started playing current campaign in December so i got the dm 'stibbles codex' for the holidays. was just curious, how often or in what way do you like to do nice things to show gratitude to your dm? any non-obvious gifts that were well received? just generally curious what you all do.
It's not often I get gifts for the DM, it's usually a gift for the group as a whole. Things like sourcebooks for us to use, or Roll20 credit so the DM can keep using dynamic lighting and have access to more storage space, and so on. I tend to be wary about it because I don't want it to be seen as bribery ("target me and you won't get another R20 sub"), so I like to announce first hand that I'm going to get something so we can all benefit from it, myself included. We plan on playing in person rather than just over Discord when this whole coronavirus business is over, so I'll bake for the table, or offer to pay for a meal out or something before or after the session. If I had to get something unexpected, it'd be d20 bath bombs like what my partner got me, which I think has a resin d20 in the middle.
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
Honestly, I give my online DM a heartfelt thank you. As an online DM myself, I know how much work goes into running that kind of a campaign. Getting a special note from a player that recognizes your efforts to tell a good story and thanks you for allowing them to be a part of it is deeply appreciated.
Also, offering to run a one-shot so your DM can be a player is a great gift, too. Helps avoid DM burnout and injects fresh creativity into a gaming group.
Maybe the relevant sourcebook or adventure or another way to take the financial burden of the game from them.
If they already have everything? It really depends. No point in getting them a really nice set of dice if they already have 50 sets of them. So it really depends on who the DM is and what their situation is. What would they appreciate? It could be as simple as going on HeroForge and using their booth feature to create a "photo" of the party. Or just bringing some extra nice snacks. Itncould be buying the adventure module for them or creating minis.
It depends on the DM.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
As a gift of thanks I would give praise. Tell the DM how well they were doing. The parts that worked need to be extolled. We all enjoy praise when it is heartfelt and genuine. Most of us don't get much praise on a daily basis.
After the session tell the DM what really made the evening. Tell about the wonderful description of the monster or combat. Tell them how much you liked/hated the NPC. Give kudos on the homebrew monster or magic item. Tell them how engaging the role play or puzzle was. Let them know you like the latest plot twist. Don't let the hard work that your DM puts in to show you a good time be met with apathy or overlooked.
DM burnout is real. Telling them that they are not wasting their time on the things they do is an excellent reward. Most of them do it for no compensation at all.
"I would rather you just said thank you and be on your way..."
But seriously +1 WilsonJ's above comment about validating the DM's efforts is probably the most important gift to keep the DM giving, if you follow. Works conversely too.
As far as physical gifts, I have friends I game with who'll give me game related stuff for regular gift giving occasions (holidays, birthdays) and the like, I'm sorta easy to shop for that way, but as for some sort of token for DMing? Nah, like if we're all grown ups, covering my pizza/tacos/beer is the most I'd allow.
My group has gone in on bigger-ticket items, like a Tiamat mini, or some dwarven forge. The kind of things that when everyone kicks in $10 or 20, you can get something pretty nice.
I played in an Out of the Abyss game a few years ago, on Wednesday nights. The GM kicked us out before 9:30pm so that he could watch Game of Thrones. So, for Xmas, we pitched in and bought him a nice gift set of a Game of Thronws tankard, beer mat and keyring.
In the game I'm GMing (coming up on 6 years, spanning 3 campaigns), I've been given a GM screen, miniatures (including some mindflayers *evil grin*), and a year's subscription to DNDBeyond. All very gratefully received.
However, its not a cliche to say that having my friends hang around in the kitchen at the end of a session, excitedly talking about what happened and what they are going to do next week is actually a really good gift.
Also, offering to run a one-shot so your DM can be a player is a great gift, too. Helps avoid DM burnout and injects fresh creativity into a gaming group.
This, right here. Give your DM a week off. No need to invest money to show your appreciation.
Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)
for those that do like to gift apart from food for the session or books for the session, how often do you find yourself giving the dm something? like, per year. just during bday/holiday? end of module? each level at higher levels?
Many would enjoy a fun story to tell or help with what they find most tedious about the Master roll. Good form in most good relationships is to inquire twice and assume only with deliberation.
D&D coffee mug, skull mug, DM tshirt, dice, fantasy art, snacks, are some the few gifts i got. The best is when they open their own bags of dice and gave some D10s for a costume. I was using d10s for eyes in a chain of skulls. They asked why not d20s, I said every one would do that. and I wanted the pointed end showing.
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No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
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hey all 👋 thanks for reading 🙂
started playing current campaign in December so i got the dm 'stibbles codex' for the holidays. was just curious, how often or in what way do you like to do nice things to show gratitude to your dm? any non-obvious gifts that were well received? just generally curious what you all do.
cheers, thanks again 👍
It's not often I get gifts for the DM, it's usually a gift for the group as a whole. Things like sourcebooks for us to use, or Roll20 credit so the DM can keep using dynamic lighting and have access to more storage space, and so on. I tend to be wary about it because I don't want it to be seen as bribery ("target me and you won't get another R20 sub"), so I like to announce first hand that I'm going to get something so we can all benefit from it, myself included. We plan on playing in person rather than just over Discord when this whole coronavirus business is over, so I'll bake for the table, or offer to pay for a meal out or something before or after the session. If I had to get something unexpected, it'd be d20 bath bombs like what my partner got me, which I think has a resin d20 in the middle.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
Honestly, I give my online DM a heartfelt thank you. As an online DM myself, I know how much work goes into running that kind of a campaign. Getting a special note from a player that recognizes your efforts to tell a good story and thanks you for allowing them to be a part of it is deeply appreciated.
Also, offering to run a one-shot so your DM can be a player is a great gift, too. Helps avoid DM burnout and injects fresh creativity into a gaming group.
Maybe the relevant sourcebook or adventure or another way to take the financial burden of the game from them.
If they already have everything? It really depends. No point in getting them a really nice set of dice if they already have 50 sets of them. So it really depends on who the DM is and what their situation is. What would they appreciate? It could be as simple as going on HeroForge and using their booth feature to create a "photo" of the party. Or just bringing some extra nice snacks. Itncould be buying the adventure module for them or creating minis.
It depends on the DM.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
As a gift of thanks I would give praise. Tell the DM how well they were doing. The parts that worked need to be extolled. We all enjoy praise when it is heartfelt and genuine. Most of us don't get much praise on a daily basis.
After the session tell the DM what really made the evening. Tell about the wonderful description of the monster or combat. Tell them how much you liked/hated the NPC. Give kudos on the homebrew monster or magic item. Tell them how engaging the role play or puzzle was. Let them know you like the latest plot twist. Don't let the hard work that your DM puts in to show you a good time be met with apathy or overlooked.
DM burnout is real. Telling them that they are not wasting their time on the things they do is an excellent reward. Most of them do it for no compensation at all.
Cookies work well too.
"I would rather you just said thank you and be on your way..."
But seriously +1 WilsonJ's above comment about validating the DM's efforts is probably the most important gift to keep the DM giving, if you follow. Works conversely too.
As far as physical gifts, I have friends I game with who'll give me game related stuff for regular gift giving occasions (holidays, birthdays) and the like, I'm sorta easy to shop for that way, but as for some sort of token for DMing? Nah, like if we're all grown ups, covering my pizza/tacos/beer is the most I'd allow.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
My gift to my DMs is to take a turn in the DM seat when they need a break. I would feel weird if people gave me gifts for DMing.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
My group has gone in on bigger-ticket items, like a Tiamat mini, or some dwarven forge. The kind of things that when everyone kicks in $10 or 20, you can get something pretty nice.
I played in an Out of the Abyss game a few years ago, on Wednesday nights. The GM kicked us out before 9:30pm so that he could watch Game of Thrones. So, for Xmas, we pitched in and bought him a nice gift set of a Game of Thronws tankard, beer mat and keyring.
In the game I'm GMing (coming up on 6 years, spanning 3 campaigns), I've been given a GM screen, miniatures (including some mindflayers *evil grin*), and a year's subscription to DNDBeyond. All very gratefully received.
However, its not a cliche to say that having my friends hang around in the kitchen at the end of a session, excitedly talking about what happened and what they are going to do next week is actually a really good gift.
This, right here. Give your DM a week off. No need to invest money to show your appreciation.
a good set of dice
Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)
for those that do like to gift apart from food for the session or books for the session, how often do you find yourself giving the dm something? like, per year. just during bday/holiday? end of module? each level at higher levels?
Many would enjoy a fun story to tell or help with what they find most tedious about the Master roll. Good form in most good relationships is to inquire twice and assume only with deliberation.
I like to get the party to chip in for a set of minis from Hero Forge that depict all the PCs in the campaign.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
D&D coffee mug, skull mug, DM tshirt, dice, fantasy art, snacks, are some the few gifts i got. The best is when they open their own bags of dice and gave some D10s for a costume. I was using d10s for eyes in a chain of skulls. They asked why not d20s, I said every one would do that. and I wanted the pointed end showing.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.