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When Artisan Dice first got started, I was wowed by their products, which I think are beautiful and fascinating... but I have yet to buy any. They fell into two categories: 1. Expensive dice that I would not use because they are beautiful and I would not wish to damage or harm them 2. Expensive dice that I would not use because they are beautiful and would damage my furniture. I had a brass twenty sider once. Noticed after an all nighter that I had ruined a wood coffee table with the thing. Of course, this was in the days where when one needed furniture, one simply raided the dumpsters between semesters at the university, but the lesson wasn't lost on me. There was a product, back in the eighties, called Dragonskins; they were these vinyl book covers with lovely fantasy line art. They were intended to slip over and protect your hardback gaming books. They seemed like a neat idea; my friends and I bought several. Regrettably, they wore out VERY fast, tending to crack and tear along stress points. One, for reasons unknown, developed the tackiness that vinyl gets when you spray coat it or paint it with petroleum based paint, and ruined a friend's book. We also found that they tended to stress and tear the binding when used on softback books (ruined a copy of my old 007 game from Victory Games that way). They were pretty, but did NOT work the way they should've. Noticed today, a kickstarter for these beautiful wooden boxes for carrying your dice and figures and stuff. The boxes are lovely, but there's no way I'd fit all my dice in the thing; I routinely switch dice during a game as they begin rolling low and need replacing. I'm curious: anyone else out there see any products that seemed like a neat idea for games, gaming, and gamers... that didn't pan out in the long run, or failed the feasibility test after some thought?

Y'know, I get a lot of bulletins from Kickstarter. I also have a lot of friends on Facebook who post about various Kickstarters. And lor' knows I've helped fund enough Kickstarters. So, yeah, I guess I'm a Kickstarter kind of guy. But this morning, I was thinking: my life, as far as miniatures, used to be simple. There were miniatures I wanted, and miniatures I did not want. That was it. Two categories. Two choices. I either want a given product, or I do not. It's not manufacturer exclusive, either -- there are Reaper products I want, and will buy at some point, and there are other Reaper products I will leave on the pegboard. Do not want. Nothin' against Reaper or the product in question... I simply don't WANT that particular thing. But ever since Kickstarters began popping up like popcorn, and I discovered the joys of a successfully funded one that treats me like a mensch and comes across with the rewards, albeit maybe a little delayed, I've discovered new realms, and new complications... hence new categories. 1. STUFF I WANT. Most Reaper dragons fall into this category, as well as a variety of products from different manufacturers. Some I will buy next Friday. Others will have to wait, for one reason or another. 2. STUFF I DON'T WANT. Sorry, Reaper, I have all the orcs I am ever going to need. You want to sell me orcs? Need something new and outstanding. Nothing against Tre's orcs -- the reason I don't want them is because I already have more than I know what to DO with. But this category is for "minis I will not buy," for whatever reason. 3. STUFF I WANT BUT DON'T WANT TO SUPPORT. And this is where we get into Kickstarters. I can think of one KS that's offering this one critter I would like to have... but I have reason to mistrust the outfit running the KS. I'd have to support the KS to the tune of some forty bucks to get this one item, and that's assuming they're trustworthy and will actually produce and distribute the product before the pigs fly home to their nests for the winter. 4. STUFF I WANT TO SUPPORT BUT DON'T NECESSARILY WANT. And there's a lovely kickstarter going right now with some really impressive looking goblins. They look like they'd be fun to paint. But they are not offering product in a way that makes it easy for ME. That's what Stretch Goals should be about -- I send you five bucks or whatever, and can then access individual items I like, rather than having to buy a cargo pod full of stuff I don't want in order to get what I DO want. I'd sure like a sprue of three or five goblins, but I don't want enough of them to launch a full scale invasion of Canada. Sigh. Yeah, I know, I'm whining. Would that the entire third world should have problems as ugly and debilitating as mine...