A Handy Guide to Tabletop Gaming Accessories

The best guide to tabletop gaming accessories starts with a slightly unpopular truth: you do not need to turn up with a wagon full of gear to have a brilliant game. A great accessory earns its place at the table. It saves time, protects something you love, makes the story easier to follow, or adds a little more atmosphere when the party kicks open the dungeon door.

Whether you are building your first Dungeons & Dragons kit, buying for a campaign veteran, or choosing a gift for the friend who has somehow become the group’s permanent Dungeon Master, the right pieces make game night feel more like your game. Powered by caffeine and questionable decisions, naturally.

Start with the way your table actually plays

Before buying anything, think about the practical reality of your sessions. Do you play weekly around a dining table, squeezed into the local gaming café, or online with the occasional in-person epic? A beautifully hefty wooden dice tower is a joy in a dedicated gaming space, but perhaps less ideal if your entire kit needs to fit in a backpack for the train.

Also consider the game itself. Fast, combat-heavy sessions benefit from accessories that keep dice, miniatures and tokens under control. Story-led campaigns may get more from a striking initiative tracker, a character-themed dice box, or a map that helps everyone picture the world beyond the tavern door. For one-shots, portability matters. For a long-running campaign, it can be worth choosing pieces with more personality and staying power.

There is no correct loadout. The aim is not to own every shiny thing in the realm. It is to remove the tiny irritations that break the flow of play.

The tabletop accessories worth choosing first

Dice trays keep rolls where they belong

A dice tray is one of those accessories that sounds unnecessary until somebody rolls a natural 20 straight into a drink. It gives every roll a clear landing zone, stops dice vanishing under furniture, and saves character sheets from repeated battering.

Wooden trays bring a satisfying weight and warmth to the table, especially when they are made with an inset rolling surface. Look for a size that suits the dice you use. A small tray is handy for travel and personal rolls; a wider one suits dramatic handfuls of damage dice and players who roll as if the fate of the kingdom depends on it.

If space is tight, choose a tray with raised edges rather than a huge footprint. If your group plays on a treasured wooden table, a tray is more than decorative - it is an act of diplomacy.

Dice boxes protect the precious click-clacks

Good dice have a habit of multiplying. One set becomes a colour theme, then a special set for healing spells, then a tiny collection large enough to alarm a sensible person. A dice box keeps them together, protects sharper-edged resin sets, and means you are not rummaging through a bag while everyone waits for your initiative roll.

This is where handmade accessories shine. A wooden box can feel like a proper home for a favourite set rather than another bit of plastic clutter. Choose a design that reflects the player’s character, campaign or favourite fictional world, but do not forget the practical details. Check that it has enough internal space, closes securely, and will survive being packed for conventions or game nights.

For a gift, a dice box is a particularly safe choice. You do not need to know someone’s exact character build, and it remains useful even when they start a new campaign.

Dice towers are brilliant, but not for every group

A dice tower produces consistent rolls and keeps chaos contained. It can be especially useful for Dungeon Masters rolling behind a screen, for players with limited dexterity, or for tables where dice regularly escape into the wilderness beneath the sofa.

The trade-off is noise and space. Some towers are loud, tall, or awkward to transport. If your group plays in a quiet café or has limited table room, a tray may be the better first purchase. But in a home game with plenty of room, a characterful tower adds a lovely little ritual to the act of rolling. The dice go in, destiny comes out.

Token and miniature storage prevents table sprawl

Tokens, standees and miniatures make encounters clearer, but loose components can turn a table into a battlefield before the goblins arrive. Small storage boxes, compartment organisers and display-friendly trays help keep monsters, player figures and status markers ready to use.

For miniature-heavy games, think about what needs protecting. Painted figures need more care than cardboard tokens, while unpainted plastic miniatures can usually cope with simpler storage. Avoid buying a huge organiser simply because it looks impressive. Measure the minis you actually own and leave a little room for the inevitable next encounter pack.

A guide to tabletop gaming accessories for Dungeon Masters

Dungeon Masters often need accessories that support the whole table rather than one character. Their best purchases are usually the ones that reduce admin without making the game feel like a board meeting.

An initiative tracker can make turn order visible at a glance, freeing the DM from repeatedly asking who is up next. Condition markers are helpful in games where characters are poisoned, restrained, blessed, cursed, on fire, or dealing with the usual Tuesday night nonsense. A dedicated container for encounter tokens also cuts down on setup time between scenes.

Maps deserve a little thought too. A detailed multilayered wooden map can be a striking piece of fandom art for a gaming room, while a simple reusable battle mat may be the more useful tool for weekly combat. One is a statement piece; the other is a workhorse. Plenty of DMs enjoy both, but they serve different jobs.

If you are buying for a DM, resist the urge to choose something that creates more preparation. A box for their existing kit, a tray for their dice, or a practical tracker is often more welcome than a complicated prop that needs assembling before every game.

Choose character over clutter

The most memorable gaming tables have a point of view. Maybe yours leans towards shadowy horror, high fantasy taverns, neon sci-fi, or a cheerfully chaotic mix of every fandom anyone has ever loved. Accessories can help create that feeling without covering every available inch of table.

A few well-chosen pieces go further than a pile of unrelated gear. Match woods, colours or themes where you can. A dark-stained dice box and tray can give a gothic campaign a cohesive look; lighter timber and map-inspired details might suit a party travelling through a bright fantasy realm. Handmade pieces are especially good at bringing texture and character that mass-produced accessories often miss.

At My Little Workshop, that is the joy of making fandom pieces from wood: an accessory can be useful at game night and still look right at home on a shelf between sessions. Just remember that unofficial handmade fan art is a celebration of the stories we love, not licensed merchandise.

Practical checks before you buy

A handsome accessory that does not fit your game is still going to live in a drawer. Before committing, check its dimensions, materials and likely use. Think about who will carry it, where it will sit, and whether it will be handled by a table full of excited players.

For wooden accessories, a few marks over time are part of the charm, but they still deserve basic care. Keep them away from standing water, wipe spills promptly, and avoid leaving them in very damp or very hot places. If you take them travelling, wrap them so metal dice or loose miniatures do not knock about inside.

Personalisation is another decision worth making carefully. A character name, party emblem or campaign date can turn a lovely item into a keepsake. On the other hand, a more general fantasy or sci-fi design may stay relevant through many campaigns. Neither choice is better - it depends whether you are marking one legendary adventure or building a kit for years of games ahead.

Build your kit one piece at a time

A sensible first kit might be as simple as dice, a dice tray and a secure box. From there, add what your group genuinely needs: a tower for runaway rolls, storage for miniatures, trackers for busy combats, or themed décor for a dedicated gaming corner.

The accessory you reach for every session is worth far more than the one that only looks impressive in a photo. Choose pieces that make you want to gather your party, clear the table and ask the only question that really matters: what do you do?