We're excited to be closing on our firs stretch goal at $25,000! To thank you for making our dreams come true, we want to bring your nightmares to life!
If you've backed Dreams & Dread (or if you hurry up and pledge now!), we want your idea for a unique monster to unleash in the Vale of Ur. It can be a surreal jungle monstrosity, a deceptively cute companion, or a primordial beast that stalked your childhood nightmares.
Don't worry about the mechanics! Just give us the concept, lore, or aesthetic, and we will handle forging it into a fully balanced 5E stat block – and get an awesome full-color illustration commissioned for it!
Submit your idea in the comments below or by filling out this form. Monday 20th, we'll select our top 3 favorites and let you – our backers – vote on the ultimate winner!
If your monster wins, you'll get your credit in the book and your pledge will automatically be upgraded to a Dream Box completely for free!
We cannot wait to see what terrors you dream up. Thank you so much for your incredible support!
What's Shipping Now (Phase 1) Phase 1 US domestic shipping is currently being processed by our fulfillment partner.
If you received your package and something seems off or missing - please reach out to us at [email protected] so we can address this. There are a few missing components or incorrect component messages we have gotten along the way - these will be addressed as soon as we receive our replacement/extra components. But if you have one of these concerns, let us know right away via email.
If you ordered any combination of the above and are located in the US, your package is either on its way or will be shipping soon. Orders are going out in batches, so if yours hasn't shipped yet, it's coming. We did have to send more copies of the ArchRavels Base Game to fulfillment, so if your order includes the Base Game and it has not shipped yet, that is why. We expect that they will arrive with them this week.
International shipping details will be coming in a future update - We're going to be hand-picking, packing, & shipping these due to the volume & volatility of international shipping.
What's Coming Later (Phase 2)
As previously mentioned, we split the fulfillment of this campaign into 2 phases. The 2nd phase will ship later this year and will include items that were not covered in Phase 1.
These items are not in your Phase 1 package — they're still in production:
Rivals! (mini expansion)
Award Season (mini expansion)
Gametrayz Card sleeves & Sample packs
Both Rivals! & Award Season have been submitted to our manufacturer and are moving through proofing now. We are also waiting to receive the Gametrayz materials. We're targeting later this year for Phase 2 shipments. We'll share a more specific window once we're through proofing and into production.
Phase 2 will ship separately at no additional shipping cost to you. You will not be charged again for shipping.
A Note on Tracking
Tracking emails are being sent as orders ship, but some of you may have received your package before getting a tracking notification — or not received one at all. Orders are going out in batches and tracking numbers follow as they're processed.
If you haven't received your package and don't have a tracking number, email us at [email protected] and we'll look into it.
What's Next
Phase 1 domestic shipments continue rolling out
International shipping details coming in a future update - We are going to be hand-picking, packing, and shipping these due to the volatility of international shipping.
Phase 2 production updates as we have them
I've run out of ways to sign off these messages ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We're still here. We're still grinding on finishing this up. Everyone involved with XYZ really appreciates those of you who have expressed your empathy, understanding, and patience as we work through all of this. It's honestly the only reason we've kept going here.
Stay Crafty, Team XYZ
PS: If you have an issue, please email us ([email protected]); if you just mention it in the comments here, I promise it will likely be missed.
Today I come with less-than-thrilling news about Pathfinder Quest. The games have begun arriving at their various ports (United States, Australia, UK, Canada) for distribution to backers—but there has been a holdup for a majority of our games at the United States Customs Authority under a 5H hold in Seattle.
We are actively working with a customs broker to navigate the 5H holding process and get Pathfinder Quest off the docks in Seattle and into your hands—however, this process has extremely variable timetables, and we have not been given clear guidance from customs on when the product will be released. At this time, we believe this will delay Pathfinder Quest’s fulfilment from the planned April shipping dates but do not have an estimate on how long that delay will be nor how it will affect international backers.
We know this delay is a disappointment to all of you—we are equally disappointed here at Paizo and want to make this process as smooth as possible. As we continue to work with our customs broker, we will keep you updated on the status of shipments.
In the interest of shipping games as soon as possible once they’re released, we will still be locking addresses at the end of next week—Friday, April 3rd. Please make any necessary changes to your address before this time for first-wave shipments. For backers also receiving second wave products such as the organizer, there will be an opportunity to update your address closer to second wave fulfilment if needed.
Thank you for your continued support of Pathfinder Quest—we can’t wait to see the game out in the wild and in your hands.
Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing well! A lot has been happening behind the scenes . We’re now deep into refining the product following our T0 samples, and overall we’re in a really strong position. Most of what we’re working on now comes down to fine tuning and improving the experience, rather than fixing major issues.
🎲 Rolling Behaviour – Making It Feel Right
One of the biggest areas we’ve been focusing on is how the dice actually rolls.
We explored increasing the internal weight by testing larger weighted inserts. Interestingly, this had very little impact on performance, which tells us the balance of the dice was already in a good place.
Where we did see a noticeable improvement was in the shape of the dice itself.
By subtly rounding the top and bottom edges, the roll feels:
more natural
more consistent
closer to what you’d expect from a traditional dice roll
This has been one of the most meaningful improvements so far, and we’ll be carrying this refinement forward into the next stage.
🔘 Button Feel Improvements
Another area we’ve made strong progress on is the button feel.
The earlier samples didn’t feel quite as responsive as we wanted, so we made small internal adjustments to the button mechanism.
The result is a much more positive, tactile press that feels significantly better and more consistent to use.
This is a real upgrade:
Small increase in pad height / engagement
Better tactile feedback
More consistent press
⚙️ Internal Components - What You’re Seeing
We’ve also included some images of internal components and test parts.
These include:
metal weighted inserts
internal structural parts
button assemblies
early component layouts
At this stage, a lot of these parts are:
prototype iterations
test variations
not final finishes
So they may look a bit rough or purely functional that’s completely normal for this phase.
What matters is that each of these parts is being tested and refined to improve:
overall performance
durability
feel in-hand
What’s Next
We’re now preparing for the next round of samples (T1), where these refinements will be implemented into the tooling. We’ll continue to keep you updated as we progress.
We wanted to share a quick update on where things are currently at with manufacturing.
For those unfamiliar with the terminology, T0 is the first version produced using the actual production tooling. This stage is where engineers review the parts in detail, test how everything fits together, and identify any improvements before moving forward to the next tooling revision.
Overall, the team has said they are really happy with where things are at this stage, with only a handful of relatively small adjustments needed before moving to the next iteration (T1).
Below is a breakdown of the main things that came out of this review.
Lid Improvements
One of the main areas identified was the charging case lid.
On the T0 samples the lid was slightly too tight, which made it harder to open and also meant it didn’t close over the dice as smoothly as intended.
The design team created a few revised prototypes and have now landed on a version that works much better. The fix only requires minor changes to the tooling before the next revision.
The only visible difference will be two very subtle raised areas on the sides of the lid. These act as natural points for your fingers so it is clearer where to open the case.
Iridescent Lid Finish
Another area the team reviewed was the iridescent finish on the lid.
In some lighting conditions it looks great and fairly subtle, but when the lid is closed the black dice underneath can make the finish appear much more intense and opaque than expected.
To test this further, the team has asked the factory to produce the effect using a different material process (a filler rather than a coating) so we can compare results on the next round of samples.
This will help determine which method gives the most consistent look.
Button Feel
The buttons on the T0 samples didn’t quite feel as tactile as intended.
The team has already prototyped a fix for this by adding small pads underneath the button gasket, which improves how the button engages and gives it a much more positive feel when pressed.
This change will now be implemented in the tooling for the next revision.
Drop Testing Results
The team also ran a series of drop tests to check the durability of the dice.
The samples were dropped from around 1.5 metres onto hard surfaces, including concrete, tarmac, and indoor flooring.
As you can see from some of the photos, the outer surface picked up a number of chips and scratches (especially from the tarmac tests). However, the important result is that:
• The dice did not crack or break • The structure remained intact • The internal components did not come apart
Even more importantly, the display face remained largely undamaged, which is a key durability area for the final product.
This type of testing is designed to push the product far beyond normal use, so seeing it survive these impacts is a really good sign.
Improving the roll behaviour
One area we’ve been looking at more closely is the rolling behaviour of the dice.
After reviewing the early samples, the team felt there was still some room for improvement. Because of that, they’ve been refining a few internal components and increasing the offset weight inside the dice to help improve how it rolls.
The goal here is simple: to make the roll feel as natural as possible.
Before committing these changes to the production tooling, the team is currently producing a new prototype with the updated internal weighting so it can be tested properly. Once those tests are complete, the results will inform the next tooling revision. We’ll share more updates on this as soon as testing is complete.
Surveys Going Out Soon
On a separate note, we’ve been finishing the final setup for the backer surveys.
Surveys will be going out next week, so please keep an eye on your inbox.
There’s no rush to complete them immediately, but they will allow you to confirm your details and selections.
A Quick Note on Tooling
As mentioned in the previous update, tooling is one of the longest and most careful parts of manufacturing.
Each stage involves reviewing parts, making refinements, and ensuring all the components work together correctly before moving to the next revision.
It can feel slow from the outside, but this is the stage where we make sure the final product is reliable and built to last. We’ll keep sharing updates as we move into the next tooling iteration.
The latest T0 sample of the charging case with the dice inside. This version is being reviewed for fit, finish, and overall usability before the next tooling revision.
The charging case opened to reveal the dice inside. One of the improvements identified at this stage was adjusting the lid so it closes more comfortably over the dice and opens more easily.
A close-up of the current T0 dice sample. At this stage the team reviews surface finish, materials, and how the different parts fit together.
A look inside the charging case showing where the dice sits during charging. Engineers review internal structure and alignment to ensure the parts assemble correctly in production.
One of the dice used during drop testing. The surface shows chips and scratches from repeated drops onto hard surfaces, but the structure of the dice remained intact.
A note on progress and timing
As we’ve mentioned before, tooling is one of the most important stages of the entire process. This is where the physical moulds are refined so that every part can be produced consistently and assembled correctly.
Because The One Dice is a fairly technical product with a lot of internal components, this stage involves a lot of testing, adjustments, and refinement. Small changes to one part can affect how others fit together, so the team carefully reviews each iteration before moving forward.
It can sometimes look quiet from the outside, but a lot of work happens behind the scenes during this phase. Parts are tested, samples are reviewed, adjustments are made, and new prototypes are produced to confirm improvements before committing them to tooling.
Right now our main focus is quality and reliability. We’re taking the time needed to make sure the components fit properly, the mechanisms feel right, and everything works together the way it should before moving forward to the next stage.
We’re not rushing this step, because getting it right here ensures the final product is consistent, durable, and built to the standard we want to deliver.
As always, thank you for your patience and continued support we’ll keep sharing updates as we move through each stage.
We have some great news. Things have gone so well, we are about to start fulfillment! Yes... that means we're starting earlier than the forecasted May timeframe!
If you have any address changes, please contact us as soon as possible and provide your new address. You can check your current address in the survey on your BackerKit survey page.
Click on the "View order" link to the right of the project image.
If the address on that page is correct, you do not need to do anything. You can close the page.
IMPORTANT: If you do need to update your address please completethis form and we'll get it sorted out. Please note that depending on fulfillment timing in each region and when we receive the request we can’t guarantee an address change will be successful. We will pass those updates as soon as possible however.
Fulfillment Timing
Asia/VFI - Packing of the orders is complete and orders will start to leave any day. For mainland orders these will arrive shortly after shipping starts. For other regions, travel times will vary depending on freight timing. You can check this VFI Status page to see estimated arrival times.
AU/Aetherworks - Items will arrive at our fulfillment warehouse in late March. You will receive an address verification email from [email protected] around the 17th of March to verify that your address is still correct. Fulfillment will likely begin late March or early April. If you have any issues with your order when you receive it you can contact [email protected]
US/Mountain Coast Logistics - Items will arrive at our fulfillment warehouse in late March. Fulfillment will likely begin in early April. If you have any issues with your order please contact us by sending an email to [email protected].
CA/Boardgamebliss - Items will arrive at our fulfillment warehouse very late in March. Fulfillment will likely begin early to mid April. An address verification email will be coming from [email protected] to verify that your address is correct on or around March 25th. If you have any issues with your order when you receive it you can contact [email protected] as well to resolve that issue.
UK-EU/Zatu - Items will arrive at our fulfillment warehouse in mid to late April. Fulfillment will likely begin in late April or early May. Address verification emails will be sent on April 7th 2026 from [email protected] You can verify that they have your correct address before shipping. If you have any issues with your order when you receive it you can also contact the same email address to resolve.
Orders will be in your hands very soon and we can’t wait to receive our stuff along with the rest of you! Please note that the dates above are estimates and can shift depending on freight timing. If we learn of any delays we will let you know as soon as we can. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime you can contact us at [email protected]
Make sure to join our Discord and sign up for our newsletter to keep up on the latest Unmatched news. We've got some great things coming this year!
We wanted to share a short progress update and explain where things are at with tooling, as this is the most important step before we can move into full manufacturing.
Tooling is the stage where we create the physical moulds that are used to make every part of The One Dice. These moulds shape the outer shell, the internal parts, and how everything fits together. Once they are finished, they are used over and over again to make every single dice. As a result, this stage must be completed properly. There is no shortcut here.
This part takes time because it is very hands on and very precise. The moulds are made, tested, adjusted, and tested again. Samples are produced, checked, and refined until everything feels right. Small details like how parts fit, how the dice feel in the hand, how durable it is, and how consistent every unit will be are all locked in at this stage.
If something is rushed here, it can cause problems later that cannot easily be fixed. Taking the time now means the final product will be reliable, consistent, and built to last. It also means that once we move into full production, we can do so with confidence instead of crossing our fingers.
While tooling is not the most exciting stage to look at from the outside, it is one of the most important steps in the entire process. This is where The One Dice truly becomes a finished product rather than just a prototype.
TOOLING PROGRESS
These photos show real progress behind the scenes, even if it does not look flashy yet. This is the stage at which The One Dice moves from a prototype to a product that can be manufactured at scale.
The detailed steel items within the are components of the injection mould tools, assembled to produce the complete tools. Some of the photos show a process of these tool parts being produced (ref image below) and other photos are of the finished tool cavities, used to produce the plastic form of the design.
Here the mould is inside the machine during a test run, where early sample parts are made to check fit and alignment.
This is another angle of the mould halves, showing how the parts will sit and release cleanly during production.
These cavities show where the dice parts will form, with the surfaces smoothed and checked for consistency.
This shows one half of the mould being machined, where the core shapes that form the dice parts are cut into solid metal.
This image shows a more refined mould section, where the main cavities are already shaped and being fine tuned.
The finished tools shown will be loaded into the injection moulding machines and used to manufacture all plastic and TPE elastomer components of the One Dice and Charging Case. You can see one of the tools fitted into an injection moulding machine, with some plastic parts still in situ.
This photo shows the mould installed in the production press, where pressure and alignment are tested before full production.
These metal blocks are the outer sections of the mould, which hold everything firmly in place while parts are being formed.
These metal blocks are the outer sections of the mould, which hold everything firmly in place while parts are being formed.
On the survey side, we are currently preparing everything behind the scenes. Surveys will be sent out in the next two to three weeks, so please keep an eye out for them. Our main focus at the moment is ensuring the tooling and manufacturing setup is completed correctly before we proceed to the next steps.
As always, thank you for your patience and continued support. We will keep you updated as we move forward.
January's coming to an end soon, we were a little too aggressive in our timelines. Since our last update, we had to figure out a small issue on the manufacturing-side for the sarcophagus boxes.
Everything has been resolved. However, we had to get a new final sample to approve. Here are some images of it + a quick video of a manufacturing-run sample. Our factory has told us that they will be shipping before the Chinese New Year, but that still means around another 1-2 months before we are receiving product into our warehouse.
We're really proud of the product and decided to put in the extra time to make it right. We've also learned a lot about manufacturing deluxe wooden boxes so this sort of delay shouldn't happen in the future.
The next steps have not changed, and we will not be locking in addresses, until product is received in our warehouse. At that time we'll confirm addresses and lock in final shipping. Thank you again for your patience.
Thanks again for your support, and we'll be back with another update in February or March!
Munchkin Big Box was a historic event for us, made possible only by your support! Despite some significant shipping issues, our team and partners moved mountains to deliver Munchkin Big Box to over 9,000 backers and late pledges worldwide.
The Munchkin Big Box and Loot Box, exclusive to backers of this campaign, contained an amazing assortment of high-quality Munchkin swag and accessories to go with over 700 cards. We’re very proud of how this came together, and we want to thank our long-time manufacturing partner, GPI, for their assistance in creating everything you received.
Big Wins for the Big Box
As we mentioned earlier, the Munchkin Big Boxwas full of new records for us. This campaign attracted over 9,000 backers, more than 65% higher than any of our previous campaigns! We received comments and requests from backers to offer as many Munchkin add-ons as possible, and boy, did you show up for them. All told, we shipped out over 45,000 items to ~9,000 people. This averages about five items each, but not every backer was the same; some supporters dug deep and selected more than 30 add-ons from the store! And, not surprisingly, these were the most challenging to ship.
We also saw a lot of great feedback from those who had never held a Colossal D10. We said it was big – and we weren’t joking. Make sure you’re keeping that thing away from fragile items and properly using it as bragging rights at your next game!
Ouch!
We have a lot to be proud of with Munchkin Big Box, but nothing is perfect, and planning can only take you so far. We encountered some bumps along the way, and it’s essential to acknowledge them and improve going forward.
Throughout the Big Box campaign, we sought to find new ways to give munchkins exactly what they want . . . everything! We rolled out 20 stretch goals during the campaign, offering both upgrades (such as wooden Meeples) and all-new items (such as playmats and an art book). As you might expect, perfecting and manufacturing these new additions ate into the timing budget of our original estimates. Instead of fulfillment beginning in late 2024/early 2025, we were only just finishing manufacturing. . .
U.S. fulfillment for Big Box began in June 2025 and was completed in August, while international fulfillment started in July and proceeded through December. Unfortunately, the process took much longer than any of us expected, and we learned several lessons about both large and complex fulfillments. We also heard some feedback about the Fulfillment Update Thread. We wanted this thread to serve as a one-stop resource for the current status of fulfillment, and we appreciate the feedback we received from backers.
Munchkin Big Box Extra Items
Now that fulfillment has concluded, we’re in a better position to compile the final totals for the remaining extra items. We will then provide another update that includes a link to Warehouse 23, where Munchkin Big Box backers can browse through a limited selection of remaining inventory, such as a 200-pack of clear Munchkin Sleeves, the Five Playmat Set, Jumbo d6 Dice Set, and a few more items just for backers!
Thank you and as always, if you have any questions, please leave a comment below or visit our help site and send us a message.
- Darryll
And Now, A Note From Steve
Thank you, everyone, for making this such an awesome project. It's everything I dreamed of, and more. John knocked the art out of the park, the editorial and production staff gave it their best, and the support was overwhelming. A shout-out to BackerKit, too, for their good advice and hard work!
As you probably know, we're taking Munchkin into a second edition this year. It will still be the game you know, but it will start faster and finish a lot faster. But since you supported Big Box, one of your first questions is, "Did Steve just obsolete my whole collection?"
Short answer is NO.
Longer answer is NO, NO, NO!
Complete answer is that only one card, plus its variants – "Curse: Change Sex" – is truly obsoleted. Everything else you have is playable, and we've made up a guide for that. If you want to use your old card collection while taking advantage of the new, faster rules, you sure can. Your play mats are still good.
And the Second Edition crowdfund has something just for you, the Big Box owners. It's the Big Box Upgrade Set. It's going to provide the upgrade guide, two copies of the Second Edition rules, replacements for 50+ cards that were changed in important ways, a sheet of coins (yes, Gold Pieces are real now), and reference cards. And it's going to be cheap. It won't be going to stores; it's only part of the crowdfund. If you have it, you don't actually NEED the new edition. (We hope you want it anyway. We're not idiots. But we think the best way to sunset the first edition is to make sure you can play it as long and well as you like.)
Thanks again. See you at Gen Con for the release, I hope!
