I’m going to finalize the custom deck for Plane this week! After running a few design ideas past my co-creator and our friends, I decided to go with a properly mirrored (invertible) design (instead of making each card unique with the top half only slightly different from the bottom half). While the subtle differences might be thematically appropriate, players might assume those differences to be careless mistakes rather than intentional design choices. Needless to say, we can’t have that, but on the plus side, this will shorten design time considerably.

I’m still researching card manufacturing companies, and I’ve narrowed down to two options. Once the designs are finalized, I’ll reach out to both for quotes.

Speaking of research, I spent my entire weekend (not an exaggeration, we’re talking 7+ hours each day) researching dicemaking materials and techniques. After watching dozens of crafters pouring gallons and gallons of resin into molds, creating what I will generously refer to as “tacky, disposable garbage” with materials so destructive to the environment that I’m shocked they’re not priced to discourage wonton use, I decided the dice for Plane will be made from an eco resin. These products are marketed as “eco-friendly,” largely because they’re made with gypsum and water-based resin. Are eco resins actually eco-friendly? Not entirely. They’re made from renewable and biodegradable ingredients, but they still contain acrylic polymers. Overall, they’re less shitty for the environment and the artist’s health than the alternatives. Eco resins also hold up better over time, whereas traditional resins and the dyes used to color them can yellow and fade pretty fast when exposed to sunlight, so this decision, at least, was not difficult to make.

So, after all my research, I chose some eco resin and purchased some dyes and other supplies. We need new Christmas ornaments this year, so I bought a 4-pack of ornament molds to practice with. I also bought a larger mold to create some decorative wall plaques. Here’s the polyhedral mold I’m planning to use. Because I have concerns about air bubbles, I bought a vibration tray, too.

Hopefully, I’ll have some completed polyhedral sets to show off next Thursday!