Elderwood’s Dungeon Journal is a fantastic RPG gift, now on Kickstarter

Although many online tabletop roles-playing groups are now available, the vast majority of them still gather in person for a game of dice rolling in anger. Wouldn’t it be nice to have everything you need to run your character all in one place? It would be a great gift for your Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Journal from Michigan-based company Elderwood Academy looks like just the thing — a Trapper Keeper that holds your dice, a miniature, your character sheet, and any extraneous notes, all in a petite A5 portfolio.

This week, a new Kickstarter campaign was launched with a minimum purchase-in of $89 and shipping. Kickstarter backers will receive a leatherbound, A5 folio and a spine-protecting dice vault. You can undo just a couple of snaps to get your character, as well as your math-rocks, right where you want them. Crack open the folio, and you’re ready to roll.

Elderwood takes things one step further. The campaign includes a number of thoughtful additional items. There’s a dice tower and a rolling tray, both of which are made of soft leather and fold flat. A dozen metal grommets allow them to clip into your journal. You can upgrade to different quality woods, leathers, embossing and all the rest. But I think the nicest feature is the nominal price for custom lettering on the front: Just $15, and you can affix your character’s name right to the cover.

This is an excellent value in this world of fancy-ass die that can cost $60 and roll trays for thousands of dollars, where you can find multi-function items like this at a fraction of the price. It’s also convenient that you can easily print any size A5 sheets of paper to use later. I am concerned that rings may not last as long. My three-ring binder is a favorite of mine.

I’ll be waiting for these to come to retail myself, as Elderwood has an excellent presence on the convention circuit. But if you’re an early adopter, or are looking for a gift for the role-player in your life, July 2023 isn’t all that long to wait for delivery. You can find the configurator — which will help you price out the set of your dreams — on the Kickstarter page.