I first met Tom at Tabletop Scotland last year. We got chatting, swapped contact details, and I was thrilled when they reached out ahead of their new Kickstarter. In fact, I’m feeling quite chuffed, as I was able to get my hands on an early copy of their upcoming project: The Deck of Holding.
LunaBear Games is turning to Kickstarter in early October to fund a larger print run of these D&D 2024 monster reference cards. Based on the pre-production copy I have, they’ve created a high-quality and exceptionally useful tool for any Dungeon Master.
What is The Deck of Holding?
At its core, The Deck of Holding is a deck of monster reference cards designed for the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Each card features a full-colour illustration and key stats on the front, with more detailed information and lore on the back.
For the busy GM, the applications are immediately obvious. Need a random encounter? Just shuffle the deck and draw a card. Want to be more prepared? You can easily create smaller, pre-made sub-decks for specific situations, perhaps grouping monsters by Challenge Rating or environment. When your players wander off the beaten path and you need a sudden woodland encounter, you can simply shuffle your “Forest Creatures” sub-deck and draw a monster at random. It’s a system that works incredibly well in practice.
The goal, an angle LunaBear Games is highlighting in their Kickstarter, is to keep the game’s momentum going. Instead of pausing the action to flip through a heavy rulebook, you can have a monster on the table in seconds. This keeps excitement levels high and interruptions low.
Card Design and Information
The cards themselves are thoughtfully designed. I’ve already waxed lyrical about the art, which is fantastic. It’s a real boon to be able to show a card to your players, especially after a tough fight when the stats are no longer a secret.
The layout is clean and intuitive:
- The Front: The monster’s name, type, and alignment are prominent. Across the top, you have the six core ability scores. At a glance, you can also see the essentials for combat: Armour Class, Hit Points, Initiative modifier, Challenge Rating, and XP value. In a lovely touch, each card credits the artist for their work—a small but important detail.
- The Back: Flipping the card over reveals a wealth of text, including summaries of traits, skills, Actions, and, for those days when the party is having a really bad time, any Legendary Actions the creature might have.
LunaBear has made some smart design choices to maximise space. Icons are used to represent common attributes like hit points, armour class, and various speeds (climb, swim, etc.). This clever use of iconography keeps the cards from feeling cluttered while ensuring all the necessary information is present.
Monster Selection
Most of the creatures in my deck are familiar faces from the 2024 D&D Monster Manual. However, some are exclusive monsters from LunaBear Games’ own adventures. This is a brilliant feature if you enjoy surprising your players with creatures they’ve never encountered before. Conversely, if you are a GM who is very strict about not introducing third-party content into your campaigns, it’s a point to be aware of.
My deck also includes not just monsters, but pre-statted humanoid encounters, adding another layer of utility for generating quick conflicts or NPCs.
Final Thoughts
With the D&D 2024 rules update still fresh, there aren’t many physical aids like this on the market yet. The ability to select multiple monsters quickly using a card-based system is so much faster and more tactile than any digital alternative.
The Deck of Holding is a well-executed and practical accessory for any GM looking to streamline their game preparation and keep combat encounters dynamic and fast-paced. I suspect this Kickstarter will be quite popular when it launches.
The Deck of Holding is due to launch on Kickstarter in early October now.
