Last 24 Hours, Want to Do Something? Do it now!
about 4 years ago – Thu, Apr 02, 2020 at 11:29:17 AM

Last 24 Hours!

The campaign's coming to an end and I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the upgrade option to include the 4th die, just in case anyone missed it or needs a reminder. 

(If you're not interested in the 4th die -- it's optional after all -- or have already adjusted your pledge, you can skip this section. It is a recap.)

What's the 4th die? It was covered in detail in this update. The 4th die is a completely optional add-on. The DM's Advice Dice will work fine without it, but if you are interested in obtaining it, there are pledge levels that include it for a slightly higher price. (Note that all Limited Collector's Editions already include it.) 

Now that we're in the last 24 hours, this is a reminder that every reward level (either one set of DM's Advice Dice, or the "share with friends 3-pack") is available with or without the optional 4th die. It's completely up to you, but if you were intending to change something, now's the time!

What Happens Next?

Once the campaign closes, pledges will be collected by Kickstarter and after their gnomes sort through everything, I'll have the green light to proceed with production. Nothing too exciting happens during this phase, as it's all busywork and nothing creative goes on for at least a couple weeks.

After that, you can look forward to updates (like this one) keeping you informed about the whole process of getting these made and sent to people. One of the things I will be sharing is how I made the prototype dice shown in the campaign. Hint: a laser was involved.

Are You a Retailer?

If you're interested in carrying the DM's Advice Dice, I will be offering retailer options once fulfillment to backers is done. Here is a list of the best ways to stay in touch and be the first to know when that happens. Pick whichever one works best for you:

• Watch these updates. I'll make an announcement after production and once fulfillment to backers is underway. As long as you have pledged at least $1, you'll get these updates.
• Send me a direct message here on Kickstarter with your name and email address, and I'll be sure to give you a personal heads up when the time comes.
• Sign up to the mailing list on ticktocktoken.com which will also receive news. Tick Tock Token (which is me) will be carrying the DM's Advice Dice once all Kickstarter fulfillment is done.

Thanks everyone, and I'm looking forward to the next stage!

Let's Look at that Fourth Die, and How To Get It!
about 4 years ago – Wed, Apr 01, 2020 at 10:14:13 PM

Welcome everyone to the last 11 days of the campaign! We're almost 400% funded and I have new stuff to show you! This is my longest update yet, so here's the busy-people short version:

• The "4th Die" mentioned in the Limited Collector's Editions: what it is and how it works.
• How to get it? (other than a Collector's Edition, which all have the 4th die as a free bonus): if you want the optional 4th die, choose one of the new reward tiers.

The DM's Advice Dice is specifically designed as a three dice set. But right from square one I had the idea for an optional and experimental fourth die. So let's talk a little about that.

The Mysterious (and Optional) Fourth Die

The fourth die -- which has never before been shown -- is included as a free bonus in each Collector's Edition tier, which sold completely out in no time at all. 

I've since been thinking ever since about a way to get backers the fourth die if they are interested, and there are now new reward tiers to get it. More on that in a moment. First, let me explain the fourth die a bit more. (If you're not interested in the optional fourth die, you can skip this section. The DM's Advice Dice will work perfectly fine without it!)

I wanted the 4th die to be optional -- something that could be added in (or left out) from the normal set. But ADDING a die to a working system is risky. The DM's Advice Dice is a three dice set that exists in a balance, so that the results are never "nonsense" no matter what order they are rolled in. Adding in a fourth die risks upsetting that if the results can contradict or otherwise not match the rest. So how to solve this problem?

The way I did it was to make the optional fourth die a modifier that exists independent of the other three dice. That way, it's truly optional and cannot interfere. It can only add to or modify what the set of DM's Advice Dice already say. Here's an example:  

 "Single out" (plus an arrow) simply means to single out or otherwise focus on the player (or game element) nearest to where the arrow is pointing. It doesn't change the rest of the dice, except to add an optional detail or direction, if desired.

(Just a reminder, these pictures are prototypes. The final dice all backers receive will have better quality printing. )

Here's another thing the 4th die can do. The word "unless..." happens to be a good modifier, and this shows how "unless" can work to simply modify what's already there:  

  Yep, that basically means "unless no one is on their phone." Modern problems require modern solutions.

Interested? New Reward Tiers Add 4th Die

The Limited Collector's Editions all receive the fourth die as a bonus, but they sold completely out in the first week. So for anyone who is interested in the optional 4th die, there are new reward tiers.

•  One set DM's Advice Dice is now also available in a version that includes the 4th Die.
•  Share With Friends (3 Pack) is now also available in a version that includes a 4th die with each set.

Because this campaign has been so successful (almost 400% funded as I write this) I can offer these added tiers to everyone at a very reasonable cost, because being funded almost 400% means production gets more efficient. So if you want the optional fourth die, you can do so by choosing one of the new pledge tiers. Just click on it to change your pledge, that's all there is to it! 

If you're not interested in the fourth die, you don't need to do or change anything.

One Last Thing

Last thing for this already-long update, and it's just a design note for those of you interested in such things. (If you're not interested in design details, you can ignore the rest of this update and you won't miss anything.)

Eagle-eyed backers will have noticed in the above photos that the NSFW die face has been changed a little. "NSFW" is funny, but to be honest it is a bit limiting. It now reads "NSFW or  Small Reward". To give a small reward is a great, flexible option that can mean almost anything: perhaps a single gold piece or small buff, or a small favor or compliment from an NPC. It provides the DM's Advice Dice with much more flexibility this way, and I like it a lot. I carefully stayed away from putting things like OR on any of the dice because it makes the results more vague, but in this case it works, so I happily made an exception.

Whew! If you're still here, thanks for reading! That's it for this update, and thank you each and every one for your support. I can't wait to make these for all of you.

Production Plan Work, and A Few Words About Designing the DM's Advice Dice
about 4 years ago – Tue, Mar 17, 2020 at 07:48:24 AM

Welcome new and existing backers! I'm delighted that you like the DM's Advice Dice enough to want your own, and since the campaign is almost 300% funded, I've already been working on some of the more boring aspects of the production plan.

It is said that when you have a working prototype, you are 15% done and the fun part is over. As someone who makes things for a living, I can absolutely vouch for the truth of that statement!

Aside from that news, in this update I would also like to talk a just a little about the work that went into designing these in the first place. Today I'll talk about dealing with the sheer unpredictability of dice. Three six-sided dice allows for a lot of combinations, none of them are truly under anyone's control, and I consider it very important that the dice never produce total nonsense. So to help ensure this, after I had drafted up the original prototype three dice I wrote a short computer program that barfed out every possible combination so that I could validate them. That process even needs to be repeated when any changes are made, so it's critical to get things right as early as possible. That is exactly as exhausting as it sounds but it is important to do.  Garbage in, garbage out! The final dice faces are not yet 100% set in stone (I may still make some tweaks) I can promise that any changes I make will be for the better, and I'm sure you'll be delighted with the results.

Thanks for your support. Every single one of you is an important part of making this happen, and I can't wait to get these into your hands.

The DM's Advice Dice Welcomes Our New Backers!
about 4 years ago – Tue, Mar 17, 2020 at 07:48:02 AM

The DM's Advice Dice are juuuuuuust over 300% funded as I write this, and this is great news because it gives the opportunity to produce things more efficiently. A successful project means I can deliver, but higher funding means I can do it more efficiently and get a head start on production, and that's good!

What does this mean for you, the backers? Nothing changes right now, but being funded more means production is more efficient and overall less susceptible to disruptions. I of course will have more envelopes to address and more packages to handle, but that's a "good" problem to have!

The DM's Advice Dice were a huge hit when I made the original prototypes as a gift, and I'm delighted to give people the chance to own a set via this campaign. I just want to say thanks to every one of you. I look forward to producing these and sharing the process via these updates. 

Stay tuned as we approach the last two weeks of the campaign. You'll be glad you did!

Hello Newest Backers!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Mar 16, 2020 at 06:12:34 PM

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to all the backers who joined last week and over the weekend. Your support means a great deal to me! 

Let me talk briefly about the coming updates for this campaign. In a few more weeks, this campaign will close and the primary place for updates will be these messages from Kickstarter. I won't be asking you to go elsewhere to get your news. 

Also, I design and make things for a living, so if you're interested in what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to getting something like this made and shipped, be sure to stay tuned! As long as you have pledged at least $1, you will get these updates (including all backer-only content) delivered direct to your email.

I'm truly delighted that so many people are looking forward to the Dungeon Master's Advice Dice, and I can't wait to get them into your hands! A big thanks as well to those of you who have pledged for the Limited Collector's Edition. The deluxe storage case's exact form and design is still a secret, but each and every single one will be lovingly crafted and I hope they will delight you as much as I enjoyed designing them.

Hope you all have a good week. I'll update you all again soon.