Gift Guide For Gamers 2024: WizKids’ ‘Adventure In A Box – Red Dragon’s Lair’
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of WizKids and their multitude of miniatures. I have shelves upon shelves of these tiny plastic terrors sitting in my office. I would go as far as to say that the folks at Wizkids are my pals and keep me looped-in and up-to-date when new offerings are coming to the table.
My opinions are still very much my own. I could point you to a slew of new offerings from the talented team over there making these magical minis, but I want to present you one of the coolest all-in-one packages that WizKids puts out and explain why it has made it into my 2024 edition of the Gift Guide for Gamers.
Few monsters in the legends and lore of Dungeons & Dragons are as iconic as the Dragon. I would wager the most iconic of all of those dragons is the enigmatic and cruel red dragon. WizKids assembled a rad little box set they call D&D Icons of the Realms: Adventure in a Box – Red Dragon’s Lair, and it allows you to bring all the fire and fury of a red dragon’s lair to your TTRPG table.
This boxed set is a kind of ‘one stop shop’ for crafting a memorable boss battle or setting up a one night melee between daring adventurers and a young red dragon and its forces. It comes with four interlocking battle maps themed in the style of an underground volcanic lair and draconic hoard room. To add to the immersion the lair has treasure piles, stalagmites, and a clutch of dragon eggs to give you some optional to play out how you want to see your story take place.
Along with the red dragon, there is a band of kobold minions to add to the fray allowing you a small force to soften up the party before they eventually clash with the crimson winged lord of the volcanic stronghold.
If you are a Storyteller, this works as a rad adventure in a box that you can return to for a slew of story ideas. If you are a collector, there are some seriously fun little minis in this box. The red dragon has a beautiful sculpt, so that alone is worth the purchase. It makes a great gift for gamers and gets my stamp of approval as one of the most enjoyable Adventures in a Box I have seen. You can grab one at this link.
Until next time, I’ve always seen dragons as these major threats and almost extensions of nature. The way WizKids has really captured the fire and fury of the volcanic lair and the prowling young dragon and its minions in this box set hits home with me in a way I can’t state enough. I would love to see many more Adventures in a Box with this kind of attention to detail.
