Many tabletop roleplaying groups have gone fully online in recent years, but the majority still meet in person to roll dice in anger. So wouldn’t it be nice to have everything you need to run your character in one place? That dungeon journal by a Michigan based company Elderwood Academy looks like just the thing – a trapper keeper that keeps your dice, a miniature, your character sheet and any superfluous notes in a small A5 binder.
A new Kickstarter campaign launched this week with a minimum purchase price of $89 plus shipping. Backers will receive a leather-bound A5 folio with a vaulted cube spine. Undo a few snaps and both your character and your math bricks will be right where you need them. Open the folio and you’re good to go.
But Elderwood goes one step further. The campaign offers a handful of thoughtful extras. There’s a dice tower and a roller board, both made of soft leather and fold flat. Thanks to half a dozen metal grommets, they can even be clipped directly into the diary itself. Upgrades are available for different wood qualities, leather, embossing, all that good stuff. But I think the nicest feature is the nominal price for custom lettering on the front: only $15, and you can put your character’s name right on the cover.
In a world where fancy dice can cost $60 on the low side, and where rolling trays can be found for hundreds of dollars apiece, a bespoke, multifunctional little object like this seems like real great value. And the fact that I can later print out any old A5 sheet of paper is an added value. My only concern is that the rings might not hold up over time. But I tend to be hard on my three ring binders.
I’ll be waiting for these to go on sale myself as Elderwood has a stellar presence at the convention site. But if you’re an early adopter or looking for a gift for the roleplayer in your life, July 2023 isn’t too long to wait for delivery. You will find the configurator – to help you price the set of your dreams – on the Kickstarter page.
