As a proper, well-informed adult, you can bet that I had my carts full across various websites just waiting for payday to roll on by before purchasing a whole lot of items. Some questionable, others I’ve already put to use and am so filled with enjoyment, I just had to share with you all, in case you needed to fill your own lives with a little bit of happiness.
So, without delaying that happiness any more than necessary, here are three nerdy things I clicked buy on as soon as that paycheck hit my bank account:
The 2024 Edition Book Set for Dungeons and Dragons
After almost ten years of running games on the 5th edition ruleset, Dungeons and Dragons finally launched an updated set of rulebooks for both Dungeon Masters and Players to explore, updating their character classes, spells, monsters, and more.
While these rules officially still adhere to the 5th edition nomenclature, most DnD players are calling it 5.5e or even 6e because of the massive number of updates and changes that have come with the new set of books.
As a newly introduced player to DnD, and officially working on my first campaign as a grand and mighty Dungeon Master, I had to pick up the rule books for myself. Yes, these rules exist online, but there’s nothing more exciting than physical, hardcover goodness.
I picked up a copy of the Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual and the Dungeon Master’s Guide, because you need all three, that’s just how it works.
Check out your local game store to grab a copy of your own, or head on over to Sword and Board, Amazon or Grinning Gargoyle for some online shopping.
Pop Mart Blind Boxes
I’m not sure whether it was the party packs that we used to get at kiddies parties or the excitement of the unknown, but blind boxes always give me that little rush of childish pleasure.
When we went to Taiwan in 2024, we stumbled upon these Pop Mart vending machines that handed out premium blind box figurines with just too many options to choose from. Since then, I’ve been dreaming of the day I could experience that again. Thanks to Regardt’s last visit to Computex, he was able to pick up another two blind boxes for me to rip right open.
Lately, and probably thanks to Rihana showing off a Labubu on her handbag, there are some local stores that have been stocking a few of the collections from Pop Mart and I just can’t thank Rihana enough.
If you’re looking to pick up a premium, fun little mini figure that you’ll love no matter which one you get, you’ve definitely got to check out these Pop Mart Blind Boxes. And yes, there are a lot more to collect than those weird, hairy Labubu’s.
My personal favourite sets that we can pick up locally have got to be the The Monsters Labubu X Kow Yokoyama Ma.k Series Blind Box from Panda Pop or the Pop Mart Marvel Deadpool Blind Box from Wizards Collection.
Miniature Paintbrush Set
Anyone who was lucky enough to crack an invite to our NAG Magazine Winter Edition 2025 (which you can purchase here) launch party would’ve caught a glimpse of the excellently hand-painted mini-figure of the Doom Slayer that was on full rotational display in our bench PC.
Yes, that beauty was hand-painted by yours truly, and it wouldn’t have been as successful if I didn’t have a set of generic, tiny paint brushes on hand.
While I may not consider myself good enough to buy some of those R200 per brush brushes, you can always find me popping into the local PNA and stocking up on a few different brushes to paint my nerdy, tabletop figures with a giant smile on my face.
If you’re in the market for a couple of small brushes, my favourite places to check out are PNA, Jix Hobbies, or my local game store, Timeless Board Games.
And there it is! While I may already be broke on the third day of the month, the amount of joy I’ll be getting from these nerdy goodies will more than make up for it, and I can’t wait to stop writing this article and get back into the pages of my fresh, dungeon-smelling books.
Did you pick up any cool things this payday? Let us know in the comments below!
