D&D General $299 D&D Anniversary Sapphire Dice

This just dropped into my inbox. $299.99, limited run, available directly from WotC.

Celebrate Forty-Five Years of Dungeons & Dragons and Five Years of D&D Fifth Edition with theD&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set

Only 1,974 sets - featuring a gnome-grown* sapphire gem - will be available to the public on November 21!

RENTON, WA – Nov. 11, 2019 – It’s been five years since Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition launched, and the explosion of D&D’s popularity since then has been a wonder to behold! Now fans can celebrate D&D through the D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set, available directly from Wizards of the Coast starting at 11a.m. (PT) on November 21, 2019. The set commemorates both 5 years of 5e AND forty-five years since D&D’s first publication in 1974.

“When the D&D team realized the sapphire is the traditional anniversary stone for both five years and forty-five years, and that adding a laboratory-created sapphire to a twenty-sided die wouldn’t jeopardize the integrity of a roll, we couldn’t pass up the chance to make something really cool to celebrate the milestones” said Nathan Stewart, VP of the D&D Franchise at Wizards of the Coast. “The team put together a fun product for our fans that includes art and newly updated stats for sapphire dragons, making these classic dragons ready for play in your next D&D session.”

The D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set includes eleven custom-designed aluminum dice from Level Up Dice. Embedded in one of the d20s is a sapphire lovingly grown** by a rock gnome artificer in a charmingly-cluttered workshop. Additionally, each set includes a high-quality dice box and a matching dice tray displaying the ampersand, fifth edition D&D stats and details introducing the sapphire dragon, commemorative stickers, and a sequentially numbered collector’s card confirming the set’s authenticity. Oh, and every die, except that extra-special d20 has an engraved ampersand on the highest number - boosting your D&D cred whenever you roll max damage with that trusty battleaxe!

Only 1,974 D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Setswill be available to the public, so mark November 21st at 11am Pacific Time on your calendar so you don’t miss out! These dice sets will only be available directly from Wizards of the Coast at a price of $299.99 (USD). For more product information, including more images of these beautiful dice, head to D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set.

Join in the celebration of D&D’s forty-fifth anniversary and pick-up this beautiful dice set when it’s available on November 21st!

* Okay, you caught us. Humans grew these sapphires in laboratories on Earth. Sorry.

** Still kidding. Still lab-grown by humans.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The reactions here are very similar to how we woodworkers feel every time we see something like this for sale

 

[Coroc]

People spend way more money than they need on things they don't need all the time. There's a new Mclaren out that sells for $1.7 million and that doesn't include a windshield. A roof is not an option. If I want a mid-engine convertible that goes just as fast, I could buy 20 of the new Corvettes for that price.

I'm not going to buy either one, nor the dice but it's hardly news that some people have money to burn.

On the other hand, the care does look awesome.
View attachment 115743

Yea, but try to get an insurance for it (not that it matters for people who could afford such a car)

 

[Coroc]

The reactions here are very similar to how we woodworkers feel every time we see something like this for sale

View attachment 115797

Yes it is only a piece of trunk, true that. And yes you could easily create such a thing for yourself if you got access to a wood where you are allowed to lumber, have the according equipment like a chainsaw, also you need to be a skilled lumber to get the cuts quite parallel. You also need some power tools to remove the bark, endless hours to polish it afterwards, or several years and a dry space to get this done by nature. Also you need a shed to eventually paint this thing with stinking finish, or polish it some more or whatever.

No matter what, to produce such a thing manual labor is involved , since every tree is different. Also in this size you need a tree which his several years old and you only get two or three pieces with the structure showing the beginning of the roots from the lower part of the trunk.

You do not pay for the wood here, although the root wood can be expensive also, you mainly pay for the guy spending hours of work into that, because the guy with two left hands who buys it does not have the diy skills needed.

I do not think this is a good example for overpriced things.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Yes it is only a piece of trunk, true that. And yes you could easily create such a thing for yourself if you got access to a wood where you are allowed to lumber, have the according equipment like a chainsaw, also you need to be a skilled lumber to get the cuts quite parallel. You also need some power tools to remove the bark, endless hours to polish it afterwards, or several years and a dry space to get this done by nature. Also you need a shed to eventually paint this thing with stinking finish, or polish it some more or whatever.

No matter what, to produce such a thing manual labor is involved , since every tree is different. Also in this size you need a tree which his several years old and you only get two or three pieces with the structure showing the beginning of the roots from the lower part of the trunk.

You do not pay for the wood here, although the root wood can be expensive also, you mainly pay for the guy spending hours of work into that, because the guy with two left hands who buys it does not have the diy skills needed.

I do not think this is a good example for overpriced things.

I don’t know where you live, but here in the US you can get that stump for free. Craigslist is full of ads for scrap wood like this people are looking to get rid of. And less than an hour with a drill with a wire brush attachment, and another half hour with sandpaper and you’re done.

Yesh, those of us in the wood working community laugh at ads like this, because it’s way overpriced. $450 msrp? We’d all do it for $50.

 

[Coroc]

I don’t know where you live, but here in the US you can get that stump for free. Craigslist is full of ads for scrap wood like this people are looking to get rid of. And less than an hour with a drill with a wire brush attachment, and another half hour with sandpaper and you’re done.

Yesh, those of us in the wood working community laugh at ads like this, because it’s way overpriced. $450 msrp? We’d all do it for $50.

Well maybe the guy who sells them for 450$ laughs about the wood working community who only charges $50

And for some people if they take a drill with a wire brush in their hands you better block the highway and request helicopter support, imagine those having access to a chainsaw

 

[Arnwolf666]

What people? A few celebrities, overly rich kids, and gangsters.

The bad side of this is that there is a general trend in many industries to provide "uber-premium" services and products (read: uselessly luxury versions of something normally very simple and cheap) to a tiny minority of people who are getting suspiciously too much money too easily and are able and willing to pay mainly to prove that they can, in the face of normal people.

The good side is that WotC is actually ripping them off and taking a little bit of that money back to the rest of the world.

Oh so now people that earn their money have suspiciously too much.

 

[digitalelf]

I'd worry about the stone coming loose or (perish the thought) Actually falling out!

 

[Kaya123]

I'd worry about the stone coming loose or (perish the thought) Actually falling out!

Updated FAQ on the dnd page. The stone is anchored inside the dice. D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set | Dungeons & Dragons

 

[jasper]

Updated FAQ on the dnd page. The stone is anchored inside the dice. D&D Sapphire Anniversary Dice Set | Dungeons & Dragons

So were the diamonds in my wife 4K watch. Still cost me $210+ to get them reseated. Ok how many mm across is this sapphire. One gem place is sell 12 lab created sapphires round at $13.56.

 

[Andrew VanOrden]

So, for a recent anniversary, my wife wanted to surprise me with a set of these (normally these would be way too pricey, but we had a sudden windfall and my wife wanted to get me something I'd never spring for normally,). Unfortunately, we've been greatly dissatisfied with both the product and the response from Wizards, to the point where I would not recomend anyone buy these dice or do business directly with Wizards:

The dice themselves arrived four days after ordering even with regular shipping, which was great. The set itself was not - almost every die had a sever cosmetic flaw or manufacturing defect (tool-marks/scoring on the metal that did not buff off with optical cloth, etc per their care instructions for grease or fingerprints, or thin/unpainted spots on many of the ampersand-faces). I've posted a few examples here:

Examples of manufacturing defects in the D&D 45th anniversary sapphire dice set

13306 views on Imgur: The magic of the Internet

imgur.com

Trying to get these replaced by Wizards has been like pulling teeth - it would have been faster and easier to demand a refund and order a whole new set. After several emails back and forth with customer service, I got a shipping label for my return and sent them back. I got email notification that my dice had been received and a new set would be shipped soon and then... nothing. After weeks of waiting and getting no notice or shipping information, I emailed asking for an ETA or info on what was going on, but kept getting cursory responses that I would get shipping information when my replacements were sent. After more than a month, I requested escalation of my issue to a manger (which had to be made twice before I could get a reply)and got the following boilerplate reply a few days after my final request:

"Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have any updates to provide regarding the shipping information for your replacement order. Our team is currently processing a significantly higher number of replacement requests that usual right now, and we are assisting customers in the order that requests were received. Do note that, as soon as your replacement order has been processed and shipped, you will receive an automatic email with tracking information for your replacement".

Further attempts at requesting more information, explanations or escalation have been ignored so far.

As of 11/28/20, I am still without a product I purchased in August or any idea of when I will get a new set (and with some dread a new set will be just as flawed/damaged, putting me back in this same cycle). I understand the current situation means shipping and response times may be slowed in every industry, but this ammout of delay in turnaround (while the company still has my money), without being able to provide estimated fulfillment dates or even an idea of where a request is in the queue... it's appallingly poor customer service to say the least, especially when Wizards seems to be having no issue fulfilling other orders (new books and the like seem to be shipping out at a normal pace, despite Covid). As Wizards refuses to be forthcoming with anything further, I'm forced to spread my experience to every public forum possible and warn others away from buying these while I look into other avenues of complaint (eg, with Hasbro).

*EDIT - I just got a message from Mike Mearls inquiring after this issue. He's indicated he'll be looking into it personally himself when people are in the office Monday.