Dungeons Dragons Starter Set (Dungeons Dragons, 5th Edition) by James Wyatt

Dungeons Dragons Starter Set (Dungeons Dragons, 5th Edition) Reviews

• 
  Jason Koivu

  Reading this made me feel like it was 1980 all over again! All those anxious and excited memories came flooding back: first hearing about D&D, discovering friends were already playing it, getting the Basic Set and playing my first module. From not knowing what it was to quickly forming a raging desire to play. It was glorious and this new set for the latest 5th edition rules does a great job recapturing the joy.
  
  The Starter Set box comes with the rulebook, a module (the adventure wherein you slay the baddies and save the day), character sheets and a set of dice. At around $20, it's a fair price for what you get.
  
  
  
  The rulebook lays out the game in a very logical way. The way this is set up now makes it easier to comprehend than the Basic red box set of the late '70s. The 5e version walks you through the game play step by step, so that after about a half hour's reading you should be good to go from the player's perspective. Whoever is going to be the Dungeon Master (referee) will probably want to spend a little more time reading/memorizing the rulebook. And then after that, the DM will want to read over the module to familiarize his/herself with it before attempting a game.
  
  The module for the Starter Set is called Lost Mine of Phandelver. This is made for low level characters and is a great intro to the game for new players. There were wimpy monsters like goblins and bandit type thugs to fight in the beginning as get your feet wet and discover what's going on. As the story progresses, the challenges become more difficult and the characters that survive should level up to about fifth. The actual adventuring takes place in a variety of settings: town, ruins, castle, dungeon, wilderness, etc.
  
  The module is broken into a number of different sections, or stages you might call them. They don't have to be played exactly in order, but it's set up so that logically you would. Nonetheless, I like that the creators kept it a somewhat open sandbox experience.
  
  
  
  That's one of the big draws for this game: that you the player are in control of the narrative...or at least you should feel like you are. Nothing makes D&D more boring than DMs who railroad their players from start to finish. You need to feel like you have choices for the game to be as engaging as it should. Now granted, the module/game's storyline and the prepared adventure have to be followed to a certain degree, otherwise there is no narrative at all. You'd soon lose sight of the point of it all if the players didn't make an attempt to defeat the boss, go after the treasure, or do whatever the goal of the adventure is. I've never played with a group that didn't. However, I've seen players revolt in minor ways with the goal isn't enticing to them.
  
  I picked this up on a whim, not having played since the 1st and 2nd edition rules were in use. I wanted to see what the new version looked like. In a way, I wish I hadn't, because now I really want to play again!
  
  
• 
  Dan

  Like the 3rd edition starter box, the 5th edition Starter Set offers an inexpensive way to give D&D a try. The included adventure, while not destined to make the list of "Greatest D&D adventures of all time," is still solid including all the hallmarks of a traditional D&D adventure. It's no The Keep on the Borderlands, but it's plenty good and it succeeds at what it's meant to do: introduce new players and DMs to the game. AND it comes with a nice set of dice.
• 
  Lou Anders

  I'll be running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign starting this week with this set. We bought the Starter Set some time ago for my son, and upon opening it up, were sadly underwhelmed by the contents. Two booklets, some dice. No battle maps, no character pawns or tokens, and the same artwork is used on the cover of both booklets. Compared to some other companies' introductory packages, it failed to wow the imagination. My boy left it untouched and eventually gave it to me.
  
  Flash forward a year plus. We've been playing another RPG in a monthly game, and my players (son and now daughter included) really want to play D&D. They know the brand even if they don't know the game. They are ready for more options, more crunch, etc... So I start buying additional D&D content in preparation for our campaign. And finally, I break out the Starter Set and read through it.
  
  At this point, I've also played in two one-shot 5e games myself for podcasts.. And I've got to say, I'm really impressed with both the rules and the content of the Starter Set. The rules are laid out very simply, easy for someone who skipped from AD&D to 5e without ever playing 2, 3, 3.5, or 4th edition to follow. And the adventure, "The Lost Mines of Phandelver," is great. Fantastic story that has a mix of dungeon crawl and open sandbox, combat and role playing, which divides easily into four or five sessions. I'm super impressed with it and eager to dive in.
  
  So while the packaging made a poor first impression, the thought and care of the content gets a A+. I think 5e is a fantastic RPG and this is a great way to introduce new players. Also, my table ranges in age from 7 to 21 (DM excluded), and the adventure is perfectly kid-friendly while still having some bite. Recommended.
• 
  Jonathan

  I got this set for $12.99 on Amazon, and it is now $11.99 (retail $19.99). For such a low price there is a lot of value in this box. First, a quality set of dice which will set you back $7-9 alone. The basic rulebook gets the game moving along with enough info for characters up to level 5 and enough monster and DM info to play the included adventure: The Lost Mines of Phandelver.
  
  I've been running this adventure with a new group of players, currently 6 weeks in and 2/3 done. The story is very good quality, on par with WotDQ, with a variety of NPCs and monsters for new players level 1-5. The free downloadable basic rules PDF and the newly released free DM guide PDF are a helpful addition to this set until you have acquired the books. Also included are pre-made character sheets with a Fighter (2), Wizard, Rogue, Cleric. This set is a good value at full retail, but when you consider the huge discount offered by Amazon, it's a no brainer.
• 
  Diz

  This is a great introduction to playing Dungeons and Dragons, not just for players but also for dungeon masters. If you have ever wanted to run a game as a dungeon master, but were always intimidated by the thick rule books, then this is the perfect way to start. Everything is clearly explained without being overwhelming. Also, the sample adventure can give you a lot of hints how to write your own adventures and design your own dungeons.
• 
  LiteratureIsLife

  Read this review (and others) at:
  https://literatureislife.com/2019/08/...
  
  A friend of mine convinced me to start playing Dungeons & Dragons last fall. He had been trying to get me to play for years (if you’re reading this, you know who you are) and I finally said yes when his group needed another person or their game was not going to happen. My reason for not playing D&D up until then was not because I had something against it. It was because I knew I would jump in feet first and lose time on other hobbies. And I was right. Six months later, I talked with the same friend and decided to start another game with myself as the Dungeon Master (DM) running things for the players. This being a first-time experience for myself and some of the players, we decided to work with the Starter Set and the adventure it comes with, The Lost Mines of Phandelver.
  
  The premise of this adventure is that a dwarf discovers a legendary lost mine where magic items were made many years ago. He hires the players to bring him supplies and rides ahead to a nearby town. On the way, he is ambushed and captured by some baddies who also want the mine. The story begins in earnest with the group being attacked by goblins on the road. This adventure takes place in the Forgotten Realms, the world where all the pre-made D&D adventures (modules) happen within the D&D multiverse. At least for the current version of D&D (5e). It is not too long of an adventure and takes the players from level 1 to level 5. My group finished it in about 3 months with the group meeting once a week for 4-5 hours at a time. Overall, it was an extremely positive experience for our whole group.
  
  Since the players can do anything (within reason), there is only so much this book can cover. There were multiple times my group did things not covered by the book and I had to improvise. Plus a few extra challenges I made up as we went along to keep my players on their toes. But from my total newbie players to my seasoned veterans, everyone had a good time. Including me, as a first-time DM. While I have not played any other D&D modules (yet), my experience with The Lost Mines of Phandelver was nothing but positive. I highly recommend it for any group of D&D players, whether you are new to the game like me or a seasoned player who wants to enjoy a low-stakes adventure.
• 
  Michaela

  Enjoyed playing it more than reading it. Oh Sóley Veiddurafvindu, my cleric of life, my wood Elf, my beloved collector of penises. You will be missed.
• 
  Michael

  I started out with the Holmes version of Basic Dungeons and Dragons around 1980, so I am both well-informed, but probably also somewhat biased, in my reading of the newest “basic” version of the game. After all, what we encounter at the age of ten tends to make a deep impression. Still, I do find this introduction to the Fifth Edition of the game I’ve been playing since childhood to have some merits.
  
  Let’s start with the “basics” (heh). Dungeons & Dragons is the world’s first and historically most successful role-playing game (RPG). Traditionally played around a tabletop, players pretend to be warriors and wizards in a heroic fantasy setting and battle monsters and accrue treasure. While the game was invented as an extension of tabletop wargaming, and thus was originally envisioned to involve strategic use of miniature figures representing the players and their adversaries, many of us simply used paper, pencil, and imagination to create the worlds and situations to overcome. Hence, it often became a less strategic game, and more of an expanded version of “let’s pretend” with rules, which is how its creator, Gary Gygax, described it more than once.
  
  The game has undergone many variations and editions, more in fact than the current designation of “Fifth Edition” would suggest, since this was preceded both by “Original” D&D (OD&D) and by the version of Basic invented by J. Eric Holmes (and the modifications made by Tom Moldvay shortly after I came on the scene). The rules grew out of a series of handwritten notes and conversations between Gygax and the young Dave Arneson, and for many years the only way to learn the game was to play it with someone else who understood them to some degree. House rules varied widely from place to place, and in some areas (such as Intiative and Surprise), even Gygax admitted that he didn’t play strictly by the book. Over the years, the development of many different role playing games has resulted in a much clearer set of rules that can actually make sense to people who haven’t been initiated into the secrets by established players, and I will confess that this is a Good Thing. It’s actually fairly likely that 12-year-olds can pick up these rules, read them through, and start playing a game with their friends that is pretty much like the games they will encounter at conventions, in other circles of friends later in life, and in general, anyone playing the game.
  
  Old-time players like myself are sometimes referred to as “grognards,” and we have a reputation of being grouchy about the newer editions of the game. Some of that applies here, although here I admit that this version appears better than the last one. The Fourth Edition seemed to me to favor the players to the point where it was much too easy to quickly rise to superherodom and there was little risk to balance the rewards given to adventurers. This version curtails that somewhat (and therefore will probably be unpopular with fans of the Fourth Edition, who will one day be old grognards themselves. So it goes…). Still, if I were running a game, I’d probably change a few things. I think level progress is still too fast and easy in this version. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of the lower levels more than the easy successes of the upper ones. I think that the classes overlap too much, blurring the distinctive roles of each character to give everyone a chance to participate in everything that comes up. In this version, not only can wizards use swords (!), but they have offensive “cantrips” which allow them to deal damage every turn of combat, so there’s really nothing that special about being a fighter. Fighters, meanwhile, have the ability to heal themselves once per day, making clerics less important party members. And everyone starts off with way too many hit points (though at least this applies to the monsters as well).
  
  The structure of the rules is interesting, following the outline of my old Holmes edition in some ways, but not in others. We get two books: a “Rulebook” which is for everyone, and an “Adventure book” which is really for the Dungeon Master. This is similar to the Basic Set’s rulebook and Module (“B2: The Keep on the Borderlands” in my day), but there are interesting differences. The only monster stats you get are for the monsters included in the adventure, and these are in the Adventure Book, not the rulebook. The same goes for magic items. If you want to include monsters and treasure not specifically listed in the adventure, you have to buy more books. Actually, because of the rapid level progression, you’re going to need more books after running through the sample adventure anyway, since the rules only take you to level five. Holmes only went to level three, but you could finish both B2 and the “Sample Dungeon” in the rulebook and still have characters below that, allowing for many further session before you needed more products. Even more extreme, the Starter Set includes no rules for character creation or designing adventures. You play with the five “starter” characters provided, you run the one adventure, and then you need to get something more to proceed.
  
  The true test of a set of rules for a game is in the playing, however. I look forward to giving this version of D&D such a test in the coming years. I may find that my grognard heart takes to this version more than I anticipate, though I’m sure I’ll still return to the classics nevertheless.
• 
  Nynke

  It has an ISBN so it counts
• 
  Allie

  Very easy to digest! As a new DM, this book is fantastic!
• 
  Antti Aalto

  Can't wait to run this bad boy for my friends in the near future. Great stuff from beginning to end. Ideally presented for a beginner like myself.
• 
  BG Josh

  this edition is less of a game and more of marketing exercise. WotC has designed 5e as a snare for players who are osr or still playing older editions. I almost gave this book 2 stars because I know not to buy the others.
  
  it is sad that WotC has chosen to treat it's customers with complete contempt. oh well.
  
  if you "had" to get a game anyway 5th still belongs in the "don't bother bin". 3rd or 4th edition (or cyclopedia) are just as good. other games would likely be more appealing. savage worlds, burning wheel or torchbearer, for example.
• 
  Keith Gapinski

  It's a decent adventure, but I thought it really lacked something for being a "starter" set. There's not the same hand-holding that there's been for new DMs and players as there was in some of the other starter kits. I think the authors could have used the opportunity of the starter set to arrange things more like they did in the Dungeon Masters Guide -- here's the first encounter to get your party going, here's the starter town and the kinds of NPCs you need -- to show a new DM how to create and run their own settings and adventures.
• 
  Ryan Stewart

  This turned me from partially interested to full-fledged fan (core books in the mail!) in a matter of days. It is well explained and you get a lot of bang for your buck with this, particularly through Amazon.
• 
  Scott Johnson

  I just read the Lost Mines of Phandelver module as I'll be DMing that next weekend for our group's first campaign. Not much to say, it's fairly thorough and seems simple enough to run.
  
  I did order a physical copy because I do feel like that's going to make my life much easier with flipping around between side quests and looking up stat blocks and stuff.
• 
  Bebertfreaks

  Un excellent début pour commencer la V5 de Donjons et Dragons.
  
  Cependant, il n'est peux être pas conseillé de le mettre dans les mains de personnes voulant s'initier, avec de l'aide, dans la maîtrise du jdr. Ce kit nous balance directement dans le bain sans vraiment nous prendre par la main.
  
  Ce kit propose une aventure, assez touffu, ce qui vous permettra de jouer pendant quelques temps.
• 
  Danielle

  Great first adventure to introduce you to D&D. Having pre-generated characters helps take the pressure of learning how to figure out how proficiency bonus and class and race traits affect them. Cannot wait to run this again!
• 
  Alex

  My players didn't care for it much, but I thought it was good for beginner players/dms.
• 
  Kenneth J Weech

  Solid time with the lads
• 
  Kayly

  Clearly explained!
• 
  James

  If you're interested in learnjng how to play DnD, this is certainly the way to go. It's a fairly inexpensive set ($15 on Amazon in Canada right now) and it comes with some dice, a 30 page rulebook, 5 premade characters (who's backstories and personal goals tie into the quest that comes with the Starter Set), and a quest called Lost Mine of Phandelver that'll take more than 20 hours to beat. I've read through the quest but have only actually played one round with my siblings, which didn't even reach the end of chapter 1, so even though I've 'read' the Starter Set, I'm not nearly done with the experience.
  That being said, my first round of playing LMoP was a blast. The story begins a bit weak, so I added a prologue to give the players more motivation to complete the first 'objective' the story gives you. However, I'm really impressed with the detail of the dungeons in the story, and I like how much freedom the players have in chapter 2 (which is also a bit intimidating as a DM lol). And the story is mostly compelling - much more than if I just made one up myself I'm sure.
  So ya, would recommend to anyone who wants to try out DnD and have friends that have never played LMoP before (or even better, 1 friend who's played it and is willing to DM for you).
• 
  Jasper Oostveen

  I have now run this adventure for two different groups (who took varying paths through the story) and it was my first introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, DM'ing and roleplaying games in general. As an introduction to all of these, it succeeds wonderfully. We had so much fun going through this well-explained and well-paced adventure, and I learned so much about the game in general and about being a DM.
  
  The story has everything first-time players might want from a fantasy roleplaying game: goblins, bandits, orcs, knights, a small town, an abandoned mansion, a dragon, a deep dungeon cave, etc. My playes really came into their own and loved to experiment with different ways to go about exploring. The only thing that could have improved this set a bit is a map for the one encounter (Redbrands in the streets) that is not mapped, and general advice on how to play with maps and/or the theatre of the mind.
  
  The later-released essentials kit is slightly more freeform and thus, in my opinion, a bit less fun and less fit for new players. The new starter kit that will be released in 2022 or 2023 might be as good as this one, I certainly hope so!
• 
  Dennis Friedrichsen

  This book(let) provides a basic story for 5th edition D&D. It is delightfully populated with all the tropes and cliches you might expect in a fantasy story. In this case (unlike actual fantasy books) it works well because it does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it well. The dwarves are hairy, the goblins are numerous, the antagonist is simply evil, and you will be sucked into a predictable fantasy world perfect for newcomers to the game.
  
  Mechanically, this intro set is wonderful. It provides the DM with an easy framework and guides (without pushing) the story forward. The pre-made characters are a great addition. The few issues there might be with the narrative are minor and easily circumvented by a tiny bit of DM effort. Anyone looking to get into Dungeons & Dragons should purchase this cheap introduction and start rolling some dice.
• 
  Jamie

  If you have never played D&D before (like me), then you will need more than just this starter set to figure out what is going on. Ideal audience for this starter set is people who have played previous versions of D&D and need some help/example quests to get them into the new 5th Edition. Or maybe people who have played D&D but want to learn how to become a Dungeon Master (DM).
  
  Comes with two books, one is the rules of play and logistical flow of the game, second is example adventures using the "Lost Mines of Phandelver" story arc. Rules book is clunky and doesn't really explain things well. "Lost Mines" book does have some good gameplay and story lines, and is the real reason to buy this.
• 
  Morris Nelms

  Great way to start playing D&D, which is what my wife and I just did. I attended a session of D&D as a player before taking on the DM job. I have only played D&D 2 times and another RPG based on DC Superheroes a few times. I have never been a DM. I'm running a duet using this adventure, and so far it works well. I did give my wife's character some extra oomph (hit points) so she could survive, since this was designed for a group of players rather than a single player.
  It is a great game. It takes a bit of doing to get started if you don't simply join an established group (that's the easy way), but like many things, the more you do it the easier it gets.
  If you bought this and think it is too complicated, it does appear so at first. Hang it there. It pays big dividends.
  
• 
  Sean

  This boxed set is a missed opportunity. Not terribly inviting for newer players and lacking any depth for veterans, this boxed set contains a useable adventure, but little else.
  
  Hey, I bought this because I was excited to learn the new 5th edition rules, but aside from the advantage/disadvantage mechanic THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT NEW RULES contained in this set. All the cool stuff (traits, flaws, bonds, ideals) are unexplained and only appear in the pregenerated character sheets. The rules ONLY discuss combat.
  
  I am excited to see the real rules for the game, but I find this boxed set truly worthless.
• 
  Hermione Black

  
  
  
  È ormai un bel pezzo che sto cercando di imparare come si fa a giocare al famosissimo Dungeons and Dragons. Ci sono riuscita ora? No! Premetto che non sono arrivata alla fine di tutta questa lettura ma mi voglio fermare dopo aver letto quasi tutte le istruzioni perché ho intenzione di ricominciare da capo e quindi do un giudizio sommario ma non definitivo dato che ci tornerò.
  
  All’inizio avevo provato con i grandi manuali come quello del giocatore ma anche lì ho dovuto lasciar perdere, l’enorme (e quasi assurda) quantità di dettagli era spaventosamente incomprensibile. Quando ho visto questo kit mi sono detta che sarebbe stata magari la volta buona che riuscivo a capirci qualcosa ma devo dire che le spiegazioni sono praticamente le stesse del manuale del giocatore, sono le stesse pagine che si trovano nel libro del giocatore, solo molte molte di meno, non riassunte, solo selezionate e dunque ugualmente complicatissime e quindi scoraggianti!
  Le regole presentate sono troppe e troppo dettagliate, ho capito che è un gioco articolato ma a un certo punto bisogna essere in grado di fare una selezione e permettere a tutti di iniziare a giocare anche in maniera alimentare. È come se per giocare a Monopoli un giocatore novello si dovesse leggere 500 pagine… Chi gioca? La maggior parte delle volte il novello per giocare si ascolta la spiegazione di chi ha già ha giocato ma non sempre va così. Ho avuto la netta impressione che se non si conosce qualcuno che ci sa giocare allora è impossibile entrare in questo mondo. Ho provato anche con dei video ma sono o inconcludenti peggio che mai o dicono che basta la fantasia e un pezzo di carta e tutto si farà.
  Probabilmente mi sono posta io male nei confronti di queste spiegazioni tanto che non sono arrivata alla fine e non ho neanche iniziato la missione inclusa in questo set. Ho sbagliato approccio, forse vanno lette un po’ più velocemente perché addirittura vedendo tutte queste nozioni io avevo cominciato a prendere appunti, peggio di quando studiavo un libro all’università ma se vado veloce come faccio a ricordarmi tutto? Addirittura si parla in certi momenti di cose che potrebbero accadere dopo aver appreso altre nozioni e quindi diventa impossibile per chi non ha mai letto né giocato avere un’idea pratica di che cosa si sta parlando perché in effetti il vero problema è che la teoria rimane molto seria e poco pratica. Quindi che cosa farò? Metto da parte gli appunti e comincio a leggere in modo un po’ più scorrevole? Spero di arrivare almeno alla fine di queste spiegazioni.
  Inoltre c’è da dire che si sente troppo il senso di traduzione, c’è proprio il sentore che l’originale abbia più senso ma se ci mettiamo addirittura a leggerlo in inglese non si finisce più. Questo set è allettante ma finché non riesco a mettere su una partita (o meglio missione) più di una stella non metto.
  
  Che cosa c’è nel set? C’è un libretto di istruzioni, un libretto con una missione e un set di dadi. Il prezzo sembra un po’ eccessivo perché costa 25 € e paragonato a uno dei libri principali con 10 volte tanto di istruzioni direi che non ci siamo però ormai questo è un brand e come tutti i brand storici costano. Ammetto che sto per desistere perché non trovo comunque un appiglio, un aiuto valido, sono tagliata fuori da una setta. Ho provato addirittura su Wikihow ma lì come tutto anche un gioco di ruolo sembra una passeggiata ma la spiegazione fornita sembra formata dai titoli dei paragrafi di D&d. Sembra un mondo chiuso come quello degli hacker… Ce la farò? Boh.
  Dunque questo come commento è solo un lamento perché posso solo dire che le spiegazioni sono prolisse e contorte e inoltre dovrebbero essere più schematiche, non sono di facile consultazione e inoltre sono decisamente scoraggianti. Per ora penso che questo set sia adeguato solo a chi ha avuto come minimo di esperienza di gioco pratica mentre chi come me non ha mai preso parte a nessuna missione si ritroverà in panne. Sono d’accordo che la spiegazione deve essere tagliata ma a un certo punto anche il novello deve iniziare a giocare e non può leggere per ore ore ore e giorni e come fa A ricordarsi tutto quando ha finito di leggere? Sembra un libro di scuola. Mi servono delle nozioni base, schematiche, proprio terra terra. Della missione non posso dire niente perché non ho la più pallida idea di come è strutturata ma a sfogliarla sembra messa come il resto, fortuna i dadi che comunque non so usare ma almeno sono artistici. Speriamo che alla seconda lettura riuscirò ad arrivarci a leggere la missione, poi a farla ....
  
  by Miao 💜