ORBIT RPM - The Planetary Gear Dice System

Orbit RPM-01

ORBIT does not begin with a roll.

It begins with a gear train.

At the center of RPM-01, three planetary gears engage with one central gear, passing motion through the entire mechanism. Nothing turns alone. Every movement travels through the system.

That was the starting point: a structure built on order, rebuilt to create chance.

Each gear carries its own engraved dice track. As the system moves, the numbers move with it, circling beneath fixed pointers until the mechanism slows, settles, and gives you a result.

A planetary gear system, turned into a mechanical dice system.

Indexed Motion

RPM-01 uses magnetic indexing to make each final stop clear and readable.

As the gears turn, the engraved dice tracks pass beneath fixed pointers. When the system slows down, hidden magnets beneath the gears and baseplate help the mechanism settle into a clear indexed position instead of stopping between two numbers.

The magnets do not choose the result.
They make the final result easier to read.

They also change how RPM-01 feels in your hand, adding a measured resistance to every turn.

You feel the gears move.
You feel the system catch.
You feel the result arrive.

Every turn has resistance. Every stop has weight.

This is what a precision instrument feels like in your hand.

Dual Modules

RPM-01 includes two planetary gear modules, each built around a different dice group.

• The 20-tooth module covers D4, D10, and D20.
• The 24-tooth module covers D6, D8, and D12.

Together, they cover the six core dice types used across tabletop RPGs.

Swap the module, set the gears in motion, and let the same planetary system speak in a different dice language.

It is not a single dice wheel.
It is a compact mechanical system built for the table.

DOCK YOUR ORBIT

An optional tabletop station for Orbit.

Every planetary system needs a place to dock.

Orbit Starport is a dedicated tabletop station built around an adjustable ball head, allowing Orbit to be positioned at the angle that feels right for display, reading, and direct spinning.

Dock it. Set the angle. Spin from its station.

By giving Orbit a permanent place on the table, Starport transforms it from a handheld dice system into a small mechanical presence, always within reach and ready to be set in motion.

The Orbit Starport is currently in development. The render and 3D animation shown here represent our current design. We will share the first physical sample as soon as it is ready.

Orbit RPM-02

Not every player looks for the same feel.

RPM-01 is built around magnetic indexed stops. RPM-02 takes Orbit in another direction: free-spinning motion without added magnetic resistance.

No magnetic indexing.
No defined magnetic stops.

Just three planetary gears turning freely around a central gear, smooth, quiet, and uninterrupted.

RPM-02 keeps the same planetary logic, but lets the mechanism move in its purest mechanical state.

Without magnetic indexing, RPM-02 carries all six core dice types in a single reversible module.

One side covers D4, D10, and D20.
Flip it over to access D6, D8, and D12.

One module. Six core dice. Always at hand.

If RPM-01 is built on controlled landings, RPM-02 is built on mechanical flow.

Open Mechanism

Remove the backplate, and the internal structure is revealed: four gears working together in a compact planetary system.

The rotating gear components are CNC-machined from aluminum alloy, with gear tolerances controlled to 0.1 mm for stable engagement.

At the center, a bearing-mounted finger rest gives your fingers a steady point of contact while spinning. The fit between the finger rest and bearing is controlled to 0.05 mm, giving the rotation a more refined and stable feel.

Diameter: 74.3 mm · Thickness: 10.84 mm · Weight: 79 g

Built With Precesion

The outer housing is formed into its base shape, then refined through five-axis CNC machining for mounting holes, structural details, and final edge finishing.

The gear profiles are produced using wire EDM, allowing the teeth and internal geometry to be cut with high stability and controlled accuracy.

After machining and surface finishing, all components are assembled into a complete planetary system and carefully aligned for smooth engagement and consistent motion.

Anodized and sandblasted aluminum gear components are built for session after session, spin after spin.

Distribution Test

RPM-01 was not only tuned for feel. It was tested as a dice system.

We tested multiple prototypes with different operators, recording 300 rolls for each supported die type. The results showed natural variation, as physical rolls should, while staying within a reasonable distribution range.

No single result dominated the test.

Magnetic indexing is designed to make each result clear and readable, not to force the outcome.

Colors

Add a NEW edition to your collection

Pioneer Dice was Unique Dice first Kickstarter project, originally inspired by the idea of human migration to Mars. The set combined dice with the visual language of spacecraft, colony equipment, and early Martian exploration, turning that sci-fi concept into a collection of playable tabletop pieces.

For this campaign, we have custom-made a whole new color scheme for Pioneer Dice and created a new Orbit Edition as a special companion to Orbit: RPM-01. The red-and-white colorway, technical markings, and space-hardware-inspired forms are designed to visually connect Pioneer Dice with the Orbit universe.

This is not just a reprint — it is a small celebration of the path from our first Kickstarter project to Orbit RPM-01, and a way to bring the story of Mars exploration into this new campaign.

Carry it in leather.

The oil-wax leather pouch holds one complete RPM-01 set, with a metal snap and zipper to keep both modules protected on the road.

Show it in walnut.

The solid black walnut display box is made for one RPM-01 set, with a fitted EVA interior that gives the two modules a quiet place to return to.

Made for the hand, the table, and the shelf.

Rewards

Stretch Goal

Add-Ons

Pioneer Dice-Orbit Edition

A brown oil-wax leather pouch designed to hold one complete RPM-01 set. Built with a metal snap and zipper for secure carry.

Add one complete RPM-01 Magnetic Set to your pledge. Includes two gear modules covering the six core RPG dice: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20.

Add one RPM-02 Freespin Edition to your pledge. A smooth non-magnetic Orbit unit for those who prefer uninterrupted motion.

A solid black walnut display box made for one complete RPM-01 set. The fitted EVA interior keeps both modules protected and neatly stored

Travel Fee

Timeline

About This Project

Orbit: RPM-01 is a collaboration between MinZerTRPG and Astranova.

MinZer has spent years exploring unconventional dice structures, turning familiar tabletop tools into mechanical objects with motion, weight, and surprise.

Astranova brings a focus on the full life of a tabletop object: how it moves in your hand, how it sits on the table, how it travels with you, and why it remains worth keeping.

Orbit grew out of that overlap.

It is a planetary gear dice system with real mechanical motion, built not only to generate a result, but to make the moment before the result worth feeling.

It is not just a new dice format.

It is the first step in the Orbit system.