Edinburgh-based designer Sam Zhao has returned to crowdfunding with Lord of the Dice II – Light VS Darkness, a hardware campaign seeking to replace an entire seven-piece polyhedral dice set with a single 50mm metal cube. The campaign has comfortably passed its initial £3,000 funding goal, securing over £15,000 from nearly 200 backers. Building directly on the mechanical design of its predecessor, the new hardware iteration addresses long-standing physical reliability issues by introducing completely glueless internal mechanics.
The die design centres on modularity and thematic aesthetics, offering two visual styles: the Reliquaries of Light and the Caskets of Darkness. Each face of the 6-in-1 cube houses an integrated mechanical spinner mapped to standard roleplaying game dice ranges, allowing players to roll d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20 results from a single unit. Designed explicitly for Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games, the updated construction allows individual spinner faces and outer frames to be detached and reconfigured.
Glueless Engineering and Hardware Modularity
The primary engineering upgrade focuses on long-term physical durability and friction reduction. The original campaign relied on internal adhesive that occasionally seeped into the spinning mechanism. By removing glue entirely, the hardware manages a smoother spin and allows complete user customisation.
Two main issues that we had with the original Lord of the Dice were loose spinner and spinners not spinning freely caused by excessive glue getting in to the spinning mechanism. With our new Lord of the Dice II, we overcame these issue by removing glue entirely from the product.
Beyond the main 50mm cube, the campaign introduces standalone single-spinner Prisms, thematic Monster Coins weighing 0.05kg each, and dedicated storage Dice Boxes. The modular construction underpins a “Build Your Own” tier, allowing collectors to mix and match individual spinner plates, frames, and central chassis units.
Pledge Tiers and Campaign Fulfilment
The crowdfunding tiers span entry-level accessories to full multi-unit bundles, providing options for both solo players and retail storefronts.
- Pledge £3: Coin x1. Includes one thematic metal monster coin with custom design choices.
- Pledge £18: Prism x1. Features a standalone single-spinner module, including the spinner plate, outer frame, and base.
- Pledge £25: Dice Box x1. A dedicated metal storage enclosure for housing dice or individual spinner accessories.
- Pledge £42: Cube x1. The core Lord of the Dice II 6-in-1 metal cube, offered at a 20% discount off retail pricing.
- Pledge £47: BYO Cube x1. A Kickstarter-exclusive build-your-own tier featuring six customizable spinners, six frames, and a central base.
- Pledge £166: Sentinel’s Bundle. A comprehensive bundle containing two Cubes, two Prisms, two Dice Boxes, and six Monster Coins.
The campaign operates under an all-or-nothing funding model, with the funding window remaining active until Thursday, 30 July 2026 at 8:00 PM BST. All physical reward tiers carry an estimated fulfilment delivery date of April 2027. International shipping costs will be calculated post-campaign via a pledge manager, with flat-rate ocean freight shipping capped for major regions, including a £68 maximum estimate for UK deliveries.
