As a gaming geek, I accumulate a lot of stuff; somewhere between “Wow, you really like to play games” and “Didn’t I see you on Hoarders?” It’s rare that there are pieces in my collection that my wife doesn’t immediately roll her eyes at, much less tolerate being left out on display. That was why I’ve been so happy with the Dice Vault I received from Wyrmwood Gaming’s original Kickstarter. Made from Ash and enhanced with rare earth magnets, it’s more than just a nice-looking way to store a set of dice. The finished wood surface is pleasing to look at, the vault has wonderful heft, and the craftsmanship is furniture-grade solid. I feel slightly silly describing a bit of gaming gear as “heirloom quality,” but I see my Dice Vault lasting longer than the set of plastic polyhedrals it’s protecting inside.
That’s why I was beyond thrilled to learn that, not only had Wyrmwood Gaming branched out into other bits of gaming gear, they were going back to Kickstarter for their new Magnetic Dice Tower system! What’s a magnetic dice tower system? Why it’s only the best gaming accessory you never knew that you had to have. The system is made from premium hardwoods (75 to choose from) and finished without stains or dyes. Then the pieces are embedded with rare earth magnets that allow you to turn this:
Into this!
The entire system breaks down into and fits together in the system’s dice tray. But the strength of the magnets make for a tower that is solid when assembled. Sure, you can poke a piece out of place if you try; but if you’re just picking up the tower and moving it around the table, it doesn’t feel like the tangram puzzle it is when disassembled–but a solid piece! And it’s actually fun to take apart and put back together again, so much so that my son and I resorted to a turn system for assembly and disassembly to avoid arguments!
Wyrmwood has been selling dice towers on their website for a while now, but heading back to Kickstarter allows them to branch out and offer the towers up in a variety of rare and beautiful woods. With 75 to choose from, plus a truly stunning “Dungeon Master Collection” made with special inlays and patterns, the only real problem is figuring out what you’re going to choose.
They’re currently offering Christmas delivery, and, while this is Kickstarter, you should definitely check out our crowdfunding primer to make sure you know what you’re getting into. I will say that, based on my personal experience, Wyrmwood Gaming makes good on their delivery promises. The original Dice Vault Kickstarter was also offered for Christmas delivery, and they nailed it! (Well, they didn’t actually nail anything, because, magnets… y’know, let’s just move on…)
The only downside is that you’re going to pay for quality. Full systems start at $150 and, depending on the wood, go all the way up to 10 times that! Luckily, Wyrmwood Gaming does offer options for the cost-conscious, You can also grab individual components for less, say if you have an original Dice Vault and just need a tower and tray to complete the set. The tower itself will ship in a cardboard tray that can be used as an ad hoc dice tray (until you break down and buy the matching wood tray –which is worth it, since it’s the only way to get the leather storage strap).
Rolling dice in the tower is a pleasure. The padded tray keeps it from being too loud (though I imagine this being effected by the hardness of the wood you choose for your tower), but you still get a bit of action from the unpadded sides. The angle of the baffles inside the tower keeps them from getting stuck or shooting out too fast (and popping out of the tray). Capacity doesn’t seem to be an issue either. I grabbed my handy dice Beholder and went to town to see if I could max it out. No dice (it’s funny, see, because there are dice; but I was unsuccessful in my effort, therefore I used a colloquialism… let’s just keep going).
There are just a couple of weeks left for the Wyrmwood Gaming Dice Tower Kickstarter so hop over, dive into their truly dizzying set of options, and pick out some impressive gaming gear.
Sorry, but there’s nothing innovative about their design since it’s already been done before and they just ended up taking the idea from someone else!
Hello Douglas,
Yes, I’m Joseph Propati and I truly appreciate your reply and your comment on Kickstarter, it’s nice to get some recognition when you come up with a design that you feel is new and original. I had a business back in 2006 called MiniDiceTowers and had a website of the same name. I created a large number of dice towers big and small, those which you see on YouTube, and others that were never displayed publicly.
If you say you’ve never seen my design than I take you at your word and commend you for your very cool design!
You’ve created something beautiful and practical! I’ll call you later because I’d be interested in how you overcame the pain in the ass process of inserting the magnets into hardwood. I hated this part on my design and it’s the main reason I don’t sell them anymore! Way too time consuming to make it profitable yet I was selling them much cheaper then you so that’s something.
Good luck on your Kickstarter and Hats off to you for a great design all around! I bow to your craftsmanship!
Sincerely,
Joseph Propati