Dungeons and Dragons Gifts and Ideas for All Player Levels
Gift buying is rarely straightforward. When the gift is thematic like Dungeons and Dragons (commonly referred to as DnD or D&D), narrowing down your choices is tricky because the best gifts for D&D fans could be determined by the part of the role-playing game they love the most. Is it the storytelling, the strategy, the role-playing, or the community aspect of getting together for some off-screen wind-down time getting lost in their imaginations, and forgetting the woes of the day? Regardless of what their favorite aspect of the game is, you’re sure to find a D&D gift idea in this list…
8 Dungeon and Dragon Gift Ideas for Every Type of Player
1. Dice sets
Dice sets are a staple in Dungeons and Dragons. Some take more of a shine than others to them. In the DnD community, dice collectors are referred to as dice goblins or dice dragons due to their fondness for collecting all types of dice sets. It’s not necessarily the roll of the die itself, but rather an appreciation for the skillful way the dice sets are made, artistically decorated, and the materials they’re made with. That can range from precious stones, crystals, metals, and resin dice sets, and even light-up dice sets. In that respect, they can be classed within the realms of miniature collectibles.
2. Dice Towers
Dice towers are functional gaming accessories for any type of tabletop gaming. In Dungeons and Dragons though, the dice are different sizes and range from D4 to D20 – the number indicates how many sides the die has. In comparison to standard 6-sided dies, the dice towers in Dungeons and Dragons are far more detailed, whimsical, and thematically designed to fit with the game. Inside the towers are dowels, baffles, and similar objects on the way down to ensure rolls can't be manipulated, then as it rolls out the end, there can be a catcher tray added to ensure it stays on the table and doesn’t roll onto the floor.
These can be bought as plain plastic resin to be decorated or already pre-fabricated and designed. Choose the type of dice tower kit that’d be most appreciated. One that can be customized, or one that needs to be customized. In that respect, dice tower kits are similar to book nook kits. You can buy kits with everything ready to assemble or take bits and pieces from multiple kits to customize your own design.
3. Dice bag or storage chests
As D&D dice sets are sets of 7, storage bags are handy for keeping sets together. For those with an admirable display of Dungeons and Dragons accessories, and perhaps have a few sets of role-playing dice, decorative storage boxes or pouches can be great display pieces. Rather than putting everything away when they aren’t being used, the dice sets can be used as decorative apparel on bookshelves or top of furniture or side tables.
4. DnD Campaign Cases
Colonel Glenn (flickr) | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
For Dungeon Masters with a flair for devising homebrew campaigns, complete campaign cases can be the ideal gift for them to provide their group with a premium playing experience. The campaign cases help keep all the components of a campaign together including custom decal stickers, weighted plastic discs, and a variety of creature tokens in different sizes. For campaign cases that include terrain, these can be single or double-sided adventure tiles, or a battle map, commonly in the shape of a scroll that rolls out on the table revealing grid paper that becomes the battle map.
5. Battle maps
By Lathcves | CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 /a>
Battle maps are used to make tabletop role-playing games more immersive and provide the opportunity to introduce a strategic aspect of D&D combat with tactical planning. It helps players visualize the battlefield. The more detailed the battle map, the better an aid it becomes for creating the narrative, helping all players visualize the story unfolding. Essentially, without a battle map, the game is little more than storytelling. With a battle map, D&D becomes interactive. Players can move miniatures around the mat, or creature tokens, interact with terrain, and see the effect their decision has on the game. For those who are handy with crafts, you can find printable DnD battle maps online. Consider printing those onto iron-on paper and stick to fabric. It can become a sort of scroll that can be easily rolled out on game night.
6. Game pieces / DnD miniatures
By Vanessa Pike-Russell | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Players get the most use out of battle maps when they have 3D miniature game pieces they can move around the battlefield to give a better visual representation of gameplay. Game pieces are representative of the character classes, such as barbarian, druid, fighter, cleric or wizard. Painting and modifying miniatures is a hobby in itself (and one that’s great as a tech-free hobby for small spaces) letting players express their creativity and add a personal touch to their game.
7. DnD books to help Dungeon Masters perfect their storytelling
By Cory Doctorow | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The art of the game lies on the ability of the Dungeon Master to successfully narrate stories, portray challenges and encourage others to put their ideas forth on how best to slay monsters, discover treasures, conquer land, and explore territories unknown. The three core books for Dungeon Masters are The Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon's Master Guide. However, beyond those, any books that help DMs learn to narrate better can help improve their game. The original creators of DnD are Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and both of them are authors too. Good knowledge expanders include Role-Playing Mastery by Gary Gygax for the strategy and rules side of the game, and for those interested in the design side of character creation, Dave Arneson's True Genius could be an interesting short-read.
8. DnD Character Journal
By Steve Jurvetson | CC BY 2.0
Journals make great gifts for bookworms of all ages. Add in the customization of the DnD theme, it becomes even more of a thoughtful gift. The style of a Dungeons and Dragons character journal is likely best as a binder format because those have more flexibility for adding sections, dividers, and plastic sleeves for the information that needs to be updated. These can turn into scrapbook-style journals with stickers, paper flowers, art portraits, and stats like languages, equipment, features, spell information or spell cards, traits, and proficiency logs for different characters, and still have room for standard paper for writing in session information after each game.