Episode 70
Christmas Gifts for the Dungeon Master In Your Life (or for You)
“Hipam, can’t you do anything? Herlia asks with an exasperated tone.
“Well, Miss Herlia, I’m not exactly suited for..”
“What about you you dumb bear?” Herlia yells at the large brown bear at the back of the cave. You’d all found this cave a few weeks ago while looking for shelter.
“Herlia. I’m not exactly sure something can be done. He’s just lost his uncle. That’s not exactly something you get over in a matter of minutes. Have a little heart.”
Herlia walks up to Hipam who’s sat propped up against the large brown bear. She crouches down in front of him.
“Let me tell you something little halfling. I’ve had my fair share of losses. After all of it, I found my way into the city guard where I could at least do some good. I was able to stop beatings and prevent murder. Now, I’ve been pulled away from that to do what? This?” Herlia gestures to the front of the cave where Ulv sits motionless as snow covers his face. Herlia gets up and walks over to Ulv and spins him around and cries, “Your uncle died but Cojari is still alive and he needs our help. The entire kingdom needs our help. You haven’t said a word in weeks. What are you waiting for?”
No response from Ulv.
So Herlia punches him in the mouth.
Suddenly, Ulv finds himself on a warm rug. Surprised by the change of scenery, he sits up. He’s in a large teepee made of animal skins.
What would you like to do?
Intro
Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat! And we’re getting ready for it with this list of Dungeon Master Gift Ideas. Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. I’m your host, Justin Lewis and I’m here to help you craft better stories for yourself and your players as you DM sessions of D&D.
The first announcement today is who won the giveaway!
The winner is …… twisted.toga !!!!! I’ll reach out to you today to get you your download key!
We’ll also have some more announcements at the end of today’s show so stick around for that.
Main Topic
With the holiday season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to create a sort of Christmas wishlist for gifts to give to the aspiring Dungeon Master. This list can serve as ideas for you to give a gift to someone else, or you can hand this list over to your significant other to help them with their shopping for you.
I’ll be honest, this list is pretty long, but that is because there are many things that you can buy for a Dungeon Master. Let me also just say that almost all of these things are “luxury” items. That means you don’t actually need them to play D&D, they’re just really nice to have. I also need to mention that I have no stake in mentioning any of these products. I have not been paid or compensated in any way. I just like them. That said, let’s get into the list and see what I have in my Santa Sleigh of holding….
Player’s Handbook
Number one on the list is really the only thing that you should get for your DM if they don’t already have it. It has the rules of how to play the game as well as the rules on how to create characters. To be honest, though, Wizards of the Coast is releasing Unearthed arcana in parts for free, meaning if you wait long enough, you’ll probably have enough to use to play the game for free anyways. If you want to know about unearthed arcana go back and listen to Episode 68 and Episode 66. But there are two options for buying the player’s handbook. You can get the digital copy (which is being sold on DNDBeyond for $29.99 as of me writing this episode) and the physical copy (which is being sold on Amazon for $22.95 at the time of me writing this episode, though it does look like that is a sale, and usually it sells for $49.95). Obviously there are pros and cons to both having the book digitally or physically. I would pay attention to what your Dungeon Master uses normally and then get them that. You can always get them the other one next year.
Dungeon Master’s Guide
Next to the Player’s Handbook the Dungeon Master’s Guide makes the perfect gift for the DM or aspiring DM who does not have it. This one is nice to have both online and in person, so gift-givers, feel free to give either one because they both have their benefits. Right now the Dungeon Master’s Guide is selling for $27.95 on Amazon (though that seems to be a sales price with the original price being $49.95) and the digital copy is being sold for $29.99 on DnDBeyond. This gift is a nice-to-have gift as it is more focused on being a Dungeon Master while having less content that you actually need. Naturally, there are case by case situations where you might need one thing within the DMG but overall, I’d say this book is a luxury.
Monster Manual
Last of all, there is the Monster Manual. This book is exactly what it claims to be, a manual of monsters. Compared to the DMG I would say this is a little bit more of a need for dungeon masters simply because every story needs conflic, and there are a lot of conflicts that happen between two living entities. This manual inspires you with those entities. It makes it really easy to fill up your games with baddies. Right now you can buy the physical copy on Amazon for $26.90 though the original price is $49.95 and you can get the digital copy for $29.99 on DnDBeyond. Now if you want to get the Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook, you can get a bundle which might save some money. Right now the physical bundle is available on amazon for $85.99 and comes with a DM screen and the lost mines of Phandelver adventure.
A Resin 3D Printer
Usually, I stick with the cheaper things when giving tips on this podcast however, I know there is someone out there looking to give their dungeon master a high ticket gift so these next two are more expensive. Number 4 on the list is a resin 3d printer. A resin printer would allo your DM to print their own minis and even tabletop terrain in extremely high detail. A quick nitro resin printing. Your DM will need to have a computer so if they don’t have that this might not be the best gift. Also, the resin can be toxic so your DM will need a space where the resin printer can be kept away from children and pets. Also extreme hot or cold does not produce great prints so an insulated place is very important too. So let’s look at some prices. Now, this episode is not looking at which printer to buy. Instead these prices are just to set your expectations. Right now on Amazon I found a Creality Official Halot One for $199. Your DM will likely need a washing and curing machine as well in order to make sure the prints actually cure correctly. If you’re looking to do that I found a full bundle with all three from Elegoo for $378.99. Remember you’ll also need to buy that actual resin which I found for about $19.99. I would also recommend having paper towels and rubber gloves and a mask on hand too.
A Tablet
Again, among the expensive items of this list is a tablet. It would allow the DM of your life to access DnDBeyond without having to lug around their laptop. It’s simply a much more convenient tool than a computer. It can also be used in conjunction with computers. So there are lots of tablets out there but I found an Apple IPad mini on Amazon for $468 to set your expectations.
A Dice Tray
Having a dice tray is just really nice. It so allows you to set your style as a DM and I think it helps your players get in the mood too. There are millions of dice tray creators out there. Find one you like and get it! I love what @sterlingmakes does on Instagram. These are beautiful dice trays made out of wood, often with resin details added. They are quite beautiful to look at. Dice trays come in all shapes and sizes and therefore, all price ranges so find one that fits your DM and get it for them.
A Subscription to DNDBeyond
DnDBeyond offers Dungeon Masters the ability to craft encounters and campaigns with characters uploaded online so you can play anywhere. Their free account allows you a select number of these encounters and characters. For Christmas, gift your DM a yearlong subscription to DnDBeyond so they can have unlimited encounters and characters. The Hero Subscrition is about $40 for the year and the Master Subscription is about $70 for the year. The Master just allows you to share downloaded content with your players which is nice for DM’s who heavily use DNDBeyond for their character creation process.
A DM Screen
I particularly love the Dungeon Master Screen because it hides what you’re doing, and it gives you some authority and credibility at the table. It also has some really nice references as far as conditions and other things go. Here you can also find a screen as expensive as you want. From a quick Google Search I saw a range of screens going from $40 to $240 so you can really find one that fits you and your table. The nice thing about buying special or custom screens is that they are taller which is nice because the screen that comes in the normal D&D kit is somewhat short. It’s the one that I use though so don’t let the shortness of it stop you.
A Nice but Simple Sound System
Ambience can be a great tool for the burgeoning dungeon master. Giving them the opportunity to add ambience in full surround sound is a great gift! Some things to note here. Before getting the DM surround sound you might want to check with them about hooking things up to walls or what their plans are in this area. Usually people hook up Surround sound on walls and such. You don’t want to get them a gift they are unwilling to use. Next, often, surround sound systems require cabling. Make sure you get that as well. It’s annoying to get a gift that you can’t use. That said, surround sound systems are not as expensive as you might think. Just looking on amazon I found one that is $49.97 and it comes with one large subwoofer with 5 smaller speakers and it is Bluetooth capable. You can then get speaker cable for $12.99 and you have a passable speaker system in your D&D room.
A Microphone
This gift is for the online DM or the intrepid streamer, or the prospective podcaster. Microphones are pivotal for excellent gameplay over the airwaves. Here you want to think of a few things. There are two types of mics. There is a dynamic microphone which is designed to pick up everything. This sort of mic is best used in a very controlled environment like a recording booth. It will give great audio but may need some engineering on the backend. The other type of microphone is a compressed microphone which is designed only to pick up the voice of the speaker. You can use this microphone in a lot more of a noisy location (though you still want to get your audio as clean as you can as you record). For most people, I would recommend a compressed mic because it’s just easier. Bar-none I recommend the Samsun Q2U Microphone (you can get the recording and Podcasting pack for $70 on Amazon). It has excellent sound quality and USB and XLR connection and you can hook up your headphones to the mic to hear how you sound as you use it. It is the best in plug and play mics.
A Very Fancy Notebook
Depending on your DM, a fancy notebook might be just the thing for them. You’ll definitely want to pay attention to them to make sure that it’s something they would use though. I have an amazing notebook made from listener of the podcast, Anna. I use it everyday to record thoughts and insights. There are some really cool options on Amazon right now that are around $25 and would make a perfect gift.
A Fancy Medieval Mug
It’s a small touch, but supplying interesting mugs for players can help them to immerse themselves into the game. It can do the same thing for your DM. As you DM you are talking a lot so you naturally want to drink to keep your throat moiste. What can be cooler than drinking from your very own D&D styled mug. There are a lot of options on Amazon. You can even get a Viking horn mug for around $50. There are endless options.
A Gift Card to Hero Forge
If you haven’t heard of Hero Forge, it is an online site that allows you to create custom miniatures to match the character you are playing right now. They have a lot of options and you can buy the mini, buy the STL file to print the mini or buy the mini and have them paint it. You can also create a character and then import them into software like Dungeon Alchemist to play online in a 3D fashion, pretty cool. Naturally a gift card is the best choice because you don’t know what your DM would like to use it for. For example, last year, my older brother got me a $25 gift card to hero forge and just recently, I used some of it to create a mini that looks like me and then buy the STL. I printed it out and now I’m using it to make reels on Instagram.
Dungeon Alchemist
If you’ve been paying attention to the podcast these last couple weeks you’d know that I am a huge fan of Dungeon Alchemist. They are a software you can download on Steam that allows you to quickly make maps of dungeons. You can simply select the type of room you want, draw the shape and click the check mark and the software will design the room complete with furniture and treasure in a 3d Fashion. You can export the map to use on online platforms like Foundry or Roll20. It’s incredible and like I just mentioned, you can import minis from Hero Forge and use them as 3D avatars for your players. If you want to know more about Dungeon Alchemist go to betterdungeonmaster.com/dungeon-alchemist. And here again I have to say that I am not being paid to say that, however I do have that link so then I can hopefully go to Dungeon Alchemist and show them that our listeners love their product so then they will sponsor us. Just being transparent. Anyways, I really love their software and I use it all the time.
A Subscription to World Anvil
World Anvil is a tool that anyone can use to world build their homebrew project or even just use it for their current campaign. You can create Dungeon Master specific pages or let everyone see everything. You can even keep notes on your current campaign as you run it. There is a free account that allows you to get started, but that doesn’t offer nearly any of the really cool features like Secrets or Word Count Goals. The Cheapest account is for $54 a year and may well be worth it for that Dungeon Master itching to create their very own world….
Tabletop Terrain
We’ve all seen excellent examples of tabletop terrain on Shows like Critical role or High Rollers, so why not get your DM something similar. I’ve preferred my own tabletop terrain that I’ve spliced together from things I’ve found online and my own design that I 3D print. It’s cheaper, but it takes more time to get everything together. I also have to paint it which I’m not very good at. If your DM doesn’t like anything that I’ve just mentioned then you can opt for sites like Dwarven Forge. They have awesome options for Tabletop Terrain sets that are fully fleshed out and painted. Or if your DM loves to craft and make things themselves, maybe look at getting them XPS foam and super glue and paint. Either way, make sure it’s what the DM wants and will use.
Naturally there are infinite combinations for gifts you can get the Dungeon Master in Your life. Simply pick one and get it for them. The sad truth about gifts is that we rarely get it right. Getting someone a great gift is really hard. That’s why I’d like to challenge you to really think about your Dungeon Master and think about what they would like. The more you think about them, the close you will get to a perfect gift.
Now let’s get to today’s announcements.
Announcements
Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway! We had an amazing turnout and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for supporting the podcast and helping us reach new listeners. We want to give you ever better content. That’s why we want to ask you for feedback. Lend your hand in shaping the show and helping us help you to be a better DM. Go to betterdungeonmaster.com/feedback and answer a couple questions on what we can do to improve the show. Your opinion would be incredibly valuable.
I’d also like to extend another invite to join our One-Shot for this November. It will be on November 19th and we still have spots open. If you’d like a chance to play D&D with guest host Rob from Dungeons, Dragons and Psychology, sign up for free! Even if you’ve played before, the spots are first come first serve. Go to betterdungeonmaster.com/one-shot.
Conclusion
As always, I want to say thank you for all the support you give us on a weekly basis. We’ll keep doing what we do and come back next week with another great episode. Until then, let’s go ahead and roll initiative.
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
oh hey pom can't you do anything hurl asks with an exasperated tone well miss
[justin]:hale i'm not exactly suited for what about you you dumb bear hurl yells that
[justin]:the large bear at the back of the cave you all found this cave a
[justin]:few week to go while looking for shelter her i'm not exactly sure we can
[justin]:do something about it or even if something can be done at all he's just
[justin]:lost his uncle it's not exactly something you get over in a mat minutes have
[justin]:a little hot leo walks up to him who sat propped up against the large
[justin]:brown bear she crouches down in front of him let me tell you something little
[justin]:haling i've had my fair share of losses too and ter all of that i
[justin]:found my way into the city guard where i could at least do something do
[justin]:some good i was able to stop beatings and even prevent murder and now i've
[justin]:been pulled away from that to do what this le a gesture to the front
[justin]:of the cave where ole sits motionless as snow slowly covers his face lea gets
[justin]:up and walks over to alvin spins him around and cries your uncle died but
[justin]:cojariis still alive and he needs our help heck the entire kingdom needs our help
[justin]:you haven't said a word in weeks what are you waiting for no response from
[justin]:ov so leo punches him in the mouth suddenly finds himself on a warm rug
[justin]:surprised by the change of scenery he sits up he's not in the mouth of
[justin]:a cave he's in a large t p made of animal skins what would you
[justin]:like to do christmas is coming the goose is getting fat and we are getting
[justin]:ready for it with this list of dungeon master gift ideas welcome back to how
[justin]:to be a better d m i'm your host justin lewis and i'm here to
[justin]:help you craft better stories for yourself and your players as m sessions of d
[justin]:n d the first announcement today is a big is who won our give away
[justin]:so without further ado the winner of the give away yes
[justin]:twisted dot toga yeah yeah i think i have some clapping here
[justin]:i will reach out to you twisted dot toga and get you your download key
[justin]:i'll send that over to you thank you for everyone who participated and keep an
[justin]:eye out for morgan always that we're goin a do in the future this was
[justin]:really fun and i hope you enjoyed it as well
[justin]:we'll also have some more announcements at the end of today's show so stick around
[justin]:for that but without further ado let's get to the main topic and with the
[justin]:holiday season fast approaching i thought it would be a good idea to create sort
[justin]:of a christmas list for gifts to give the spiring dungeon master this list can
[justin]:serve as ideas for you to give a gift to someone else or you can
[justin]:hand this list over to your significant other to help them with their shopping for
[justin]:you and i'll be honest this list is pretty long but that is because there
[justin]:are many things that you can buy for a dungeon master oh
[justin]:let me let me also let me also say that it's almost all of the
[justin]:things on the on this list are luxury items and that means you don't actually
[justin]:need them to play d and d but they are really not i have i
[justin]:also need to mention that i have exactly no stake in mentioning any of these
[justin]:products i have not been paid or compensated in any way i just really like
[justin]:them so with that said let's get into this list and see what i have
[justin]:in my santa slag of holding number one is the player's handbook this one doesn't
[justin]:really need explanation but number one on this list is really the only thing that
[justin]:you should it for your dem if they don't already have it and when i
[justin]:say that i mean it's kind of a necessity it has the rules of how
[justin]:to play the game as well as the rules on how to create characters to
[justin]:be honest though wizards are the coast is actually releasing unearthed arcana in parts for
[justin]:free meaning that if you wait long enough you'll probably have enough material to use
[justin]:to play the game for free anyways and in fact you can actually go download
[justin]:the free rules for free on wizards of the coast or dandy beyond sorry and
[justin]:actually if you want to know more about unearthed arcana you can go back to
[justin]:listen to episode sixty eight and sixty six of this show but there are two
[justin]:options for buying the players handbook you can get the digital copy which is being
[justin]:sold on d n d beyond for twenty nine ninety nine as of writing this
[justin]:episode and then there's the physical copy which is being sold on amazon for twenty
[justin]:nine nine twenty two ninety five at the time of this recording though it does
[justin]:look that does look like that is a sale and it looks like it usually
[justin]:sells yeah
[justin]:and it looks like it usually sells for about forty nine ninety five obviously there
[justin]:are pros and cons to have both having the book digitally or physically i would
[justin]:pay attention to what your dungeon master uses normally and then get them that because
[justin]:you can always go back and get the other one next year number two on
[justin]:the list is the dungeon master's guide next to the players handbook the dungeon there's
[justin]:guide makes the perfect gift for the d m or aspiring d m who does
[justin]:not have it this one is also nice to have both online and in person
[justin]:so gift givers feel free to give either one because they both have their benefits
[justin]:right now the dungeon masters guide is selling for twenty seven ninety five on amazon
[justin]:although that does seem to be a sales price with the original price being around
[justin]:forty nine ninety five and then the digital copy is being sold for twenty nine
[justin]:ninety nine on dandy beyond this gift is nice to have gift as it is
[justin]:more focused on being a dungeon master while having less content that you actually need
[justin]:and naturally there are case by case situations where you might need one thing within
[justin]:the d m g but over all i'd say that this book is a luxury
[justin]:number three is the monster manual last of all there is the monster manual and
[justin]:this book is exactly what laims to be a manual of monsters compared to the
[justin]:d m g the dungeon masters a guide i would say that the monster's manual
[justin]:is a little bit more of a need for dungeon masters simply because every story
[justin]:needs con flict and there are a lot of conflicts that happened between two living
[justin]:entities so character and a monster or something like that and actually this manual inspires
[justin]:you both with entities and it makes it really easy to fill up your games
[justin]:with battis so right now you can buy the physical copy on amazon for twenty
[justin]:six ninety though the original price is forty nine ninety five and you can get
[justin]:the digital copy or twenty nine ninety nine on d and d beyond now if
[justin]:you want to get the monster manual dungeon masters guide and players handbook you can
[justin]:actually get that as a bundle which might say save you some money so the
[justin]:physic bundle right now is available on amazon
[justin]:is available on amazon for eighty five ninety nine and it comes with a dim
[justin]:screen and the lost mines of fan delver venture number four is a resin three
[justin]:d printer usually i stick with the cheaper things when giving tips on this podcast
[justin]:however i know that there is someone out there looking to give their dungeon map
[justin]:a very high ticket gift so these next two are actually more expensive and number
[justin]:four on the list is a resin three d printer a risen three d printer
[justin]:would allow your dem to print their own mines and even able top terrain in
[justin]:extremely high detail a quick nitro yeah oh ah a quick note on resin printing
[justin]:your dem will need to have a computer so if they don't have that this
[justin]:might not be the best gift also the resin can be toxic so your dam
[justin]:will need a space where the resin print can be kept away from children and
[justin]:pets also extreme hot or cold does not produce great prints so an insulated place
[justin]:where they can do the printing is very important to so let's look at some
[justin]:prices now this episode is not looking at which printer to buy obviously i just
[justin]:kind of picked one at random online instead these prices are just to set your
[justin]:expectations right now on amazon found a reality official
[justin]:a reality official helot one for one ninety nine and your d m will like
[justin]:need a washing and curing machine as well in order to make sure the prince
[justin]:cure correctly if you're looking to do that i found a full bundle with all
[justin]:three from lego for about three hundred seventy eight nine i remember you also need
[justin]:to buy the actual resin which i found for about nineteen ninety nine and i
[justin]:would also recommend having paper towels rubber gloves and mask online on hand ah as
[justin]:well number five is a tablet again among the expensive items of this list is
[justin]:a tablet it would allow the dam of your life to access dand beyond without
[justin]:having to around the laptop and it's simply just a much more convenient tool than
[justin]:a computer and it can also be used in conjunction with computers so there are
[justin]:lots of tablets out there but i found an apple i had many on amazon
[justin]:for four hon sixty eight to set your expectations um also i'm not a tech
[justin]:person so do not take my recommendation for which tablet you should get or what
[justin]:not there are diferent people who can answer that question for you number six is
[justin]:a dice tray having a nice tray is just really nice you know it allows
[justin]:you to keep your dice in a collected location and and it also allows you
[justin]:to set your style as a m and i think it helps your players somewhat
[justin]:get into the mood and there are millions of dice tray creators out there find
[justin]:one you like and just get it if you're looking for a recommendation i love
[justin]:what at stirling does on instagram they make these awesome dice trays made out of
[justin]:really fine wood and they use a c and c machine that makes it look
[justin]:really nice and they often add res on details and its very quite beautiful so
[justin]:check them out again that's at stirling makes they don't know i said that so
[justin]:don't worry about that but die tories come in all shapes and sizes and therefore
[justin]:all price ranges so fine that fits your d m and then just get it
[justin]:for him number seven a subscription to d and d beyond dndbeond offers dungeon masters
[justin]:the ability to craft encounters and campaigns with characters upload it online so you can
[justin]:play anywhere they have a free account which allows you to select a number of
[justin]:these encounters and characters but it is a limited number and for a christmas gift
[justin]:you can get your d m a year long subscription to d n d bond
[justin]:so they can have unlimited encounters and characters the hero subscription is about forty dollars
[justin]:for the year and the master subscription is about seventy for the year and the
[justin]:mass just allows you to share down loaded content with your players which is nice
[justin]:for d ms who heavily use dan d bond for their character creation process as
[justin]:well as online dims if they don't do that then a forty dollar hero subscription
[justin]:would probably do just fine number eight is a d m screen i particularly love
[justin]:the dungeon master screen because it hides what you're doing and it gives you some
[justin]:authority and credibility at the table you can kind of think of it as sort
[justin]:of a dungeon master uniform and it also if it's done right it has some
[justin]:really nice references as far as conditions and other things go and here you can
[justin]:also find a screen as expensive as you want or as cheap as you want
[justin]:for example from a quick google search i saw a range of screens going from
[justin]:and these are hand made screens going from forty dollars to two hundred forty dollars
[justin]:made from wood and other things you can also just find one pretty cheap for
[justin]:paper and you can make one yourself even but you need to find one that
[justin]:fits you and your table the nice thing about buying special or custom screens is
[justin]:that they are a little bit taller which is nice because the screen that comes
[justin]:in the normal d and kid that i mentioned before is somewhat short it's about
[justin]:as tall as a piece of paper is and that's the one that i used
[justin]:so it's good though because i use it and you know suits me and gets
[justin]:the job done so don't let the shortness of it stop you number nine is
[justin]:a nice simple sound system ambiance can be a great tool for the burgening dungeon
[justin]:master and giving them the opportunity to add ambiance is full giving them the opportunity
[justin]:to add ambiance in full surround sound is a great gift some things to note
[justin]:here though before getting the d m surround sound you might want to check with
[justin]:them about hooking things up to walls or what their plans are in this area
[justin]:like if they're planning on moving that might not be the right thing because usually
[justin]:people end up hooking up surround sound on walls and such and you don't want
[justin]:to get them a gift that they are unwilling to use or hang up or
[justin]:things that next often surround sound systems require cabling so make sure you get that
[justin]:as well it's annoying to get a gift that you can't use but with that
[justin]:said surround sound systems are not actually as expensive as you might think just looking
[justin]:up on amazon i found one that is just forty nine ninety seven and it
[justin]:comes with one large sub woofer with five smaller speakers and it is blue tooth
[justin]:capable you can get speaker cable for twelve ninety nine and well you have a
[justin]:passable speaker system in your d and d room again i am not the tech
[justin]:guys so for quality of speakers do not talk to me but that's just to
[justin]:set your xpectations for pricing number ten a microphone this gift is for the online
[justin]:d m or the intrepid streamer or even the prospective podcastor microphones are pivotal for
[justin]:excellent game play over the digital air waves and here you want to think of
[justin]:a few things so there are two different types of mice generally there's a dynamic
[justin]:microphone which is designed to pick really everything and give you the best sound quality
[justin]:this sort of microphone is best used in a very sterile environment like a recording
[justin]:booth where not extra sounded not much extra sounds enter the environment even computers or
[justin]:air vents not going to be there and it's going to give you a great
[justin]:audio but it might need some extra engineering on the background if you are on
[justin]:the back end if you do end up catching some of that extra stuff
[justin]:the other type of microphone is a compressed microphone which is designed only to pick
[justin]:up the voice of the speaker and you can use this microphone in a lot
[justin]:more of a noisy location though you'll i want to get your audio as clean
[justin]:as you can when you record and for most people i would actually recommend a
[justin]:compressed microphone because it's just easier you don't have to worry about making your own
[justin]:vionment as noiseless as possible and for most people i recommend the samson q two
[justin]:u microphone which is the one i'm using right now you can get the recording
[justin]:anpodcasting pack for seventy dollars on amazon it has excellent sound quality it comes with
[justin]:the ability to hook up via us b or x l r connection so if
[justin]:you're going a little bit more advanced you have that connection and you can even
[justin]:hook up your headphones to the microphone to hear how you sound as you use
[justin]:it honestly in my opinion it is the best plug in play microphone i can
[justin]:find and it pretty cheap so that's also a big plus number seven number eleven
[justin]:is a very fancy notebook depending on your d m a fancy note book might
[justin]:be just the thing them you'll definitely want to pay attention to them to make
[justin]:sure that it's something that they would actually use but you can definitely find something
[justin]:great that would fit them in fact i have an amazing notebook made one of
[justin]:the listeners of this podcast anna if you're listening anna i want to say thank
[justin]:you so much for this note book i use it every day and i don't
[justin]:use it just for my campaigns actually use it to record my goals thoughts and
[justin]:insights and it's just a really awesome thing and actually if you're looking for something
[justin]:on amazon there are lots of other cool options there i found some right now
[justin]:that around twenty five books and they would the perfect gift so number twelve is
[justin]:a fancy medieval mug it's a small touch but supplying interesting mugs for players can
[justin]:help them to immerse themselves into the game a little bit more and it can
[justin]:actually do the same thing for your dem so as your d m as you
[justin]:dungeon master you talk a lot naturally so you're going to want to drink some
[justin]:water or other beverage to keep your throat moist and what can be cooler than
[justin]:drinking from your very own d and d stye mug there are lots of options
[justin]:on amazon and actually you can even get a viking horn you can even get
[justin]:a viking horn mug for around fifty dollars so that's a mug made out the
[justin]:horn of an animal but there are endless options with endless styles i just pick
[justin]:that out to give you an example with a price range so you kind of
[justin]:know what to expect number thirteen is a gift card to hero forge if you
[justin]:haven't heard of her for it is an online site that allows you to create
[justin]:custom miniatures to match the character you're playing right now and they have lots of
[justin]:options and you can actually choose to buy the many or or have them print
[justin]:and paint the money and buy that or you can buy the s t l
[justin]:file to print them in yourself it's it's great and you can also create a
[justin]:character and then import them into softwar like dungeon alchemists to play online in a
[justin]:three d fashion which is pretty cool and naturally in a case like this a
[justin]:gift card is the best choice because you don't know what your dem would like
[justin]:to use it for for example last year my older brother got me a twenty
[justin]:five dollar gift card to hero forge and just recently i used some of it
[justin]:to create a many that is supposed to look like me so then i bought
[justin]:the st for that i printed it out and now i'm using it to make
[justin]:reels on instagram so there's an example of something you can do with this kind
[justin]:of gift number fourteen is dungeon alchemist if you've been paying attention to the podcas
[justin]:these last couple weeks and in fact the give away that was today you know
[justin]:that i am a huge fan of dungeon alchemists they are a software that you
[justin]:can download on steam that allows you to quickly make maps of dungeons and you
[justin]:just ply select the type of room you want draw the shape and then click
[justin]:a check mark and the software designs the room complete with furniture and treasure all
[justin]:in three d and then you can export this map to use an online forms
[justin]:like foundry or role twenty and it's incredible and actually just like i mentioned you
[justin]:can import minnies from hero forge and use them as three d avatars for your
[justin]:players if you want to know more about dungeon alcom go to better dungeon master
[justin]:dot com slash dungeon dash alchemist here again i have to say that i'm not
[justin]:actually being paid to say that however i do have that link specifically so i
[justin]:can hopefully go dungeon alchemist later and show them that our listeners love their product
[justin]:so then they will sponsor us just being transparent they're not paying me but i
[justin]:would like them to pay me eventually so that's why that's there anyway i really
[justin]:love their soft i use it all the time number fifteen a subscription to world
[justin]:anville world anvil is a tool that anyone can use to world build their home
[justin]:brew project or even just use it for their campaign you can create dungeon master
[justin]:specific pages or let everyone see everything you can even keep notes on your current
[justin]:campaign as you run it and in fact there's a free account that allows you
[justin]:to just get started how it goes but that doesn't offer nearly any of the
[justin]:really cool features like secrets or word count goals and in fact the cheapest account
[justin]:is actually for fifty dollar fifty four dollars a year and may we beware it
[justin]:for that dungeon master itching to create their variant world in fact worldendvill is what
[justin]:i am using right now to create my home brew world of integrity and i
[justin]:found it fairly useful ah so it might be useful for you or the dam
[justin]:in your life number sixteen is tabletop touraine we've all seen excellent examples of table
[justin]:top touraine on shows like critical role or high rollers so why not get your
[justin]:dim something similar i've preferred my own table top turin that i've sort of spliced
[justin]:together from things i've found online and then added some of my own some of
[justin]:my own design aspects that i three de for me it's cheaper but it does
[justin]:take more time to get everything together i also have to paint it which i'm
[justin]:not very good at see if your dem doesn't like doing anything that i've just
[justin]:mentioned than you can actually just opt or sits like dwarf forge they have awesome
[justin]:creations and options for table top to rain sets that are fully fleshed out fully
[justin]:painted or if your damn loves to craft and make things themselves may be getting
[justin]:them some x p s foam and some super glue and paint so that way
[justin]:they can make their table top to rain themselves either way make sure it's what
[justin]:the d m wants and will use uh if you do it right you can
[justin]:really surprise them and astound them delight them really and naturally there are infinite combinations
[justin]:for gifts you can get for the dungeon master in your life simply pick one
[justin]:and get it for them the sad truth about gifts is that we rarely get
[justin]:it right getting someone a great gift is particularly hard so that's why i'd like
[justin]:to challenge you to really think about your dungeon master and think about what they
[justin]:were actually like the more you think about them the closer you will get to
[justin]:the perfect gift now let's get to today's announcements first of all thank you for
[justin]:everyone who participated in our devoid we had an amazing turn out and i can't
[justin]:tell you how grateful i am to you for supporting the podcast and helping reach
[justin]:new listeners we want to give you ever better content and so that's why we're
[justin]:actually here to ask for your feedback i'm on my knees right now begging and
[justin]:pleading for you to lend your hand and shaping the show and helping us help
[justin]:you to be a better dem so if you could go to better dungeon master
[justin]:dot com slash feedback and answer a couple of questions on what we can do
[justin]:to improve the show your opinion will be immensely valuable next i'd also like to
[justin]:extend another invite to join our unc for this november it will be on november
[justin]:nineteenth
[justin]:will be on november nineteenth and we still have some spots open so if you'd
[justin]:like a chance to play d n d with guest host rob from dungeons dragons
[justin]:and psychology sign up for free even if you've played before the spots are first
[justin]:come first served so you can still sign up so go to better engen master
[justin]:dot com slash one dash shot again that's better dungeon master dot com slash one
[justin]:dash shot as always i want to say thank you for all your support and
[justin]:we couldn't do this without you every week we come here and it just astounds
[justin]:me that people are still listening so listener i just got to say thank you
[justin]:so much from the in my heart for your support will keep doing what we
[justin]:do and come back next week with another great episode until then let's go ahead
