Hero Forge custom dice Kickstarter is live, and will let you design your own additions to the asset catalog

Screenshots from the Hero Forge custom dice designer Kickstarter campaign
(Image credit: Hero Forge)

Here comes everyone's favorite D&D miniature designer with its own custom dice Kickstarter campaign. In the planned software, users will be able to design their own dice sets in the browser-based Hero Forge style. With access to a breadth of Hero Forge items and minis, you'll be able to arrange them inside your very own polyhedral dice collections, as well as individual dice designs.

The announcement comes in as Hero Forge's third Kickstarter campaign, the past two of which have brought us invaluable tools for designing minis for use in one of the best tabletop RPGs around. From their custom 3D printable mini maker, to the 2.0 version that brought us full-colour minis – the second of which raised $3,106,660, which is more than eight times the amount of the original Hero Forge Kickstarter. I can only imagine how much they're going to net themselves this time around.

As for this one. Only D20s will get the special treatment, however, with the ability to customize the number size and positioning, as well as their colouring. You'll also be able to choose between standard D20 design, where the numerals are in the usual position, or a life counter layout with the numbers arranged sequentially. There's also a humongous XL D20 option at $90/£70 ($99/£77 if you don't catch the Early Bird promo), which will allow you to fit a whole mini or just a bust of your favorite character inside your dice… Looks like I'm going to need a bigger dice box, then.

Alt dice for alt people

Dice for metalheads

(Image credit: UBEUCK / Forged Dice Co.)

As a metalhead who thrives on satanic panic, I thought I'd throw in my two cents for us shadow-lurkers. If you're just looking for some dice to satisfy your dark urges and don't need any of that unnecessarily priced custom dice nonsense, there are plenty of (far cheaper) options out there including metal dice sets that look like they were sculpted by H.R. Geiger himself for $21.99, down from $23.99. Goblin moders among us might even treat themselves to a mystery Goblin Bag dice set for just $9.99, currently down from $11.99.

You can grab the basic custom D20 pledge at just $39, or £31 for those in the UK, whereas at the top end you can grab the Pet Designer Pledge, in which the Hero Forge "artists will work from your photo or description to add your pet as a familiar". That would've set you back $2,000, or £1,553 for UK pet-lovers, but three backers have already pledged and taken all the spots, sadly.

All those who pledge will get access to the custom dice design software, but special tiers are also available for those who fancy designing their very own Hero Forge bits. In fact, for $10,000 you can still get a whole boatload of dice – I imagine you'll get your own personal freight for delivery – and also get to work with the artists to "design 14 decals, a hand-held item, and an outfit". All of which will later be available for others to use in Hero Forge, including the dice maker, by the sounds of it.

The campaign just launched, so you can head over to the Hero Forge: Custom Dice Kickstarter page if that sounds like something that might interest you.


For more recommendations, why not check out the best board games, or if you're an RPG head as is more likely if you're reading this, how about the best D&D books available today?

Katie Wickens
Freelance writer

Katie is a freelance writer with almost 5 years experience in covering everything from tabletop RPGs, to video games and tech. Besides earning a Game Art and Design degree up to Masters level, she is a designer of board games, board game workshop facilitator, and an avid TTRPG Games Master - not to mention a former Hardware Writer over at PC Gamer.

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