Eleven things you could buy instead of the Dungeons and Dragons 2024 bundle for $180

Pre-orders are open for the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Core Rulebooks. These updates to the three most important reference tomes for DMs and players alike will be released in September (Player’s Handbook), November (Dungeon Master’s Guide), and next February (Monster Manual). And you can reserve your bundle of a digital and physical copy of all three for…$180? That’s quite the chunk of change. If you’re waffling on whether or not you need the updated versions, here’s a list of things that you can buy with the same amount of cash in 2024.

If you’re going to pass on the new rulebooks but keep playing D&D 5e, you could get yourself quite a lot of dice. I stopped trying to find the highest number possible when I found out you can buy them by the pound ($180 will get you just over 7 pounds). Alternatively, you could spend it all on one large and fancy die, such as a solid copper d20. You could buy two actual, real, physical dragons along with a thousand crickets to feed them. Do your homework before jumping into that one — they might not breathe fire (or ice) but baby dragons grow up.

Maybe you’re looking for a new hobby? You can get a decent-quality pogo stick with enough cash left over for the helmet that you’ll inevitably need. There’s currently a sale on lightsabers if your kyber crystals have lost their midi-chlorians (it’s been a while since I’ve watched Star Wars). If you’re under the heat dome that’s scorching parts of North America right now, you could cool off with this surprisingly large inflatable pool (complete with palm tree). If you already have a pool, there’s this motorized lounger float that’s cheap enough to also splurge for the enormous amount of batteries it requires. And if you and a friend want to cool each other off from an absurd distance, these double-barreled LED water guns might be perfect.

Perhaps you prefer to buy things in larger quantities. $180 will get you 82 cans of Ghost Pepper Chicken Noodle Soup. Which is apparently a thing. If you’re impatient for autumn to arrive, 800 pumpkin spice-scented trash bags should carry you through the summer (and probably until next fall). Does the thought of sticking googly eyes on every object you encounter for the next few years appeal to you? 36,000 should do the trick.

Alternatively…the digital-only versions of the 2024 D&D books are just $29 each, so you could pick up all three of those with enough money left over for drinks and snacks for a party of adventurers.