If this is the first post you’ve read in the Dungeon Mastering for your children series, you may want to start here.
Hopefully you have done your homework, and are ready to start. But first, you are going to need a few supplies. There is an entire industry built around providing for game masters and players every need. From high end gaming tables, to custom miniatures, to precious mineral dice sets, you could certainly spend all your hard earned cash on this hobby. Or you can spend very little and still create a game that your children will have a blast with. I am going with the latter for the purposes of this post.
What are the basic supplies?
I am going to split these into 3 categories: Player supplies, Dungeon Master supplies, and Everyone. I’ll try to include an inexpensive, or free if possible option, and what I like to use and think might be worth the money.
Everyone
- A copy of the Basic Dungeons and Dragons rule set. https://dnd.wizards.com/what-is-dnd/basic-rules . Not everyone needs a copy, but there needs to be a copy for everyone to use. This can be on a laptop, phone, or printed. I prefer printed.
- Notebook(lined) paper and/or graph paper. These will be used to create characters, draw maps, take notes, and doodling. While it is a lot of fun to design personalized character sheets, I recommend sticking with one format when starting out. That way you can help yourself and your players find the pertinent information on their character sheets. What I use: I like to print off the character sheet provided in the back of the basic rule set. It keeps everything in one standard format and I find it easier to teach the kids where everything is, if it is all the same. If you can afford it, I recommend printing.
- Pencils, mechanical or wooden. Everyone needs to keep track of things, whether they are the DM or a player. It also needs to be erasable, because everyone will need to change things as the game progresses. Which leads us to our next item.
- Erasers. A few erasers are nice to have, especially when the ones on top of your pencils are worn down. Players need to change things on their character sheets often, whether they are leveling up, taking damage, or tracking spell use. Dungeon Masters need to do the same.
- Scotch Tape. Character sheets in particular develop ‘hot spots’, places that are often erased and rewritten. The area where the player tracks hit points is an example. These will change constantly during the course of a single game session. A piece of tape placed on the paper where the hit points are tracked will help increase the longevity of the paper. It is much harder to rub a hole through the tape, although not impossible. And you can write on top of the tape. Also just handy in case something rips, like a map. What I use: I like to use clear sheet protectors and wet-erase markers. I have my players put their character sheets into a clear sheet protector. When they need to track something like hit points, they can write on top of the sheet protector and not worry about damage to their character sheet. I like wet erase markers because they are a little harder to smudge or rub-off than dry erase markers. A moist paper towel is all that is needed to wipe things away. I like to use them to protect things in my campaigns that I need to reference often, or to mark off timers, etc.
- Dice. Everyone needs dice. A lot of D&D is decided by dice rolls. Character and NPC (non-player character) stats, skill checks, and saving throws all need dice. I also like to use dice as a physical representation of a character or monster on a map. You can download apps for your phone that are dice rollers, some are even for specific TTRPGs. Physical dice are also an option. They can range in price from very inexpensive to luxury sets. For D&D, you will need a set of seven dice, plus some extra six sided dice. The seven dice used in D&D are: the twenty sided die (d20), a twelve sided die (d12), a percentile die (d100), a ten sided die (d10), an eight sided die (d8), a six sided die (d6), and a four sided die (d4). What I use: Inexpensive plastic and resin physical dice. It is so much more fun to roll dice, hear the sound of it hitting the table, and seeing the reactions of everyone around you. You can purchase multi-set packs from places like Amazon for cheap, usually with a small dice bag for each set. Something I like to do is gift my players a set of dice in a bag once we have completed our introductory adventure. I also have multiple sets to use at my table, so they don’t have to purchase a set. There is an astounding array of dice for sale, and they can be fun to collect. If you are into resin arts, you can even create your own using molds.
Player Supplies
Players don’t really need anything other than the supplies listed above. There are a few things that I think are nice extras, but not essential. Here’s a list of the ‘extras’ that I like to provide or suggest to my players.
- A small notebook or journal for keeping game notes. They can write down important information, clues, directions, or just something they want their character to remember. They can use it like a diary for their character. If they are not interested in any of that, they can doodle or pass notes to other players with it.
- A miniature to represent their character. This can be fun to use on a map.
Dungeon Master Supplies
A dungeon master will need all of the everyone supplies, plus a few more things.
- A notebook or journal for keeping track of the adventure and taking notes on things you want to remember. You could also use a note taking app, your phone, tablet, or laptop if you prefer.
- A DM’s screen. This helps keep the secrets secret. You can improvise a screen using a cardboard box cut and folded to size, or a cut down tri-panel. Like the ones used for science fair displays.
Extras
There are a few things I use that while not necessary to run a game, I find are nice additions. You may want to consider a few of these once you are established in your game.
- Dice trays. When players get excited, dice tend to get rolled a little too hard. They can go flying off the table, taking time from the game and ruining your carefully crafted tension. A dice tray will give your players a place to roll their dice, and help keep them corralled. You could use a shoe box or other small box instead of buying one. Bonus: they will help protect your table from scratches and dents, especially if your players have sharp edged or metal dice.
- A dry or wet erase grid mat. These can be expensive, but if you find that you are drawing a lot of maps for your players, they are worth the price. I have seen people buy dollar store wrapping paper with the grid on the back as an inexpensive alternative. You could laminate that as well for a reusable mat.
- Post it notes or note cards. These are great for marking different pages in a book you will need to flip between. I also like to use them to write down any magic items the players might discover, so they can have the pertinent info.
- Music. Sometimes it is fun to help set the stage with music. You could be in a bustling tavern, or introducing the bad guy, and have some music picked just for the occasion.
- Multiple colors of dry or wet erase markers. It’s just fun to have multiple colors to use, and can help make things on a map a little easier for your players to understand.
Final Thoughts
You can make a fun and engaging game of D&D for your kids with very little cost. Dungeons and Dragons is all about imagination, no expensive set up required. Using your imagination is way more fun and meaningful than having the coolest stuff. The time you spend playing with your kids is worth far more than any money you could spend on making things look cool. I think it is way more fun to get creative with what you have, anyway. It could become a family favorite, or a special memory.
Please let me know in the comments with what you are using in your D&D games! Reach out with any questions you have. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already, to be notified of my latest posts.