At the Gen Con Indy 2024 gaming convention, the Postal Service unveiled a new sheet of 20 stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. The stamps are now available nationwide.
USPS Senior Vice President of Finance and Strategy Luke Grossmann stated in a Facebook video that the D&D stamps are intended to be a tribute to the game’s lore and to add a unique element to mail. Lisa Bobb-Semple, USPS director of stamp services, emphasized that Dungeons & Dragons has reshaped the perception of tabletop gaming, and the Postal Service aimed to create an immersive experience for fans with the release of the stamps at Gen Con.
At the convention, the stamps were presented by Greg Breeding, USPS art director; Chris Perkins, Dungeons & Dragons creative director; Jeremy Crawford, Dungeons & Dragons game director; and Josh Herman, head of art at Dungeons & Dragons. These individuals also signed autographs for fans.
Dungeons & Dragons, introduced 50 years ago, revolutionized tabletop gaming by encouraging collaborative storytelling guided by books, dice, and imagination. The game invites players to become wizards, warriors, and other adventurers in fantasy worlds. Originally emerging from gaming clubs that simulated historical battles, Dungeons & Dragons gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s as fantasy fiction became more mainstream.
The game’s rules have evolved over time, incorporating player feedback and changes in community preferences. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led many new players to discover Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games online. The game is credited with influencing video games and has appeared in various media, including the 2023 feature film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.”
The 20 new Dungeons & Dragons stamps feature 10 different designs highlighting characters, creatures, and iconic elements from the game. These include:
- A bronze dragon with a blue plesiosaur.
- Tiamat, the queen of evil dragons.
- A lone figure in a maze.
- A blue-robed figure casting a “magic missile” spell.
- Acererak, the archlich, raising an army of the dead.
- Drizzt Do’Urden, the drow ranger, in a wintry setting.
- A warrior battling a red dragon from the 1983 D&D Basic Set cover.
- A character holding a pan of green dragon’s blood.
- A death knight riding a nightmare with an army of the undead.
- A purple worm emerging from the ground.
The left side of the stamp pane features an illustration of adventurers encountering a green dragon, with a gold 20-sided die and the Dungeons & Dragons logo below it.