Review copy courtesy of Wizards of the Coast.
Pros
Lots more full colour art.
Probably the easier starter set in this edition to run for new Dungeon Masters. The adventure gives advice, and often goes over the main options players have. I see this as being incredibly useful for new Dungeon Masters.
It probably handles combat in the easiest way of all starter sets. When escape is easy or possible, it lays out what will happen clearly and concisely. First time Dungeon Masters often get stuck in thinking of turns and attacks. They forget the option of escape, and some players don’t realize it’s an option either. Laying it out so plainly ensured the Dungeon Master is aware of the option. I really like it.
Allows some player choice of where to go, resulting in some branching
Instructions for scaling encounters to a higher level. This is related to the branching choices presented.
Pre-generated characters. Easy, cheap, and very helpful for new players. Even if they change things after, a starting point close to the archetype they’re thinking of can really save time and get people playing. I’ve also seen it being way more fun for people than reading through rule books. Of course, not for everyone. Some people really do like the customization and learning the rules. But hey, this way we have both.
Pre-generated characters give the characters a goal to reach in the adventure. Particularly for new players, such a direct tie to the world for their character is a good thing.
The dice actually look pretty good.
Could Go Either Way
Not much in the way of new creatures. So if you don’t plan to run an introductory adventure for anyone.
Also nothing in the way of new character options. It’s fine, and to be expected. But for the Dungeon Master with a wall of books, such a thing could improve the value.
Not much to reuse, besides the dice and adventure. No creature tokens. No battle map, etc. When I hear “starter set”, I think of something to get people playing. Maybe a small number of tiles, some minis (yes, I know how expensive they are, but I can dream of a day when they are cheap enough) or some monster/character tokens would go a long way.
There is an alternate ending included in the adventure for if the villain escapes, and the players fail to do something important. It’s actually really good. The only problem is that it’s probably better than the standard one. There’s more options, ways to distract the dragon pictured on the box, and the environment itself. It also clearly ties into the events of the story. So I’d suggest considering using the second ending from the start, or to add more options to the combat environment.
There really isn’t a good classic dungeon delve like the style of Lost Mines of Phandelver. It’s a more cinematic adventure focusing on story telling. I love both play styles, but it seems the aim so far has been for each starter set to be different. Play them all, and you have a taster plate of different adventure styles and games. Oh, and the Essentials kit which is kind of similar.
Cons
There’s no percentile dice. This is a problem for a starter set. Dungeon Masters will from here, to using the core books or basic rules. And there they’ll find percentiles. Yes, you can roll a d10 twice. However, it’s much easier to just use percentile dice. Technically, you can use the D&D Beyond dice as well. However, this should be open without logging in like the old dice roller that was on the Wizards of the Coast website.
Why not go all the way and provide scaling instructions based on the number of players? Of course sometimes you’ll only be able to find 2 players. Or 5. Yeah, I can do it myself. But for a starter kit, it should be as easy as possible. And really, it did a good job in regards to scaling otherwise. The advice in this set is to allow people to control multiple characters and choose one as the talking character. Yeah, it’ll work. And possibly even be more fun for more experienced players. But controlling one character can be difficult enough for a new players.
No PDF*
* Denotes nitpicking.
Introduction
Every game needs a way for new players to enter. From card games, video games (thank you DLC), or tabletop games, the starter set has been a long standing fixture. D&D is no different, and in this edition we have already had 2 sets. Lost Mines of Phandelver was well received, and for a while a common recommendation for new Dungeon Masters for 5th edition D&D. It was heavy on the dungeon delving, and I really enjoyed it on both sides of the screen. However, I’d argue it wasn’t really the best for explaining combat to new players or Dungeon Masters. The Dungeon Master understand combat is particularly important for it to run smoothly. So, does this set live up to the previous one? Let’s jump in. But first, I need to be very clear. The start set is a set of dice, an adventure, pre-made character sheets, and the basic rules. Just like the previous one. If you want a starter set with tiles you can reuse, player and monster tokens, maps, reference sheets, Dungeon Master screen, or whatever else, this is not it. It’s light. Comparably cheap. And really mostly an adventure. With that out of the way, let’s jump in.
What’s Included
There are 2 booklets, and a set of dice included in the set. By set, it’s 6 dice, one of each. The booklets are stapled, the pages aren’t the same as the hard cover books, and these are soft cover. I guess the box can be used to store everything too. There’s actually lots of extra space too, so it’s not a bad place to keep extra dice, tiles, tokens, etc.
The Adventure
New Player Options
Nope. It’s older stuff here. But it does provide enough to start playing up to level 3. That’s how these start sets have always been, and it’s the same way again.
New Monsters
Nope. Also, there’s not that many monsters in the adventure itself. It is a starter adventure. Moving on.
What You Need to Play
For a nice change from regular adventures, all you need to play is here in the box. Though if you want more player options, the basic rules or Player’s Hand Book are available to make a character from scratch. And as always, the basic rules are free.
The Adventure Itself
First, as the box shows the end involves conflict with a dragon. A very cool way to end a low level adventure, and also has a different combat style compared to humanoids. Where there’s a dragon, there’s breath weapons, flight, and so on. A problem with some adventures is that the enemy is underwhelming, but here it’s a fitting threat.
The layout of the adventure involves a quick introduction at the start where players can introduce themselves to each other. They arrive by boat to an island, and so meet during the trip. As usual, feel free to allow players to write backstories that tie them together before the boat ride. Maybe two players decide they were sent together. A paladin and cleric for example were sent together on a mission. A cleric and a hired fighter for added muscle. That sort of things. Afterwards, they get an introduction to the location. Following that, there’s 2 sites of interest that players can choose what order to visit. From there, it’s a race to the finale.
Those above features I think help make it a good introductory adventure for new players. The adventure provides multiple options for players, and communicates them clearly to the Dungeon Master, which is essential for new Dungeon Masters. It’s very easy for a Dungeon Master to see a combat encounter, and forget that running is an options. The first possible encounter here against zombies clearly gives a reminder that zombies are slower so players can outrun them. It also reminds the Dungeon Master that even enemies can take the Dash action. This is exactly what I want to see. What I’d like to see in the future is adventures that help teach players about all the mechanics. Have some climbing or jumping options. Both of these can really help make encounters more dynamic, and also teach these often forgotten rules. And if it’s just an option, it’s a tool in the players toolbox. And a starter set adventure should ideally be fun for all Dungeon Masters, but also help teach new ones how to run the game. I think it’s a good step in that direction.
A big part of D&D is player choice. I’m very happy to see the players getting a choice of where to go next. They need to go everywhere eventually, but even that small split is a good element, and gives some ownership. I wish the Spelljammer adventure had something like that, but that’s another topic. The problem that can occur from such splitting is that the party level may be too high. However, the adventure makes that easy for the Dungeon Master too. It tells how to adjust the encounter depending on where they go. It’s a good things to see. I wish they also considered it for different party sizes. Instead, it’s assumed players can use multiple characters. One character is chosen as the character who speaks. That’s a fine tactic, but I also know players who only want to control one character, and feel very close to them.
The choice of villain is a good one for this adventure. It ties well into the adventure, the location, and non-hostile characters. The potential for engaging combat encounters is there too, being a dragon. That’s not really a spoiler, it’s right on the cover of the box. They also give lines that the villain will say in the event of a combat encounter. Their attitude to combat, as well as their goal is covered. That makes for an easy to understand and run villain for the Dungeon Master.
The final encounter is fine, but there’s an optional version in the event of retreat or failure. This one I’d say is actually more interesting. There are objects in the encounter that can be messed with, random effects, and so on. So I’d suggest looking at both and if you feel like me, you can consider running the second version from the get go. The original also has an additional element. They can free a potential ally to help in the fight. Or try to sneak and do it before it starts. This is a good too. I do wish more encounters had some more environment or encounter specific details. Combat can be very tactical too, and giving players an early taste goes a long way. This is largely a criticism of encounters in this edition in general. Maybe add some fires we can push enemies into. A bridge we can push people off of. Maybe the level of water is rising in our sinking ship as we try to escape. This adventure isn’t horrible in this department, but I hope to see more, and I hope that future adventures consider such options.
The Art and Build Quality
The set contains 2 booklets. As previously mentioned, they are flimsier than the normal books. No hard cover. Stapled pages. This is what was also present in the Starter Edition. The basic rules are available on the website, and the SRD has additional material. It’s much longer as material. This comes with new art. From inside the booklets, to the maps, to the box itself. It actually looks pretty good. I wish more of it went for photo realism, but that’s my personal preference as usual. There’s some in the dark playing with light. And from what I saw from new players, they appreciated it. Of course, more would be nice.
Actually, these dice look surprisingly good. They’re that dark blue with quite streaks that I think I first saw from the 4th edition D&D dice set. That makes it look actually really good. You can spend about the same amount to buy just one set of dice as you can for this set. So, what’s the catch? The problem is that where that set had 4 d6 dice and a percentile, here we have only 1 d6 and no percentile. Six sided dice are easy to find, but percentile absolutely should be in a starter set that the Dungeon Master will probably purchase.
Price
The MSRP is $24.99 USD. As always, local prices may vary and sales occur.
What I felt was Missing
It’s a starter set. I’d want to see some reusable elements. The Essentials set had cards and even a screen. It doesn’t even have to be in the box. Commission an artist, or buy an existing set so that players can print tiles off for free to make their maps. The fact is tiles really do help many, and they eventually move there. Monster tokens, map tiles, screens, initiative trackers, status effect cards, that sort of stuff should be included.
We had a dice roller for years on the official website. There should be an easy to access dice roller provided and linked. No login needed. Just do it on the client browser. We should not have lost this. There are non-official dice rollers too. Many of them work great too. But I think there should be a guaranteed safe and official dice roller for those who are not so tech savvy.
Free Stuff
The new pre-made characters are provided. This is great. When I run these, I usually keep the ones included as a master and make copies. Now I can just print them directly. That way, players can write all over it as much as they want. And when it’s too messy, we can easy get a new sheet. Unfortunately, there’s nothing more.
What About Lost Mines of Phandelver?
Does it dethrone Lost Mines of Phandelver? I’d say no. That adventure is bigger, longer, and I’d say generally more replayable. But what this adventure does well is provide something that even new Dungeon Masters can run confidently, and well. And enjoyable so new players can get hooked. In fact, I’d say it works like the best gateway we have. Potentially, you can even run Lost Mines of Phandelver after. Using the same characters they’ll be a bit strong at first, but it’s nothing a Dungeon Master can’t handle or fix. Or just allow players to enjoy their strength...while they can.
Summary
Here we have a new Starter Set for D&D. The adventure is solid and does a good job of being easy to understand even for new Dungeon Masters. That’s its real strength. It’s probably the easiest adventure to run for complete beginner Dungeon Masters, and does things in a way that helped teach them. Options are presented and their motivations. It also presents actions that may not be obvious to beginners, but any experienced player would be aware of. Options like trying to escape, and not needing to always resort to combat. It takes players through different interesting locations and encounters, and choices.
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