Next Stop: Appreciation Station! Five Fun Gifts for Your DM
Doin’ the dirty work that you’re too scared to do.
No, I don’t mean Mike Rowe of the popular show Dirty Jobs, I’m talking about your Dungeon/Game Master. They stay up countless hours before a session, spend tons of money on campaign material, and you don’t even bring snacks to the session! Come on! Whether they do it for the storytelling, the murder, or just because they love being an anxious ball of stress, our dungeon masters deserve a little more TLC.
The best way to show your DM you care is by throwing money at them in the form of a gift. Now I’m not saying that materialistic forms of affection will beat out picking your spells before you come to the table, but it is a start! Here are some fresh ideas of fun items you can gift to your loving and deserving DM, seriously before they kill your character in a tragic way.
DICE!
Now we all have some weird obsession with these tiny multi-sided rulers of fate. Giant or itty bitty, some dice for your Dungeon Master are a great gift since they use them to determine whether that ogre hits your character in the face or not.
Everyone has their favorites. Ours are born from the luxurious quality and design of Level Up Dice. This Australian owned international business has brought precision dice to America with materials ranging from aluminum and semi precious stones to wood and bone. Now, this ain’t cheap! So be sure to go in with the rest of your group members.
Another recommendation is the virtually unobtainable work of Lucky Hand Dice. This wife and husband team of crafters make all their dice by hand and with love. You can see the care and dedication in every piece of glitter in their dice. Lucky Hand’s products are produced in small batches, so you have to move fast to get the goods once they go on sale, but your DM is worth the trouble!
SHIRTS!
We all love a fashionable Game Master! Treat them to some beloved attire, like that of Void Merch. Featured heavily on a little show called Critical Role, the shirts from Void Merch range from snarky to witchy to downright masterful! Maybe you want to go with one of Matt Mercer’s favorite designs, “DNGN MSTR,” or my own favorite “No Touchies” (I wear a size medium, btw). Any choice is a good one from this designer.
Another favorite of the Co-Op the Podcast is the work of Paola’s Pixels! Her designs are truly unique and perfect for any fan of table top gaming. Your DM will love the “What’s Your Damage?” Memphis style tee. It’s Heathers meets dice, so you can’t lose.
PINS!
Nervous about sizing? UNDERSTANDABLE! Nothing like angering the DM by guessing the wrong shirt size. Not even the dice will save you then. Paola’s Pixels delivers perfectly designed enamel pins as well. Appeal to their inner player character (since no one will give them a little DMing break...) and gift them a pin from the Adventurer Day Jobs set or get straight to the point and give them the Dungeon Master pin. Just label them forever as the Dungeon Master. Paola’s Pixels also sells patches, dice bags, hats, totes, and stickers. Get adventurous in your gifting, there are so many options to choose from!
DICE BAGS!
An excellent gift for any Game Master is the dice bag. You know those multi-sided rulers of fate I referred to earlier, well they need a home! There are so many options out there to choose from, but we recommend adding a little more D to Dungeons and Dragons. With more dragons. Dragons is what I was referring to. Pervs.
Co-Op the Podcast highly recommends the work of Etsy shop, EmBrace Leather. Store a hordes worth of dice in these handmade leather bags featuring the eye of your own dragon! Ranging in sizes based on the amount of dice you plan to store, these bags can accommodate even the most obsessed collectors. In a variety of colors even Tiamat would love this gift and she’s super hard to shop for.
DM’S SCREEN!
What is a better gift to give than the gift of privacy? Whether officially from Dungeons and Dragons or a custom wooden handmade pieces of art, a Dungeon Master’s screen gives every DM what they have always been craving. Separation. There are so many different options you can choose from, however, we recommend that if you splurge go through Nerd Wood Designs. They have fun customizations to make this screen special for your DM and cool add-ons (like an initiative counter) to make their life even easier. Not only does Nerd Wood Designs have impressive DM screens but they also have wonderfully scented candles, dope nerd wall art, and fun beer accessories. Your DM likes beer, right? Yeah, we figured!
Each game master is like a flower, all different from the next but filling the world with color and beauty while the rest of just look at them dumbfounded because we cannot believe something as amazing as them can exist in our world. Show them how much you care for putting themselves out there and sharing their world. Plus, this is a great way to keep them killing off the OP rogue you’ve created!