"The Nautilus" Wood D20 Dice Case

Important Update on Shipping Delays
about 5 years ago – Sat, Feb 13, 2021 at 06:52:06 PM

Hey guys,

So, I've been very confident on keeping to a schedule, up until now.  

When COVID first hit, I knew my income would be hurt since most of the sales for Dragon's Claw were made at conventions, and they were quickly cancelled.  I had a nice financial safety net, though, and I knew I could ride things out for a while if necessary and still be okay.

...."a while" was not supposed to be a freaking year...

I'm okay, I have a side job (that has now become my full time day job) so I can keep my bills paid and keep myself going, but the more I have to focus on that job to stay afloat, the less time I have to finish more Nautili

I'm still getting them done since I have a decent amount of spare time to devote to it, but it's definitely slowed me down a lot.

The biggest challenge, however, is in shipping.  As you all know, towards the end of the campaign I announced free shipping on all US orders (and I ended up doing it for most international orders too).  I have sort of a personal issue against charging for shipping.  It's difficult to explain but I just feel like the cost of shipping is something that should never be passed on to the consumer,  because I think some companies just do that to encourage larger orders (Like when it says "Free Shipping for orders over..."  I've always hated that and so whenever possible I try to find a way to not charge shipping to my customers.

When I saw how many backers I had, I realized that my regular income from convention sales was more than enough profit to cover the shipping as I finished them and sent them out, so I wasn't worried about it and I was excited to add that as a bonus when the campaign hit 10k.  I still feel really good about that decision...

...it just sucks right now because every time I finish a Nautilus I have to check my bank account to see if I can ship it right away or if I need to spend some extra hours at my other job in order to afford it.

It's been stressful.

So, that's the main update.  I've got 6 Nautilus' packed and ready to ship behind me waiting for my next payday.  I just got a $100 shipping credit so as soon as I process that I can send out several more.

We keep hearing that conventions are coming back, then that they aren't, then that they are, then that the hotels won't let them, then that they will, etc.. etc.. etc..  Until then I'm spending as much extra time as I can either staining wood and working on the custom designs or working extra hours to pay for shipping costs.

I'll try to respond to messages on Saturdays from now on, it's hard to keep up during the week with everything else going on, so that's the best day to contact me.

Sorry for the delay in this post, I was expecting to now have to make it because of a convention that was going to be a big boost, and I just found out it was cancelled to, so.... yeah that's where I am now. 

(P.S.  Several of my friends work in healthcare and I have lost family members... if you decide this post is a great place to comment your COVID conspiracies, I'm cancelling your pledge.  People are dead, stop that shit, and stop it right now.)

Very quick update.
over 5 years ago – Tue, Dec 22, 2020 at 03:57:50 PM

Just trying to keep you guys posted on developments,  especially with the insanity that holiday shipping became.  As you can imagine, Christmas delivery for most small businesses has been about what you would expect from 2020, so rather than dwelling on the negative im going to focus on what im doing about it.

So, first the quick sad stuff then the upswing to the story thats developed recently.  When covid started, this was a new company with 4 people working with me doing production and convention sales (our main source of income). When conventions stopped, we took temporary side jobs that over time became not so temporary since conventions still have not returned (a choice I agree with despite the difficulties).

At this point, everyone but me has moved on, and I spend my time doing medical supply and essential delivery services to make my living in between building these dice cases.

But, im tired of waiting on conventions and I dont want to run a company that shuts down so easily when conventions stop, so I've been working on a different business model that relies less on conventions and can run more efficiently to make items wholesale for game shops.

The result, is laser cut 3d kits for dice towers, dm screens, trays, organizers, etc.. each kit is flat packed in boxes meant for retail sale at game shops and because the labor is mostly done by a laser, I can keep my prices very low so that the game shop can make a good profit while still giving you guys the same price you would have bought from me at a convention (or less). For example, if the Nautilus were a kit, it would retail less than $65!

This is what ill be focusing on after the last Nautilus is shipped, and the lucky part is that I was able to easily adapt some of my other designs to work as kits, and since the Nautilus won't arrive for Christmas, its going to arrive with an extra friend inside the box.

Im hoping you guys like the kit im adding to each order, and please provide as much feedback on it as you can so I can refine the designs as I go.

I am not certain I will do a kickstarter for these new kits since I want to focus on wholesale so that game shops can make their own profit off them (a lot of game shops are suffering financially right now so I'd rather they get the sales) but even if I do a kickstartwr I want to wait until I have more experience mass producing them.

In closing, this year sucks, the Nautilus are still coming even though I'm the only one left in the company, they won't arrive in time for Christmas but im adding something new that hasn't been released to try to make up for that.  Sorry for the lack of updates but im spending as much of my time doing prescription delivery services right now, and if you have spare time check with the "roadie" delivery service in your area to see if its in demand (there aren't a lot of delivery drivers doing prescription runs for nursing homes right now, and its an important job)

Try to have a happy holiday, and looking forward to a new year more than ever before.

Really quick update!
over 5 years ago – Mon, Dec 07, 2020 at 12:17:00 PM

So, I'm on the road right now and can't really take the time to post a long update, but wanted to let everyone know that we've started boxing the first orders for shipping!

I'm also working on a possible last-second redesign of the wooden stands.  Originally they had 5 "legs" and that gave them a huge footprint on a shelf.  I believe I've found a way to use 3 "legs" and still have a solid stand for the Nautilus.  If my experiment works I'll post photos of the newer stand that fits on a smaller shelf space!

Some pics for you all!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Nov 04, 2020 at 02:16:51 PM

Just wanted to share a few pics of the progress.  I'm working currently on the stained wood versions, and continuing to finalize the custom designs many of you requested, so keep checking your emails if you did a custom design!

I am still planning a big update about the future of Dragon's Claw Tabletop, including plans for future kickstarters or other projects and a non-profit endeavor that I will be leading.  It's a big change for me and a lot of stuff is still up in the air but I want to update you all ass soon as I can since it will affect future kickstarter plans.

Huge Update (1 of 3) - Nautilus Fulfillment Status
over 5 years ago – Wed, Sep 30, 2020 at 10:39:12 PM

So, this is one of three updates I'll be posting over the next couple of days (as long as I can keep phrasing things well, I suck at updates because I am either too long-winded or horrible at phrasing things, and unfortunately I'm very aware of it so writing posts like this is very anxiety inducing for me!  Sorry about that.)

This first update is going to be about the Nautilus fulfillment, and I promise it's good news!

Updates 2 and 3 I am still writing, and they are about why I am temporarily closing down Dragon's Claw Tabletop, meaning there won't be any new kickstarters for a little bit.  It's not bad news, though, because I am stepping away from this to pursue what I believe is a very good cause, and I'll be telling you guys all about it in one of the updates.  The other update is going to be an announcement of a final inventory sale of my entire stock of tabletop accessories from my convention vending setup (it's all just sitting in storage right now since conventions are off the table).  I plan to sell it all off to help fund the project I will be pursuing, and any backers will of course have free shipping because I can include it in your fulfillment (more details to come soon).

So, on to update #1 (I told you I was long-winded)

I am currently working with a massive laser which has ramped up my production speed tremendously!  I am more than halfway done with production already, and soon I will be focused entirely on the custom designs since they will be all that's left!!  

If you ordered a custom design, keep your eye out on your emails as I'll be continuing to contact everyone to work with you on your designs and give digital proofs.  

At my current rate, I am confident I will be able to leave everyone with a gift under their tree, hopefully closing out a horrible year with a nice package at your door.

I have a terrible habit of not taking enough photos of my work but I will try to break that habit and snap some photos of the various piles of laser etched wood so you can all get a look at the works in progress!