From Lore to Object: EXG Pro, Xanathar, and the Ritual Life of Play

In tabletop culture, objects matter. Dice are not neutral. Miniatures are not decorative. They carry ritual, memory, and identity, shaping how fantasy worlds are entered and shared. EXG Pro’s latest project, an officially licensed Xanathar Cable Guy and integrated Dice Tower, understands this distinction instinctively.

Launching on 2 February via Gamefound, the campaign marks a notable shift for EXG Pro, best known for its globally recognised Cable Guys range. Rather than filtering the object through conventional retail, the studio has chosen a direct dialogue with its audience, positioning the project within the participatory culture that has long defined tabletop gaming.

The figure at the centre of this release is Xanathar, one of the most infamous antagonists in Dungeons & Dragons lore. Licensed by Wizards of the Coast, the sculpt captures the beholder not as a static icon, but as a character shaped by paranoia, obsession, and theatrical menace. Even Sylgar, the goldfish whose fate Xanathar guards with disproportionate intensity, is faithfully present, a small but culturally loaded detail that signals respect for the source material.

What elevates the piece beyond fandom ornament is its dual purpose. As with much of EXG Pro’s output, functionality is not an afterthought. The sculpt operates as a device holder for phones, controllers, and gaming essentials, while concealing an integrated dice tower within its form. Dice are rolled not beside the character, but through it, transforming a practical mechanic into a narrative gesture. Play becomes embodied. Lore becomes tactile.

The decision to release the piece through a crowdfunding model is culturally significant. Tabletop gaming has always thrived on collective belief and shared authorship, long before crowdfunding platforms formalised the process. By offering three exclusive tiers, unavailable through retail, EXG Pro acknowledges the collector not merely as a consumer, but as a collaborator. Each tier builds upon the last, layering objects that function as artefacts of belonging rather than incentives alone.

This approach reflects a broader shift within licensed merchandise. Fans increasingly reject disposable novelty in favour of objects that feel considered, durable, and emotionally anchored. The Xanathar Cable Guy speaks directly to this sensibility. It does not attempt to modernise or dilute the character. Instead, it preserves the eccentricity and darkness that have made Xanathar endure across editions, tables, and generations.

More broadly, the campaign underscores how gaming culture continues to blur the boundary between play and design. Desktop objects now operate as extensions of identity, markers of taste, and quiet declarations of allegiance. In this context, the Xanathar Cable Guy is not simply a collectible. It is a functional totem, a reminder that fantasy worlds do not end when the session closes.

As the campaign goes live, EXG Pro positions itself not just as a manufacturer of licensed products, but as a studio attentive to how communities interact with the objects that populate their rituals. In translating Xanathar from lore to lived space, the brand participates in the ongoing material life of tabletop culture, where imagination is not only imagined, but held, rolled, and returned to time and again.