So, maybe you’ve been bitten by the Dungeons & Dragons bug after getting a cool dice as a stocking stuffer. We don’t blame you; we did put together quite the D&D holiday gift list. Whatever your reasons for getting into D&D, whether its Critical Role or just your mates being super insistent, maybe you want to try your hand at DMing. Well, the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit has made a resurgence in the new year, and we reckon it’s pretty great.

Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit is Perfect for New DMs

The Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit came out last year to much aplomb, but we suspect that the new year has ushered in a bunch of new DMs, so what better time to signpost a pretty valuable resource for those cutting their teeth on dice-rolling, bard-wrangling, and general chaos? 

Enter – the Essentials Kit, which you can grab on Amazon here for $15.75 – it’s currently discounted from $25, so clearly Wizards is aware of the demand. The cool thing about this is that it’s basically your one stop shop for putting your first game back together. Whether you’re in the hot seat as DM (we promise it isn’t as intimidating as it seems), or you’re one of the erstwhile players trying to figure out the difference between a tabaxi and a tavern, you’ll be well-served by this kit. It contains, amongst other things:

• A 5th edition rulebook
• Guidelines on how to make characters
• Dragon of Icespire Peak – an adventure that comes with 1v1 rules and a poster map
• Dungeon Master screen
• Character sheets
• 11 dice
• Cards for magical items, other inventory fillers, sidekicks and others
• Codes galore for D&D Beyond content, 50% off the Player’s Handbook PDF, and more

The Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit is the perfect collection of items for those who are wanting to dive into the game for the first time, or even those who need a bit of a refresher on how things are run. It’s honestly a steal considering how much you can get out of it (I mean, how cool does the new adventure look?) and the fact that you can pick up more supplementary material on D&D Beyond after is a nice way to keep newbies hooked. Our verdict? Why the hell not. 

Want to be kept on top of the latest in D&D and DMs Guild shenanigans? Check back regularly, and check out the following articles that we’ve put together in the meantime:

• Dungeons & Dragons Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit Explores The Forgotten Realms 
• D&D Beyond New Encounter Builder Feature is a Lifesaver 
• “Seven or Eight” New Dungeons & Dragons Video Games Are On the Horizon