Shopping for your favorite DM or player looks easy…but isn’t always. Dice can be a trap; always nice, but they have a ton, or they have a favorite set, and yours will be retired to the bag. Campaign books can be hit or miss — they may already have it, or deliberately do not. Nice dice trays (to avoid wonkiness) can be expensive or unneeded. What will actually land is something that helps to lift up the hours they spend at the table without duplicating anything already there.
You’ve guessed it — that is where scent comes in. It’s a fantastic part of the setup that may not be covered, and it helps to really sell your sessions. Give a candle tied to a class or character, and you’ve given something that shows up in their game.
That is where scent comes in. It is the one part of the sensory setup almost no table has covered, and it is the part with the strongest hold on memory. Give a candle tied to a class or a character and you have given something that shows up in their game.
For the Dungeon Master
The DM does the most work and gets the fewest gifts. They also have the most to gain here, because they are the one running the atmosphere. A candle is a both a tool and decoration, so you’ve got a two birds, one stone situation.
For the DM whose campaign notes always include weather. Wet earth and petrichor — the wilderness scene, ready to light.
Dark, close, and best used sparingly. A tonal switch they can strike on cue when the party opens the wrong door.
For the player, by class
Sage and cypress over a resinous base. Watchful and outdoorsy — for the one who always volunteers to take first watch.
Sun-warmed and floral. Bright without being sweet, which suits the player holding the party together.
Citrus-forward and lively. The comeback scent, for the player who never backs down.
For the first-time player
Candles — or other session enhancements — are a great welcoming gift. It’s a wonderful way to make someone feel like they’re part of the group. Traveler's Rest is the friendliest entry point in the lineup: warm, settled, and easy to like, with no acquired taste to get over — and here’s a perfect opportunity to give someone their first set of dice.
Building the gift
- ✦One candle: a clean, complete gift for a birthday or a thank-you.
- ✦Two candles for a package — contrasting scents to cover sunrise to sunset.
- ✦Candle plus a note naming the character it reminded you of. Costs nothing, doubles the gift.
The right gift for a tabletop player is not another object for the table. It is a better version of the four hours spent around it.
Every blend is hand poured all-natural soy wax in a 9 oz glass with a cork lid, roughly 50 hours of burn time, which will get you through some of those longer campaigns (though we know those can run for awhile!). The shop opens once a month for about two weeks, and each pour is a small batch, so if you are shopping toward a specific date it is worth buying while the doors are open.
FIND YOUR BLEND
Small-batch pours, hand poured all-natural soy wax, 9 oz glass with cork lid, roughly 50 hours of burn. The doors open once a month.