Dungeonmeister: The Deck of Many Drinks Review - A Recipe For Chaos

When it comes to tabletop tools, I am always looking for the next exciting way to boost a campaign. However, I wasn’t expecting to find one of my all-time favorite additions in a deck filled with alcoholic recipe cards. The Dungeonmeister The Deck of Many Drinks recipe collection is a must-have for D&D fans, and I can’t state enough the spice it’s adding to the party and my kitchen.

While using a sourcebook is a solid way to run any Dungeons & Dragons campaign, the opportunity to freshen things up is a welcome twist for any DM or party member. There are plenty of homebrew options that can tackle this need in a tidy fashion, but few additions are as interesting as The Deck of Many Drink.

Key Details

Publisher: Adams Media/ Simon & Schuster
Creators: Jef Aldrich & Jon Taylor
D&D Compatible: Yes
Release Date: May 28, 2024
Where to Buy: Amazon/Barnes & Noble
Price: $16.99 USD
Review Copy: Yes

A Delightful Deck Of Many Uses

The Deck of Many Drinks, taking a play off The Deck of Many Things, is a set of 50 cards that can be used as a random drink menu, or a dangerous addition to party loot in a tabletop campaign.

To use the deck for drinks, shuffle the cards for a random drink selection, or paw threw the cards in menu fashion. Once a drink is selected, the small recipe booklet in the box will walk the maker through creating the dangerous concoction.

However, for Dungeons & Dragons players looking to throw a wrench in the campaign loot, this deck has an entirely different function. Every one of the cards in the box offers an effect for a character who drinks it. Some of these are handy, dealing damage or offering buffs. Others are more of a bust than a boon, hindering character progress or causing chaos following consumption.

The DM can choose to explain the effects of the potion to players who obtain one, or they can wait to break it down until after it is used, adding an additional element of intrigue to those taking the risk.

Using The Deck of Many Drinks In Campaigns Is A Delight

While I love a fun drink, and can’t resist anything with a cute D&D nickname, I personally think the best way to encounter this deck for the first time is during a campaign.

The DM can sub out or add random drinks from The Deck of Many Drinks to loot or earnings. They can even throw them bottled into a bin at the town shop for players to purchase at a discount. While you can’t build a full one-shot using this deck, the chaos it can cause shakes up a session and adds an unknown element that even very seasoned D&D players won’t expect.

Delicious Recipes That Can Be Tweaked

When it comes to recipes in this booklet, all of them are alcoholic. While this isn’t an issue for most D&D players, if you have an alcohol allergy like I do, you may not want to go too many rounds on the Dwarven Forge.

Thankfully, a good number of these drinks do very well with fruit juice subbed in for alcohol. For example, the Potion of Strength is just as good with strawberry puree as with alcohol – and doesn’t leave me with one hit point by the end of a campaign.

That said, if you are looking for an exotic menu that will test your abilities as the tavern bartender, this deck has plenty of options. From simple mixes to complex, hand-made syrups, those who embark on crafting these drinks for a night with friends will impress anyone who gets one. It’s the best mixture of D&D and hospitality, and every bit of the experience is a delight.

Final Score – 9/10

The Dungeonmeister The Deck of Many Drinks is a wonderful tool with such versatility that purchasing it just makes sense. Whether you want themed drinks, or to cause upheaval in your campaign, it’s a great option that any D&D fan would enjoy having available.

I can’t wait to use this deck over and over in the years to come. It’s so much fun, it’s brilliantly made, and I can’t recommend it enough to other tabletop enthusiasts.

** A physical copy was provided to Bonus Action for the purpose of this review**

Laura Gray

Administrator

Laura Gray, known as Ezra when not putting pen to paper, is a D&D enthusiast with a love of all things written. They are a collector of fantasy and sci-fi novels, a lover of cooking weird food, and a player of farming sims and Pokémon games. When not engrossed in a re-read of Anne McCaffrey or a deep dive into the Adventure Zone: Balance, they can be found sniffing the cats and napping in half-finished crochet projects.

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