In its simplest form, D&D is a pen-and-paper game. The DM has notes for the adventure, the players have character sheets, and changes are recorded as play progresses. You don’t really need dice, if you trust the DM to arbitrate random outcomes. Heck, the DM doesn’t even need notes, if he or she is brave enough to make the story up as it unfolds.
Very few of us, however, play with just pen and paper. We all have our favorite accessories that make the game easier, more enjoyable, more memorable, and a “better” gaming experience. I put that in quotes because what I like to use you may not, and vice versa. No one particular play style is better than another, and no particular set of dice or miniatures makes a game better than any other – they’re just different.
But we all do have our favorites, so I’ll run through some of mine. These are the things I use on a regular basis, game after game. Given my druthers, I’d want them were I to run a game, and I’d feel out-of-sync if I didn’t have them.
Wet/Dry Erase Board
I have one that measures 18” x 24”, and I hang it on the wall next to my seat at the dining room table whenever I’m running a game. I use Expo wet erase Vis-à-vis markers and the magnets from my GameMastery Combat Pad (http://www.openmindgames.com/omg_products.htm see below). If the players know it, I put it on the board.
GameMastery Combat Pad
I love this thing, and the magnets that come with it. I even bought an extra pack of magnets for bigger battles. Characters and creatures get their own magnets, and initiative goes on another. If someone delays or readies an action, is surprised, or jumps into the battle late, it’s easy enough to shuffle the magnets around and keep everyone in line for initiative. Although I don’t use it as intended any more, it’s still an essential part of my game. If the players DON’T know something that’s happening, it goes on the combat pad.
Battle Mat
My mat is from Chessex, and it has a preprinted 1” grid on one side. I draw out the majority of my maps to save time, and because I could never afford Dwarven Forge accessories. Strangely shaped rooms, irregular tunnels and caverns, and the like are all easier to reproduce freehand than try to find some way to finagle the current tiles on the market. I own the dungeon tiles by Wizards of the Coast, but issues with sorting and finding what I want when I need it have meant they usually stay in the box.
Miniatures
Whenever possible, I like a visual representation of a creature or character. I don’t dictate what the players use to portray their characters, but I like to use Wizards of the Coast’s pre-painted plastic miniatures for most things in my game. Paizo’s put out some good minis in the last few years, and I have some of them as well (I’ve raved about their Huge black dragon in a past article). I’ve also scrounged up Heroscape miniatures that mesh well with D&D and use them.
Tokens
If I don’t have a miniature, I use a token. I use the tokens from Wizards of the Coast’s D&D Starter Set, the Monster Vault, and The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond. If I can’t find an appropriate one from those sets and I have the time, I make one using RPTools TokenTool (http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=downloads#TokenTool). If I have color ink, I take the time to glue it to a cardboard backer and save it; otherwise, I print it in black and white and toss it when it gets mangled.
Heroscape: Fortress of the Archkyrie
Right after Heroscape was cancelled but before the prices skyrocketed, I managed to pick up this expansion from Toys ‘r Us. I have little use for the hexagonal tiles, but the castle walls, turrets, gate, and crenelations have been invaluable for portraying castles, gatehouses, and fortresses in my campaigns. They sure beat just drawing lines on the battle mat, and the black dragon miniature looks sweet perched on a castle tower!
Bendy Dungeon Walls
These are a great product I picked up at Gen Con back in 2007. The hinges haven’t held up over the years, but the bases allow the wall sections to remain standing and provide quick set up and takedown. These are made by Dark-Platypus Studio (http://dark-platypus.com), who also make the next product.
Dungeon Clings
These clings by Dark-Platypus stick to the battle mat and make it quick and easy to designate stairs, a triggered pit trap, or pepper an area with trees, bushes, and boulders. I seriously wish a bunch more adventuring staples could be produced as clings, like furniture, wagons, statues, doors, columns, fountains…I would buy them in a heartbeat. Anything that makes it faster to throw together a map is a boon in my mind.
Heroquest
I cannibalized this game for the cool doors, tables, chairs, bookcases, weapons rack, fireplace, and altar to use for D&D. Made of plastic and full-color cardboard, they’re gorgeous pieces I wish could be marketed just by themselves. I also use the skeletons from the game from time to time, as I’ve never really been happy with any of the skeleton miniatures on the market.
Dice
I include dice here because I use them, but they’re not an earth-shattering deal breaker for me. I like lots of dice (the more the merrier), but I go for utility over beauty (but both is always better). As long as there’s a good contrast between the color of the dice and the numbers, they’re good for me. (Must be my old age.) I still have a few of the old, old dice from original box set where I have to color in the numbers with a crayon…I love those dice. The others I could take or leave, as the case may be.
And that’s pretty much what I use during my game sessions. I have one more product I’ve bought but not gotten to use yet – Dwarven Forge’s Game Tiles! I never could afford their original product, but the kickstarter came at just the right time for me to get in at two sets, and now there are a ton of add-ons. They’re due out to backers in October, and I hope they’re as awesome as they looked.
What gaming accoutrements can you not live without? How have you repurposed items from other games for your RPGs? What recommendations do you have for gaming accessories on a budget? Leave a comment and let me know!
Good gaming!
Very few of us, however, play with just pen and paper. We all have our favorite accessories that make the game easier, more enjoyable, more memorable, and a “better” gaming experience. I put that in quotes because what I like to use you may not, and vice versa. No one particular play style is better than another, and no particular set of dice or miniatures makes a game better than any other – they’re just different.
But we all do have our favorites, so I’ll run through some of mine. These are the things I use on a regular basis, game after game. Given my druthers, I’d want them were I to run a game, and I’d feel out-of-sync if I didn’t have them.
Wet/Dry Erase Board
I have one that measures 18” x 24”, and I hang it on the wall next to my seat at the dining room table whenever I’m running a game. I use Expo wet erase Vis-à-vis markers and the magnets from my GameMastery Combat Pad (http://www.openmindgames.com/omg_products.htm see below). If the players know it, I put it on the board.
GameMastery Combat Pad
I love this thing, and the magnets that come with it. I even bought an extra pack of magnets for bigger battles. Characters and creatures get their own magnets, and initiative goes on another. If someone delays or readies an action, is surprised, or jumps into the battle late, it’s easy enough to shuffle the magnets around and keep everyone in line for initiative. Although I don’t use it as intended any more, it’s still an essential part of my game. If the players DON’T know something that’s happening, it goes on the combat pad.
Battle Mat
My mat is from Chessex, and it has a preprinted 1” grid on one side. I draw out the majority of my maps to save time, and because I could never afford Dwarven Forge accessories. Strangely shaped rooms, irregular tunnels and caverns, and the like are all easier to reproduce freehand than try to find some way to finagle the current tiles on the market. I own the dungeon tiles by Wizards of the Coast, but issues with sorting and finding what I want when I need it have meant they usually stay in the box.
Miniatures
Whenever possible, I like a visual representation of a creature or character. I don’t dictate what the players use to portray their characters, but I like to use Wizards of the Coast’s pre-painted plastic miniatures for most things in my game. Paizo’s put out some good minis in the last few years, and I have some of them as well (I’ve raved about their Huge black dragon in a past article). I’ve also scrounged up Heroscape miniatures that mesh well with D&D and use them.
Tokens
If I don’t have a miniature, I use a token. I use the tokens from Wizards of the Coast’s D&D Starter Set, the Monster Vault, and The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond. If I can’t find an appropriate one from those sets and I have the time, I make one using RPTools TokenTool (http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=downloads#TokenTool). If I have color ink, I take the time to glue it to a cardboard backer and save it; otherwise, I print it in black and white and toss it when it gets mangled.
Heroscape: Fortress of the Archkyrie
Right after Heroscape was cancelled but before the prices skyrocketed, I managed to pick up this expansion from Toys ‘r Us. I have little use for the hexagonal tiles, but the castle walls, turrets, gate, and crenelations have been invaluable for portraying castles, gatehouses, and fortresses in my campaigns. They sure beat just drawing lines on the battle mat, and the black dragon miniature looks sweet perched on a castle tower!
Bendy Dungeon Walls
These are a great product I picked up at Gen Con back in 2007. The hinges haven’t held up over the years, but the bases allow the wall sections to remain standing and provide quick set up and takedown. These are made by Dark-Platypus Studio (http://dark-platypus.com), who also make the next product.
Dungeon Clings
These clings by Dark-Platypus stick to the battle mat and make it quick and easy to designate stairs, a triggered pit trap, or pepper an area with trees, bushes, and boulders. I seriously wish a bunch more adventuring staples could be produced as clings, like furniture, wagons, statues, doors, columns, fountains…I would buy them in a heartbeat. Anything that makes it faster to throw together a map is a boon in my mind.
Heroquest
I cannibalized this game for the cool doors, tables, chairs, bookcases, weapons rack, fireplace, and altar to use for D&D. Made of plastic and full-color cardboard, they’re gorgeous pieces I wish could be marketed just by themselves. I also use the skeletons from the game from time to time, as I’ve never really been happy with any of the skeleton miniatures on the market.
Dice
I include dice here because I use them, but they’re not an earth-shattering deal breaker for me. I like lots of dice (the more the merrier), but I go for utility over beauty (but both is always better). As long as there’s a good contrast between the color of the dice and the numbers, they’re good for me. (Must be my old age.) I still have a few of the old, old dice from original box set where I have to color in the numbers with a crayon…I love those dice. The others I could take or leave, as the case may be.
And that’s pretty much what I use during my game sessions. I have one more product I’ve bought but not gotten to use yet – Dwarven Forge’s Game Tiles! I never could afford their original product, but the kickstarter came at just the right time for me to get in at two sets, and now there are a ton of add-ons. They’re due out to backers in October, and I hope they’re as awesome as they looked.
What gaming accoutrements can you not live without? How have you repurposed items from other games for your RPGs? What recommendations do you have for gaming accessories on a budget? Leave a comment and let me know!
Good gaming!
