Important Update: BackerKit Survey Launch TOMORROW! Walkthrough Video, Dispel Photos, Dice Descriptions Inside!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 08:05:35 PM

Hello everyone!

As the subject line mentioned, the big news is that BackerKit surveys will be opened up tomorrow (Friday), in accordance with our campaign timeline. Before that happens, though, we wanted to send out this update with some photos, as well as descriptions of the dice for the visually impaired, as requested, as well as a quick BackerKit walkthrough video we made to give you an idea of what to expect in the survey. 

Important Note: A small number of you may receive your survey later today. This small test run will allow us to find any errors we missed, and allow us to make any necessary changes before the survey rolls out to everyone. If you get an invite today, please fill it out as soon as possible so we can take a look at the data before tomorrow's mass roll-out!

Let's start by briefly revisiting our timeline.

Timeline

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

Walkthrough Video

The survey and ordering process is fairly simple, but with so many backers, we want to do everything possible to make sure everyone is prepared. This is especially true for those of you new to Kickstarter, BackerKit, or both! So we made a brief video demonstrating the BackerKit survey process, featuring our own Paulie:

We'll send a brief update tomorrow afternoon, once all of the survey invitation emails have gone out.

One quick note: for those of you following along with the project who did not choose a reward tier, it isn't too late - when you get to your survey, you can choose the "switch pledge levels" option, which will allow you to hop into Wave 5 and give you access to all the items in the campaign!

Of course, if you're content to just follow along and don't want to order anything, you can simply fill out the brief survey and leave it at that. Thank you for your interest and support, either way.

New Dispel Dice Photos

We'll be uploading photos of the dice against a white background so that the qualities can be more easily seen, but here are some dice in hand photos in the meantime!

Dice Descriptions for the Visually Impaired

By backer request, we're also including some text descriptions of the dice in the campaign.

DISPEL DICE

**For clarity, foil refers to larger pieces, while flake refers to irregularly sized glitter. 

1. Event Horizon A two-color pour with black and teal resin, iridescent mylar, glitter, and flake. High numbers inked in white, all other numbers inked in teal. 

2. Tempest Rose Milky pink and translucent blush pink resin swirled together with gold flake and gold foil. Inked in rose gold. 

3. Ethereal Light A two-tone pour with black on one side and clear resin on another, paired with iridescent mylar, glitter, and flake. Inked in gold. 

4. Knifedancer Clear lavender and mint resin, with plumes of iridescent blue glitter woven in, accented with gold flake. High numbers inked in silver, all other numbers inked in white. 

5. Pure Starlight Milky white resin poured over an iridescent mylar, with warm iridescent glitter and flake. High numbers inked in gold, all other numbers inked in white. 

6. Last Voyage Clear sky blue resin with white swirled in, featuring gold foil, gold flake, iridescent flake, and a hint of glitter. High numbers inked in white, all other numbers inked in gold. 

7. 80's Kid A triple pour with neon pink, yellow and purple resin, featuring iridescent glitter and flake. High numbers inked in bright pink, all other numbers inked in bright yellow. 

8. Pastel Dreamscape Pink resin with gold shimmer paired with clear blue resin, copper foil, iridescent glitter, and flake. High numbers inked in white, all other numbers inked in blue.

9. Noble Ambition Two-color pour with a darker purple and a lighter purple, featuring iridescent mylar, glitter, and flake. Inked in white. 

10. Electric Kiss Bright indigo blue resin over cool iridescent mylar, with iridescent flake and a hint of glitter. Inked in white. 

11. Scarlet Blade Bright red resin with red flake and black tendrils swirled in. Inked in silver. 

12. Sunken Treasure Clear teal resin paired with gold foil, gold flake, iridescent flake, and glitter. Inked in gold. 

13. Sunset Eternal Clear magenta, pink, and coral resin with gold shimmer, gold foil, and gold flake. High numbers inked in magenta purple, all other numbers inked in bright gold. 

14. Vaporwave Clear teal and purple resin paired with iridescent mylar, glitter, and flake. High numbers inked in teal, all other numbers inked in a warm purple. 

15. Voidwalker Blue purple iridescent shimmer mixed with clear and black resin, gold flake, iridescent flake, and glitter. High numbers inked in purple, all other numbers inked in silver. 

16. She Loves Me (Not?) Clear resin with blue forget me not flowers and iridescent flake and glitter inside. Uninked. 

17. Dewdrop Clear resin with a small red rose, iridescent flake, and glitter inside. Uninked. 

18. Nightbloom Clear gray resin with a small red rose, iridescent flake, and glitter inside. Uninked.

GEMSTONE DICE

1. Black Obsidian Opaque, smooth, glossy black. Gold numbering.

2. Howlite Opaque white with a web-like network of grayish-black lines running over the surface. Engraved gold numerals.

3. Opalite Milky, translucent blue, with a muted prism effect when struck by light. Engraved black numerals.

4. Picture Jasper Opaque, and similar in appearance to wood. Tan/brown with darker brown and black lines, akin to wood grain, running through it. Engraved black numerals.

5. Raised Egyptian Marble A light, sandy tan/brown in color, with a wood-like appearance. Raised, uninked numerals.

6. Saturn Glass Clear glass with razor-thin slices of sparkling red/brown stripes throughout. Engraved gold numerals.

7. Blue Turquoise Turquoise in color (unsurprisingly) with a web-like network of grayish-black lines running over the surface. Engraved black numerals.

8. Aventurine Pale green, mildly translucent near the edges, with some visible crystalline patterns. Engraved gold numerals.

9. Blue Sandstone Opaque midnight blue, with myriad white sparkles throughout. Engraved silver numerals.

10. Rose Quartz Light pink, mildly translucent near the edges, with some visible crystalline patterns. Engraved black numerals.

11. Algal Stone/Shadow Jade Mottled black and dark green. Engraved gold numerals.

12. Raised Obsidian Opaque matte black, with raised, uninked numerals.

13. Amethyst Mildly translucent purple, with lighter and darker sections and visible crystalline patterns. Engraved gold numerals.

14. Bloodstone Opaque, primarily dark green/black in color with sporadic red inclusions. Engraved gold numerals.

15. Hematite Opaque, metallic gray, solid, and uniform in color. Engraved gold numerals.

16. Grass & Flower Stone Opaque, milky green with dark brown/black branch-like lines running through it. Engraved gold numerals.

17. Labradorite A multilayered stone that reflects light from different surfaces within it. This creates a shimmering effect known as "labradorescence." Overall a grayish-green in appearance, with very layering and crystal structure visible throughout. Engraved gold numerals.

18. Ruby in Zoisite Predominantly an opaque, mottled, dark green, with streaks of black and occasional red/purple ruby inclusions. Engraved gold numerals.

19. Prismatic Glass Clear glass with thin prismatic layers inserted throughout that create a brilliant rainbow effect in response to light. Engraved gold numerals.

Survey Drops Tomorrow!

Alright, there was a lot in this one, so we're going to call it a day. Thanks for your support, and we look forward to finally getting the survey out to you all tomorrow. Have a great evening!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Kickstarter

~ Karen Wang, CEO/Founder Dispel

The Road to Fulfillment!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 04, 2021 at 01:18:02 AM

Hello, everyone!

We hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend last weekend, and are having a good week. Given the flurry of activity wrapping up this campaign last week, among other things, we definitely needed it around here! In MA it rained all weekend, but that just means great tabletop gaming weather!

With the campaign over, we're ready to head into the next phase of the project: planning for fulfillment. Fulfillment itself is scheduled to begin in November of this year, but before that, we need to gather all of the information from you about what you've pledged for, where to send it, and more.

We're going to start with a re-cap of our project timeline once again.

Project Timeline

•  April 27th, 2021: Project Launch!  DONE 
•  May 27th, 2021: Kickstarter Campaign Closes  DONE 
•  May 27th, 2021: BackerKit Pre-orders Available  DONE 
•  June 10th, 2021: Kickstarter Funds Received  COMING SOON! 
•  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 a bit over a week, Kickstarter will complete the fund collection and transfer process, and the funds you've all pledged to the project will be in our hands (or at least in the hands of our bank). At that stage, with the finances settled, we will be ready to open up the BackerKit survey to all of you. BackerKit, as we've mentioned in prior updates, is a pledge management system, which you can use to confirm the details of your pledge, answer a few questions in a brief survey, confirm your shipping address, and - most importantly - choose all the items you'd like from the project.

We'll follow up with an update once the surveys are live, which should occur next week on Friday, June 11th. In the meantime, things will be a bit quiet here, as we work behind the scenes, analyzing early data from pre-orders coming in and getting the survey ready for you, as well as planning the Guinness World Record attempt.

Production Process

Some of you have been asking about the length of time we're leaving BackerKit open, and why we're locking down orders so far in advance. The reason comes down to efficiency in production. We could lock down each tier individually, however doing so would mean we'd have less information up front. As currently planned, at the date of lockdown, we will have complete information for the Kickstarter production. While the production itself will likely be broken into segments by month, it can be planned ahead to maximize efficiency and ensure a smooth fulfillment.

But all is not lost, if you decide you'd like to add items after lockdown! Pre-orders will be open from now until we near the end of fulfillment, well after the Kickstarter BackerKit has locked. The reason for this is that we will be producing for pre-orders separately, in another large batch, to be locked near the end of the Kickstarter fulfillment.

If you find yourself wanting to add to your order after surveys have locked, we would recommend placing a pre-order. It will ship separately and thus incur a separate shipping charge, but you will be free to order all of the same items at the same prices, and have a much longer window in which to do so. In an earlier update, we did specify that backers should not place pre-orders, but that's only the case while you still have a chance to fill out your survey in BackerKit. After your survey locks, pre-orders are certainly an option!

We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may cause, and hope this helps clear things up. As always, if you have questions about this or anything else, feel free to message us and we'll be happy to help.

Future Updates & Update Schedule

Moving forward, you can expect regular updates with key information as needed. But once the surveys are locked, balances charged and we're moving into production, our update schedule will shift a bit. Typically, we issue a monthly update on the 1st of every month for all projects that are not actively fulfilling yet. Once fulfillment begins in November, however, we'll double that, and send updates on the 1st and the 15th of each month, to better inform you as to how fulfillment is progressing.

Again, for now we're still going to be sending updates as we have information and important dates to communicate, but we wanted to let you know of the above schedule so you're aware of what to expect from us down the road.

Surveys Soon!

Thank you all for pledging, and we look forward to seeing what you're all pledging for, once surveys go out on the 11th! Until then, don't forget about us...

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding for Wyrmwood

~ Karen Wange, CEO/Founder Dispel

FINAL MINUTES! Project Timeline, Dispel Designer Diary, and Thanks
almost 3 years ago – Sun, May 30, 2021 at 02:11:36 AM

BACKERS!

With just minutes to go, we wanted to send a last quick update before things come to a close here on Kickstarter. Thank you for making this project a smashing success. More than 18,000 backers, over $2,000,000 in pledges - and more to come, when we break that world record!

So thank you for making all this happen... and continuing to keep it happening, right now!

Now, let's take a look at that timeline once again.

Project Timeline

• April 27th, 2021: Project Launch!
• May 27th, 2021: Kickstarter Campaign Closes <- You Are Here! 
• 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

As you can see, after the campaign closes, pre-orders open up, which we talked about in our last update. Remember, if you're reading this as a Kickstarter backer, pre-orders are not for you - those are for those that found out about the project too late to back, but still want in. They'll get to choose from all of the same items available in the campaign, but will not be eligible for the special Guinness World Record die.

After today, we'll be working on finishing up the survey and getting things in place, including some guides to help make the survey process easier for you all. In two weeks, when the Kickstarter funds have been transferred and settled down, we'll open up BackerKit and you'll all be able to fill it out and select all your items.

But more on that later. For now, we just wanted to take a breath, thank you for your support, and share our excitement at the pledges coming in over this final hour. We'll be following up with more information, content, and details on BackerKit and fulfillment in the days and weeks ahead, and you'll hear from us in updates here, as well as - if you're so inclined - on Wyrm Lyfe, our continuing vlog (Season 8 began yesterday!). In the meantime, if you're just joining the project, we urge you to review the past updates.

Dispel Designer Diary, Vol. 2

"My designs are all personal to me in some way shape or form, so I just wanted to take a little bit of time to share some of the thought and history behind some of the designs in this Kickstarter." ~ Karen

Event Horizon

An event horizon is a black hole from which light and radiation cannot escape, and it is also a point of no return. In real life and in tabletop campaigns, I've stood at a fork before a decision that would dramatically alter my life. And although not all of those decisions have been correct, there is no path but forward.

Scarlet Blade

So while this may not be readily apparent, I'm a bit of an edgelord at times. For those that have been following me since the beginning, this is a design that I've flirted with since almost the very start of my dicemaking adventures (you can see it being born way back on my Instagram), but didn't feel quite comfortable putting into my first campaign, as it requires a bit of artistry to get the black pattern right inside of the red.

I'm super thrilled to have it in this campaign -- because it's shamelessly edgy, and there is ALWAYS at least one of those characters in a campaign. ;) You all know who you are.

Sunset Eternal

Imagine living on a planet with a sky that never sleeps and twilight kissing the ocean horizon on a summer's day, every day.

The Journey is Just Beginning

The campaign is (nearly) over, but that's only the start of the project. With the pledges in, we can move towards gathering your order data, lining up production of all of your dice and Vaults, and, of course, shipping them all to you! November, when fulfillment begins, may seem far away... but it might arrive sooner than you think. It seems like just yesterday we were all wondering if 2020 would ever end, and now, here we are, almost half through 2021!

This collaboration was a first for both of us, and we're glad so many of you are as excited as we are to be a part of it. We're going to give it our combined all to make the fulfillment stage of this project as great an experience as possible for each and every one of you. Thank you for giving us the chance, and inviting us to your game table.

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding for Wyrmwood

~ Karen Wang, CEO/Founder Dispel

24 HOURS TO GO! Final Gemstone Spotlight, Post-campaign/BackerKit Refresher, and Additional Photos
almost 3 years ago – Thu, May 27, 2021 at 12:06:42 AM

Hello, backers!

With only 24 hours left, we'll keep this one short. We've got a closer look at the last of the gemstone selections here, and we're also including a brief summary of the BackerKit details we posted in an earlier update, just to keep it fresh in your minds. Let's dive right in.

Campaign Close & BackerKit

Once the campaign ends tomorrow afternoon, a few things happen. First, no new pledges can be accepted, and no pledge adjustments can be made. Pledges are final at that moment. Kickstarter will then begin collecting pledges and charging your payment methods. This will take a while, and Kickstarter will attempt to resolve any issues that occur during the process - cards being declined for one reason or another.

This process will conclude in two weeks time, at which point Kickstarter will transfer all collected funds to us. At that point, we can open up BackerKit, our pledge management system.

This system will allow you to confirm the details of our pledge and address, choose your desired items, and even add to your order if you decide you'd like more than you initially pledged for. Pretty handy. On our side, it will keep all of your pledge and order data organized, making our production and fulfillment run much more smoothly than it would otherwise.

You'll be emailed an invitation once the survey is ready. You won't need to find it yourself. This is worth mentioning, because BackerKit also allows us to offer pre-orders, for those that miss the campaign but are still interested in ordering. Backers, it's important that you do not place a pre-order! You can add anything you like to your pledge when you get the invitation, and if you place a pre-order, not only will you be charged shipping twice, your pre-order will ship out after all the Kickstarter pledges have been fulfilled, so you'll have longer to wait. So just hang tight and wait for our update announcing that BackerKit is open. You should find an invitation in your email inbox shortly after that update goes out.

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.

Algal Stone (Shadow Jade)

This natural stone, not widely known outside of China, is a variety of Jade with many impurities that create its mysteriously dark and speckled appearance. The balance of the natural with the sinister calls to mind a malevolent swamp, or a dark copse of looming trees choking out the sunlight. Trees with branches like withered arms, reaching out for whatever - or whomever - they might grasp.

Bloodstone

Opaque green jasper with inclusions of hematite, Bloodstone is among the most sinister in appearance of our lineup. Legends and superstitions abound, and while your dice are unlikely to possess the various powers that have been ascribed to the stone, it may just help you nail that sneak attack damage roll...

Hematite

Hematite is an iron oxide with a glossy, metallic shine that is also exceptionally dense, making it one of the heaviest materials in our lineup. It has been discovered on Mars, but has a long history on earth, as well: ancient humans were using a variation of hematite to write with as far back as 164,000 years ago.

Ruby in Zoisite

The first thing to note about this material is that the name is literal: it contains ruby inclusions suspended within green zoisite. It represents an interesting, brighter and perhaps friendlier contrast with the more sinister Bloodstone. Ruby in Zoisite offers colorful mystique and lends a touch of extravagance to your gaming session - or, perhaps, simply reminds you that there's no place like home.

It's the Final Countdown

No, it's not a trick (excuse me, I mean it's not an illusion). The campaign is almost over. But there's still time! So share the page, if you haven't already, and make any last-minute adjustments to your pledge before the timer ticks down to 0. We'll be back with more soon. In the post-campaign days, we'll be posting more photos and other content, and detailing what fulfillment will look like. But for now, we'll just be on hand to help with anything we can, while we watch that timer tick down.

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

~ Karen Wang, CEO/Founder, Dispel

48 HOURS LEFT! Dice Digital Wallpaper, Pure Starlight Photos, and More!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, May 26, 2021 at 09:48:13 PM

Hello, everyone!

With only 48 hours to go, the end of the campaign is nearly here. In the coming days, after the campaign ends, we'll be rolling out BackerKit for pre-orders and working on getting everything ready for you when it launches. As we said in our update yesterday, if you just got here, welcome! Be sure to check out the previous updates to get the lowdown on how the campaign works, what to expect when it ends, and more.

Even though the campaign itself will be over soon, we'll still be publishing updates and continuing to provide content in the coming days.

Photography and Additional Production Samples

Due to the nature of this collaboration, we don't have a great deal of product on hand - after all, it's being funded and produced through the campaign itself. But additional sample sets are being created and we will show more of these over the course of the campaign through updates as we move from preproduction to production. 

We have worked hard to create fun, appealing and representative photos of all of the dice available in this campaign, and we think the images on the page and in updates give you a great idea of what to expect your set to look like. 

However, more photos will come as we enter production and production samples are finished: you can expect to see the dice on a white background, both with professional studio lighting and lit by natural sunlight, additional "lifestyle" type photos (photos of the dice on a table, in a Dice Vault, etc), and later in the campaign, once production has commenced, production samples on a white and black background, and a video showcasing production samples.

We'll provide the photos of dice against a white background mentioned above as soon as possible, ideally during the window in which BackerKit is open, while you are making your final decisions on which designs to choose. Thank you for your patience!

 Animated Wallpapers

Between the ink plumes and the array of lovely dice to appreciate, we thought the backers you might enjoy some wallpapers to admire on your phone. You'll find a care package of beautiful phone wallpapers that are free to download right HERE. 

The Home Stretch

Now that we've entered the final 48 hours of the project, we'd like to thank you all, whether you just pledged or backed the project on day 1. We couldn't do this without you, and we're grateful for your support.

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Kickstarter

~ Karen Wang, CEO/Founder Dispel