INDEPENDENT TTRPG ACCESSORY CREATOR: The Speechless Bard

There are so many products out there for TTRPG's that at times you're never sure what you want to pick up, however when you find players amongst the creators with skills to make accessories you know that what they come up with is not only beautiful but a practical creation that will look fab on your gaming table.

With one of my characters being a cleric, I've often lost track of my spells and whilst I do own the spell cards, The Speechless Bard has brough out a fabulous Spell Counter book that holds the cards and looks fab doing it.  

So when we were lucky enough to get an opportunity to talk to the married couple behind the business, we couldn't wait...

Totally Pawsome:  When was the business launched and how did you pick its name?

The Spechless Bard:

Noor: We launched in August 2020, merging our two small bussinesses into one. The name is supposed to sound like a shop or tavern, and is inspired by our own first original TTRPG characters. The Speechless refers to Luuk's kenku character, as kenku don't speak common but repeat sounds they've heard. Luuk is also known by most visiting customers as 'the one who is quiet'. The Bard refers to Noor's bard character, while Noor is also the face/voice of the shop and the social opposite of Luuk.

Luuk: As Noor mentioned we started The Speechless Bard in the summer of 2020, although we've been active in the TTRPG business as individuals since 2018. At some point we realised it was better to just merge our businesses so that it was easier to help each other out without feeling guilty about "abandoning" our own work for a day or two.

 

TP:  What is your business best known for?

TSB:

Noor: Product-wise we are best know for our smallest and for our largest product; the colourful D20 bracelets and the magnetic Caster Compendia. But we are in general known for our custom crafting; almost all products in our shop are made to order and have a variety of options to create a personal treasure. 

Luuk: Hopefully our service and providing unique little treasures! But yeah, product-wise I think definitely the bracelets and Compendia.

 

TP:  Why the TTRPG space?

TSB:  

Luuk:  Because this is really a hobby that got out of hand for us! We started crafting for our home games, and after posting pictures online other folks wanted to buy them, and it just gave SO MUCH energy seeing how happy folks were when they received our items. The TTRPG community really is something else!

Noor: I started out leathercrafting for the archery space, but found that many archers still prefer a 'classic' style. As I started crafting for my own TTRPG character, I found a new joy in drawing designs around fantasy themes and started sharing these online. As the enthusiasm from the TTRPG space erupted, so did my drive to continue. I still love how our customers are cheerful, grateful and incredibly fun to interact with.

TP:  What is your favourite product that you produce?

TSB:  

Noor:  Oooof, that is a tricky question! Anything that requires special paintwork I think. The scrolls and dice trays where I get to paint the engravings I've done on white leather. It feels a lot like watercolouring, and it's very relaxing. I could do that for hours easily.

Luuk: Tricky question indeed - I think for me it's the Caster Compendium; we've made about 900 now I think over the last couple years (mainly for the Kickstarter) but I never get bored of them. Other than that, I absolutely love making something completely custom for customers who come to us with a unique problem that needs solving.

 

TSB:  How do you see the business developing in the next five years?

TSB:  

Luuk: We're actually hoping to move to a new home soon with a larger workspace, I hope that brings more (literal) space to expand our skillsets and develop even more cool items. I doubt that we'll expand to a larger company with extra staff and such, as we enjoy it way too much working with just the two of us.

Noor: And then maybe a new sewing machine! Hahaha I have little plans, for maybe a year or two. 

 

TP:  How do you decide which products to create and sell?

TSB:

Noor: It's a strange process really. Sometimes I have an idea for something I can craft in a day, so I'll try it out and throw it on my socials. If the reaction is big enough, I continue developing it and put it online. But sometimes we develop something for weeks, months, maybe a year. The most important questions we ask with a product are did we make it ourselves and is it unique enough? There's no need for us to learn how to build wooden dice vaults for example.

Luuk: I agree, we don't really have guidelines on this; basically sometimes we get a random idea of something we want to make, we try to figure out if it'll be just for ourselves or if it's something we could actually sell, and then we consider if it's worth spending resources on developing it. Posting early prototypes on social media can be a huge help for that!

 

TP:  Whilst you do take commissions, what guidelines do you have in place?

TSB:  

Noor: Oh no, I feel attacked. I'm the one who takes on the craziest commissions that come to bite me in the ass. 

Luuk: Guidelines? What guidelines? Nah, we evaluate each request individually if it's something we can make properly and if we can keep it affordable for the customer, as we're wildly uncomfortable asking for large sums if we don't think it's worth it, haha

Noor: I try to work in a note of 'we'll see what we can do' when I reply to a commission, but I always get way too excited to make unique items. And as we make a lot of different things, we can go quite the distance for someone.

 

TP:  If you were given the time and opportunity to develop something unique for yourselves, what would it be and why?

TSB:

Luuk: A new system of magnetic terrain! I already have an existing system that I produced for a couple of years but got drowned out by the success of the Compendia, but I've had ideas for a new system that I'm eager to develop further, but it takes MASSIVE amounts of time and resources...

 

TP:  What do you think are the best services you offer to others in the TTRPG space and why?

TSB:  

Noor: Oh wow, I forget that we help out in the space at all sometimes. I forget we are a legit business sometimes! Do we help out?

Luuk: I think crafting items of which customers can really feel like they were made *just* for them. I've also heard from a lot of customers that our Pride bracelets and "This Too Shall Pass"-bracelets provided a lot of comfort for them during difficult times, and I'm really glad we can help in this way.

Noor: Oh yeah, the bracelets are my favourite things to talk about at cons! I love the genuine reaction the Pride bracelets get out of people! 

 

TP:  Competition between independent business is at an all time high, as a small business what makes you unique that you feel helps show customers why they should do business with you?

TSB:  

Noor: Our complete and utter attention for the adventurer who ordered something. We read the names, their orders, and we craft something for them. There's no huge pile of stock to just grab and ship. We communicate a lot with our customers and we adore them way too much. We remember names and faces at conventions and talk with them for way too long. 

Luuk: Hundred percent agree with Noor, though I don't talk as much at conventions, haha.

Noor: One of us has to be the brains while the other blabs!