Within the category of gaming accessories, one of the growing sub-categories over the last decade has been accessories for the RPG gaming. Back in the early days of RPGs, RPG accessories were more or less limited to the dice that came in starter sets (see “Holmes“) and perhaps hex-grid maps. Early D&D products generally had the bare minimum for accessories available for them, which were basic polyhedral dice and sometimes miniatures. However, in the 80s and 90s, RPG manufacturers started adding a whole array of accessories, such as upgraded character sheets, customized dice, dice bags, and in the case of Vampire: The Masquerade, even some props.
These humble beginnings for RPG accessories eventually ascended to a different level in the 21st Century. RPG manufacturers started to explore the fashion accessories side of things by making costume-worthy dice pouches, RPG bags, and more. In 2024, the RPG accessories category is huge and encompasses all sorts of posh organizers, RPG in-game relics (see “Book of Nod“), and even mood lighting. The category is so wide open that it takes some effort for retailers to do research and find some of these gems for the shelves.
Luckily, ICv2 has done a deep dive into this category, and has a few suggestions of RPG accessories to explore:
Dice Jail Chair and Dunce Hat by Lynx Accessories. This product have been on ICv2's radar as a fun, novelty RPG accessory since Gifts Week (see "
Picks to Give for 2024"). Conceptually, it is brilliant as every RPG session seems to be plagued by undesirable rolls and players need ways of venting after they happen. The
Dice Jail Chair and Dunce Hat provides a light-hearted way of expressing frustration with dice without flinging them across the room. Once again, this is a good impulse buy for the cash wrap.
Dungeonmeister: The Deck of Many Drinks by Adam's Media. Often times, with grown-up D&D game sessions, good encounters can be complemented by good cocktails. ICv2 staff has seen a great many gaming cocktail books over time, but many have seemed kind of cumbersome and not particularly easy to sift through on the fly. Enter
The Deck of Many Drinks (see "
A Good Time at the Inn"). This nifty accessory allows the user to draw a card and get a drink recipe, which practically eliminates indecision from the process entirely. Players can, of course, cherry pick their way through the deck and choose a cocktail, but what kind of fun is that?
D&D 50th Anniversary Accessories Line by Ultra PRO. This is hands down the best line of dice, character folios, and other accessories produced in 2024. The 50th Anniversary of
D&D was a big deal, and RPG fans were all over products released for it through the summer and into fall. Many of the products in this line come with the official 50th anniversary logo on it, and everything in the line is of high-quality (see "
'Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary' Accessories"). These accessories are very popular, and should be a hit in a retail setting.
Deck of Many Insults by Loke Battle Mats. This gem of an RPG tool by Loke Battle Mats is just pure fun (see "
'Deck of Many Insults'"). There are a lot of times where roleplaying gets awkward and maybe players don't know exactly what to have their PCs say in the moment.
The Deck of Many Insults rectifies that problem by providing players with witty repartee that can be used to enhance Vicious Mockery cantrips or just insult enemies in the middle of battle.
Enhance: Tabletop Potion Light by Enhance Gaming. Mood lighting is key to setting the tone of an RPG session. A little while back, Enhance Gaming addressed the need for DMs to add some ambience to their tabletops with these wonderful Potion Lights (see "
'Enhance: Tabletop Potion Light'"). This item was a very popular search on ICv2 when we first published an article about it, and tabletop ambience accessories have a good chance of being a direction that the sub-category expands towards should there be enough demand.
