8 Ideas For A Perfect GM Gift

The Holidays have arrived and people are entering into gift-giving mode! So I thought it might be fun to share some gift ideas for hard-working GMs everywhere. GMs make the worlds we play in, prepare sessions for the table, and buy the games groups play. The holiday season can be a nice way for a group to take a moment to say, “Hey, thanks ¹.”

And thanks to all the folks who helped me expand this list beyond my initial thoughts. You’re all awesome!

8: Dice

Yes, your GM probably has many dice sets to use at your table ², but can you ever have enough dice ³? More important, does your GM have those dice–the ones which are hand crafted to look like small pieces of art?

A nice set of unique dice is a nice way to tell your GM, “We enjoy playing with you.”

7: Books

It is no secret that being a GM involves buying more game books than anyone at the table. A GM doesn’t just need the players’ book. They also need GM guides, monster books, and adventure books ⁴. If there’s a new game the GM wants to try they have to buy to book, read it, and then introduce the game to the players. This is a point WOTC understands all too well, which is why they called D&D “under-monetized ⁵.”

So, if you know your GM has been eyeing a new game, a book of cool monsters, or a new adventure why not pick that book up as a gift? It helps share the load of expanding the experience at the table, and that’s always a good thing.

6: A favorite table tool

Does your GM enjoy using minis or terrain at the table? Could they use a way to mark statuses or area effects? Do they hold flying creatures in place during combat until they begin sweating from the strain? Why not pick up a nice piece of terrain or a number of minis to throw at the party? Or pick up some status rings, area effect templates, or transparent platforms to show elevation changes? It may make the game run more smooth and the GM will get some new toys–it’s a win-win!

And if your GM is more of a digital presenter, why not pick up some digital mapping assets which they can add to their favorite map-making software or VTT? It’ll only make your games better!

5: A GM Screen

Your GM might sport a nice vinyl screen with some printed inserts on the inside. Or maybe they have a home-crafted monstrosity put together from 3 ring binders and duct tape ⁶. But maybe you feel your GM has earned something that has more…style…to use at the table. Perhaps the group can come together to pop on over to Etsy and pick up one of the beautiful GM screens listed there. And if your party has some key art or a logo perhaps you can even personalize it to match your game! That way you can all game in style and see how you contributed to the experience each time you’re rolling dice together.

4: Gift Certificates

Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to get someone they’d find useful. When that happens a gift certificate is a great option!

Do you have a Friendly Local Gaming Store nearby? Why not support a small business and get the card from there? An FLGS can order just about anything a GM could want, after all. And if you find yourself in a game store desert, but your GM has a favorite game or company, why not grab a gift certificate direct from the publisher?

This gives your GM some new resources and lets you be surprised by the new things they toss at you!

3: Kick in for a subscription

If your group is playing online chances are your GM is paying for some form of subscription to run the virtual tabletop. Why not have the group pool some resources to offset this added cost of running the game? It’ll free up some resources your GM might be able to use to kill your characters with even more vigor!

And if your GM isn’t paying for a VTT subscription perhaps you can chip in to get a year for a campaign management tool like World Anvil or, my favorite, Scabard. If your GM is someone who likes keeping their campaign notes digitally these can be an immense boon! Who knows? Maybe your GM will be so pleased they’ll create a new NPC with the tools just to make your party’s life better!

2: Campaign Memories

Why not get personal with your gift? There are plenty of freelance artists out there who would be willing to take character artwork or a scene description and create an original image showing your campaign world in action. Or, if your GM has created an original map for the world, you can have an artist do an original rendering of it for them to hang in a place of prominence. If you’re splitting the costs between everyone in the party a piece of original art can be commissioned and it won’t break the bank!

Or, if you’ve got someone in your group who knows their way around page layout, maybe everyone in the party can share a write up of their favorite moments in the campaign and you can pay to have the stories professionally edited bound into a book!

Something like this would make any GM’s day!

1: A one shot you run

GMing is a joy, but it can be tiring. So why not tell your GM to take a break and say, “You know what? I’m going to run the next adventure, how about you take turn on the other side of the screen?” You don’t even have to run the same system, perhaps your GM will be so happy they’ll lend you one of their game books to create the adventure and you can introduce the group to a whole new game! And you don’t have to worry about being left all alone for the process, many GMs would be excited to help you with the process of designing a good adventure!

This not only gives your GM a break from preparing the sessions, it gives them some time to come up with some awesome stuff for the next time they get behind the GM screen. But be warned, many “forever GMs” wear that badge because being behind the GM Screen is a blast. Once you get a taste you may not want to leave!