Discussion: Gifts For Gamers

Yeah yeah, I know already. Easy topic. Basically just a waste of your day right? Well, maybe not.

The holidays being the time of year when we're actually supposed to give a damn about other people and give them stuff, instead of just wanting to take stuff. So, I figured why not make a post on gifts for gamers? Add your own ideas in the comments, but here's just a few ideas.

New Dice: Gamers, at least our kind of gamers, are always looking for more dice. I can't think of a time in my 20 years of gaming where I've said "Hey, I think we have too many dice here..." but I have said, on plenty of occasions, "we don't have enough dice here..." Dice can make a very awesome gift too. You can put a lot into the choice for the color scheme - bonus points for basing it off something that makes you think of a specific character - the make up, and the price range. Just need a quick stocking stuffer? A quick set of chessex dice or other bargain collection works. Want something a bit more pricy? Why not check out Game Science or some of the custom material dice such as bone dice, steel dice, and well, all the other kinds?

New System: Some gamers are very monogamous when it comes to their gaming. Ain't nothing wrong with that either. If D&D, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, or whatever other system gives you everything you've ever wanted out of a system than that's great. For the rest of us, not much offers the same possibilities and intrigue as a new system. Sure, it involves reading and figuring it out, but that is half the fun. Even if the system is never played it might still spark ideas for house rules, scenarios, or other situations for the game. Oh, and if the person is in to game design, nothing quite beats seeing alternative ways to approach the same problems.

That New Supplement: Most established systems have game books coming out quite regularly. Quite a few gamers are a book or two behind their favorite system just due to monetary issues and things of that nature. A splat book goes from $20 to $30. If you're fine paying that price, and especially if you're in a game that uses that book with the gift receiver, it can be a very fun way of helping add to a game in progress while giving the person something you know they'll use.

A Session To Play In: This one's more for the GMs out there, but some GMs really just want to play in a game. Sometimes they feel trapped into always being the GM. Why not run a one shot for them? They'll probably love it. Especially since, if nothing else, it gives them a chance to be a player. It also gives you a chance to get revenge for all those evil and nefarious plots out there.

Your thoughts?