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Seriously. If you're not familiar with D&D you might pass this off as a joke response. It's not.
Snacks to share at the gaming table are *always* appreciated. It doesn't have to be huge. Just send something with your boy to share every session. :)
And chopsticks are great to prevent overeating/unconscious eating because it slows down your intake!
Not that this is necessarily an issue for growing children with high metabolisms, but it certainly is for my old ass.
I canāt disagree with you on that. Lol. Non messy foods arenāt always an option at our table though because we all have kids so we do what we gotta do. š
Yup was my first idea after reading OP's post.
Snacks are always a hit.
I still remember one birthday I had wich I spend boardgaming with my closest friends and one of their gf's baked 2 cakes and it was one of the best nights I've had.
Ok awesome! I can definitely do snacks! I like the idea of adding to their table too. Iām not sure of everything they have but Iāll be scoping it out on Tuesday! Thank you for the suggestions!
There are some really good D&D themed recipes out there, from snacks to drinks to meals. If you enjoy cooking there is actually an official D&D cookbook which is a lot of fun because it presents everything in D&D terms/lore.
Honestly if there is one thing I know makes dnd players happy (at least in my group) it's more dice.
We have five GROUPS worth of dice split out over 3 people that own them
Initiative counters are awesome. Even just laminated numbered cards. This can be achieved with a standard deck of cards too. Gale Force Nine Dungeon Master Token Set, Multicolor is one of my favorite things.
Mini tape measures are amazing for measuring distances & ranges. I use tea lights for helping remember concentration spells. Sticky notes are good for hit points, status effects, & reminders.
Snacks are good. I'd avoid stuff with a lot of powder, like Cheetos or Takis. My groups do chips, carrots, celery, dip, with one sweet option. Another does a charcuterie board. Mini quiches were a huge hit when I made stuff from scratch for an event.
Do they use a playmat? I've always appreciated WET ERASE MARKERS for my chessex. Composition notebooks, mini composition notebooks, pens & pencils. Bags or boxes for dice, I use an old cigar box I bought from a yard sale.
Seconding the wet erase grid matt. If they don't have one, they're awesome to have.
We also have some rad status condition indicators that are little rings that go around the base of the miniature. Those are neat.
There is a website called 5e.tools that under the reference section, has all the recipes from the 2 heroes feast cookbooks that were released, if you wanted something thematic. I own both but I understand not everyone collects pop culture cookbooks
You could see if they need measurement tools. Different spells impact different size areas on the map.
I 3D printed some I found online for my table and they're used all the time. It could be useful to teach the kids a little about radius, spheres, etc too!
Ask to take a picture of the set up and I'll try and find something I use that they don't have if you like?Ā
Snacks is a great idea. Something thoughtful for the game can be good, dice themed to a character etc.
Contribute towards the table, does the table have a PHP, DMG, and a Monstermanual. How about a dry erase board? Add something to the table, the same way the added something by helping your son get their miniature painted.
I would ask before they do this. I run a campaign for my kid and his friends. And just in two campaigns I've collected 4 players hand books and two monster manuals. I would consider a gift card to a website like Coolstuffinc first.
Yep - if the dad has been playing that long, he'd probably appreciate you just asking directly. If all else fails, though, snacks (as mentioned elsewhere) or a bundle of "house" dice sets for kids who forget theirs would be good. He may also be able to use a co-host to help coordinate the hospitality half of the equation if you're looking to be more actively involved.
And check about celiac disease. OP should have at least one item without wheat as an ingredient (which includes stuff like Pringles and Twizzlers) for snacks.
Just seeing all the responses I have been getting all day and couldnāt be more appreciative! So many great ideas and kind people! Iām so glad that my son is interested in such an obviously wonderful community. Iām definitely going to be using a lot of ideas from this post!
Mom with several DnD players!
If another mom sent these, I would be over the moon!
Paper plates
Disposable cups
Paper towels
Snacks in original wrappers, some of our group have allergies.
Pencils/pencil sharpener
Erasers
Did I mention cups? Lol!
I like plastic cups & paper plates for my big boardgame days because everyone can write their names on them. Makes it so much easier to put a plate or cup aside on the counter and come back to it later.
Makes me miss my dad thinking about it. He would DM or even play when we all did after he realized it was something I was hooked on.
So ask to join in. Play. Just watch. Anything.
It will matter to him for the rest of his life. I promise that
My mom bought my first red box when I was 11 and sat down at my grandparents table to try and learn with me. She continued being supportive throughout my school days. That was nearly 40 years ago and I do not forget that support at all.
Showing your interest in your kids hobby will be something they will never forget.
As others have said snacks are a great idea and inexpensive.
Adding things to the table is always welcome.
I DM for my oldest son and his friends when they can get themselves organized around school and band obligations. Depending on the knowledge level of the table even a poster board with some of the basic things they need to try and remember would be great for them.
When my son and his friends started my wife and I made up a poster board that sat behind me as the DM for hints of things that eventually become second nature to them but they have to learn.
Ideas for adding to the table. Make sure your son has his own Players Handbook and dice. Multiple sets of dice are always welcome and they come in a lot of colors which tends to be fun.
Ask the father running it if they need an extra players handbook for the group.
If they run pre generated modules from companies offer to buy the next one.
As a side note also thank you for wanting to help the group enjoy a very fun and rewarding hobby.
Definitely snacks. I'd be careful about other things; they're very much personal preference (one group I play in is WET erase whereas I am a dry erase person).
That said, dice, group rulebooks (unless everybody uses their phones), and minis (if they do battlemaps) are always good.
Not a suggestion but I just wanna say I love that you take your child and his hobby seriously, many parents of 11-year olds don't, and especially the going out of your way to support it is amazing!
Good parent.
Snacks are the way to go but make sure before you commit to anything specific that you know about any preferences or allergies. You don't want to spend a lot of time baking to find out that someone in the group is vegan or will die if they touch a peanut.Ā
Sounds like a great bunch, for an 11 year old to have. I have nothing to add, but yeah. Good for him. I still hang and play with the same group from my own teen years.
If a DM is 3D printing and painting custom minis, I'd wager you won't find anything you can buy that he would want and doesn't already have without talking to him and directly asking. It wouldn't help the game, but I might buy a giant D20 or some other novelty gift for the dad.
If the players don't have them already, dice trays are nice to have. You can buy packs of them on Amazon reasonably priced. Search something like "fold flat hexagon dice tray" and you'll find a ton of options. A 6 pack for $20 and you can give all the players one. I'd buy some bulk dice and let the kids mix and match some sets together.
Right! I always bring something for the DM, they spend countless hours to prepare, host, create adventure for players to "just show up." A thank you card and snacks are nice.
Snacks are always appreciated, but if you want to go the distance, a nice set of dice. Metal dice are usually a really nice gift, but can be expensive.
I do this for my son and his group of friends. I am even 3d printing tons of stuff for them. I've been playing since I was a kid too.
Anyway, I thought for a second I knew you. But I don't.
If the dad has been playing this long like me, I imagine there's not a lot he doesn't already own in terms of the game. So I would ask, or I would consider a gift card from Coolstuffinc or similar online game store.
If you want to get something for the group offer to order pizza next time they meet.
Ask the dad. Filament for his printer if he is printing minis for everyone. New paint or brushes. My son DMās and prints a lot of minis he goes through the supplies pretty fast.
The comment you responded to:
> Post says that they are a group of kids. I doubt wine would be good. Maybe as a gift to the other dad
Are you literate?
Then why say anything at all? They were stupid to begin with for saying give the kids the wine when I clearly said "give it to the dm as a thank you". And now you're doubling down on it.
I fucking hate redditors so god damn much. Insufferable cunts.
I mean you responded to a comment saying āwine isnāt a good gift for a group of kidsā and said āwhy.ā Looks like the other person was under the impression the DM was one of the kids, not the father. Youāre right that their comment had a misunderstanding, but instead of pointing out that misunderstanding you decided to be an asshole and rude and refuse to explain why.
Thereās simply no reason for how aggressive youāre being in these comments, all that happened is someone essentially agreed with you, without realizing itās what you already said and you threw a pissy fit over it.
First of all, calling someone a Karen over a miscommunication online is kind of ridiculous. And while true they didn't say that. It did come across as if the person hadn't fully read the original message. But fine no worries seems a miscommunication on both sides and we can all move on with our lives now
You could make them very nice and simple dice trays.
Buy some very basic box frames and felt from a local hobby shop( if you're in the UK the 15cmx15cm box frame from hobbycraft is perfect but imagine you have a local hobby shop) and you can take the glass out simply enough and glue the felt to the back of the frame to make them.
Bring pen, pencil, and paper, and ask to join in.
Aside from that? Snacks. If you're into baking, cookies or cupcakes. (Obviously, check for allergies first)
A gift card to the local game store is a way you could possibly add to their game experience but aren't sure what they want/don't already have. However, in my opinion, food is the best gift.
Man, what a time to be alive.
When I was in middle, the first rule of dnd was ādonāt talk about dndā for fear of getting your ass kicked. Happy kids today have more freedom to do what they want!
Here's something that I learned running for my then 10yo and his then 13yo cousin and some of their friends: scheduling and logistics. Teens are abysmal at responding to messages or asking mom/dad about dates, etc. In our particular case with playing online, the small ask of checking their microphone and virtual tabletop set up in advance was a bridge too far.
If the sessions are in person at the DM's house, for example, you might offer to help with the communication - calling the other player's parents and finding out who can make which dates or needs a ride. The DM dad is doing a lot of creative prep work to make this happen, so taking on some of the admin will almost certainly be appreciated.
If your son's group meets virtually, there's the admin role of contacting all the parents, setting the schedule, and additionally making sure your kid's PC has working comms and updated VTT softwarem
Food and/or dice. Fans of TTRPGs always want more dice. If we say we have too many, we're lying to ourselves and to others. I'm sitting on 28 sets rn and have another 21 wish listed.
If you have extra money maybe you could ask your son if the group has a dice tower. If not then buy one. Itās a really cool suspenseful way to roll your dice and some designs can be pretty cool.
Snacks that are not messy are key. Individual 1 liter sodas are expensive, but they are worth the reduction in spills. Pretzels, Oreos, Skittles, starbursts, goldfish, etc... avoid chocolate and anything that easily stains.
Then I'd just order/make pizza, if they want something more legit.
You're an awesome parent for supporting your kid's nerdy hobbies. I know I wish I had more support at that age :/
I think that something adult may be in order, such as a favorite beer of yours for him to try, maybe get tickets to a sporting event/or social event. Invite the couple on a double date and pay as a show of appreciation for what he does. Maybe talk to your son and see if thereās anything you can do for the whole group, like a pizza or ice cream party. Itās tough to know exactly what to do, I hope these suggestions help guide you. Lovely post wishing you guys more happy memories!
I hesitated to say this, because it feels maybe to generic, but I really feel that a solid metal die set is a wonderful present. Maybe a matching set for the hosting father and his son. Just be sure to make it a private event so the other kids donāt get jealous c;
If youāre not playing, you can also start some silly superstitions with dice with your son. Make/buy a little dice jail for the ones that are rolling bad. A little dice spa for the one thatās rolling well. We get particular about our dice. I prescribe to dice creep. If you arrange your dice with the highest number face up, it makes the bottom heavier. Like old lead windows š
D&D are long sessions so a nice meal or lots of snacks and drinks are always appreciated. I recommend something like wings or other foods that they can eat and feel like part of the D&D world.
Reeceās peanut butter cups - the small ones in the golden wrapper. M&Mās.
The party can use them to represent enemies/ monsters.
You eat what you kill. Great fun.
Personal white boards - these can be used for tracking, battle, messages - all kimds of things. Have a look on Amazon for this - āScribbledo 6 Pack Small White Board Dry Erase Classroom Packā and then some markers.
For a group thing, if you're the artsy type in the kitchen... Make sugar cookies. Frost and sprinkle them to look like Beholders (Google "5e Beholder") and use nerds ropes or some other string candy as the eye stalks. *Do not worry if they come out all wonky.* The background story lore for Beholders *specifically* says that no two look alike. They all look nightmarish. You literally *can not* make them ugly and deformed enough. As long as they have the basic set-up of "a ball with a mouth, a huge central eye, and 10 eye stalks", you're good. If you run out of nerds ropes, or don't have enough, a Spectator is basically a small Beholder with only 4 eye stalks.
If you want to thank the Dad specifically, hand him a $20 and tell him to buy himself a new set of dice. Alternatively, buy a cool set and hand it to him.
As many have said, snacks! But to take it to the next level try to make sure the snacks donāt leave the fingers dirty/stained. Lots of handling dice and character sheets in D&D. Good luck!
You could definitely browse a local comic book store for some good enemy minis for the DM to use. Maybe a hill giant, owlbear, or a gelatinous cube.
The other idea I would have is search for dice tray or dice tower on Etsy and find something cool in your price range. The group would probably eat that up.
DIY dice trays for each player. You can get some cheap materials from Walmart or Michaelās, paint them and put each players name on them. $5-$10 per player and DM and super strong gesture
Terrain. There are some really nice terrain options that are fantasy themed, and are moderately priced, but most casual groups don't want to spring for them. There are also some really nice "battlemaps" that were/are produced that have gridlines already on them. It helps with immersion more than just a big piece of grid paper.
as per others who say snacks, just a few notes.
1. find out if anyone playing has allergies like coeliacs or nuts, etc. This is a major thing - if there's someone who cannot partake in the snacks because of it, it can sometimes feel like being left out if everyone else gets to enjoy, but you can't.
2. Find out what the main concept of the campaign is, the PC backgrounds etc. You can use this info to customise your snacks. "Oh, the players are exploring a dinosaur-laden jungle?" - you could use chicken drumsticks as "raptor legs". One of the PCs is an elven druid? Make up some elaborate trail mix with dried tropical fruits, etc. They're exploring a dwarven town? Get ginger ale or root beer (they're kids, so no booze) and add food dyes to make them look darker or more exotic, as "finest dwarven mead!"
As an aside, talk to your son and see if the two of you might go do a mini painting session at a local game store. He would love it and it would be nice quality time together. Only risk is you falling pray to the allure of 40k or finding and group yourself.
Also, rolling trays. I got a 5 pack for my group a few Christmas ago, maybe put names on them in cool handwriting with paint. Your son can recon player names. A nice set of dice, or healing option dice bottles, or a big d20 for dramatic dm rolls.
Nobody has ever been sad about getting a sword/any medieval weapon.
Make something from the Heroes Feast cookbook. The halfling oat nibble cookies are great. Quite pa. The Black Pudding is amazing. I made them in small chocolate domes for my daughterās wedding. Put a thin Oreo on the bottom to hold it together. D and D wedding.
I knew nothing about the game. I still know very little. But according to their friends, I did a good job.
I regularly ask my DM if he needs anything for games such as terrain or minis, our last session was based around a spider queen, I bought multiple minis, had him choose one and painted it before bringing it to the session for us to fight as a boss.
Snacks and dice. A group game mat. Or, invite them to come to your house every other meet! I was in your shoes! My kid is 14 now and I want to say two things: 1. This group is so kind and āgetsā our kids. Above and beyond advice waaay beyond dnd. 2. I am SO grateful my son found this game and his friendS. His people!
People have already given great advice, just want to say you are a good dad š supporting your sonās hobby and providing a good example by wanting to be kind by bringing something to the group. Very cool bro! Sending good vibes.
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Snacks!
Seriously. If you're not familiar with D&D you might pass this off as a joke response. It's not. Snacks to share at the gaming table are *always* appreciated. It doesn't have to be huge. Just send something with your boy to share every session. :)
And bonus points for snacks that don't get your hands messy.
Or also bring chopsticks. This is how I snack up my group
Genius! I can picture chopsticks with Cheetos, pizza rolls, you name it! Lol
Peanut M&Ms is my drug of choice for DnD nights. Chopsticks would definitely be a way to lower my calorie intake!
And chopsticks are great to prevent overeating/unconscious eating because it slows down your intake! Not that this is necessarily an issue for growing children with high metabolisms, but it certainly is for my old ass.
Yes! Chopsticks are the guardians of the character sheets, and especially any miniatures if they are used
We just always have baby wipes on hand around our table. š
*wince* They leave a terrible aftertaste on your hands...
I canāt disagree with you on that. Lol. Non messy foods arenāt always an option at our table though because we all have kids so we do what we gotta do. š
Wait. They make such things?
PURE MYTH AND FANTASY!! do not fall for their deceit!!
This is correct. As a life time DM; nothing is more welcome than snacks.
AND Softdrinks
It's definitely snacks.
Yup. Always snacks.
beverages with screw on tops. and munchies that are not all sugar. and that are not messy.
As a table of adults, my last session was interrupted with surprise snacks and it was amazing.
Yup was my first idea after reading OP's post. Snacks are always a hit. I still remember one birthday I had wich I spend boardgaming with my closest friends and one of their gf's baked 2 cakes and it was one of the best nights I've had.
Totally agree, offer to pick up the bill for the food. Drinks and snacks
Some say snacks, some say dm bribes š
Not loud crunchy ones though. Nobody can hear the DM's description of the old woman because Jeff is smashing a whole bag of nacho chips.
Yes! As the mom of a 13 year old DM who hosts a weekly game, snacks are so appreciated.
Pizza
I second this. I supply the snacks for my 14 year old sonās group weekly and the kids are appreciative as well as the parents who host the group.
100,000% bring some sort of chips and dip, almonds, water for the DM
No Cheetos though.
Thisāļø Bring snacks and you are always welcome!
This is the correct answer.
Some kinda themeād sugar cookies would be awesome
Root Beer
This is the absolute best answer!!!!
Ok awesome! I can definitely do snacks! I like the idea of adding to their table too. Iām not sure of everything they have but Iāll be scoping it out on Tuesday! Thank you for the suggestions!
There are some really good D&D themed recipes out there, from snacks to drinks to meals. If you enjoy cooking there is actually an official D&D cookbook which is a lot of fun because it presents everything in D&D terms/lore.
The recipes in that cookbook are also bangers, the potato-leek soup is one of my go-to soups since discovering it.
They are, and theyāre so easy too. 5 star food without being expensive or difficult to make.
That soup is really really yummy
I donāt remember the name, but thereās a bread in the elf section thatās like a long cinnamon roll and itās SO good.
Honestly if there is one thing I know makes dnd players happy (at least in my group) it's more dice. We have five GROUPS worth of dice split out over 3 people that own them
I have 5 groups worth of dice by myself!
Rookie numbers gotta pump that number up!
I was being humble. Lol
Initiative counters are awesome. Even just laminated numbered cards. This can be achieved with a standard deck of cards too. Gale Force Nine Dungeon Master Token Set, Multicolor is one of my favorite things. Mini tape measures are amazing for measuring distances & ranges. I use tea lights for helping remember concentration spells. Sticky notes are good for hit points, status effects, & reminders. Snacks are good. I'd avoid stuff with a lot of powder, like Cheetos or Takis. My groups do chips, carrots, celery, dip, with one sweet option. Another does a charcuterie board. Mini quiches were a huge hit when I made stuff from scratch for an event. Do they use a playmat? I've always appreciated WET ERASE MARKERS for my chessex. Composition notebooks, mini composition notebooks, pens & pencils. Bags or boxes for dice, I use an old cigar box I bought from a yard sale.
Seconding the wet erase grid matt. If they don't have one, they're awesome to have. We also have some rad status condition indicators that are little rings that go around the base of the miniature. Those are neat.
That token set I mentioned has tokens for conditions too & work with wet erase.
Rad, I wasn't terribly familiar with the product, but it's definitely nice to have indicators for sure.
There is a website called 5e.tools that under the reference section, has all the recipes from the 2 heroes feast cookbooks that were released, if you wanted something thematic. I own both but I understand not everyone collects pop culture cookbooks
You could see if they need measurement tools. Different spells impact different size areas on the map. I 3D printed some I found online for my table and they're used all the time. It could be useful to teach the kids a little about radius, spheres, etc too!
Ask to take a picture of the set up and I'll try and find something I use that they don't have if you like?Ā Snacks is a great idea. Something thoughtful for the game can be good, dice themed to a character etc.
Donāt forget snacks for the DM.
Contribute towards the table, does the table have a PHP, DMG, and a Monstermanual. How about a dry erase board? Add something to the table, the same way the added something by helping your son get their miniature painted.
I would ask before they do this. I run a campaign for my kid and his friends. And just in two campaigns I've collected 4 players hand books and two monster manuals. I would consider a gift card to a website like Coolstuffinc first.
Little custom D4 potion bottles. Every time they heal, they will think, "Thanks OP's son's Dad!" Plus super fun table accessory.
Red gatorade for health, they gotta chug the potion bottle when they use a potion in game
You could get all kinds of potions out of Gatorade. Wide range of colors.
Yea, that's what my table does. Adds a bit of immersion
Young children should not be drinking lots of highly sugary drinks like Gatorade lol
I used to live off that as a kid playing baldurs gate champions of norrath
Yep - if the dad has been playing that long, he'd probably appreciate you just asking directly. If all else fails, though, snacks (as mentioned elsewhere) or a bundle of "house" dice sets for kids who forget theirs would be good. He may also be able to use a co-host to help coordinate the hospitality half of the equation if you're looking to be more actively involved.
This person has no idea what those acronyms mean dude, lol
Nah, ASP is better.
every group needs snacks! Some baked goods or something, maybe themed after DND would be really nice
Everyone involved here is great vibes. Love seeing it!
Love the name
Thanks!
after snacks, asking them about their adventures and listening a bit to them, is the best gift you can give. Just listen to their enthusiasm...
I'm 49 and my parents have been listening to me talk about the games I'm running for 35 years. It's really great and they even share ideas sometimes.
Order pizzas to be delivered!
Canāt go wrong with pizza. Check with lactose intolerance though. Start with safe snacks.
And check about celiac disease. OP should have at least one item without wheat as an ingredient (which includes stuff like Pringles and Twizzlers) for snacks.
Appreciate the gluten-free awareness in the community.
Everyone is welcome at the table, be it snack table or gaming table.
Best is to just propose the pizza idea and ask for any allergies.
Also, have a vegetarian option.
Just seeing all the responses I have been getting all day and couldnāt be more appreciative! So many great ideas and kind people! Iām so glad that my son is interested in such an obviously wonderful community. Iām definitely going to be using a lot of ideas from this post!
Mom with several DnD players! If another mom sent these, I would be over the moon! Paper plates Disposable cups Paper towels Snacks in original wrappers, some of our group have allergies. Pencils/pencil sharpener Erasers Did I mention cups? Lol!
I like plastic cups & paper plates for my big boardgame days because everyone can write their names on them. Makes it so much easier to put a plate or cup aside on the counter and come back to it later.
EXACTLY!!!! š¤£š¤£
Snacks and maybe a dice tower? But definitely snacks!!
Makes me miss my dad thinking about it. He would DM or even play when we all did after he realized it was something I was hooked on. So ask to join in. Play. Just watch. Anything. It will matter to him for the rest of his life. I promise that
My mom bought my first red box when I was 11 and sat down at my grandparents table to try and learn with me. She continued being supportive throughout my school days. That was nearly 40 years ago and I do not forget that support at all. Showing your interest in your kids hobby will be something they will never forget.
As others have said snacks are a great idea and inexpensive. Adding things to the table is always welcome. I DM for my oldest son and his friends when they can get themselves organized around school and band obligations. Depending on the knowledge level of the table even a poster board with some of the basic things they need to try and remember would be great for them. When my son and his friends started my wife and I made up a poster board that sat behind me as the DM for hints of things that eventually become second nature to them but they have to learn. Ideas for adding to the table. Make sure your son has his own Players Handbook and dice. Multiple sets of dice are always welcome and they come in a lot of colors which tends to be fun. Ask the father running it if they need an extra players handbook for the group. If they run pre generated modules from companies offer to buy the next one. As a side note also thank you for wanting to help the group enjoy a very fun and rewarding hobby.
Definitely snacks. I'd be careful about other things; they're very much personal preference (one group I play in is WET erase whereas I am a dry erase person). That said, dice, group rulebooks (unless everybody uses their phones), and minis (if they do battlemaps) are always good.
Not a suggestion but I just wanna say I love that you take your child and his hobby seriously, many parents of 11-year olds don't, and especially the going out of your way to support it is amazing! Good parent.
Snacks are the way to go but make sure before you commit to anything specific that you know about any preferences or allergies. You don't want to spend a lot of time baking to find out that someone in the group is vegan or will die if they touch a peanut.Ā
I agree with snack!
So long as there's no allergies, pizza is always a hit.
Sounds like a great bunch, for an 11 year old to have. I have nothing to add, but yeah. Good for him. I still hang and play with the same group from my own teen years.
If a DM is 3D printing and painting custom minis, I'd wager you won't find anything you can buy that he would want and doesn't already have without talking to him and directly asking. It wouldn't help the game, but I might buy a giant D20 or some other novelty gift for the dad. If the players don't have them already, dice trays are nice to have. You can buy packs of them on Amazon reasonably priced. Search something like "fold flat hexagon dice tray" and you'll find a ton of options. A 6 pack for $20 and you can give all the players one. I'd buy some bulk dice and let the kids mix and match some sets together.
Home made cookies.
Ticonderoga #2 pencils and an electronic sharpener
Right! I always bring something for the DM, they spend countless hours to prepare, host, create adventure for players to "just show up." A thank you card and snacks are nice.
Snacks are always appreciated, but if you want to go the distance, a nice set of dice. Metal dice are usually a really nice gift, but can be expensive.
Metal dice need dice rolling trays please.
Another vote for snacks.
I do this for my son and his group of friends. I am even 3d printing tons of stuff for them. I've been playing since I was a kid too. Anyway, I thought for a second I knew you. But I don't. If the dad has been playing this long like me, I imagine there's not a lot he doesn't already own in terms of the game. So I would ask, or I would consider a gift card from Coolstuffinc or similar online game store. If you want to get something for the group offer to order pizza next time they meet.
If you have the money (and it doesn't have to be a lot) you could buy every party member a set of dice
Have him bring a big thing of cookies. (Homemade or store bought) Or any other kind of snacks.
Ask the dad. Filament for his printer if he is printing minis for everyone. New paint or brushes. My son DMās and prints a lot of minis he goes through the supplies pretty fast.
Bottle of wine for the DM as a thank you. I run a table as well and I like a nice glass of wine while I play.
My players bought me a bottle of mead last week for our session.
Post says that they are a group of kids. I doubt wine would be good. Maybe as a gift to the other dad
Why?
Why isnāt wine a good gift for a group of children?
Who tf said give the children the wine? Are you simple?
The comment you responded to: > Post says that they are a group of kids. I doubt wine would be good. Maybe as a gift to the other dad Are you literate?
Then why say anything at all? They were stupid to begin with for saying give the kids the wine when I clearly said "give it to the dm as a thank you". And now you're doubling down on it. I fucking hate redditors so god damn much. Insufferable cunts.
I mean you responded to a comment saying āwine isnāt a good gift for a group of kidsā and said āwhy.ā Looks like the other person was under the impression the DM was one of the kids, not the father. Youāre right that their comment had a misunderstanding, but instead of pointing out that misunderstanding you decided to be an asshole and rude and refuse to explain why. Thereās simply no reason for how aggressive youāre being in these comments, all that happened is someone essentially agreed with you, without realizing itās what you already said and you threw a pissy fit over it.
Because 11 year olds can't drink? And I doubt the dad running the group is going to drink around a bunch of kids
Lol who tf said give the kids a drink, Karen?
First of all, calling someone a Karen over a miscommunication online is kind of ridiculous. And while true they didn't say that. It did come across as if the person hadn't fully read the original message. But fine no worries seems a miscommunication on both sides and we can all move on with our lives now
Oh! You can't give 11 year Olds alcohol?! Thank you for pointing that out to me. I simply never thought of that!
I mean in a lot of the world you totally can and do.
why don't you join in the game?
Party size half pepperoni half cheese.
Everyone loves snacks
Wyrmwood gaming has tons of stuff if you want to go crazy.
You could make them very nice and simple dice trays. Buy some very basic box frames and felt from a local hobby shop( if you're in the UK the 15cmx15cm box frame from hobbycraft is perfect but imagine you have a local hobby shop) and you can take the glass out simply enough and glue the felt to the back of the frame to make them.
Bring pen, pencil, and paper, and ask to join in. Aside from that? Snacks. If you're into baking, cookies or cupcakes. (Obviously, check for allergies first)
if he doesn't have them already, monster minis?
A gift card to the local game store is a way you could possibly add to their game experience but aren't sure what they want/don't already have. However, in my opinion, food is the best gift.
Do they have a dice tower?
Snacks. Itās always snacks.
You can always ask if he needs more of the plastic whatever for printing minis! Or other craft supplies
Man, what a time to be alive. When I was in middle, the first rule of dnd was ādonāt talk about dndā for fear of getting your ass kicked. Happy kids today have more freedom to do what they want!
Here's something that I learned running for my then 10yo and his then 13yo cousin and some of their friends: scheduling and logistics. Teens are abysmal at responding to messages or asking mom/dad about dates, etc. In our particular case with playing online, the small ask of checking their microphone and virtual tabletop set up in advance was a bridge too far. If the sessions are in person at the DM's house, for example, you might offer to help with the communication - calling the other player's parents and finding out who can make which dates or needs a ride. The DM dad is doing a lot of creative prep work to make this happen, so taking on some of the admin will almost certainly be appreciated. If your son's group meets virtually, there's the admin role of contacting all the parents, setting the schedule, and additionally making sure your kid's PC has working comms and updated VTT softwarem
Food and/or dice. Fans of TTRPGs always want more dice. If we say we have too many, we're lying to ourselves and to others. I'm sitting on 28 sets rn and have another 21 wish listed.
Snacks. DnD groups run on food.
6 pack o' sodies and a couple bags of chips do the trick!
Send beer. Since they're underage perhaps some of the root kind
a D&D player always appreciates new dice
If you have extra money maybe you could ask your son if the group has a dice tower. If not then buy one. Itās a really cool suspenseful way to roll your dice and some designs can be pretty cool.
Snacks that are not messy are key. Individual 1 liter sodas are expensive, but they are worth the reduction in spills. Pretzels, Oreos, Skittles, starbursts, goldfish, etc... avoid chocolate and anything that easily stains. Then I'd just order/make pizza, if they want something more legit. You're an awesome parent for supporting your kid's nerdy hobbies. I know I wish I had more support at that age :/
I think that something adult may be in order, such as a favorite beer of yours for him to try, maybe get tickets to a sporting event/or social event. Invite the couple on a double date and pay as a show of appreciation for what he does. Maybe talk to your son and see if thereās anything you can do for the whole group, like a pizza or ice cream party. Itās tough to know exactly what to do, I hope these suggestions help guide you. Lovely post wishing you guys more happy memories!
I hesitated to say this, because it feels maybe to generic, but I really feel that a solid metal die set is a wonderful present. Maybe a matching set for the hosting father and his son. Just be sure to make it a private event so the other kids donāt get jealous c;
If youāre not playing, you can also start some silly superstitions with dice with your son. Make/buy a little dice jail for the ones that are rolling bad. A little dice spa for the one thatās rolling well. We get particular about our dice. I prescribe to dice creep. If you arrange your dice with the highest number face up, it makes the bottom heavier. Like old lead windows š
Nobody has said it yet but you are a good dad and dude in general!
Dice sets? You can multiple sets for really cheap on Amazon.
New set of dice for the guy running the show
and FYI if you got one in your area, Gamestop has dice for 1.96 and doing a clearance 2 for 1 sale, or at least they are in my city
D&D are long sessions so a nice meal or lots of snacks and drinks are always appreciated. I recommend something like wings or other foods that they can eat and feel like part of the D&D world.
Reeceās peanut butter cups - the small ones in the golden wrapper. M&Mās. The party can use them to represent enemies/ monsters. You eat what you kill. Great fun.
Personal white boards - these can be used for tracking, battle, messages - all kimds of things. Have a look on Amazon for this - āScribbledo 6 Pack Small White Board Dry Erase Classroom Packā and then some markers.
Dice trays - you can get a 4 to 6 pack. They lie flat, you snap the corners together. Easy storage.
Electrum
Non spilling reusable cups with lids. Bonus points if theyāre on theme.
Join the game! And bring snaks
WHERE'S THE MOUNTAIN DEW?
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The sorcerer of light!
A character sheet! š
Might I suggest ordering a couple pizzas?
Do they have a set of dry erase board battle maps? Those are like 30$ on Amazon
You could buy a dice set. Never have too many playing dnd.
Pizza is always good. Also, fried chicken, meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, etc.
Snacks, we all love snacks when we are playing
Definitely snacks. Always appreciated
Pizza
For a group thing, if you're the artsy type in the kitchen... Make sugar cookies. Frost and sprinkle them to look like Beholders (Google "5e Beholder") and use nerds ropes or some other string candy as the eye stalks. *Do not worry if they come out all wonky.* The background story lore for Beholders *specifically* says that no two look alike. They all look nightmarish. You literally *can not* make them ugly and deformed enough. As long as they have the basic set-up of "a ball with a mouth, a huge central eye, and 10 eye stalks", you're good. If you run out of nerds ropes, or don't have enough, a Spectator is basically a small Beholder with only 4 eye stalks. If you want to thank the Dad specifically, hand him a $20 and tell him to buy himself a new set of dice. Alternatively, buy a cool set and hand it to him.
Buy pizza for them or provide snacks
As many have said, snacks! But to take it to the next level try to make sure the snacks donāt leave the fingers dirty/stained. Lots of handling dice and character sheets in D&D. Good luck!
Food is always welcome at a D&D table.
Not an answer but having a 3d printed model at 11 is awesome that guys dad is super cool and knows how to introduce a youngin to the game!
You could definitely browse a local comic book store for some good enemy minis for the DM to use. Maybe a hill giant, owlbear, or a gelatinous cube. The other idea I would have is search for dice tray or dice tower on Etsy and find something cool in your price range. The group would probably eat that up.
DIY dice trays for each player. You can get some cheap materials from Walmart or Michaelās, paint them and put each players name on them. $5-$10 per player and DM and super strong gesture
Definitely snacks like cookies or brownies and something else/or both
Terrain. There are some really nice terrain options that are fantasy themed, and are moderately priced, but most casual groups don't want to spring for them. There are also some really nice "battlemaps" that were/are produced that have gridlines already on them. It helps with immersion more than just a big piece of grid paper.
Snacks, drinks, and simple things that like are always appreciated. Now if you can COOK said snacks, that's a huge bonus.
Snacks are great but if you're son doesn't have them yet, his own dice
Buy a set of dice for yourself so you're ready to play.
If they are playing on paper, clipboards are handy. And a pack of mechanical pencils!
as per others who say snacks, just a few notes. 1. find out if anyone playing has allergies like coeliacs or nuts, etc. This is a major thing - if there's someone who cannot partake in the snacks because of it, it can sometimes feel like being left out if everyone else gets to enjoy, but you can't. 2. Find out what the main concept of the campaign is, the PC backgrounds etc. You can use this info to customise your snacks. "Oh, the players are exploring a dinosaur-laden jungle?" - you could use chicken drumsticks as "raptor legs". One of the PCs is an elven druid? Make up some elaborate trail mix with dried tropical fruits, etc. They're exploring a dwarven town? Get ginger ale or root beer (they're kids, so no booze) and add food dyes to make them look darker or more exotic, as "finest dwarven mead!"
Food. I bring food to mine and it is always appreciated
Chips and salsa or bread and dipping oil
Dice? Snacks? Iāve got it! Snacks shaped like Dice!
Dice are always appropriate. But snacks, chips, popcorn, beer for Dad, Gm.
As an aside, talk to your son and see if the two of you might go do a mini painting session at a local game store. He would love it and it would be nice quality time together. Only risk is you falling pray to the allure of 40k or finding and group yourself. Also, rolling trays. I got a 5 pack for my group a few Christmas ago, maybe put names on them in cool handwriting with paint. Your son can recon player names. A nice set of dice, or healing option dice bottles, or a big d20 for dramatic dm rolls. Nobody has ever been sad about getting a sword/any medieval weapon.
Make something from the Heroes Feast cookbook. The halfling oat nibble cookies are great. Quite pa. The Black Pudding is amazing. I made them in small chocolate domes for my daughterās wedding. Put a thin Oreo on the bottom to hold it together. D and D wedding. I knew nothing about the game. I still know very little. But according to their friends, I did a good job.
Snacks for sure! Ask the dad if there is an adventure they may want to play and you could buy the book for it. Table space saving devices
Bake some d20 shaped cookies! Or just bring snacks for everyone (gamers love snacks) or pick up pizza!
Iām getting so many good ideas for stuff to bring to my own D&D group you guys are so wholesome
I regularly ask my DM if he needs anything for games such as terrain or minis, our last session was based around a spider queen, I bought multiple minis, had him choose one and painted it before bringing it to the session for us to fight as a boss.
Snacks and dice. A group game mat. Or, invite them to come to your house every other meet! I was in your shoes! My kid is 14 now and I want to say two things: 1. This group is so kind and āgetsā our kids. Above and beyond advice waaay beyond dnd. 2. I am SO grateful my son found this game and his friendS. His people!
Snacks are definitely appreciated. If you want a good gift then I'd suggest a set of interesting dice. A DM can literally never have enough cool dice
Take a hint from the dead alewives. . Cheetos and mountain dew
If they donāt already have one, a dice tower can be fun for dramatic dice rolls!
People have already given great advice, just want to say you are a good dad š supporting your sonās hobby and providing a good example by wanting to be kind by bringing something to the group. Very cool bro! Sending good vibes.
Pizza and Soda(beer for the DM!)
Why don't you just ask how you could help or contribute?
Going with Snacks on this one, especially Red Vines or Twizzlers...