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I was initially sceptical of the new D&D Starter Set. Wizards of the Coast's pre-boxed efforts have often lagged behind those of their competitors, and as the game has exploded over the years I'd felt there were enough ways into Dungeons & Dragons that a dedicated beginner's version was an increasingly unnecessary provision. I was almost immediately proved wrong. The new Starter Kit is glossy and beginner-friendly, making it perfect for genuine newcomers, but even as a confident DM I was quickly stumbling across solutions to problems I didn't even consider could be solved, and in many cases didn't even know were problems in the first place.
Perhaps its most apparent selling point is how much it simplifies character creation for one of the best tabletop RPGs. It might not be for everyone, but I can see the appeal in stripping out some of the complexities of including every race and class. The new set limits players to Elf, Human, Dwarf, and Halfling, and allows them to play as a Rogue, Wizard, Cleric, or Fighter. The limited classes make perfect sense - four major archetypes distilled to their most beginner-friendly ideals. The limited species are a harder sell, but they're still a key part of streamlining the whole experience for this new D&D Starter Set.
You can currently pre-order the Heroes of the Borderlands starter kit for $49.99 at Amazon (or £41.99 at Amazon if you're based in the UK). It launches this September 16.
The most obvious selling point is the simplification of character creation. The new D&D Starter Set puts some relatively strict limits on the available races and classes. A choice of Elf, Human, Dwarf, and Halfling feels particularly tight, but I understand more of the logic of limiting newer players to Rogue, Wizard, Cleric, or Fighter - the martial, stealth, magic, and support archetypes are all distilled to their most beginner-friendly ideals.
It's a clear effort to overcome one of the biggest obstacles in the face of new players: character creation. Having stripped away the worst excesses of D&D's species and class system, the Starter Kit doubles down with modular, pre-built character sheets that are one of its greatest strengths. Glossier and far easier to read than a traditional paper sheet, these feature all your stats, but also offer space for dedicated spell cards for casters and inventory cards for the weapons and armor of martial classes. It's a more stylish, visual approach, and while it's a dramatic shift in terms of information management, it offers far more clarity at a glance than what's come before. Sleeves that can be used to keep all your cards together between sessions are indicative of just how much Wizards of the Coast has looked to solve with its new kit - it's not an issue I'd personally ever grappled with, but it's one that I'm pleased to see addressed here.
That attitude to convenience is also felt in the approach to the kit's adventures themselves. Three short adventures, each with their own area and battle maps, can be played in any order, despite their linked narrative, even making it easy for the DM to rotate between each book thanks to features like NPC cards that offer rumors (and lies) that each character could offer up to an inquisitive player. Each adventure is standard fantasy fare - a magic swamp, a remote fortress town - that focus on a specific aspect of the roleplaying experience; exploration, survival, and social interaction. In the spirit of the new set's pick-up-and-play approach, they're distinctly bite-sized, full of short quests designed to be completed within an hour. The hope is that that will let the Starter Set fit in as part of a traditional game night, rather than asking new players to settle in for an hours-long session.
With that in mind, the Starter Set features other things to make D&D feel a little more like a traditional board game. Many of those are far from revolutionary, but it's surprising the difference that a proper set of dice, a few sheets of NPC tokens, and some glossy bestiary cards can make. The latter are a particular highlight, designed to fit in with the spell and inventory cards, but with beautiful art and offering players who get hooked by the Starter Kit a way to invest in the wider game. While you're unlikely to genuinely square up against an owlbear in these beginner-friendly missions, the inclusion of a wider array of monsters within the set paves the way for newcomers to expand their experience of D&D quickly and easily after they're finished with the Starter Set.
That approach is indicative of what impresses me most about the new kit. It's a tool clearly designed for new players, and it caters to them excellently, removing many of the most daunting aspects of jumping into D&D. But having done that, this Starter Set works to improve the experience for everyone else, too. It's not likely to substantially change the way seasoned players enjoy Dungeons & Dragons, but it's got a few interesting tricks up its sleeve that I'd be very happy to see included alongside future campaign books. It's a product that finally understands D&D's new place in the mainstream, and while it's been a long time coming, I'm very pleased that it's finally here.
For more, why not check out our guide to the best D&D books?
