Cthulhu Chess Set! Finally finished!

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 4:39 pm

I finished the chess set last night. I've been working feverishly on this for a while now, and I think it was completely worth it! It is totally hand-made by myself from sculpting a chunk of wax to cutting out little felt pieces for the feet.
This one is going to go up for sale on eBay tonight, but I am keeping the moulds so I can make more. Obviously I'm a wee bit proud of it, I've been going around to all the sculpture and mythos forums posting pics instead of hitting eBay to list it...

The kings (Cthulhu) have precious stones for eyes; the white piece has spherical lab-created rubies, the black piece has salt water pearls.
The queen is Nyarlathotep (has a single large tentacle for a face).
The bishops are Father Dagon/ Mother Hydra (take your pick).
The knights are Hounds of Tindalos (the knights move in angles, the hounds are supposed move through angles).
The rooks are shoggoths
The pawns are Deep Ones.

Yog-Sothoth · Post by **Yog-Sothoth** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:27 pm

Name your price.

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:35 pm

Hehe. I plan to have them in local game shops for $1300, but right now I have one on eBay, starting bid is only 99 cents... not that I expect it to stay that low. Once I get my website up I will list them at $1000 through there. I'm also working out an installment plan with some other people who are interested in getting it but can't plop down that much cash all at once.
The auction is here;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 6588391398

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:02 am

To paraphrase what I've posted already this morning elsewhere;

I woke up this morning and found my box filled with so many messages about this set, I was amazed! Most of them said the same thing; I really want this but I just can't afford it. It made me feel a bit bad actually. I don't want to make people feel like they have to break the bank to get this, on the other hand I gotta eat- the price is merely a reflection of my time spent on them. So I have really had to do some hard thinking- I'm really an artist more than a business man. But I realize that what I have to do is get some help making these so that more people can afford them.

I think the reserve price in the auction has deterred a lot of bidders. I have lowered the reserve and I will probably offer it to the highest bidder whether the reserve is met or not. I'm also trying to think of a way to make these more quickly so that I can offer them at this price without killing myself.

Jesus Prime · Post by **Jesus Prime** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 4:25 pm

Question, mate. Is that dollars US, yeah?
Because I really really want, and I think that's about £600 which I could maybe try to pay in instalments, or put away for when you cast another set.

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:08 pm

Yes, that's US dollars, but you might be happy to know that I am working on ways to reduce my overhead so I can offer them for less. There's been so much interest that I am going to get an assistant to help me with casting, etc. I've made an installment agreement with a couple of others, it is basically this; for $100 US each month, I will send 4 pieces each month. This makes 8 months, $800 US, all 32 pieces. Of course you could pay it off sooner if you'd like to. If you're interested in this just send me a PM and we can work out the details.

Jesus Prime · Post by **Jesus Prime** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 4:30 pm

It's just pieces, then, no board? I guess I could make a board, I've shitloads of unused 25mm square Warhammer Fantasy bases sitting around. Let me give it some thought.

Yog-Sothoth · Post by **Yog-Sothoth** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 6:31 pm

hrmmm... why dont you make oen for me outta plastic? that way i can afford one, and in fact, a plastic one would cost less, and lotsa people would get one, but you could also sell the normal ones at a different price and call em "Special Editions"

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:27 pm

I don't know about plastic, if I made them myself it wouldn't really be any cheaper, since most of the cost of these is in labor- it's terribly time consuming to make these. I work full-time, longer than 8 hour days for more than a week to get one set from start to finish. Add to that the material costs and you get an idea why they are so expensive. Actually, at 25 dollars a piece they aren't that bad at all compared to the price of some garage model kits.

At some future point I might take them to a resin model reproduction company and see if I can get it scanned into a 3D program and make a smaller version that would be more affordable. The thing is, if I did that I'd have to either pay a ton of cash up front for the service (which I don't have right now) or else I'd have to sell over production rights and take a small percentage of the profit from their sales, plus then I would have no control over the quality, etc. It's an idea in the back of my head, but I don't think it will happen anytime real soon.

One thing I am doing though is trying to get an assistant to help me do casting, clean-up, mould prep, that sort of thing so I can make them faster and thus less expensive. I have a feeling that if I could just get the price down to $300 a set, I would sell as many as I could possibly make. At the same time, I don't know if I will ever be able to get the cost to make them down that low. Time will tell I guess. I have a feeling that the more I make, the more efficient production will become, the faster they will get finished and the less expensive they will get-- to a point. So don't give up hope just yet.

Jesus Prime · Post by **Jesus Prime** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:36 pm

If that's the case, I might wait a little while. Even $500 or $600 dollars would be alright, I guess. I just don't play chess enough, you see.

Yog-Sothoth · Post by **Yog-Sothoth** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:55 am

well, im wasting my money on a Xbox 360.

hey, is there anypossibility that you could make a Necronomicon Book Cover Design? like, stain and age the pages, create a really horrifying Cover, and the like?

Jesus Prime · Post by **Jesus Prime** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:41 pm

Let me introduce you to Citadel Flesh Wash.

Better than coffee for staining pages.

Yog-Sothoth · Post by **Yog-Sothoth** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 6:05 pm

E.A. Lovecraft · Post by **E.A. Lovecraft** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 12:18 am

Spend much time painting miniatures, JP?

Secret3 · Post by **Secret3** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:58 am

LOL you guys. I love using washes for painting sculpts. But for staining pages, a good strong brew of instant black tea is my choice.
Necronomicon... I think there are quite a few people already making this sort of thing and selling them on eBay. They sell for anywhere between $30 to $300 depending I guess on the quality. I don't think it's something I'd want to get into making. I do have a lineup of new stuff already to work on;
Cthulhu candle votive holder
Cthulhu incense burner (I will probably make 2 styles; one for incense cones/powder, and one for sticks)
Hound of Tindalos concrete gargoyle (probably about a foot tall)
Cthulhu statue (I'm thinking in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 feet tall)
Plus I'm gonna take a stab at some Mythos themed jewelry. All this plus I am still painting, and making the other items (chess set, ornaments, etc) so, sorry, no time for tomes right now.
I have found somebody to help me manage my business- she's really great at the things I'm really lousey at (finding wholesale supplies, managing expenses, and since she works with ceramics she can even help me with casting and cleanup), so hopefully production efficiency will go up and thus costs will come down a bit.