My dear fellow connoisseurs of the odd, the weird and the curious,
as most of you know, it is not all that difficult to get me brimming with excitement over a new idea, a new story or a new thing, and this fully extends to the wonderful world of crowdfunding. While not every effort may bear fruit, platforms like kickstarter and indiegogo are overflowing with visions of new ways to play, to narrate or to simply appreciate, and sadly, if I went and supported every idea that appealed to me, I would soon find myself in the poorhouse.
Luckily for me, just flipping through this catalogue of curiosities does not cost a thing, provided a bit of restraint is exercised, and we can still appreciate the efforts we cannot immediately partake in, and, more importantly, share them with others who might find them fascinating as well.
Let me begin with this gem I came across only a couple of days ago. I did not support this endeavour at this time, but I find it hauntingly beautiful.
This contraption is called Slow Dance; the frame creates the illusion of the objects inside swaying in slow motion.
Slow Dance is only available for roughly 50 more hours. I will not be part of this funding effort at this time, but I hope they will be available at some point in the future.
I just stumbles across another one that might be of interest to those of you who enjoy tangible items inspired by the works of Howard P. Lovecraft. This fellow has made himself a beautiful spellbook to use as a prop in roleplaying. The book is available in three versions, with the most expensive one bound in hickory wood and deer hide. If Filigree in Shadow has already bled you dry for the month of October, there are also sample pages available for a much lower price.
Post by helenahandbasket on Sept 21, 2016 14:20:27 GMT -5
Oooh, nice!
And let me offer up my personal fave at the moment, because I'm always a little restless: Behold, the Fidget Cube! Which is well on it's way to a Kickstarter record at this point. The shock is starting to wear off and they're taking a hard look at logistics. The communication about where they stand with a level of demand they weren't expecting has been extremely regular and transparent. And, like some of the other Kickstarters that have gone viral, it's getting even more subscribers because of the amount of press their campaign is now receiving because of the sheer size of it.
PS, if you have difficulty viewing the video for the Lovecraft spellbook because your browser won't play it, here's a link to the KS campaign:
Last Edit: Sept 21, 2016 14:24:09 GMT -5 by helenahandbasket: adding spellbook...
One can fidget with fingers and toes, no accessories required!
Or maybe I will even give some away, I do know some people who would certainly get some use out of one!
Meanwhile, Kickstarter kindly directed my attention to this campaign:
These ten scenarios will be delivered in the form of transcripts of ten letters out of the late 19th century, each detailing a strange, séance-like "game" for a group of (ideally) more than two people. At first glance, I would categorise them as Gamemaster-less live action roleplaying games; the first letter is available as a preview here. While these games are called "Victorian Occult Parlour Games" in their campaign description, the letters themselves seem to hint at a darker tale.
All in all I can see myself at the very least use these in a future roleplaying campaign, so I went in for the digital version. It is a bit of a shame that they do not offer a reproduction of the original letters, but only a rather plain-looking transcript - unless one is willing and able to fork over the sum of ten thousand dollars for the alledged original letters.
So, did you end up with 5 Fidget Cubes because it was the same price as ordering 2+international shipping?
I most certainly did! I despise paying more for shipping and taxes than for the purchase itself. And I suppose one can never have too many Fidget Cubes.
just received mythos tales ( the website). was very excited about it but too late to see the kickstarter. Lucky that the shop were I buy my games was able to get it Now only needto gather some folkd to start playing it.
just received mythos tales ( the website). was very excited about it but too late to see the kickstarter. Lucky that the shop were I buy my games was able to get it Now only needto gather some folkd to start playing it.
For anyone who might be interested in it, it looks like Mythos Tales is still available for purchase -- even the deluxe Kickstarter edition -- in their shop (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page):
At this point I am still deluding myself into thinking I can forego this one. I will probably end up ordering five. They offer free shipping at five.
Assuming you succumbed to the siren's song -- did you notice the incredibly clever solution they came up with for people who wanted it on a keychain?! I think it's genius! And, of course, I'll be adding a couple during the backer survey...
At this point I am still deluding myself into thinking I can forego this one. I will probably end up ordering five. They offer free shipping at five.
Assuming you succumbed to the siren's song -- did you notice the incredibly clever solution they came up with for people who wanted it on a keychain?! I think it's genius! And, of course, I'll be adding a couple during the backer survey...
Indeed! Personally, I do not see the appeal of using the Fidget Cube as a keychain, as I find it far too bulky to fit any of the pockets I usually keep my keys in, but I am glad they found a way to appease everyone here without drilling a hole in each and every Cube.
I will probably end up adding a number of additional cubes. I seem to surround myself with more people who would get some good use out of one than I realised.
Post by helenahandbasket on Nov 15, 2016 11:26:10 GMT -5
I see myself upping my order as well. I don't know that I'd use the Prism as a key chain, either. My key chain is already ungainly enough - but since they're using carabiners, it's a good way to keep it at the fidget-ready vs. lost at the bottom of whatever bag I'm carrying.
I was sorry to see they're already having IP problems, though. It must be discouraging
Todd: What kind of music do windmills like? They're big metal fans.
Feb 28, 2020 14:03:02 GMT -5
Bumbling Mermaid: Happy Cryptex puzzle hunting to everyone out there participating this year
Mar 1, 2020 11:20:08 GMT -5
Bumbling Mermaid: Has anyone done any new puzzling while in isolation?
Jun 3, 2020 19:44:58 GMT -5
*
Todd: The difference between "try" and "triumph" is just a little "umph".
Aug 9, 2020 18:51:33 GMT -5
distantsmoke: Whoopi Goldberg: I don’t have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation.
Aug 24, 2020 18:17:33 GMT -5
Todd: I applied for a job and they asked if I had a police record. I said "what does my taste in music have to do with anything?"
Sept 1, 2020 18:24:51 GMT -5
diggitydoodog: I've had dubious documents for 2 years now and finally went to work on it. Would anyone on here be willing to PM me the answer or post it in a spoiler so I can check the solution?
Sept 17, 2020 11:44:39 GMT -5
Todd: Did you hear about the dwarfish fortune teller who broke out of jail? Police are on the lookout for a small medium at large.
Oct 15, 2020 21:35:58 GMT -5
distantsmoke: It’s snowing here in NE Kansas! Yay!
Oct 26, 2020 9:51:04 GMT -5
Todd: I once went to a zoo whose only animal was a dog! It was a shih tzu.
Oct 27, 2020 18:20:25 GMT -5
rob: There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
Nov 17, 2020 17:47:10 GMT -5
AMH: Wow, I never realized that collecting and doing puzzles could make you a millionaire... If you were a billionaire !
Nov 18, 2020 23:54:06 GMT -5
distantsmoke: A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station..
Apr 25, 2021 19:02:23 GMT -5
distantsmoke: I scared the mailman today by coming to the door naked. I am not sure what scared him more, the fact that I was naked or that I knew where he lived.
Apr 25, 2021 19:04:36 GMT -5
distantsmoke: Ghost walks into a bar and orders a shot of rum. Bartender says, sorry we don't serve spirits here.
Apr 25, 2021 19:06:54 GMT -5
centaurofattn: I told my wife I thought she was drawing her eyebrows on too high - she looked surprised!
May 4, 2021 20:16:03 GMT -5
centaurofattn: Camp Nightmoon has shipped for me
Dec 10, 2021 17:46:57 GMT -5
scott: Less than 24 hours left in The Boundless Library's Kickstarter- check it out at kck.st/3ouUNS4
Dec 14, 2021 15:34:27 GMT -5
This Unofficial Forum is for discussion of all puzzle game and story experiences.
It is in no way maintained by, nor affilliated with, any particular game or story manufacturer.