Would you like to start your adventure with Dungeons & Dragons , but don’t really know how? The Rebel publishing house is here to help. The publisher of the Polish handbook for the fifth edition of this popular RPG has prepared a Starter Kit for players .
A few words about D&D
Dungeons & Dragonsis an RPG (role-playing game) game considered to be the forerunner of the genre. It was designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and first released in 1974. Players take on the role of their imaginary characters and, through the stories at the table, tell about their actions. In this way, they travel through the world known as the Forgotten Lands, in particular the continent of Faerun. Whether their moves turn out to be a success is determined by throwing dice ranging from four to a hundred. However, the icosahedral cube is most often used. The Game Master watches over the course of the game. It is his responsibility to describe the world, direct enemies and allies, and play NPCs. Over the years, subsequent editions were created, there were also new manuals, such as the bestiary, description of the world, armor and equipment or a representation of the gods. There were also adventures ready to play. BasedD&D created computer games such as Neverwinter Nights , Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale . The latest version of the game is the fifth edition, which also has a Polish release. You can read more about this RPG on our website .
What’s in the box?
Probably everyone who is passionate about fantasy has at least heard of Dungeons & Dragons . Many people would probably like to try their hand at this famous RPG, whether as a player or a Game Master, but simply didn’t know how to get started. This is where Rebel came to the rescue by launching the Starter Kit on the Polish market . As the description on the box says, it contains “everything you need to start your adventure with the world’s most popular role-playing game”. Is it really? As a person who has been regularly visiting the Forgotten Lands for over a dozen years, I can say yes. If you want to move on in the future, you will run into some problems, but that’s enough to get started.
But let’s start from the beginning. In the box you will find one dice from four to twenty-sided. In this case, the “ten” can easily be replaced by the “hundred”. However, since it is very common to roll more than one die of the same type, you will quickly want to buy more sets so that you do not have to reroll one die again. Another thing is the Rules Book. From it you will learn how to play, how the fight looks like, and how to cast spells. This is an item that the new GM will be able to conduct a session without getting lost, but the more experienced presenter will be happy to benefit. It is easier to find something on 32 pages than to search over 300 pages. Here, however, a problem arises. You will not find races and classes in the notebook, so it will not be possible to create a new hero. The starter pack contains five sample character cards, but if none of the characters suit the players, they will not be able to do anything about it without the Player’s Handbook . So he will have to lead a character with whom he probably will not feel a proper bond. The last component of our set is a ready-to-play adventure. I will devote a little more space to her.
Dungeons? No! Mine!
The adventure suggested by the publisher is The Lost Mine of Phandelver . It was planted on the Sword Coast, near the city of Neverwinter. This is where the village of Phandalin is located. Everything a beginning Game Master needs is provided on 62 pages. So there is an introduction, statistics for magic items and monsters. Most importantly, the adventure is also divided into four parts. The first one is to show players what D&D is all about. So they will have to describe the characters, conduct conversations, think and fight. The GM, in turn, gets a description of places that he can read or paraphrase, and each page describes in black and white what to do and how to play the game. Then comes the moment of choice. Because although the main thread is included here, there are also side quests. So no one forces the team to follow the marked path. They can easily wander around, explore the world and gain experience. It will be worse if they go too far and go beyond the defined area. Then the facilitator will have to improvise or somehow persuade the players to return. It is impossible to say how long it will take us to complete the entire adventure. It all depends on the choices made along the way. But a dozen or so hours of fun,
Overgrowth of the box over the contents
Finally, a few more words about the release of the starter kit itself. Of course, the graphics contained in the notebooks deserve praise. Their authors have been associated with Dungeons & Dragons for years and it is no wonder that they have been perfectly suited to this world. Maps will also prove to be extremely helpful, thanks to which we will easily find ourselves both around the Neverwinter Forest and in Phandalin. The attached character cards, which the creators printed on a special, more durable paper, also do quite well. Thanks to this, they will not be damaged too easily. As for the attached dice, they don’t stand out with anything special. You cannot fault anything, but there is nothing to be impressed with either.
It is a pity that the creators did not offer better notebook covers. Nobody expects hard versions here, but at least cardboard ones would be good. And they look as if someone pulled them out of the binding and gave us the middle. You can also complain about the box itself. Although it is durable, decorated with appropriate graphics and properly described, it is too big. Two notebooks, five character cards, and a set of dice take up less than half the space in it. The rest is empty. And although it is a pity to throw it away, it may take up too much space on the shelf and we will eventually have to get rid of it.
To whom is the way …
The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Kit is a great proposition for people starting their adventure with this popular RPG. According to the publisher’s description, it contains everything a novice Game Master and a hero need. Also, more experienced teams will be able to take advantage of an interesting adventure or a handy list of the most important rules. However, it is worth remembering that to create your own characters, and not the ones offered in the set, we will have to obtain a Player’s Manual anyway , and you will certainly need a few new dice. Also, be sure to take a look at what’s in the box. Its size suggests that there is more in it than it really is.