One person.
One bench.
BurlyBard is a solo operation out of Manchester. Motion designer and video editor by day, maker of physical things for tabletop RPG players in whatever hours are left.
The brand started as @MonkwoodGaming — a D&D campaign journal sold in small batches, around 300 units. It went dormant. BurlyBard is the rebuild: same instinct, better execution, no pretending it's something it isn't.
What this is
Physical objects made for tabletop play. Terrain stands. Campaign journals. Display cases. Things that exist in the real world and improve a game table. Built slowly, built properly, sold in small runs.
No AI-generated product images. No dropshipping. No "inspired by handmade." If it's here it was made on this bench.
Where it's going
The plan runs in three phases. Phase 01 is about building the work and documenting it honestly — no products on sale yet, just the process. Phase 02 introduces terrain stands and the Campaign Journal v2 as small-batch products. Phase 03 develops what comes next based on what's actually working.
The build log is where it all happens in real time. No launch announcements with nothing behind them.
- No marketing voice
- Show the failures as well as the wins
- Don't sell before it's ready
- Keep it small enough to do properly
- One bench, not a warehouse
- Woodworking
- Foam terrain building
- LED lighting
- Print design
- Motion & video (day job)
Instagram is the primary place. The build log here goes deeper when there's something worth saying properly.
@monkwoodgaming