Geek Native started as an attempt to get ‘new blood’ into tabletop gaming.
That was years ago, before Twitch and Critical Role, Kickstarter, Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Pathfinder 2e and Vampire 5e. Now there is a most welcome surge of interest in the hobby from a host of friendly new people, and this little blog is happily trying to keep up with the evolving hobby.
New people bring new ideas, fashions, needs and interests. I wonder if Archvillain Games‘ Gauntlets will be on the trends that take off. What are character gauntlets? They are fashionable covers for your Dungeons & Dragons character sheet.
There’s a Kickstarter coming, and you can get notified about presales over at the Archvillain Games site.
How do Character Gauntlets work?
The core of the character gauntlet is a tablet. On the back of the tablet is a spell sheet, with windows cut in it so that you can make changes directly on the paper you slide between the two.
The front of the tablet is designed to take a removable cover. It’s the same principle as the spell sheet, a protective face with a hole cut in it so you can read and write on the relevant parts of the D&D character sheet. However, it’s the front of the character gauntlets that make this gaming accessory all about fashion and style. The removable covers are beautifully designed, rich in detail and can be painted for you.
Character gauntlets turn character sheets into items of wonder. If you’re turning up for your first session of a tabletop RPG that’s going to be live streamed, then I wager pulling out your character sheet while it’s sporting a gorgeous assassin cover will make the chatroom respond and would be a powerful way to introduce your character!
The snag? These covers need to be precise! The windows in character gauntlets have, and you have to make sure your character sheet fits as it should inside. There’s no way a homebrew character sheet or a third party character sheet design will work. There’s no whiff of Vampire 5e or Pathfinder character gauntlets coming, although if Archvillain Games find success with their original Dungeons & Dragons design then I’m sure that will only be a matter of time.
Show me the Character Gauntlets designs
Archvillain Games’ website shows off many of the designs, but while researching this article, this blogger found a video titled ‘Gauntlets background’ which I suspect will be a part of the forthcoming Kickstarter video pitch. It showcases plenty of designs.
How much do Character Gauntlets cost?
You can’t buy character gauntlets yet and so it wise to predict the prices will change. However, in preparation of the Kickstarter Archvillain Games have shared costs at the bottom of their site.
A single unpainted Character Gauntlet will cost $129.
A single painted Character Gauntlet will cost $189.
Extra unpainted covers cost $55.
Extra painted covers cost $95.
Yeah, it’s not cheap.
If Archvillain Games have underestimated how hard it is to make the character gauntlets, then the price will rise. If they find mainstream success and can improve the production process, then the price will come down.
At the minute character gauntlets are 3D printed. I speculate that’ll be the case for a while as they will need a huge order to effectively look at the mass production with injection moulds or alternatives. However, 3D printing technology is coming on apace, and that might too make these designs easier to make.
We’ll watch the Kickstarter with interest! Will there be enough demand for character gauntlets as a fashionable way to look geeky-cool or will people only find the money for more traditional folders?
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