There is a divide inside me. Half of me yearns for sharp edges, glossy finishes on polished metal, clean white inlays. The other half of me likes smooth, rounded, warm wood, vibrant messy colors.

So you can see why I both love and loathe this wonderful offering from Dogmight Games. Today, half of me tackles the Dragon Sheath

• Side 1: “Dragon Profile #1”
• Side 2: “Staff”
• Finish: “Ruby”
• Storage Cut: “Interior I”

Shipping: A Dogmight Special

At this stage, I still had no clue what this even was. But I knew… it was probably safe.

Ah,  yes. The… thing… No doubt, on bubble wrap inspection, this thing was, indeed, unharmed!

Materials/Color

This particular Dragon Sheath, the “Fiery” variant, is made from a wood that is often used for incredibly flashy wave-covered larger projects: tabletops, flooring, dressers, etc. “Flame Birch” or “Curly Birch” has an amazing ripple pattern that looks like heat shimmers or wrinkled silk. Go google photos of it! It’s quite amazing.

On smaller projects such as this, one would usually lean toward a curly maple – the grain (that area that looks like wrinkled silk/flames) is much tighter and easier to see. But one look at this sheath shows the larger grain in stark contrast – clashing and blended colors that look like an aurora. It’s quite striking and wonderful.

The wood, considered difficult to work with by many, holds a wonderful shape when machined slowly with a very sharp bit. The “top” and “bottom” of this particular sheath are both machined with reliefs on them, both are very well cut and even.

The perfectly planed sides of the case contrasts quite well with the raised faces of the sheath – giving an illusion of great depth.

Security

The insert for this sheath (Insert I) is made, in my opinion, for a player more than anything else. Perfect for housing multiple pens/pencils, a set of dice (note: not advisable for stone or wood dice, they do have room to rattle around and clack together), and a much cushioned space for a miniature!

Becoming an industry standard – the use of high powered magnets ensures the case is held quite firmly. I noticed, with this particular model, that leaving one corner snapped together lets the entire sheath tip just enough to be serviceable while displaying the contents back toward the player. So be sure whatever you get carved onto the “top” of your case you enjoy the look of. You may be seeing quite a lot of it.

The recesses are deep enough, being cut onto the “top” and the “bottom” that you can squeeze in extra gear if you’re smart (two pens, a dry erase marker and a pencil, a 10 piece set of dice if put in properly, two minis if they face each other, etc etc). But take care when you select this option during checkout – it is by far the most important.

Style

The overall vibe of this sheath is quite striking. The entire thing is designed from the ground up to be eye catching and vibrant. And it most definitely succeeds in grabbing the attention even when sitting out of the way on the table.

One important facet, and this may not be applicable to everyone, is that having an image engraved on both sides, while radical (I’m sure people still say that), does mean that the case will never actually sit balanced on the table. It will never be flat unless put on the edge, like below. This does showcase both sides to the world, and the BEAUTIFUL color of the wood, but it also makes all of the internal storage worthless for the duration of the game.

So the struggle remains: do I keep it open and miss out on this gorgeous view? Do I stand it on its edge and not use it? It makes a little bit of a struggle – though quite arguably an easy one to decide on for each person.

Though serviceable, I would sincerely suggest grabbing at least ONE flat side to your sheath. To be honest… I may get one with TWO flat sides. The color is like staring into a galaxy, and I think that seeing one of these left perfectly flat might just be MORE striking than the amazingly carved sculpts.

Having said that, there are literally thousands of combinations for these sheaths. Thousands upon thousands, all at your fingertips, are waiting to be selected. Finishes, carvings, customization options – no two ever need be identical. I am merely reviewing the ONE dragon sheath I have my gnarled claws on. Yours could be as vastly different as a grasshopper and a lightly fried potato pancake.

Overall

Sitting in at a hefty $70+ price tag, these things are not meant to be purchased haphazardly. One must put thought and patient contemplation into it for it to be a very worthwhile purchase. Especially for those few players that enjoy buying a premium high-quality product as a gift or a memento, it can be a very worth-while purchase.
The “Ruby” finish is incredibly gorgeous and even the most ill informed layman can see the wood is cared for a great deal. It’s products like this that make Dogmight so effortlessly appreciated by everyone.

I don’t always advocate rolling, but when I do… be sure you have to Drop the Die.
Review by JB Little, Follow me on twitter for more product highlights and dice giveaways!