I have a joke with J, the owner of our FLGS (favorite local gaming store), that his new release posts always seem to tell me what I need. Since I earn store credit for running two games at his shop, I’ve been able to build up a really nice collection of books and tools in my first solid 15 months of being a DM. Some of these things have been crazy useful, and I love sharing these finds with others. I want to note that while I have reviewed things sent to me by gaming reps before, none of the products I am going to discuss in this article came to me from a rep. They were either recommended by J or were something I discovered from those handy online algorithms that went, “Oh, you like D&D stuff!”
Loke Battle Map Books
I own more than a few of these now. This was something I discovered because of J—support those awesome local gaming stores, folks—and I liked them so much that I have a variety of them now. Battle Map Books are spiral-bound books with a selection of battle maps for D&D scenarios. There are some themed sets, but the original line has a huge variety of indoor and outdoor options. The “standard ones” are $26.99 with little books at $12.99 and the double book sets at $46.99.
Why are these so cool? First off, they use expo marker rather than wet erase (so very much easier to deal with as far as I’m concerned), lay flat, and instantly create cool double-page scenes including sections of city with streets, outdoors, caverns, or even dungeon-type rooms. They are also not specific to any particular gaming system or edition. When I don’t have cool terrain for something, I can pop out one of these or accent an area with the scatter terrain I do have. Every time I turn around, it feels like they’re coming out with something even cooler. They are actually in the pre-campaign stages of a Kickstarter for some new scenery books with reusable decals as well, so I know one of the things being added to my collection next. You can sign up for the alerts or check out their current offerings.
Pathfinder Flip-Mats From Paizo
I run D&D, and these flip-maps may be branded for Pathfinder, but they are absolutely not specific to gaming systems or editions. We own one of those insanely large battle maps that has to be rolled up and uses wet erase only. When I started running things in a store where I needed it for running things with a specific map (like Ghosts of Saltmarsh), I had to drag along that monstrosity every week, and there’s still some wet erase that’s going to take longer to come off because of the colors (ugh to the red based inks) and the fact they’ve really set since I needed them for several weeks and couldn’t just erase them between sessions.
Enter the flip-maps. I have the general map color (there are also terrain types), but they can take dry erase, wet erase, and even permanent marker. On top of that, they fold down to 8×10 inches, which means they won’t overwhelm your bookcase, and they are super easy for me to transport back and forth to our gaming store. Since they’re also double-sided, I can easily assign one side to each of my groups too. Once again, this was a shining example of J getting new items in the store and me realizing that was something I absolutely needed. They come in a variety of sizes and price points with the 24×30 Standard sizes going for $16.99, the Bigger at 27×39 for $21.99, and the Enormous at 30×46 for $24.99. You can check out the entire line here, but I highly recommend the Enormous Basic for any DM.
Arcknight Spell Effects
This was the one the social media algorithms put on my radar, but I feel like those algorithms knew what they were doing big time. Spell ranges are tricky, especially as they have different shapes they pop up in, so sorting out who is and isn’t in range isn’t always as easy as you like. Enter the Spell Effects from Arcknight. They’re clear and plastic and drop over your battle maps to show you exactly what is and is not in range. They’re also great for players to show you exactly where they’re trying to aim a spell in order to hit what. Each piece is marked for specific spells and note the spell damage right on the side. Bottom line: I absolutely love using them.
I DM for kids and it can really help them to have that visual of exactly where their spell goes. My sorcerer has a much easier time lining up what he wants to hit with a Lightning Bolt, and it was very useful when he was strategically lining up a Wall of Fire to block some bad guys while keeping in mind where very flammable buildings are. One of the warlocks used one to very carefully cast a spell in a room to hit all the bad guys but set it up to keep the tanks just out of reach at the same time. When one of my players got access to Fireball, I was able to hold up the measuring tool to point out to them just what a Fireball range was before I gave that group a friendly little chat about how Fireball is a responsibility and a privilege. The only bad news is they’re a bit more system and edition-specific. The good news is they offer them for D&D, Pathfinder, and Savage Worlds as well as the ability to buy the cool colored sheets to cut out your own for custom spells or systems not included. The D&D and Pathfinder sets have a MSRP of $50 with Savage Worlds at $15. Some items are currently discounted, though, so you may just want to check it out.
So, for all of you DMs out there, I hope you found something useful here. I love all of the cool stuff that has come out for helping us run this complicated but absolutely worth-it game.
