So, you've just got a DnD campaign for Christmas. What now? Should you start looking at miniatures? Is it worth getting extra dice? And which books should you buy next? There are plenty of questions, and it can all be a bit overwhelming.
That's where we come in. Our experts have rolled a nat 20 on Investigation, and that means we have some recommendations of what to do next – more specifically, which tools and Dungeons and Dragons books should join your collection. It's our job to review DnD and the best tabletop RPGs all year round, so we have a pretty good idea of how they all stack up against one another.
Wondering how we settled on these DnD goodies in particular? Our writers have been hands-on with everything listed here so can recommend them from a personal standpoint. As for the books, we've actually used, read, or run all of these suggestions ourselves.
DnD essentials
We've all been there; you roll to hit in a live-or-die combat, and your dice trundles off to goodness knows where. This handy little accessory keeps everything nicely squared away, both in transit and play. Crucially, it also avoids heavy dice denting those nice wooden tables you might use them on.
Making a character is arguably one of the best parts of DnD, but if you're anything like us, you'll be disappointed by the number of playable species in its core rules. That's why this book is such an essential purchase; it offers a metric crap-ton of new races to use, ranging from rabbit people to the humble goblin.
It's no secret that every class can be specialized with its own subclass. And while ones from the basic rules are all good and well, it's always nice to have options. This sourcebook gives you those options… and then some. It reinvigorates the classics, but also provides a way to bypass the restrictive racial traits feature.
Eager to run your first campaign of DnD? This is the perfect choice. The opening adapts a story seen in 2014's starter set before expanding it with all new questlines, and because it was already a slice of quintessential fantasy adventuring, we can't recommend this update enough.
While Phandelver and Below is the perfect starter adventure, it still isn't as good as this horror epic. Curse of Strahd remakes of what is arguably one of the most iconic DnD adventures ever created, and if your party is willing to try something different, it'll sweep them off their feet.
DnD can be a tricky thing to run, so notes are definitely your friend. Having the adventure to hand isn't always helpful because information can be hidden beneath reams of text, and flipping between character stats is annoying, so notebooks are set up to help you keep track of it all. We have a similar one and find it pretty useful.
FAQ
Should you buy the DnD core rulebooks?
Honestly, we'd argue against getting the core rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual) at this point. A new edition of DnD is on the horizon, and that means new rulebooks at some point in 2024. Rather than wasting money on these, we'd recommend holding fire and making do with the free basic rules until those updates arrive.
Do you need DnD miniatures?
Absolutely not. It isn't essential to get DnD minis for your game in any sense of the word, and even though it's helpful in combat for visualizing where everything is, it's icing on the cake rather than the sponge itself. If you want a visualization, we'd recommend heading to D&D Beyond's map maker, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, or other virtual tabletops first. Models are awesome and bring so much to the experience, but they also take a lot of work to sort out.
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