Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Review: Fiend Folio Dice Cup


Last year I reviewed the Demon Idol dice cup by Foster Leathercraft. Well I decided to commission a new one and wow it's just epic. This cup is an interpretation of the original wraparound cover for the 1981 Fiend Folio by artist Emmanuel. I will never forget seeing that bright blue book with the awesome skeletal creature the first time. As a young DM the githyanki really resonated with me. They were alien like with withered skin stretched over bone, wielding super awesome swords! For the uninitiated, the githyanki are astral sea dwellers who were once enslaved by a malevolent and cthulhu-esque race known as the illithid or mind flayers.

Just like my last dice cup, this is a very well-constructed item. The design features beautiful stitching, vibrant colors, and just screams old school Dungeons & Dragons. I wanted to add some bling to make it really eye catching so there are multiple gems riveted into the leather. After all, githyanki have to look good in their bejeweled armor. This cup is a tad taller then the last one, which will allow for more dice to fill it.

Close-up view of the front

Close-up view of the back

Close-up view of the lid

The deep interior for dice

The dice cup bottom

The sword and skull

The castle

The infamous githyanki

Size comparison

I'm very happy with this amazing piece of gaming swag and already dreaming up my next one. Foster Leathercraft offers other leather goods and is more than capable of doing custom work. Please visit their Etsy store to view more fantastic gaming accessories, or perhaps order your own dice cup!

Githyanki History

Dungeons and Dragons players were first treated to the githyanki by Charles Stross in the pages of White Dwarf magazine. The artwork of Russ Nicholson really brought them to life. Furthermore, the word githyanki was originally coined by no other then George R. R. Martin himself in his novel Dying of the Light. Now decades later, the githyanki have survived multiple iterations of the D&D game. They symbolize everything that is metal, lethal and off the hook.

Page from the Fiend Factory, White Dwarf #12, 1979

Original wraparound cover for the 1981 Fiend Folio by artist Emmanuel

The Brood Ventricle adventure. Click to download