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Source: Dwarwen Forge Miniature Terrain
Game Aids to support play
This is some of the game aids you can use to support the play. A varity of different aids can be used but the right is listed the most common. The solution to chose also depends on how much money your group can afford to spend
Below is a more detailed explanation with pictures and references to each solution
The Dungeon Master
Dice
Buy a RPG Dice set consiting of 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 10-sided, 12-sided and 20-sided dice and make/buy your own Dice bag made of Leather or cloth. Both can be bought in a game store
  
If you want to make your own Dice bag it can be done very cheap by visiting a leather worker store and buy following:
1. Small pice of thick Leather
2. Pack of cord rings
3. Cord ring piston
4. Pincer to make cord ring holes
5. Laces
It should cost 10-15 EUR and then you can make 4-5 dice bags for the whole group and it will be more durable and in higher quality than most of the ones you can purchase.
Screen
You can easily create your own DM Screen from a piece of cardboard or Plywood. Glue the most used tables on inner side for quick reference
Alternatively you can buy an Official DM Screen from Wizard of the coast
Dungeon setup
1. Method
Get a cheap residual plate made from Tempered glass from a glass manufactorer at a size close to your gaming table
On a large piece of cardboard which is of equal size of the Tempered glass plate you draw a 5x5 feet grid untill it covers all of the cardboard. Then place the Cardboard grid below the glass plate - and now you have a nice gaming board where you can draw your dungeon on.
Use a Dry erase whiteboard marker for drawing a dungeon on glass plate - easy to draw and easy to erase again and again.
  
2. Method
Buy Battle mat with 5x5 feet grid on one side and hex on the other. Forexample Chessex Role Playing Play Mat: MEGAMAT Double-Sided Reversible Mat for RPGs and Miniature Figure Games.
Use Waterbased overhead markers for drawing a dungeon on mat. Forexample Staedtler Lumocolor Water Based Overhead Projection Markers
3. Method
Buy Carton Dungeon Tiles (rooms, hallways, doors, traps etc..) for laying out a 2D dungeon. You can buy these sets from Wizard of the Coast or other producers of fantasy tiles
3. Expensive Method:
Buy 3D Miniature Terrain for building a real 3D dungeon. The by far best terrain available is Dwarven Forge Terrain. It is made of resin and very solid and durable for a lifetime. The tiles lay steady on the table without a problem. The tiles are pre-painted by hand and detail level is great. The downside is that it is very expensive and hard to get hold of (expecially the older collections). But if you can afford it it is word all of it.
A less expensive alternative is to buy it from Dungeonstone instead.Quality and detail is a bit lower and it is mainly sold unpainted. There is a few sets which are pre-painted.
 
Picture: Unpainted Dungeonstone terrain Picture: Pre-painted Dwarven forge Terrain
Game Pieces
1. Method:
You can use Board Game tokens or various 25-30mm plastic toy figurines or make your own Carton Tiles with Player Characters and Monsters pictured on them. The carton tiles with characters can also be bought from example Fiery dragon. You can find the link on the link page. There is a zip file collection of these on the Material page (item no. 22)
2. Method
You can Buy new or second hand old metal miniatures painted or unpainted. These metal miniatures where the first ones used during 1980's and 1990's before WoTC started produced the pre-pinted D&D miniatures. Main producers of these has been Genadier, Ral Partha and Games Workshop. You can still buy lots of new metal figures for own painting but it is also easy to buy some used on the ebay.
  
3. Method:
Buy Offical pre-painted durable D&D miniatures in (from Wizards of the Coast). you can sse a collection of these on the miniature gallery pages on this site. The advantage is that they are really detailed and adding a lot to the visualisation and are made in correct scales (tiny, small, Medium, large, Huge, Gaugantuan and colossal sizes)
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Different game aids
Dice
Buy a RPG Dice set consiting of 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 10-sided, 12-sided and 20-sided dice
Create/buy your own Dice bag made of Leather or cloth
Screen
1. Cheap Method:
Create your own DM Screen from a large piece of cardboard or Plywood. Glue most used tables on inner side for quick reference
2. Average Method:
Buy Official DM Screen from Wizard of the coast
Dungeon setup
1. Cheap Method:
Tempered glass plate + homemade Cardboard plate with
5x5 feet grid
Use Dry erase whiteboard marker for drawing a dungeon on glass plate
2. Average Method:
Buy Battle mat with 5x5 feet grid and hex
Use Waterbased overhead markers for drawing a dungeon on mat
OR
Buy Carton Dungeon Tiles (rooms, hallways, doors, traps etc..) for laying out a 2D dungeon
3. Expensive Method:
Buy 3D Miniature Terrain for building a real 3D dungeon
Game Pieces
1. Cheap Method:
Use Board Game tokens or various 25-30mm plastic toy figurines
Make your own Carton Tiles with Player Characters and Monsters pictured on them
2. Average Method:
Buy Carton Tiles with Player Characters and Monsters
Buy new/second hand metal miniatures painted or unpainted
3. Expensive Method:
Buy Offical pre-painted durable D&D miniatures in (from Wizards of the Coast)
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