Reviews
Dice, sleeves, or a mat
Shop notes, not star widgets. Pack the object the table uses. Local shops are a later directory. The D&D Basic Rules name dice. Uncertain actions resolve with a d20. Sleeves protect a constructed deck. They do not roll a check. Magic Tournament Rules §3.11: if you sleeve, every card matches. Play! Pokémon wants the whole card enclosed and matching. Opaque backs are strongly recommended in that handbook. A storefront on Colonial is not a polyhedral set.
Polyhedral set
The first object for a D&D table. A d20 is the check die. A kitchen-table game can still use the same objects. It does not have to. A dice tray is a fourth object people mix in. The Basic Rules do not require it. Chessex and similar sets are the search, not a store-hours page. If the table rolls, start here. If the table is a constructed Pokémon or Magic event, start with sleeves instead.
A seven-piece bag if the table rolls. Get this.
Sleeves
Start here for a Pokémon event or a sleeved Magic deck. Identical sleeves if you sleeve. Magic requires opaque sleeves for double-faced cards. A polyhedral set does not sleeve a card. Ultra-Pro and similar inner plus outer stacks are a packing choice. The handbook cares that they match and enclose the card. A random mix of leftover sleeves from three brands is the usual fail at a judge table.
Matching sleeves if the event sleeves. Get this.
Playmat
The Basic Rules do not require a playmat. Bring one if the table is crowded. Gear cards live on Gear. Shops are a directory for a table tonight, not the name of the object. A playmat does not replace sleeves at a sleeved event. It does not replace a d20 at a D&D table.
A mat only if elbows meet. Get this.
Object jobs sit on Compare. Sets: Sets. Gear first, then Compare, then Shops.