What to Buy for a D&D Game Night

A D&D game night needs more than rulebooks and a bag of dice. You’ll need enough character sheets, writing supplies, table space, lighting, food, and drinks for the whole session, plus equipment for maps or digital play. Use this list to check what must be bought, borrowed, or brought before the players arrive. The details that are easiest to miss are spare pencils, power strips, serving dishes, and enough dice for several players to roll at once.

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What to bring

Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.

Furniture

Tablesqty 3
Chairsqty 14
Buffet table

Game materials

Dungeon Master screen
D&D rulebooksqty 3
Polyhedral dice setsqty 14
Dice traysqty 3
Initiative trackersqty 2
Battle mapsqty 3
Miniaturesqty 40
Ground tilesqty 30
Tokensqty 200
Character sheetsqty 20
Notepadsqty 14
Pencilsqty 20
Erasersqty 10
Pencil sharpenersqty 3
Writing boardsqty 14

Equipment

Laptop
Projector
Projector screen
Extension cordsqty 3
Power stripsqty 3
Bluetooth speaker

Lighting

Table lampsqty 3

Tableware

Reusable glassesqty 20
Mugsqty 14
Platesqty 20
Cutlery setsqty 20
Serving plattersqty 6
Serving tongsqty 3

Kitchen

Coolersqty 2
Thermos flasksqty 2
Kettle
Coffee maker

Cleaning

Dishpan
Dish brushesqty 2
Cleaning bucketsqty 2
Mopsqty 2
Trash binsqty 3

Decorations

Tableclothsqty 3
Name badgesqty 14
Directional signsqty 4

Catering

Groceries
- Coffee - 2 packs
- Tea Bags - 40 pieces
- Sugar - 1 pack
- Milk - 4 liters
- Oat milk - 2 liter
- Sparkling water - 6 bottles
- Still water - 6 bottles
- Cola - 4 bottles
- Cola Zero - 4 bottles
- Sinas - 3 bottles
- Ginger beer - 2 bottles
- Alcohol-free beer - 12 bottles
- Beer - 24 bottles
- White wine - 3 bottles
- Red wine - 2 bottles
- Apple juice - 2 cartons
- Orange juice - 2 cartons
- Paprika chips - 2 bags
- Plain chips - 2 bags
- Tortilla chips - 3 bags
- Salsa - 3 jars
- Hummus - 3 tubs
- Cucumber - 4 pieces
- Carrots - 2 kilogram
- Grapes - 2 kilogram
- Apples - 14 pieces
- Mini pizzas - 30 pieces
- Vegetarian mini pizzas - 12 pieces
- Baguettes - 4 pieces
- Herb butter - 3 tubs
- Vegetarian wraps - 14 pieces
- Wraps - 14 pieces
- Chicken breast spread - 500 grams
- Hummus for wraps - 3 tubs
- Lettuce - 3 heads
- Tomatoes - 1 kilogram
- Grated cheese - 500 gram
- Mayonnaise - 1 bottle
- Ketchup - 1 bottle
- Mustard - 1 jar
- Salt - 1 pack
- Pepper - 1 jar
- Cookies - 4 packs
- Brownies - 24 pieces
- Chocolate - 6 bars
- Candy mix - 2 kilograms
- Napkins - 100 pieces
- Coffee filters - 1 pack
- Dish soap - 1 bottle
- All-purpose cleaner - 1 bottle
- Paper towels - 4 rolls
- Toilet paper - 12 rolls
- Trash bags - 1 roll
- Aluminum foil - 1 roll
- Cling film - 1 roll

Tips

Plan at least one polyhedral dice set per player, plus two or three spare sets for missing or misplaced dice. Dice trays also help keep rolls from scattering across the game table.
Bring one printed character sheet per player and keep at least two extra copies available. Set out pencils, erasers, a sharpener, notepads, and writing boards before the game starts.
If you are using physical maps, prepare the battle maps, ground tiles, miniatures, and tokens together. Count the miniatures and tokens before leaving; replacing a missing piece during the session is difficult.
For a four-hour session, allow roughly two to three drinks per person for the first hour and one drink per person for each additional hour. Add plates, cutlery, reusable glasses, mugs, and serving platters so snacks do not end up beside the rulebooks.
Test the laptop, projector, speaker, table lamps, extension cords, and power strips at least one day ahead. Pack one spare extension cord and check that every game table has a usable light source.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need for a D&D game night?: Bring rulebooks, a Dungeon Master screen, polyhedral dice, character sheets, pencils, maps, miniatures, tokens, and initiative trackers. For the room, plan tables, chairs, lighting, power supplies, food, drinks, and tableware.
How many dice sets do I need for a D&D game night?: Allow one complete polyhedral dice set per player, then add two or three spare sets. For six players, that means at least eight or nine sets if you want rolls to continue when dice are lost or shared.
How much food and drink should I buy for D&D?: For a four-hour game, plan two to three drinks per person during the first hour and one per person for every hour after that. Buy snacks that can be served on plates or platters without covering character sheets or maps.
What should I prepare the day before a D&D game night?: Test the laptop, projector, speaker, extension cords, and power strips at least 24 hours beforehand. Also print the character sheets, check the game materials, chill the drinks, and count the dice, miniatures, and tokens.

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