Need gift ideas for players after completing multi-year campaign

[djotaku]

I see it’s been a while since you posted, but I just wanted to ask—has anyone ever given their players custom dice sets themed around their characters? I recently did that after a long campaign, and it went over really well. Now I'm considering doing character sketch commissions too. Curious if anyone's tried that or has other unique ideas that felt really personal to the players.

I wanted to say that with Heroforge now you can make dice that have your characters INSIDE them.

A problem with 'one size fits all' type gifts is often one or more of the recipients doesn't really need or want that type of item. Personally, I don't really want any more dice or dice bags. I have a set that works well. A couple of my friends don't understand this concept and keep gifting dice. Which wind up stored away unused.
If the characters are being retired, a custom figure or portrait could well fall into the cool but stored away and never used category.

If there is one special event that is frequently talked about, maybe a custom sketch/drawing of that event with suitable caption. Memorable battle. A campaign pivot social encounter. Something that went comically wrong.

Nothing wrong with a different gift for each player based on the GM's perception of what each might want/need.

SUCH great points. I'm in the same situation with one of my other hobbies - grilling/bbqing. I don't need another set of crappy-ass tongs that don't work or that giant fork I never use. I'm into the hobby, so I already have the good stuff. Unless I put it on my wishlist. Like I might ask -- if the gift givers had this kind of money -- for one of those really nice wooden GM screens with the magnets built in. But for cheaper gifts, I'd rather they look at my wishlist for monster books, adventure paths, or other things that I don't already have and would like to have.

Nice thing about the drawing is that it doesn't become clutter. It could become their desktop or phone background. Or it could become their avatar on this site and/or other sites.

 

[Umbran]

So, this one doesn't generalize well, calling for some individual work....

When my wife was playing a mad-science Victorian botanist in a Space: 1889 game, I just happened to run into a mug from Cognitive Surplus, with some cool art of poisonous plants on it.

When that game ended, and we started a Hollow West game in which she's playing a cryptid hunter, I went to Etsy and found another mug, this time with a jackalope on it.

Finding a regular use item, decorated in a way that is reminiscent of the character, can't be beat. They get reminders forever.