The best gift ideas for D&D fans of all ages and skill levels

Shopping for the Dungeons & Dragons fan in your life can be daunting, especially if you don’t know all that much about how the 50-year-old role-playing game even works. Allow us to help guide your hand toward some of the best options for all kinds of players — as well as fans of popular D&D shows like Critical Role. We’ve even included a handy table of contents that will bring you straight to the right section for you.

Beginning

The latest starter set for D&D, Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle ($19.99)The, is a small item. It’s the new gold standard for onboarding new players, complete with comprehensive pre-generated character sheets and all the rules you need to get from level 1 to level 3 — plus a decent little adventure to boot. Although I was referring to it as lean, I really meant it. Toss away the chunky cardboard spacer inside and there’s not all that much material left inside the box.

An even more significant offering is the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit ($24.99). Even though it was released in 2019, it’s no less up-to-date that Dragons of Stormwreck Island. Both are based on the same book, 2014’s Player’s Handbook ($22.95)They both have the same core rules. The problem is that the Essentials Kit adds three extra d6 dice (for traditional, old-school character generation), plus a thick stack of cards for keeping track of things like magic items, conditions, and initiative — all key concepts for D&D.

It Essentials Kit also comes with rules for sidekicks — rules-light characters that can help fill out the table if all you have is a budding DM and one or two eager players.

Experienced players

If someone you love is neck-deep in an ongoing D&D campaign, then there are a ton of options to help them have more fun at the table.

Character Journal, $16.99 hardcover; $9.95 paperback This is a great upgrade for players who are already playing. Dandy Beyond is a cleverly named name that allows them to be made in many colors you can easily find online.

Wooden accessories are another excellent gift option — things like rolling trays, dice vaults,And more. We’ve had experience with several manufacturers over the years and can happily vouch for Michigan-based Dog Might Games and Elderwood AcademyMassachusetts-based as well. Wyrmwood Gaming. All offer exceptional values — up to and including high-end custom items that might take a few weeks or months to customize. It is best to place your order as soon as possible.

Dice are another great gift idea for RPG enthusiasts. They can be found online at a fraction of the cost. If you want to get to know the various varieties, it is worth going to your local game shop to try them out. You can also find higher-end options. Take a look at Dispel Dice (60 and above)And Level Up Dice (75 and higher)You can find many examples.

Dungeon Masters

D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast launched several new products for Dungeon Masters this year that have largely gone under the radar. I’ve been messing around with them for a few months now, and I’m a big fan.

First of all, any DM should meet regularly in person with his or her players. D&D Campaign Case: Terrain ($64.99)At their disposal. It contains thirty interlocking and double-sided tiles for creating interior and exterior spaces. There are also five sheets of plastic clings, displaying features like rubble, traps, and treasure — de rigueur stuff you’ll encounter in just about any adventure. You get the whole thing in a robust box with a rope handle.

It D&D Campaign Case: Creatures ($64.99)This Terrain box is perfect for decoration. It includes a selection of poker-chip-style flat tokens, as well as plastic clings. What’s nice about this set is that it comes with plenty of duplicate beasties, so DMs can easily field an entire fighting force to go up against their heroes. You can’t find the right monsters for your campaign in this case. With some printer paper and a little Blu Tack, you can get a lot of mileage out of this set — which also comes in a nice box with a rope handle for easy transport.

You want to push the envelope? You might consider buying supplements for your DM. Dungeon Master’s GuildWizards and OneBookShelf have launched a website called. It offers PDF material and printed-on-demand hardcopies of their books. There are many other resources. Adamantine Metal Products list is where the good stuff is, but you’ll want to know a little bit more about what kind of campaign your DM is running before you get spendy. If you’re strapped for time or trying to gift a surprise, you can always go for the Level Up 5th Edition: Adventurer’s GuideThe consists of a variety of rules and systems that can be added to make the game more interesting.

Are you a DM who is able to tell a story with great storytelling skills? You might consider something more cerebral. The Quiet Year ($8.00)It is a game of storytelling that lets players create a new world. It’s a great way to begin a new homebrew campaign.

On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes it’s nice to end a campaign with an emotional bang. Everest Pipkin’s World Ending Game ($15.00)It will. Our preview story is here:

World Ending Game Character-focused. Meant to be used as a tool for managing the end of things in tabletop worlds, it slots right into games like Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder as well as the wide world of tabletop beyond. This type of game is character-centered, so it can be difficult to figure out how to let go and allow them to move on to the next phase in their lives.

Book of games

For a preview of the title and/or an excerpt, click on it. Prices taken as of the publication date.

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Expansion Gift Set ($117.16)

Call of the Netherdeep – Critical Role ($29.99)

Mordenkainen presents: Monsters of the Multiverse ($32.81)

The Radiant Citadel: Journeys ($28.99)

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space ($46.88)

Fiction and Other Books

For a preview of the title and/or an excerpt, click on it. Prices taken as of the publication date.

New Drizzt novels: Starlight Enclave ($18.49) And Glacier’s Edge ($21.30)

Dragonlance: Dragons of Deceit ($19.51)

Novels about Critical Roles: Kith & Kin(13.64 USD) Lucien’s Nine Eyes ($24.99)

Cookbook: Heroes’ Feast ($22.30)

History: Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons ($16.59)

Beyond D&D

Are you looking for something different? Mix things up for your gaming group with these decidedly non-D&D options that offer up totally different rules and settings. For a preview of the article and/or an excerpt, click on the title. Prices are as per publication.

Blades in Dark$24.99): Take a group of adventurers on a journey through the dark streets of an urban-fantasy town. This campaign-focused game is an excellent example of improvisation.

.dungeon(€10): Enjoy a lighthearted romp through your favorite media. If it’s on your shelf or lodged somewhere inside your mind, it’s fair game for this meta-textual cyberspace adventure.

Mothership$19.99: Dark, grim spacefaring adventures where the characters will likely die. This torturous adventure will take you to alien worlds and event horizons.

Trophy Dark (£15): This indie game is full of high fantasy and horror.

Wanderhome ($45) RedwallThe setting features a cozy environment with pastoral fantasy and animals, as well as introspective storytelling.

Zweihander Fantasy Horror RPG Starter Set $29.99: This sturdy, robust box contains posters, maps and handouts. It also includes 100 pages of some of the most exciting new tabletop RPGs in recent years. It’s not for the faint-hearted.