As a budding DM who just started her first full length campaign, I’m always looking for D&D resources. Minis and maps and terrain are at a premium these days. It can be hard to figure out what you might need and when you will need it. That’s where Dungeon in a Box comes in!
Dungeon in a Box is a monthly subscription service, delivering D&D materials straight to your doorstep. We were sent a sample box and I was eager to dive in. Every box has the following items:
- Adventure Book: 24+ pages of content, enough content for a month of adventure.
- Maps and Terrain: Each box comes with two gridded adventure maps and a smattering of terrain tiles.
- Minis & Monsters: You’ll also receive two Reaper minis in each box, along with a sheet of acrylic “skinny minis”.
- Digital Dungeon: If you play online, each box also provides a subscription to online resources that offer a digital version of the box.
The Adventure Book
The box I received had two adventure books in it. One goes along with the Dungeon in a Box’s overarching campaign. It can be used to follow along with their story, or integrated into your own campaign. The second was a “Wondrous One Shot”. Both were chock full of encounters and story lines that could be molded to any campaign.
I was impressed in particular with the Wondrous One Shot. It is short, simple, and came with its own extra large mini. It was a quick read and I already have plans to play it out with my Sunday crew as a one-shot.
Maps and Terrain
I’m learning you can never have too many maps. This box came with two double sided play mats. Each side a different setting, perfect to integrate into your campaign. They are sturdy and well made and seem like they would hold up over time, through multiple uses.
The box also came with terrain tiles. These are tiles and objects that can be set on the map to spice it up. I’m personally not a huge fan of terrain tiles, simply because I have a hard time figuring out how to use them. But they’re useful to have in case the opportunity arises to utilize them creatively.
Minis & Monsters
Reaper minis are all fine and good. The two I received have already been put to use in my Descent into Avernus campaign. You can never have too many traditional minis. However, the real selling point for me for this subscription box were what they call “skinny minis”.
These minis are flat acrylic characters with high quality colors and details that you insert into bases to set them on the map. They’re beautiful, honestly. The art style is fantastic and rich and it saves me from pretending I’m ever going to paint minis. They’re also wildly easy to store. The bases and minis can be stored flat, either in a bag or in a binder with sleeves.
To be honest, I wish I could buy sheets of the skinny minis because they’re exactly the sort of thing I want out of D&D minis. They make these boxes stand out.
Digital Dungeon
With the rise of platforms like Roll20, D&D no longer has to take place around a physical table. Dungeon in a Box recognizes that by including digital versions of the boxes’ content which can be uploaded to Roll20 or used on whatever platform you like best. There are digital copies of the maps, terrain, minis, the adventure, and even a soundtrack!
Final Thoughts
Dungeon in a Box is a fantastic service for DMs, whether they’ve been doing it for a decade, or only a couple of months. It is chock full of everything needed to run a creative, engaging session. The skinny minis alone make these boxes remarkable.
Subscriptions start at $33/month for a month-to-month plan, but the price per month goes down substantially for longer subscriptions. The best deal is for the year, where each box comes to $29.50/month.
Whatever you decide, we love Dungeon in a Box and can’t wait to watch them grow. You can learn more by checking out their website to pick up a subscription for yourself.
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