Another D&D Advent Calendar Done Wrong!

-

Last year around this time I started seeing ads for a D&D themed advent calendar, with all kinds of goodies - dice, minis, etc. After looking over the promotional image, several things started bothering me.

One, it wasn't an official Wizards of the Coast product, but they were using images of Player's Handbook cover. A different version had the image of the original D&D movie. I couldn't image a company paying all those licensing fees for different cover images. Also, some of the included items didn't look like they would fit inside the box sizes shown, like a fire giant mini, or a wooden treasure chest.

In short it was all a scam. But strangely, they did deliver product to those who paid, but none of the products shown on the promotion. If you want to see a video of what was included, here's the reveal for day 5.

(Note there was a legitimate advent calendar from Adventure Dice in 2020, but it was all dice and the packaging was unimpressive to say the least - you can find a video on YouTube about this offering)

I mention all of this because this year I stumbled across a new advent calendar, only this time called Dungeons & Dragons: The Official Countdown Gift Calendar: 25 Days of Mini Books, Mementos, and More! Sadly, it seems to be a different kind of hot mess from the previous calendar.

First, why is it 25 days, as all advent calendars are 24, with the last day syncing up with Christmas Eve. Secondly, why are they afraid to call it an advent, its from a company, Insight Editions, that lists the book under Christian Books & Bibles. And lastly, why do all of the items look like they were made in an arts and crafts class?

If you want to see what's inside each day's gift, check out this Amazon link (the product is available at Target, Walmart, and other locations, but only Amazon shows what's inside).

D&D Countdown Gift Calendar

On the plus side, as opposed to the previous year's advent, at least items are properly D&D themed, but just not really gamer themed - like the paper Christmas tree ornaments featuring an owlbear or gelatinous cube. The downside is they look like they were printed on cardstock, used a crafting circle punch and a few cents of silver string - again, like something you can make in a crafting class and some free software.

The only thing truely "gamer" related is the pencil - everyone needs those.

And this brings me to the final question. Why is it so hard for someone to do a real D&D themed advent? A set of dice can take up several days, include a few unpainted plastic minis, a pencil or two, and then fill out with a few silly items, like stickers or buttons. And if you do it right, the advent calendar box could be converted into a DM screen.

Come on WotC? WizKids? Gale Force Nine? What are you waiting for?

Popular posts from this blog

Character Sheet for New Players / Kid Players

-
Image
This sheet is great for a simple game where you've already decided to drop skills and feats out of the game (certainly doable in 5e). There is a small corner with a few helpful hints, but the white text on light purple background might be hard to read when printed. I was recently asked by a friend if I knew of any versions of the Character Sheet for D&D 5e geared toward kids. Seems he's teaching his children the game, and I applaud him for creating the next generation of D&D gamers. I've also been thinking of starting to teach my son, and maybe a few other kids the game, so I began looking around for alternate versions of the classic 5e Character Sheet that could be used with new players or kid players. I found a few that all seem to have some merit, so let me present my findings and you can decide for yourself. Some small, simplified sheets (not just for kids): The first is this nice simple sheet . The sheet has some color coding. It's a great she
Read more

A Different Keep on the Borderlands - Part 3

-
Image
After defeating the hobgoblins and draconian and securing their location (see part 2 for more details), the party took time to rest and heal from their wounds. With guards stationed on the roof, the night passed without incident. The early morning, however, was not as quiet. From the roof, the lookout could see several hobgoblins coming over to their tower, while a few others left the keep by way of the breach in the back wall. With the hobgoblins making their way over, inside the party made their preparations: * Hunter (the half-elven ranger) and Arterion (the elven mage) took secure positions on the roof with bow and arrow. * Meanwhile, Theodonis (the kender), Greybear (the druid), and Bergin (the minotaur cleric) took positions on the first floor, ready to strike should the tower door fall. From the roof, Hunter was able to kill one of the hobgoblins before they entered the tower. Once inside Theo, Bergin, and Greybear engaged the hobgoblins in melee combat. After a few minutes of
Read more

DM Tools: Graph Paper (The Right Tool for the Right Job)

-
Image
No other component of rpgs, from the earliest versions of Dungeons and Dragons to the latest Pathfinder or 13th Age releases, is more iconic or necessary to the game than The Map. The Map helps new and experienced DMs quickly describe a dungeon, lay out a town, or, in some cases, set up a temporal flowchart of actions and events. And the chief tool for setting any of these up is graph paper. Now graph paper is readily available in office supply stores and most retail stores. At 4 squares per inch, a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of typical graph paper yields 34 x 44 squares, which at 5ft per square (the de facto scale of modern maps) ends up being over 37,000 square feet of area to map. For most maps, this should be more than enough area, but what if you need something else? Maybe you want more area for a larger map, or to detail a major city, or what if you're like me, and you want extra area around the map to add all sorts of notes and legends? Then you might want to ch
Read more