Elderwood Academy

What Elderwood Academy does

Elderwood Academy, founded in 2014 by Quentin Weir and Dan Reiss in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a privately-held, handcraft manufacturer and direct-to-consumer retailer of premium tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) accessories. The company designs and produces made-to-order gaming gear — most notably the hexagonal Hex Chest dice box, the leather-bound Spellbook Gaming Box, the Scroll Rolling Tray / Codex Dice Tower rolling system, the Dungeon Journal organizer, the Master Tome DM Screen, and themed dice lines (Gemstone Phoenix Dice in semi-precious stone, Norse Foundry-designed zinc-alloy Space and Dungeon Delve dice) — at its own shop in Ypsilanti, with 2-4 week lead times. Products combine hardwood, genuine leather, laser engraving, and proprietary foil-pressing techniques with rare-earth magnetic closures, enabling an extensive customization matrix across wood species, leather colors, foil hues, and custom artwork.

The business model is exclusively direct-to-consumer e-commerce via elderwoodacademy.com, supplemented by in-person sales at conventions such as PAX Unplugged, Dragon Con, LACC, and PAX South. Pricing is one-time/perpetual per unit, spanning roughly $39 (entry-level Keychain Hex Chest) to $250 (high-end Gift Cards), with core boxes clustering $39-$110 and bespoke/custom-art add-ons priced individually. A licensing partnership with Wizards of the Coast's Acquisitions Incorporated D&D franchise, a strategic product partnership with Norse Foundry for metal dice, and prior Kickstarter launches (original Hex Chest 2014; Spellbook Mini September 2019 with 1,500+ backers) round out the GTM stack. The company markets via social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), a March 2020-launched Discord community, monthly email newsletters, blog content, and user-generated-content hashtag campaigns.

The customer base is consumer and hobbyist — TTRPG/D&D players, dice collectors, and Dungeon Masters — with no enterprise or B2B channel. Production is concentrated at a single Ypsilanti workshop staffed by a small named team (~13 people) in specialized craft roles (Foil Press Master, Woodshop Craftsman, Laser Operator, Scroll Caster, etc.). Ownership remains concentrated with the two co-founders, with no disclosed external institutional investment; the only capital event in the historical record is the original Kickstarter. Internationally, the company ships globally with customers bearing customs duties.

Name

Elderwood Academy

Legal name

Elderwood Academy

Website

https://elderwoodacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elderwood Academy is a Ypsilanti, Michigan-based direct-to-consumer manufacturer of handcrafted premium tabletop RPG accessories — dice boxes, leather gaming tomes, journals, and themed dice — sold to D&D players, dice collectors, and Dungeon Masters worldwide through its own e-commerce site and gaming conventions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time hardware sales of handcrafted dice boxes, gaming accessories, and polyhedral dice. Products are made-to-order with custom options. Main revenue stream from e-commerce direct sales.
2. Custom/Personalized Products: Custom art services, custom leather covers, and bespoke product creation with personalized engravings and materials.
3. Gift Cards: Electronic gift cards sold in denominations from $25 to $250 for tabletop gaming credit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Elderwood Academy designs and handcrafts premium tabletop role-playing game accessories, including hardwood and leather dice boxes, rolling trays, dice towers, journals, DM screens, and polyhedral dice, sold direct-to-consumer through its own e-commerce site and at gaming conventions. Products are made-to-order with a 2–4 week lead time and are extensively customizable through wood, leather, foil, and engraving options.

Product overview

Elderwood Academy is a collective of nerdy artists and gamers founded in 2014 that specializes in handcrafted tabletop RPG gaming accessories. Their product portfolio centers on physical dice storage and rolling solutions alongside premium dice products. Core offerings include the Hex Chest Dice Box series (the original flagship product), Spellbook Gaming Boxes (leather-bound tome-style boxes), Dungeon Journal (journal-style organizers), and Master Tome DM Screens. Their dice offerings include Gemstone Phoenix Dice carved from semi-precious stones, Space Dice (space-themed zinc-alloy dice), and Dungeon Delve Dice (metal dice from Norse Foundry). Rolling solutions include the Scroll Rolling Tray (roll-up portable tray) and Codex Dice Tower. They also offer a licensed Acquisitions Incorporated product line and extensive customization options including custom art, custom icons, and custom leather covers. Products are made-to-order with 2-4 week production time and crafted at their Michigan workshop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hex Chest Dice Box Classic hex-shaped hardwood dice storage box with rare-earth magnet closures and foam inserts for dice protection. Available in 2025 Edition, Remastered, and Roll for Loot variants at $39 and above.
• Spellbook Gaming Box Foil-pressed leather and hardwood dice storage box designed to resemble an arcane tome. Available in full-size and Mini versions with extensive customization options.
• Dungeon Journal D&D Trapper Keeper-style journal and dice-box hybrid for character journaling and dice storage. Available in Classic, Masterwork, and Masterwork Atlas editions.
• Master Tome DM Screen Modular, collapsible DM Screen and gaming box for Dungeon Masters, available in the Masterwork Edition with magnetic modules that attach rolling trays and dice towers.
• Rupee Dice Box Multi-set dice storage that doubles as a rolling tray, featuring 14 dice slots, a central pen or third-set-of-dice slot, low-profile bell-jar lid with leather-lined rolling surface, and rare-earth magnet closures. Base price $79 with premium wood upcharges.
• Gemstone Phoenix Dice Premium polyhedral dice sets carved from semi-precious stones including amethyst, bloodstone, blue agate, turquoise, labradorite, malachite, obsidian, rose quartz, and tiger's eye, priced $79–$99 per 7-piece set.
• Space Dice Zinc-alloy polyhedral dice with intricate space-themed designs, including Stars of Auriga, Supernova, and Wormhole variants, priced at $40 per set.
• Dungeon Delve Dice Zinc-alloy polyhedral dice with dungeon-crawling themes, designed in partnership with Norse Foundry across five designs including Blood Oath, Boneyard, Enchanted Parchment, Shadow Knight, and Trickster at $50 per 7-piece set.
• Scroll Rolling Tray Roll-up leather dice rolling tray 6x6 inches with 1-inch walls, hardwood sides, hot foil-pressed art, and rare-earth magnet corners; rolls up for portability and fits inside the Codex Dice Tower.
• Codex Dice Tower Companion dice tower to the Scroll Rolling Tray, designed to work together with Scroll trays as part of the modular Scroll & Codex system.
• Gift Card Electronic gift card for tabletop gaming credit, available in $25, $50, $100, $150, and $250 denominations, delivered by email with an optional scheduled delivery date up to one year from purchase.
• Mini Spellbook Dice Box Compact version of the Spellbook gaming box with septated dice compartment, removable foam insert, and a lid that doubles as a mini rolling tray. Free Dragonscale leather upgrades available.
• Keychain Hex Chest Dice Box Pocket-sized hex chest dice box with optional metal loop for keyring or necklace use, hardwood unibody construction, and rare-earth magnetic closure.
• Keychain Spellbook Keychain-sized spellbook dice box for portable dice storage, designed for on-the-go use within the Spellbook product family.
• Acquisitions Incorporated Codex Dice Tower Codex Dice Tower featuring Acquisitions Incorporated branding and theme, part of the official Acquisitions Incorporated licensed product line priced at $110.
• Acquisitions Incorporated Hex Chest Dice Box Hex Chest dice box featuring Acquisitions Incorporated branding, available in standard and Remastered editions at $55–$95 as part of the licensed product line.
• Acquisitions Incorporated Mini Spellbook Dice Box Mini Spellbook featuring Acquisitions Incorporated theme and branding, compact gaming box with leather and hardwood construction priced at $59.
• Acquisitions Incorporated Keychain Hex Chest Dice Box Miniature hex chest dice box with keychain loop featuring Acquisitions Incorporated sigil and C Team sigil options at $39.
• Dicecraft Kits DIY dice crafting kits enabling customers to make their own custom dice as part of the dnd dice crafting DIY product line.
• Custom Art for Hex Chest Custom artwork service applied to Hex Chest products at $40 per piece, allowing buyers to personalize their dice boxes with original art.
• Custom Icon (Standard Size) Custom icon design service for standard-size products at $65 per icon, allowing personalized artwork integration across the product line.
• Custom Leather Book Cover Custom leather book cover service for Spellbook dice boxes, with pricing ranging from $20 to $70 depending on number of sides and artwork complexity; requires custom magnesium molds (up to 4 weeks) and accepts artwork in .ai, .eps, .svg, and .pdf formats.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KickstartercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2014Crowdfunding platform used for launching flagship products. Original Hex Chests launched via Kickstarter in 2014 after Reddit post gained community traction. Spellbook Mini Kickstarter launched in September 2019 with over 1,500 backers.
• Norse FoundrycoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic product partnership bringing Norse Foundry-designed dice to Elderwood Academy's customers. Space Dice collection (Stars of Auriga, Supernova, Wormhole) and Dungeon Delve Dice series designed by Norse Foundry and sold through Elderwood Academy. These zinc-alloy dice feature intricate designs for tabletop gaming.
• Acquisitions IncorporatedcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership with the D&D franchise for branded Acquisitions Incorporated merchandise. Products include Hex Chest dice boxes, Mini Spellbooks, Codex Dice Towers, Keychain accessories, and dice sets featuring the Acquisitions Incorporated branding. Sold through dedicated employee store on the website.
• Maker WorksminorOthersAnn Arbor, Michigan makerspace where Elderwood Academy originally got started. Provides access to sophisticated machinery including mills, lathes, presses, lasers, 3D printers, and saws. The company grew from using these shared facilities to having their own production shop.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wyrmwood Gaming: Premium handcrafted TTRPG and board game accessories including dice boxes, gaming vaults, and modular play systems. Closest direct peer — same niche (luxury wooden/leather TTRPG gear), same D&D/TTRPG customer, same direct-to-consumer and convention sales model.
• Norse Foundry: Designer and seller of premium metal and gemstone polyhedral dice plus accessories. Direct strategic partner and category peer — they supply Elderwood's Dungeon Delve and Space dice lines while running a parallel DTC business targeting the same dice-collector/TTRPG buyer.
• Campaign Coins: Premium metal fantasy coins and TTRPG accessories, made in the USA and sold DTC. Directly comparable as a small-batch, premium, hand-finished accessory maker serving D&D and tabletop RPG players.
• Kraken Dice: Independent DTC dice retailer and brand selling artisan resin and metal polyhedral dice. Direct peer in dice products serving the same hobbyist collector and TTRPG player segments.
• Easy Roller Dice Co. Designer and direct seller of custom-engraved and themed polyhedral dice. Comparable as a focused, online-first TTRPG accessories brand targeting enthusiast buyers.
• Folded Space: Specialty inserts and organizers for board games and tabletop games. Directly comparable as a hobby-accessory manufacturer serving the same adjacent board-game/TTRPG buyer with premium organization solutions.
• MDG (Metal Dice Games): DTC premium metal dice brand with frequent artist collaborations and limited drops. Comparable as an independently run, premium-positioned dice brand operating in the same Kickstarter/community-driven GTM motion.
• Awesome Dice: Indie dice brand selling handcrafted and themed polyhedral dice plus accessories directly to TTRPG players. Comparable as a small, design-led DTC player in the same enthusiast niche.

Broad incumbents

• Chessex: Long-established mass-market manufacturer and wholesaler of polyhedral dice and gaming accessories. Broad incumbent serving the same end consumer at the low end of the market — sets the price floor Elderwood must differentiate above.

Regional players

• LITKO Game Accessories: Manufacturer of laser-cut and 3D-printed TTRPG accessories including DM screens, trays, and tokens. Comparable as a small-batch accessory maker serving the same play-aid category with a similar craft-led approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElderwoodBoxes
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElderWoodBoxes
• Instagraminstagram.com/elderwoodacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elderwood-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elderwood Academy