While running Dungeons & Dragons in person may be off the table for many of us, our love of fantasy roleplaying games is eternal. Whether you’re playing sessions over Discord or practicing socially distanced dice rolling, here’s a selection of gift ideas to ensure your favourite adventurers roll well on the loot table this year.
A Fine Introduction
Of course, an obvious starting point for this list is the official D&D rule books themselves. The Core Rule Book Gift Set presents a handsomely boxed collection containing the current editions of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide. To ensure you have everything needed to run your next session in style, the set also includes an excellent Dungeon Master’s screen emblazoned with a devastating red dragon (or Draco Conflagratio Horribilis for the sages). Be sure to bring your own dice—maybe something from further down this list if you’re feeling fancy.
You can find the Core Rule Book Gift Set in-store using the Wizards of the Coast local game store locator here, or buy online at Amazon here.
For The Party Halfling
If you’re a DM with children at home, or if you’re buying gifts for kids who like reading and fantasy, The Young Adventurer’s Collection is a recommended primer for introducing younglings to the world of DnD. In this boxed set you’ll find four tomes of knowledge; Monsters & Creatures, Warriors & Weapons, Dungeons & Tombs, and finally Wizards & Spells. Each book is an illustrated guide chronicling essential lore of the Forgotten Realms. Learn how to tell a gnome from a halfling, the difference between chain and scale mail, or which of a Beholder’s eyes casts Death. These books are intended for readers aged 8 to 12, but their high-quality art and fun style may catch the eye of older collectors as well.
You can find The Young Adventurer’s Collection in-store using the Wizards of the Coast local game store locator here, or buy online at Amazon here.
A Royal Banquet
Something all game sessions need is a good selection of food. The official D&D cookbook Heroes’ Feast offers you a taste of the Forgotten Realms’ finest drinks and delicacies. Within this single volume, you’ll find recipes for everything from baking genuine elven bread to mixing the Elfsong Tavern’s very own Rollrum cocktails. The book is, of course, also filled with useful tidbits of lore to accompany each recipe. Gorgeous illustrations and appropriately thematic photos of the completed dishes provide the finishing touches to bring this work to life. These recipes are a must-have when the bland taste of Create Food And Water just isn’t cutting it anymore.
You can find The Young Adventurer’s Collection in-store using the Wizards of the Coast local game store locator here, or buy online at Amazon here.
For The High Roller
Maybe you’re looking for something that’s both high-end and functional. From personal experience, it seems like no D&D player can ever have too many dice. Some of these dice appear inexplicably, as though pulled through a rift in space and time (or mistakenly stolen after a session). A sure way to avoid your own dice being mysteriously assimilated into a friend’s collection is to roll something distinctive, and dice don’t come more distinctive than hand made. I hunted around for the finest artisanal dice and, unsurprisingly, this led me to Artisan Dice. This team of artists offers a selection of masterwork dice in materials you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. Be sure to check with Australian customs enforcement before ordering anything in bone, moose dung, or mammoth ivory (I’m not kidding).
Check out the Artisan Dice store at www.artisandice.com
What’s In The Box?
Once you have a collection of exquisitely crafted dice, it would only be right to house them in an equally fancy box. A high-quality dice vault is something to appreciate even if you’re rolling standard plastics or, like me, insisting the free spindown from your last Magic: The Gathering sealed league is close enough to use as a d20. Wyrmwood Gaming has made a name for themselves as purveyors of fine wooden D&D accessories with their selection of dice boxes, trays, and towers. Another factor that’s contributed to their solid reputation is what Wyrmwood Gaming has a “craftsman’s promise”; a guarantee covering each of their accessories for a full refund or replacement should you be at all unsatisfied with your product. Considering the price tag for orders in rarer woods, the company’s dedication to high-quality work and customer service is a reassuring reputation.
Check out the Wyrmwood Gaming store online at wyrmwoodgaming.com
A Figurine of Wondrous Power
My 1/6th scale T-51b Power Armor model has a place of pride at my desk, brandishing its plasma rifle as I type. If you have a similar love for cool figurines and a particular fondness for the works of R. A. Salvatore, consider the official Drizzt Do’Urden statue from Modern Icons. The iconic Drow wander and serial war hero is depicted here with his famous twin scimitars and forest-green cloak, standing defiant against whatever other figurines you place him next to. This statue is part of a limited run and Australian distribution is currently limited to Zing Pop Culture.
Officially releasing November 30, pre-orders for the statue are open now with a $10 deposit at Zing. You can check the store page here for details.
Hopefully this list has given you some ideas for the perfect D&D gift these holidays. If you’re still looking for the right thing, you can find your local game store here for much more on offer.
About the Author
Cal Stevenson
I enjoy story-based RPGs, tabletop gaming, and making myself sick in VR. I haven't let a professional cut my hair in years and I do not intend to start now.
