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Blog Preview: D20 Tabletop Roleplaying Game Gift Ideas that Aren’t Just More TTRPGs (or Dice)
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 21:05:43 +0000 UTCAll too often, you want to buy a gift for someone who is deep, deep into this or that hobby but you aren’t yourself super well versed in it. Googling what to get a person based on that hobby is absolutely rational, but the results are typically stuff that a committed hobbyist either already has or is fully aware of and pointedly doesn’t have for a reason. In the specific case of looking for TTRPG-related gifts, all gift guides basically point you to one of two things: very popular (typically WotC-produced) TTRPG books or dice. What’s the problem with this? If your recipient is deep in the world of TTRPGs, they are likely either a WotC D&D superfan who already has Tales from the Yawning Portal OR they are a WotC D&D superhater who thinks people who exclusively play 5th edition D&D are some variety of scum. As for dice, they probably have more than they could ever roll. God, I know I do.
The dilemma is essentially, how do I know what to get a TTRPG meganerd without having to become a TTRPG meganerd myself? This post is an attempt to alleviate that, as it is written by a self-admitted TTRPG obsessive whose bookshelves burst with TTRPG books and who seemingly mostly drinks Crown Royal for the free dice bags just so he has someplace to house all those dice. My promise? None of these recommendations are TTRPG books or dice. Enough is enough!
This post is intended more for the loved ones of people obsessed with TTRPGs enough to read TTRPG blogs than the blog readers themselves. This means that those blog readers (yes, I mean you) will just need to either leave this post open on your device and conspicuously leave it where they’ll see it or be mature and send it to said loved one with the 👀 emoji or something like “wow some pretty neat ideas in this post!” Or maybe you are the loved one who isn’t really into TTRPGs or D&D and found this on your own through intrepid googling. If so, well done! I won’t waste any more of your time and will get into it.
DISCLAIMER I: None of these recommendations have affiliate links, mostly because I can’t be arsed to fool with that nonsense just to earn what, a dollar? That is for the birds, frankly. Most links are to Amazon just because that’s just the way our world is these days, but many of these things can be found elsewhere, although not usually at the same competition-annihilatingly low prices.
DISCLAIMER II: Also, all prices are as of time of writing (roughly November 12, 2024). I’ve ordered the list from cheapest to most expensive. However, it is also a numbered list from 1 to 20, which means you could simply roll a 20-sided die and let the d20 pick your next holiday gift.
1. For the Bibliophile Who Has Read All Popular Fantasy Books:
Hiero’s Journey - $7.28
Just how many times are you going to let Josh re-read Lord of the Rings? There are other books, Josh! Of course, any book that is on Gary Gygax’s Appendix N (D&D’s original reading list) is played out, but this weird post-apocalyptic science fantasy novel is one that mostly flies under the radar. SF Masterworks is coming out with a new paperback print run of this and its sequel next year, but I would get a used copy of the old paperback instead, mostly because of the amazing cover of a telepathic bear waving to a far-future Canadian warrior-priest and his saddled moose mount. You don’t need a blurb on the dust jacket; the image alone is enough to make your recipient ask, “Wait what exactly is going on here?” It is iconic. By comparison, the proposed new covers look bland and don’t at all represent the 1970s zaniness that is within. (There are some aspects of this book, by the way, that were very progressive in 1970 but read as really weird by today’s standards, but that is sometimes par for the course of these old books.) If you also want to sprinkle in some fun facts when you give this, you can inform them that this book is where D&D got the idea for psionics and even the concept of leveling up!
Of course, there is really no limit to how many fiction books you could recommend. Although I’m limiting myself to one here, you could also check out my friend Anne’s blog, the Lunar Flaneur, where she reviews over a hundred books a year. On the theme of books with “[protagonist]’s Journey” titles, here is her review of Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki. Yes, that Miyazaki. The review convinced me to put this on my own holiday wish list.
2. For the Player Who Takes Fastidious Notes:
Plastic Clipboard with Storage and Side Opening - $8.23
The best TTRPG players take notes. Not just on their character sheet but also details about the campaign, new NPCs they’ve met, quest hooks, and anything else they don’t want to forget. And, if they’re like me as a player, those notes are also covered with doodles from the session as well. This gift is ideal for a notetaking player because it gives them something to bear down on, whether they are writing notes or updating their character sheet, and storage to put all their old notes. When the other players ask, “Wait, where did that old wizard dude want us to go with this magic ring again?”, your recipient will be ready to flip through their old notes for the answer. However, many people use digital character sheets and digital tools these days, so this is a gift for the person who is more tactile and likes to keep their character sheet and notes in physical format.
3. For the Game Master Whose Real Hobby is Worldbuilding:
Hexagonal Graph Paper Notebook: 1/2 Inch (0.5") Hexagons - $12.01
I unscientifically estimate that 99% of people who prefer to always be the game master than the player do so because of the immense joy of world building. World building is fun and, on an even smaller level, even just drawing a fantasy map and imagining the world it represents is a good way to spend an afternoon. These notebooks, which are probably intended for people studying organic chemistry, are perfect for that since the hex map is the undisputed champion for DIY fantasy mapping because of how gameable hexagons are when you bring it to the gaming table. If you want to impress your recipient with just how knowledgeable you are about their hobby all of a sudden, you could pair this gift with suggestions of two free resources: the Gygax 75 Challenge, a week-by-week guide to making a world for D&D, and my own award-winning (not exaggerating) Hexcrawl Checklist, which has all the tips they need for turning the empty notebook into a campaign that can last years.
4. For the Game Master with Loud Players:
Gavel and Sound Block Set Gift for Lawyer - $12.88
This gift is the cheapest way for the game master to get more gaming done in their regular, in-person sessions. It says it is “Gift for Lawyer” but legally you can buy this for anyone; they can’t stop you. Doesn’t seem innately D&D related? That’s where you are wrong. I started using a gavel when running games in person back in 2017 and haven’t looked back. Essentially when your players get loud and off topic or two players are chatting, and you want them to all shut up for a second because you’re about to say something important and you just know that Brian is going to be like, “Wait what is going on?”, in 5 minutes if he doesn’t pipe down, you simply tap the gavel on the sound block and get their attention. The sound block is important to get with the gavel so that you don’t bang up any furniture using it.
5. For the D&D Historian:
Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons - $13.99
Does your loved one have opinions about Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson? Or do they just like to watch internecine corporate battles like from Succession but much lower stakes and involving nerds? The foremost historian of D&D, Jon Peterson, wrote up a write-up of the personal and legal battles between the founders of the hobby that is just a really enjoyable read. Don’t be fooled by the fact it is published by MIT Press–this book is academic only in its quality, not in its style. If you want to seem especially in the loop, you could also mention to your recipient to check out the podcast When We Were Wizards, which tells many of the same stories but from other perspectives plus interviews with people involved at the time and their family members. Reading the book and listening to the podcast together is a great experience.
6. For the Player Who Thinks D&D Is Insufficiently Occult:
The Rider Tarot Deck - $15.32
A tarot deck is a perfect gift because you aren’t supposed to buy your own tarot deck, per the superstition of some. Tarot card merchants say otherwise, of course. This gift is especially perfect if your loved one’s latest TTRPG obsession is the hit new system, His Majesty the Worm, which uses tarot cards instead of dice, but this is nifty even if they play regular ole vanilla D&D because it can be used as the Deck of Many Things or just to be an oracle to inspire his prep. You could, for instance, share this downloadable game aid with your recipient to show them how they can use the tarot cards to randomly generate a whole-ass megadungeon.
Note: The deck I recommended above is the most common tarot deck, the cards you think of when you think of tarot, but there is truly no end to the types of tarot decks out there. So, for instance, if your recipient is really into the Cuphead video game or just loves Betty Boop, they may prefer the Mystical Medleys Tarot Deck: A Vintage Cartoon Tarot Deck ($20.25, https://a.co/d/9C2Yi5h).
7. For the Person Playing in a 5e Game that Doesn’t Care for DnDBeyond:
5E Gaming Journals - Character 2-Pack - $18.95
https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals
My outsider’s understanding is that most 5e players these days use the official digital tools to keep their character details. However, if your loved one is old-fashioned or just likes to stunt on their friends (valid), this journal gives them a place to track their character details that looks cool and easy to use. The typical way to track character details is with a collection of loose papers, which often looks like you are doing your taxes by hand. With this, you can keep track of character details and all your session notes in style in a single booklet. However, this is only useful if your recipient plays 5th edition D&D. If they play any other system(s), a better alternative is on this list under the heading “For the Player Who Takes Fastidious Notes”.
8. For the Player Who Won’t Shut Up About Their Character:
Commissioned Character Art - $20+
https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/p/art-commissions.html
Part of the joy of TTRPGs is playing a character, and people have a tendency to feel a connection to those characters they play for a long time. If your loved one likes playing a persistent character (as opposed to playing in the kind of games I often like where characters die with upsetting frequency), you can commission art of that character as a very thoughtful gift. The above link and price is for my colleague, Dwiz of the A Knight at the Opera blog, who moonlights as a talented artist, but there are thousands upon thousands of character artists out there, illustrating in every style imaginable. The trickier part is how to know what to tell the artist. If your loved one doesn’t care as much about the surprise aspect of gift giving, you could just ask them for a description. But if you do want it to be a surprise, you could either ask them about their character, casually, and listen to them talk about them, jotting down mental notes. A more effective method, however, which is only available if you independently know their game master or fellow players, is to tell them about your covert gift operation and ask for their descriptions. If your artist sends a sketch first before finalizing the piece, you could also present the sketch as the “surprise” part of the gift, then let your loved one give feedback to make sure it is more to their liking. Commissioning art can be really fun, so bringing them in on the process could be part of the gift. For some helpful tips on commissioning (although this is directed more toward game designers than people getting character art), my colleague Luka, a talented illustrator, has a guide to commissioning art.
9. For the World Builder Who Has Writer’s Block:
Masterpieces of Fantasy Art - $23.48
Even if they don't necessarily have writer’s block, anyone who is doing some world building (which includes any game master, even those running a pre-written adventure) could benefit from extra inspiration. I find that art is one of the quickest and most consistent sources of inspiration, and you can do no better than a big, curated book of art. Especially these days when you can’t just browse google or elsewhere without being inundated with AI art slop the goops up the creative mind. Get them a book of fantasy art to fuel their own imagination. If they are more into science fiction, you could instead get this art book ($24.49), which I can vouch for is a very nice collection of art.
10. For the D&D Fanatic with Cold Feet:
Monsters 3 Pair Pack (Socks) - $24
https://heroesvillains.com/collections/d-d-accessories/products/dungeons-dragons-monsters-3-pair-pac
I’m talking literal cold feet here, not prenuptial jitters. I don’t think any of these gifts would address that issue. While this gift list is mostly free of officially licensed D&D stuff (that is already all over most other gift guides you’ll find), I just liked these too much to not include. They are 3 pairs of socks with 2 classic D&D monsters on them and also a third one with the merrow (this is just me throwing shade at an evil mermaid monster for no reason). The owlbear in particular is an iconic monster, and I love it. Whimsical socks with really busy designs are simply fun, and I’m tired of pretending they’re not.
11. For the Game Master with Indecisive Players:
mooas Dodecagon Desk Productivity Timer - $24.90
“Hey, I thought you said no dice!” This just looks like a twelve-sided die. It is, in fact, a handy timer. While the ad copy says it is useful for working out, studying, cooking, or existing with ADHD, there is a much more niche use case: gaming. Sometimes a game master wants to add a time limit to players’ decision making (goodness knows they can sit on their hands and debate for hours without coming to a decision), and this is a fancy way of setting an hourglass in front of the players to motivate them to decide quickly. A crafty dungeon master could also decide to use real time to track when torches go out (I believe that is what the Ennie-darling Shadowdark does), and this would make that easy. You could also use it to determine when the dragon’s fire breath recharges. Or use it to help the dragon cook while having ADHD. The possibilities are endless.
12. For the Aspiring TTRPG Creator:
The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing - $27
One of the most neat things for a creative (of anything) is seeing the process other creatives go through to birth their art. There is probably no better guide to the variety of creative processes, directly from a bunch of novelists, filmmakers, playwrights, and artists of all varieties, that might also look nice atop a coffee table. Unfortunately it doesn’t, to the best of my knowledge, include any perspectives from tabletop RPG designers. You could be extra thoughtful and supplement it by printing out (or just sending a link to) this post from my colleague, Luke Gearing of his eponymous blog, which describes his process for being one of the most prolific designers in the TTRPG biz.
13. For the Tabletop Gamer Who Is Also a Video Gamer:
Caves of Qud - $29.99
https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/
This is one of my favorite video games of all time, and based on conversations with other TTRPG fans, that is a common opinion. I think that is not only because of the beaucoup roleplaying elements or the truly spectacular worldbuilding on display. I think it is because it exhibits the same tactical infinity that you can typically only get in a tabletop roleplaying game. Your options aren’t limited to a preset number of solutions thought up by the developers. Instead, the world has lots of physics that interact in ways that allow players to come up with unpredictable solutions to the problems they get themselves into. As a warning, avoid fungus in the game. One of my characters got so encrusted in fungus that they could no longer move.
14. For the Player Who Sketches Their Game:
Blackwing Palomino 602-12 Count Pencils - $32
These are “just pencils”, but if your recipient loves to draw in pencil, these are top of the line. As NYTimes’ Wirecutter said, it is “pretty much unsurpassed in quality” as far as pencils go, with a replaceable eraser with a rectangular eraser to allow for more detailed erasing. I even saw on Bluesky that the legendary TTRPG designer, Zedeck Siew, who is also an excellent illustrator in his own right, uses this very pencil when doing his character sketches. If your loved one comes home from their gaming sessions with a notebook full of sketches or if they are a gamemaster that likes to draw out their dungeons, they will appreciate these high quality pencils.
15. For the Game Master that Likes to Switch up Their Systems:
The Worlds Greatest Screen - $33.89
If you only ever play one system (like just D&D), you only ever need one GM screen. Well, technically you don’t need one, but many find them nice to have. But if you are constantly trying out new systems, it may be a pain to have that many GM screens. This gift is ideal for being able to replace what is on the inside with whatever you are running at the time, customizing it for the new system you are trying or even for each session with your latest prep notes. Not everyone uses GM screens though, so you’ll want to make sure that is a tool your recipient finds useful before picking this up for them.
16. For the D&D Fan with a Room Full of Stuffed Animals:
Owlbear Plush - $35
https://metalweavegames.com/collections/baby-bestiary/products/owlbear-plush-usa
This is one of the products which you can just see its exact merits without having to read a blogger wax poetically about it. It’s a cute, soft stuffed animal. If you’ve come here unawares, the owlbear is a much beloved D&D creation, and this is the owlbear version of a teddy bear. If your loved one likes stuffed animals and also D&D, this should be a hit. My aforementioned friend Anne purchased one as a gift for my infant child, and while he is currently not interested in anything but milk, sleep, and bodily functions, I’m sure he will enjoy it soon. This does present another good use case for the gift: indoctrinating any young loved ones into fondness for your own beloved D&D.
17. For the Game Master Who Runs Their Games by the Book:
Deluxe Original Cookbook Holder - $44.99
TTRPG books have less in common with less in common than your standard, run-of-the-mill bound volumes on your bookshelves than they do those collections of recipes we call the cookbook. That is because both aren’t meant to be read, they are meant to be used. Sure, you can just get a TTRPG book to read it, but its truest purpose is to be used at the table when running the game. Just as this book stand was designed to help chefs use a cookbook in their kitchen, it can be repurposed to help a game master run an adventure or new ruleset by allowing them to keep the book open and in plain view as they run. Forget GM screens with information that may be useful–this allows you to always have the book open to the page that is definitely useful.
18. For the Game Master Who Keeps Strict Time Records:
Perpetual calendar - $53.36
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1671348024/perpetual-calendar-made-of-brass-desk (there are others on Etsy/eBay too but you’ll want to make sure it includes both pegs! The cheaper ones tend not to)
Gary Gygax once said “You cannot have a meaningful campaign if strict time records are not kept,” and as far as Gygaxisms go, this is one of the more true ones. A game master who tracks how much fictional time has passed during their campaign will deliver a more satisfying experience. This tool is a simple way to track time by moving the pegs around. The neat thing about this (other than the cool, mystical vibe it gives off) is that it doesn’t use the names of months or days of the week, which allows your recipient to peg it more closely to the fantasy calendar of their world. So if their campaign setting doesn’t use “December” or “August” but rather “Deepwinter” and “Summertide” and “Selday” and “Tyrday” instead of “Sunday” and “Tuesday”, this tool gives you the ability to let your worldbuilding freak flag fly. However, this is a bit expensive because it typically requires finding a vintage version. You could probably make a version out of wood that works similarly (I’m imagining something like the peg game you’d find at your local Cracker Barrel), so if you are crafty, this could be a good template for a DIY gift for your nerdy loved one.
19. For the Player Who Also Loves Wargames
Divine Right - $95
https://www.worthingtonpublishing.com/collection/divine-right
This is a classic board war game published a few years after the original D&D by the same original publisher, but now with a really high quality reprint. It pitches itself as “a work of fantasy literature” that is fully playable, and that pitch isn’t wrong. There is a ton to sink your teeth into with this game. The production quality is quite high and the board game itself seems very intricate. I need some time to round up some war gamers to give it a whirl and report back on how fun it actually is to play. What is cool for a TTRPG enjoyer specifically, however, is that this can double as a campaign setting for your game, with a gorgeous hex map to use at the table. That’s exactly what Sean McCoy, designer of Mothership, did (as described in this blog post). He also had high praise for the setting, calling Divine Right’s board “the best hexmap ever made”.
20. For the Player Who Brings the Game with Them Wherever They Go:
D&D Ready To Roll Backpack - $130
https://heroesvillains.com/products/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-builtup-backpack
This is another very D&D-branded product, so is best for someone who loves D&D specifically and not just TTRPGs in general. I was reluctant to add this because I was trying to keep this list as system-neutral as possible, but there just is no backpack as well-tailored to TTRPGs. Why? It is because, in addition to being a sturdy-looking backpack, it has a padded area with adjustable dividers for miniatures and a snap out dice tray. In addition, one commenter professes that it has room for 15 D&D books. That’s a whole-ass gaming library. The use case for this product is somewhat niche–someone who travels to play their games and also brings a lot of stuff to play it–but if that sounds like your recipient, they may love this one. For instance, if they are going hiking and want to play D&D at the top of the mountain, this could be great for that. The price tag, however, is quite high. If they are just needing to lug a lot of stuff for game night but doesn’t need miniatures storage or a built-in dice tray, you may be better off with a premium board game bag ($59) which can fit up to 7 large board games (so probably at least 15 D&D books) and can be carried easily a variety of ways.
