Dice Around The World began as a passion project led by AJ Willoughby at Misty Mountain Gaming, an ambitious collectible dice series inspired by cultures and artistic traditions from around the world.

As Marketing Director at Misty Mountain Gaming, I led the marketing strategy, campaign development, creative execution, and launch operations for the Kickstarter campaign that brought the project to market.

Design + Photo Credit: AJ Wiloughby

Working alongside AJ Willoughby, the Misty Mountain Gaming design department, and cultural representatives consulted throughout the design process, I was responsible for building the public-facing campaign experience and executing the complete marketing rollout from concept to launch.

Design + Photo Credit: AJ Wiloughby

The result was a highly successful crowdfunding campaign that exceeded its funding goal within minutes, scaled into a six-figure tabletop gaming launch, and expanded into a large-scale retail and convention rollout during the 2024 holiday season.

My Role | Marketing Director

I led:

• Kickstarter campaign strategy
• Kickstarter page development and layout
• Campaign copy structure and conversion flow
• Graphic design and visual identity systems
• Printed marketing materials
• Social campaign development
• Launch asset production
• Promotional creative direction
• Audience-facing campaign messaging
• Marketing rollout and launch coordination
• Convention and event marketing support materials
• Sales enablement resources for event teams

The Team

Jon Turner — President, Misty Mountain Gaming

Oversaw the project at a leadership level and helped guide the campaign’s broader direction, execution, and operational coordination throughout development and launch.

Rob Franklin — Operations Manager, Misty Mountain Gaming

Helped establish and organize the Kickstarter project structure, supported campaign operations, and worked closely with leadership throughout the campaign process and launch execution.

AJ Willoughby — Creative Lead & Product Design Direction

Led the design and creative direction of the “Dice Around The World” collections alongside the Misty Mountain Gaming design department. AJ also worked with selected cultural representatives and consultants throughout development to help ensure the collections were approached with respect, intentionality, and cultural accuracy.

Samantha Onstad — Marketing Assistant

Executed social media management and supported the campaign’s organic digital marketing efforts throughout the Kickstarter launch and promotional cycle.

Misty Mountain Gaming Design Department

Responsible for the collaborative development and execution of the campaign’s collectible dice sets and supporting product visuals.

The Challenge

The campaign needed to accomplish several things simultaneously:

• Present a large collection of culturally inspired dice sets in a cohesive way
• Build excitement around premium collectible products
• Create a Kickstarter page optimized for conversion and readability
• Differentiate the campaign within an extremely competitive tabletop crowdfunding market
• Generate enough momentum at launch to trigger Kickstarter algorithm visibility and social proof

The project also required balancing high-end fantasy aesthetics with clear commercial communication while presenting culturally inspired themes thoughtfully and respectfully.

Strategy

Building a Conversion-Focused Kickstarter Experience
Rather than treating the Kickstarter page as a static product catalog, I approached it as a guided marketing funnel.

The page structure was designed to:

1. Establish immediate visual impact
2. Introduce the campaign theme clearly
3. Showcase product variety without overwhelming users
4. Create momentum through pacing and hierarchy
5. Encourage higher-tier pledges through presentation and bundling

Each section was intentionally designed to support user progression from discovery to purchase commitment

Creative Direction

I developed the campaign’s visual presentation system to unify the wide variety of regional inspirations into a cohesive brand experience.

This included:

• Kickstarter page graphics
• Promotional banners
• Social media assets
• Stretch goal graphics
• Product presentation layouts
• Printed promotional materials
• Marketing collateral
• Typography and hierarchy systems

The creative direction emphasized:

• premium craftsmanship
• adventure and discovery
• collectible appeal
• readability and conversion clarity

The goal was to make the campaign feel immersive while remaining highly navigable while supporting the storytelling behind each collection. I personally designed all visuals for the project.

Historical Recreation & Material Research

One of the most unique aspects of the Dice Around The World project was the recreation of several historically inspired ancient dice sets developed through material and cultural research.

In addition to the Devanagari-inspired collection, the project included two historically recreated dice sets produced using materials intended to closely reflect their original historical counterparts.

The variant Egyptian collection was also produced using limestone-inspired materials as a direct reference to the stone historically associated with the construction of the pyramids and ancient Egyptian architecture.

These historically influenced recreations added an educational and storytelling component to the campaign while reinforcing the project’s focus on craftsmanship, cultural inspiration, and intentional design research.

Marketing & Launch Execution

I led the campaign’s launch marketing efforts across digital channels and community-facing promotional assets.

This included:

• pre-launch promotional preparation
• launch-day asset deployment
• coordinated campaign messaging
• visual content rollout
• audience engagement support
• managing paid ads and partnerships
• ongoing campaign updates and presentation consistency

A major focus was ensuring the launch generated immediate traction, helping build social proof and increase campaign visibility early in its lifecycle.

Following the Kickstarter launch, our team also coordinated a highly successful 2024 holiday season rollout that expanded the campaign’s momentum into physical retail and live event spaces.

The product line is showcased (as of 2026) at more than 100 conventions across the United States and internationally, helping extend brand visibility, customer engagement, and post-campaign sales opportunities well beyond the initial crowdfunding launch.

To support this expansion, I also created marketing resources and sales enablement materials for Misty Mountain Gaming’s event teams. These assets helped convention staff communicate product themes clearly, maintain consistent branding across events, and improve customer engagement during live sales interactions.

The materials included:

• booth-facing promotional assets
• printed convention materials
• product information references
• visual merchandising support
• sales guidance resources for event staff

These systems helped create a more cohesive customer experience across large-scale convention appearances and retail activations.

Results

The campaign:

• reached its initial $3,000 funding goal in approximately 8 minutes
• rapidly exceeded its original funding target
• generated more than $100,000 in crowdfunding support
• attracted hundreds of backers
• evolved into a successful 2024 holiday season launch
• expanded into a large-scale convention presence across more than 100 domestic and international events
• became one of Misty Mountain Gaming’s standout crowdfunding campaigns

The campaign’s strong visual identity, launch momentum, and structured presentation helped support both audience engagement and conversion performance throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Key Takeaways

This project reinforced several important lessons about crowdfunding marketing:

Presentation is product perception

A well-structured campaign page directly influences perceived product value.

Crowdfunding success depends on momentum

Launch execution and early traction are critical for visibility and conversion.

Visual systems matter

Consistency across graphics, page layouts, promotional materials, and live event materials strengthens audience trust and campaign cohesion.

Cross-functional collaboration is essential

Strong collaboration between marketing, design, operations, leadership, and cultural consultants created a more unified and thoughtful campaign experience.

Successful campaigns extend beyond crowdfunding

Strong post-launch execution can transform a Kickstarter campaign into a long-term retail and convention success story.

Reflection

Dice Around The World was one of the most creatively demanding and strategically rewarding projects I’ve led.

The campaign combined:

• branding
• conversion strategy
• graphic design
• storytelling
• launch marketing
• campaign architecture
• community engagement
• retail presentation
• live event marketing
• sales enablement

into a single unified experience.

Leading the marketing and creative execution for a successful six-figure Kickstarter campaign strengthened my expertise in crowdfunding strategy, visual communication, and audience-focused campaign design.