Wyrmwood Gaming Review: Dice Tray (Adventurer’s Gift Set Lottery)

Opening Ceremonies

Much to my absolute glee, I managed to get my hands on an Adventurer’s Gift Set (a matching set of Dice Vault and Rolling Tray drawn at random through the wide variety of woods at Wyrmwood, the vault comes with complimentary laser etching of your choice). This time, since you were robbed of it before, I will take you through the impressive unboxing of this remarkable offering from Wyrmwood Gaming.

Stage 1: Is it broken?

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I was pretty happy with the adequate packaging for the shipment. A little crush in the corners of the Wyrmwood box, but even that is quite sturdy cardboard – considering the postmen here have PHDs in destroying packages, this is a gleaming approval from me.

Stage 2: What is it, what is it, what is it…

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There is a reason I do not gamble: I feel OVERLY elated in the moment of suspense just before discovering the outcome. I’ll close my eyes when playing blackjack just to live in the moment for a while longer before looking at the card after I hit on a 16. You’ll feel that exact same tension before looking at the sticker on the front of the box, and again when sliding the perfect fitting lid off.

Stage 3: The Prestige.

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And here, ladies and gentleman, is the pay off. I blacked out for a while, gently running my fingers along the supple leather and smooth wood, and cooing to myself – but I didn’t forget to mark the occasion with at least a passing photo. During shipping, the leather inlay for the tray was jostled loose, but with one single fingertip I slid it back down into place with a notable “click” as the leather snapped into the groove – Now let’s dive in to the review!

Materials

I feel this particular category is moot as we move forward in our relationship with Wyrmwood. I’ve rarely found a flaw in their production thus far. Every edge, every seam, is extremely well done and well crafted. You can tell they have all of this dialed in near to perfection, and I – for one – appreciate the hell out of it. In fact, the only flaw i found with the entire thing was the leather insert being out of place when I opened it. Past that, it seems to have made it to me nigh unblemished.

Each dice tray, I am told, is inlaid with a lightly broken oiled leather – leading to a soft and velvet feeling finish. The base of the tray is made of a compressed and sanded plywood to give a uniform weight and production value, while the exotic wood is carefully boxed around the entire tray, as well as bisecting the tray near the top – leaving a perfect area for a Dice Vault (pictured above) or to store your own loose dice or minis. The rubber feet are (as we have discussed in the previous Dice Vault Review) NOT AFFIXED with a glue or likewise chemical agent. They are instead screwed to the base of the tray, giving a much stronger and longer living hold. I cannot tell you how annoyed I, personally, get when tacky glue covered rubber starts to rub off of anything considered “quality” – props to Wyrmwood for using hardware whenever possible.

Security

So many dropped dice. So many. Hurled across the table, spun into food, flicked under a companion’s chair – my players and I are all guilty of it, as are most of you, I imagine. Luckily, the Dice Tray is quite deep and, in my opinion, the perfect size for most gaming needs, about the size of a hefty notebook.

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Extra Credit: Wyrmwood d6s, very pretty in their own right.

One of the things I was most concerned with, however… how much destruction would be wrought by my metal dice? A thought that nearly made me refuse to use metal dice inside the tray, but that’s not very scientific, is it?!
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I rolled these fantastic White Gunmetal dice from Easyroller a total of 31 times. All of them, at once. Luckily, the leather seems to be a great shock absorber – saw very minimal scuffs from some pretty rough abuse (hucking handfuls of metal onto it all at once is rough in my book).


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It’s safe to say from a gaming standpoint, unless you’re just absolutely brutal to this thing, it will last a lifetime with proper care. I’ve used mine at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, for a month now and see no signs of wear.

Bonus Points

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The Adventurer’s Lottery is your best bet to snag a tray and a dice vault – the two together were $120 for the tray ($70-260) and a dice vault ($25-125), a set of dice ($10), and a custom engraving for the Dice Vault ($50). The personalized etching is appreciated, especially to showcase my blog/twitter/youtube handle – I would, however, like to see that same engraving offered on the tray for the adventurer’s lottery. I am unsure how much the procedure costs, but it would lessen the sting for those people who end up with Red Oak or Maple that bought the set dreaming of the coveted Gabon Ebony.

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One last bonus selling point – THE SOUND! No, seriously – rolling in this dice tray sounds like magic, particularly with metal dice. The space left under the tray by the rubber feet make it act like a wood and leather SPEAKER, thunking out a smooth heavy sound that puts every other rolling surface I’ve used to absolute shame. If these kind of tactile examples excite you at all – just get one. No, seriously, get one.

Final Thoughts

I have to admit, I am shocked by this dice tray. I was in the club that said, and I quote “I cannot imagine paying a hundred dollars for a f*cking BOX.” But now that I have one, I will never be without it again. Many of my players have admitted they’d love one too.

Nice packaging, expert build quality, beautiful design, high but acceptable price point for a one-and-done item such as this, and one hell of a conversation piece: I cannot recommend this particularly lottery enough. I don’t know what it would be like at my table without this incredibly gorgeous addition, and neither will you once you get one.

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Possibly the most rustic gaming gear I’ve ever seen.

 

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!

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