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As some of you may know, I’m a full-blown, grade A, no apologies, Dice Geek!
Lately I've been wanting a cool set of wood dice. I did some searching and came across Artisan Dice, including the Kickstarter they did a while back. They look pretty beautiful in the pictures but also seem REALLY over priced though! I mean, I know wood dice is pretty niche, and I'd expect to pay a bit more for them, but wow! $150 or more for a set of dice? That's pretty nuts ...
So, my first question is, has anyone actually gotten dice from them, in particular any of their wood dice? If so, were you happy? Were they worth that kind of money?
Has anyone found wood dice (full sets, not just wooden d6's) out there more reasonably priced?
Thanks!!!
As beautiful as Artisan Dice's products are, I'd be worried that repeated rolling would wear the edges down, resulting in more and more skewed rolls as they might wear unevenly. This goes for any wooden dice. I'm a big dice geek myself (I have to buy dice every time I go near an FLGS), but at the prices Artisan charges I'm not sure they'd be worth it. Now the mammoth tusk dice they have would simply be put on display... lol
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The high price is probably because the cost of collector-grade hardwoods have gone through the roof in recent years.
I have tried ordering from Artisan Dice a couple of months ago but they seemed to be backlogged so far I was a bit leery on putting down (significant) money. If you plan to order call them on the phone to confirm they have the stock on hand.
I share DungeonmasterCal's feelings about them. They seem to be more practical to display than to game with as wood would pick up all manner of dents with hard use (and if you see the way my players treat dice, I think only tungsten dice would be immune!). They would make a great conversation and collector items though and the occasional light use wouldn't hurt.
The set I have has lasted me for years and worn rather well.
That said... I didn't order them online. Check your farmer's markets and local trade shows, and don't be afraid to head out into the country a bit. If you can find a local woodworker, you can possibly get a set of high-quality wood dice made just from leftover wood they have sitting around and actually end up paying less than you would for ordering online.
Last time I counted mine I had nearly 600 individual dice. I've since acquired many more from a friend who has gotten out of the hobby, so a recount is definitely on the horizon. And believe it or not, I have only actually lost 6 dice in my 31 years of gaming. I've given away sets that players really liked as gifts before, but I quickly replace them with a new set from the game stores in the area.
http://wherethewindsblow.com/product/standard-wooden-4-sided-hand-carved-di ce-set-of-2/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw2ay8BRC7sYequMydsq0BEiQAbEX9UNg9f_J13sQ1gVaTwHwD Fpa8rhW58FaspSdemn4Fm2saAhul8P8HAQ
Wooden MajongDice.
There you go.
I looked at the OP again. Unless you can find someone making full sets for another game, I'm afraid the one company has a monopoly.
My search has found lots of stuff on making wooden D20s.
Apologies for being a bit late getting in on this (though in my defence I was floating around offshore on an oil rig for the last two weeks).
I was a backer for both of the Artisan Dice kickstarters - the original d6 edition as well as the polyhedral, plus I've ordered a couple of sets separately. Here's my TL/DR recommendation if you're thinking of ordering from them... don't.
Crap photo of my dice
Artisan dice are the second row - top are standard, and bottom two are ceramic
The d6s I received earlier are better - with only minor blemish issues. Some of them I like alot (my Holm oak set, plus a set of 4 x liars dice I got originally), and they hold up well to play and rolling.
The hand feel of wood dice can vary quite a lot as well - denser woods feel more 'sturdy' while others are lighter than plastics.
The other elephant in the room is that in all honesty they don't offer good service. Their first kickstarter over promised and under-delivered after many delays. Their second is worse... significantly so. I've personally written off the $300 ish I've put in as a loss, as I just don't see them following through on some of the work. Their KS comment / update section portrays the full story - but it's a very very long read with a massive tail end of vitriol.
Their online order is a minimum 6-8 weeks delay, though you're likely looking at longer.
Relevant reddit discussions are here
That said - some of their work is good - the signature sets they put up on the last KS were really well done. But I would only buy complete sets - that are physically in front of you at the time. That way you can get the important 'hand feel'- plus you get instant payoff for your investiture. I believe they will be at GenCon?
I don't believe anyone else is doing wooden poly sets though. There are some other cool poly dice out there - like:
Prism dice - though not yet received in hand.
Gemstone dice - really nice... though wouldn't cope with dropping off the table. Also numbers are applied rather than engraved.
Unfortunately my favorite set is from a company that I don't think is operating any more: Black Rock Relics - which are ceramic dice. Beautifully done, sharp edges and tough as nails.
If you want to get your wood on though - I'd heartily recommend the fine folks at Wyrmwood for pimped out accessories - maybe one day they'll branch out onto dice...