Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set

Wizards of the Coast recently launched a new line of products for D&D 4th Edition called "Essentials". The ideas behind the product line are explained by Wizards of the Coast here: Countdown to Essentials

The specific product that caught my eye, was the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set. The red box and artwork are a throwback to the original D&D Basic Set from the early 80s, long before I began playing. While D&D veterans may find the design nostalgic, the contents seem to be designed for players new to the game - or at least new to 4th Edition.

The Starter Set is almost like a board game in that it contains everything you need to start playing; a 32-page book for players, a 64-page book for Dungeon Masters, 2 sheets of tokens for characters and monsters, character sheets and power cards, a set of dice and a double-sided dungeon map.

Compared to the Core Rulebooks, the 2 books within the Starter Set are obviously simplified and focus only on levels 1-3. The book for players utilizes a solo adventure, in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books, to guide the player through the character creation process and teach them the basics of gameplay. The book for Dungeon Masters includes an adventure for the whole party along with the usual rules and advice on running a game.

Due to the newbie friendly books and the fact that no additional purchases are required to begin playing, the Starter Set is perfect for anyone looking to get into D&D for the first time. Veterans of the genre or players that already own the 4th Edition Core Rulebooks probably won't need this Starter Set, though it would still be an excellent tool for introducing friends or family to the game.

Dungeons & Dragons can be quite an expensive hobby to get started with; the combined prices of the Core Rulebooks, dice, miniatures and such can scare people away before they even try the game. The Starter Set is surprisingly inexpensive: much cheaper than just a single core rulebook (at the time of writing). Considering that the Starter Set contains everything you need to start playing, the value for money is impressive.

I wish this Starter Set had been available when I began playing; streamlining the learning process while throwing you directly into the action would have been perfect. Anyone wanting to try D&D should definitely consider this Starter Set before looking into the Core Rulebooks.