:06:59 AM

Hello, dice connoisseurs!

We're just over a week out from our launch, this is already a pretty massive campaign, with over $1.6m in pledges from nearly 15,000 backers! As I'm sure many of you reading this are new to the project, we encourage you to read the prior update, as well as check out the project FAQ, as there is a lot of valuable information there.

We'll be working on getting some behind the scenes footage as we plan for our world record attempt, more footage and content of the dice themselves (of course), and more as we progress through the campaign. Updates will be sent out regularly as we get this content together for you. In the meantime while we work on that, we're mostly focused on lining up the post-campaign survey and making sure it will be ready when it needs to be. And when is that? We're glad you asked...

In this update, we wanted to layout a general timeline for the project, with some rough dates penciled in, to give you an idea of what to expect as things progress. So let's take a look!

Project Timeline

• April 27th, 2021: Project Launch!
• May 27th, 2021: Kickstarter Campaign Closes
• May 27th, 2021: BackerKit Pre-orders Available
• June 10th, 2021: Kickstarter Funds Received
• June 11th, 2021: BackerKit Surveys Sent to All Backers
• June 25th, 2021: BackerKit Surveys Locked
• June 28th, 2021: BackerKit Balances Charged
• June 30th, 2021: Total Production Numbers Finalized and Submitted for Production

In the days and weeks following June 30th, the manufacturing process will begin. Manufacturing itself will take time, and the specific date physical manufacturing begins will be up to our suppliers and based on their schedule. However, we're submitting the numbers early so that the scheduling can happen, and we've already run the numbers by our suppliers to ensure our delivery estimates can be met, and we don't anticipate any issues.

Once manufacturing begins, the dice go through production, quality control, packaging and shipment to us. They are received and spot-checked for quality once more, inventoried, and stocked. With that done, fulfillment can begin!

Of course, many of these dates are estimates, and subject to change, but the above timeline will give you a good idea of where we are, where we're going, and what to expect as we progress through the project.

Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent

As backers of our project, we wanted to make you aware of another campaign running right now that may be of interest to you. If you're a fan of roleplaying (specifically, D&D 5E), original campaign settings and creative worldbuilding, awesome extras and exclusive Wyrmwood pieces... read on.

Chris Metzen, a veteran of game design and worldbuilding, is on Kickstarter to bring to life his very own 5E campaign setting, with the first book in the Auroboros universe, Worldbook: Lawbrand! While he's most known for his work on the universes of Blizzard's Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft and Overwatch series of games, he's not new to tabletop - in fact, this campaign is based on the campaign he ran in the 80s and 90s with childhood friends, before he would go on to turn his passion for design and creation into a career.

Wyrmwood was invited to create some special pieces for the Kickstarter project, and we were happy to oblige. Pledges start at $25 for a digital bundle, but recently they unveiled the "all-in" level, where you can get everything the project has to offer all at once:

Well, almost everything. Extras are available as add-ons, including our Art Tray! Here's a look at the Wyrmwood offerings in the campaign.

Check out the campaign here if you'd like to know more! 

The dice pictured above are two of the gemstone sets available in the Wyrmwood & Dispel campaign: Aventurine and Raised Egyptian Marble.

Guinness World Record, Here We Come

We've talked about the fact that we're commemorating this campaign with a world record attempt. The record itself - the longest line of dice - is simple enough: line up dice sequentially, in any pattern so long as they are continuously touching, end to end. The details of our attempt are still taking shape - we've committed to one die for every backer in the campaign, which means we are currently committed to lining up nearly 15,000 dice. After we do that, we get an official on site to certify the record... and then we gather all the dice up, and pack them, so we can send them to all of you. You may be thinking, wow, that sounds like a really terrible idea for you! To that we say... look, hindsight is 20/20. But whatever, we're doing it anyway.

We'll keep you posted, but it's going to take us a couple of months to line things up, get all the dice in, and actually do this thing. So you'll hear about it post campaign more than you will during it. Closer to the end of the campaign, we'll have some more details on the dice we're using, the date of the attempt, and more, but we may be kind of quiet about it during the campaign itself.

However, I wanted to talk about it a little, simply because this is a ridiculous, stupid thing that we're doing, and we're really excited about it. The best part of it, though, is that you are a part of it with us. In all likelihood, it's probably going to be a brutal day/weekend. Activities planned will include: tediously, endlessly lining dice up, swearing a lot when somebody kicks the line or shakes the floor, loudly asking ourselves why we decided to do this, and who's idea it was exactly, and, finally, shifting blame onto one another as our personal relationships deteriorate under the weight of thousands and thousands of dice.

And, of course, we'll capture it all on video for posterity's sake... and evidence, should things descend into violence. Time will tell!

And all of that is great! And you, dear backers, have the opportunity to make it s̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ even better! Keep sharing the project page, because more backers = more dice, and that IS actually a good thing.

After all, we don't want to just break this record. We want to crush it. Completely and utterly annihilate it... so that no one ever wants to try to break it again. And we believe that we can get there... but only with your help. So keep sharing the page, adjusting your pledge, and checking out the pledge calculator to zero in on what you're pledging for. By keeping the campaign active and sharing it across social media, we can keep growing the project and make the record harder and harder to beat.

Thanks for your support, and remember, we're always available to answer any questions. We're just a direct message away!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

~ Karen Wang, CEO/Founder Dispel

WE'RE FUNDED! Thank you for your support!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, May 06, 2021 at 12:18:59 PM

We barely launched, and we are funded! This is happening, and it's all thanks to you!

We're super excited to be teamed up with Dispel Dice on this project, and we're glad you're all excited, too. You have an idea, and you work to develop it, and then make your pitch... but it's all of you that determine whether or not it'll be a home run. Thank you for stepping up to the plate on this one. [Also, why am I making an extended baseball metaphor in an update to a dice project? I don't know. It's launch day! I barely know my name right now. - Ed]

Seriously, thank you all for your support, and we can't wait to make these dice a reality. Keep sharing the page and using our handy pledge calculator. We've got some cool content to share soon, and we'll keep you posted on how things are developing.

And hit us up with any questions you have! We'll be developing the FAQ on the page in the coming days as inquiries start to come in. Thanks again for all of your support.

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding for Wyrmwood & Karen, CEO/Founder, Dispel

(This is a big one) Stretch Goals, Campaign Overview, BackerKit & More!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, May 06, 2021 at 12:18:52 PM

Hello everyone, and thank you for backing our project!

To be looking at a total of $1,000,000 pledged from more than 10,000 backers, less than 24 hours after we launched, is truly amazing. Thank you so much for all of your support. Especially given the issues we know many were having with the website. We're sorry it was a stressful experience for many, and we thank you for bearing with us and getting your pledges in.

We have a lot to talk about, so let's dive right in!

Campaign Overview

First, some basic information about the campaign. We want to make sure you've got so that you can make the most out of your experience as a backer! To start with, let's talk about the basics: how does this campaign work?

1) You pledge to one of the available reward levels. These levels are not based on specific items, like many Kickstarter campaigns, but based on delivery date. We do this so we can plan and coordinate our fulfillment properly. We set the pledge amount to $15 which is the price of the most inexpensive single item in the campaign. Pledging $15 initially, as a placeholder, is fine! This secures your fulfillment spot.

2) Decide which items you'd like to pledge for. Now that you have a fulfillment spot, you can decide what you actually would like to receive! You can see all the available items on the campaign page, along with full pricing, but we recommend using our pledge calculator. You can choose any items and quantities you like, and it will do the math for you!

3) Modify your pledge amount to reflect the total. After you've used the calculator and figured out what you want to pledge for, you can come back to Kickstarter and modify your pledge. Once you're logged in and on the Kickstarter page, click "manage your pledge" and set the value to match the total of your desired items.

That's it! You're effectively all set, unless you decide to add to your pledge. The only other thing to do is share the page with friends, social media, etc. - if you don't mind. :) That ensures that everyone that wants to grab a set of dice from the campaign will be able to do so, and your help in spreading the word is invaluable to the project. That, and it'll make that world record that much more... record-breaking. More on that later!

Still, you may be wondering, what about shipping fees? That brings us to our next point: BackerKit.

Post-campaign: BackerKit

After the campaign concludes on May 27th, the next phase of the project begins: the funds are all collected from you, our backers, and transmitted to us, over a period of about two weeks.

In the meantime, we'll be working to get BackerKit online and ready. BackerKit is a system that will allow you to confirm all the details of your order once the campaign has concluded, and even add funds to your pledge, if desired.  Most importantly, BackerKit keeps track of all the data to make fulfillment manageable. BackerKit will also calculate the final shipping total for all of your orders, which you'll be able to submit payment for at that time. The graphic on the campaign page is only an estimate, and final shipping charges will depend on your specific order. That said, the estimates provided should be where the vast majority of backers fall.

BackerKit will open no sooner than two weeks from the end of the campaign, June 10th, 2021. You'll be directly emailed a unique invitation to your survey when it opens up. We'll keep you posted on the final launch date and timeline as we get closer to the end of the campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are in the process of compiling common questions that are coming up. Check the FAQ section on the main page for the answers. As the campaign goes on, we will add to this section, so check back frequently, ideally prior to sending us a message. Not that we don't love hearing from you, of course, but if the answer is already there, it'll save you some time. :)

Fun Stuff: Stretch Goals!

Okay, so as you've seen, we've already hit our lofty (we thought) stretch goal of $1,000,000 (once again, thank you!). We've also blown past the 10,000 backer mark. So both of our stretch goals have been reached. That means HIGH VARIANCE d20s will be available, and we are attempting to break a Guinness World Record! Let's talk a little more about what both of these stretch goals entail.

High Variance Dice

High Variance dice have been shifted to exaggerate extreme results, without compromising the average value. For example, on a typical d20, the numbers 1-20 each appear one time, and the average roll is 10.5. On a High Variance d20? The numbers are shifted, so that some numbers appear more than once, while others don't appear at all. This is more pronounced towards the extreme end, with three 20's, but also three 1's. However, the average roll with a high variance d20 is still 10.5. It isn't strictly "better" or "worse," it just means your chances of great success (or massive failure) have gotten a lot higher.

Of course, you should always let your GM know you'll be bringing or playing with High Variance dice, since they are non-standard. As for how to use them? The sky’s the limit:

• The “all or nothing” scenario, where everything comes down to one last-ditch effort: half of the party is on the ground, your wizard is out of spell slots, and the Barbarian is on deck... with 4 hp left. He's got one chance to save everyone... if he fails, it's all over, anyway.
• Growing up, your character always had an intrinsic bias towards extremes… everyone knew that you were destined to be a great hero… or a complete disaster. Now, beginning your adventuring career, you’re finally ready to find out which it will be.
• Somewhere along the line, you went poking around somewhere you didn't belong, and a fae, djinn, or other magically-inclined trickster didn't appreciate it. An enchantment on one or more of your party members means that until the curse is lifted, all of your ventures are doomed to result in either wonderful fortune or horrifying failure... and hardly anything in between. How will you handle it? Will they hang back, not wanting to risk disaster? Or do you gamble for a big win? And what will the rest of the party think? Will you get back to normal soon... will you even want to?

As you can see, there are many opportunities to expand the possibilities of your game. For those that like the gritty details, here's a comparison of the arrays we use on high variance d20s:

High variance d20s will be available in every material and colorway offered in the campaign. Pricing will be added to the main page and pledge calculator soon.

Guinness World Record

So, we're breaking a world record. Why? What record? How? We can answer SOME of that, at least.

What record are we breaking? The Longest Line of Dice.

Why this record? Why any record? We wanted to make this campaign truly momentous, and what better way than breaking a world record? We worked with the team at Guinness, who recommended this record to attempt.

But we needed to put our own twist on it. And we figured out how... during the following conversation:

So, that's it. We'll make the longest line of dice by using exactly one die for every backer, and the coolest part? Every backer will be sent their one die, that was actually used to break the record. So you'll own a piece of that record - and why shouldn't you? You're the reason we broke it!

But... when will we break it? How, exactly, will we break it? Well... more on that later. I mean, we had the idea. I didn't say we knew how the hell we were going to pull it off. Where would the fun be if we did? But we'll definitely be covering our attempt on Wyrm Lyfe, our company vlog. You can find it all right here.

More To Come

Thanks for reading through this update - there's definitely a lot here, but we hope you found it helpful and informative. Thank you for your support, and we'll be back with regular updates throughout the campaign. Remember to check the FAQ, and of course, if you have a unique situation or question not covered there, go ahead and direct message us! We're working hard to respond to all messages as quickly as possible. We recommend messages, over the comments section, because a project with this many backers tends to have a fast-moving comment section, and it's very hard to keep track of. Messages go into an inbox where we can see everything, so it's a safer bet to get an answer.

With that, we're off, for now. Thank you so much for all your support so far, and we can't wait to see where the campaign goes from here!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding for Wyrmwood & Karen, CEO/Founder of Dispel