Accessorizing

OMG Becky! Look at her GM Screen.

We all have accessories, even if they’re borrowed, for our tabletop adventures. From the dice dragon’s collection to the GM’s neverending list of random encounters, most tabletop games have a range of accessories that you either actually need or feel strangely compelled to buy.

• Dice

  • There are dice goblins and dice dragons. I unfortunately am a dice dragon. I can’t help myself, but you might be able to help yourself! Honestly all you need is a single set of dice. It can be nice to have two d20s, four d6s, and doubles of d8s and d4s. Sadly d12s and d10s, don’t have a lot of opportunities for multiples. The most dice I’ve seen actually used in a game was 20d6 when playing Alien RPG.

  • A great budget option is Chessex Dice. You can find them in most hobby shops, book stores, and big box chains. They average about $10, and they even have a mini set that’s about $7-8.

• GM Screens

  • If you want to run a game, having a nice GM screen so you can keep your dice rolls secret or just fake out your players for fun can be super helpful! I’ve seen some elaborate screens that blend in with the set of the table, like a castle wall or line of trees. I’ve also seen some with gorgeous carvings on the outside. I have a nice one that looks like a barrel.

  • For a cheap GM screen, get a couple folders for about $0.50-0.75 and tape/stand them together and have your cheat sheets in there. If you want to really splurge, get a folding poster board (the same thing we kept forgetting to tell Mom about the day before a project). You can glue or tape your sheets in it!

  • There are GM screens that have fancy upgrades like dice towers, magnets, phone holders, etc. These are really nice, but not necessary! If you want to treat yourself to a nice GM screen, go for it! (just don’t feel obligated to do so)

• Minis

  • This one is a controversial one. Minis can either be the most important thing on the table besides the dice or completely irrelevant. I’ve run games where we need minis to track combat and some where we don’t even consider them. It’s up to you and your group if you need them or not.

  • Some hobby shops have fairly priced minis. For really cheap, Reaper has been pretty fair. Wizards of the Coast sells pre-painted minis for about $20 a box, but they’re blind boxes. Heroforge has custom minis on their website, but they can be a bit pricey. There are other sites that offer a similar service.

• Computers

  • I know a lot of us have laptops or phones, but if you don’t have those, don’t be discouraged. Everything you can do with a computer, you can do with a cheap notebook and pencils. A lot of GMs, myself included, use Excel or Google Sheets for random tables. Several websites, DnD Beyond or Reddit, have a collection of user created and official random tables. DMsGuild and DriveThru RPG have a lot of content for GMs and players (some content is free, but not all).

  • There’s lots of useful programs, map makers, and tables online or even ones you make yourself. Computers are great for GMs, but I’ve noticed they can be distracting for players.

Upcoming Events

• Adventures in Fantasy Book Club, May 28 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, discussion on Discord.

• Nashville Comicon | Join your fellow nerds for the Nashville Comicon on Jun 3-4! Comics, games, and pop culture.

• Brew at the Zoo | Join some of us for brews and animals on June 2. See the link for more details!