Dungeons & Dragons 5e Starter Set Review (Pen & Paper RPGs Scan)
Product Review
Summer of 2014 saw the release of the
fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons in a box set designed to
introduce new players to the game. The box includes a rule book, an
adventure book, pregenerated character sheets, and a full set of
dice. It retails for $19.99.
Create Your Character +0: The
production quality of the box is fairly average. The dice are a nice,
marbleized deep blue with bright white numbers. The rule books use
thick, glossy presentation pages, and the character sheets are on
heavy-weave linen. Both books are coverless, saddle-stitched jobs. A
64-page rulebook and a 32-page adventure book. The included rules are
meant to take characters as high as 5th level, and the
adventure booklet maps out this structure very well. The box set
plays as a quaint little self-contained game that will provide four
or five complete gaming sessions.
Roll for Initiative +3: Much of
the violence and occult material has been removed from this starter
set. Some mention is made of necromancy in the adventure material,
and there is an encounter with a banshee. Magic is described as
essential to the flavor of the Dungeons & Dragons experience, but
the magic contained in the box emphasizes evocation, abjuration, and
illusion – a power set that intentionally resembles super powers.
There is a nice variety of monsters to beat up, but the nastier or
more horrific critters don’t show up.
Attribute Modifiers +5: The new
5e rules scarcely resemble the 4e set at all; it feels much closer to
the previous 3.5e rules. Character abilities have been trimmed
significantly. Character level now provides a single proficiency
bonus which applies equally to skills in which a character has
proficiency, and that bonus caps at +6 for a 20th level
character. Weapon usage is now a skill like any other; there is not a
separate Base Attack Bonus. Characters receive attribute pumps and
class features as they level but not Feats. Characters can now gain
“advantage” or “disadvantage” as a situational bonus, taking
the better of two twenty-sided rolls. Character creation includes
occupation and background elements that help determine skill
proficiency and provide “Inspiration” for characters to use
during the game. All in all, the range of mechanical variation has
been drastically reduced, allowing radically different characters to
maintain parity of effectiveness and significantly reducing the
amount of math involved.
Saving Throws -2: I would have
rather had a single, 96-page perfect bound book instead of two
stapled magazines. A box set should have maps, and they missed an
opportunity to include either maps of Phandelver Mine (useful) or a
map of Faerun (sweet). I don’t even have to have the sweet,
poster-sized treasures of yesteryear, full-page printouts would have
been nice to have. It compares quite naturally to Pathfinder, but
comes up short for a resolution system that feels dryly uniform.
Armor Class +0: The dice are
really nice, and this box is entirely self-contained. It’s a great
introduction to role-playing games in general and Dungeons &
Dragons specifically. The art direction is beautifully painted and
epic in feel. The adventure touches all the elements of the genre,
and is superbly constructed both for playing and to use as a model
for your own scenarios. It compares quite naturally to Pathfinder,
and the reduction of value ranges in the math means a pleasantly
smaller standard deviation in execution.
Roll to Hit: This is a great
gift item for a new role-player or a board-gamer who wants to try
something different. Experienced gamers won’t miss anything by
leaving this on the shelf, and may be better served to just spend the
extra money on the hardcover. On the other hand, the price point is
low and it will definitely scratch that fantasy itch. Modified 16
on 1d20.
Kickstarting Now
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dumped our used robots there! Centuries later, the entire planet is
populated by self-replicating simulacra of people, animals, and even
plants. The planet remains airless and barren, but the robots don’t
care! In addition to the setting, the book is developing a unique
mechanical system.
Look for these books, available now:
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A
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greater protection. When evil is on the rise and the safety of the
neighbourhood is at stake the Parliament of Cats is there to stand
firm against the darkness.
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XP Award
Winston Crutchfield is the publisher and small business service provider at Critical Press Media. His current RPG project is Opposing Forces: A Tactical Manual and Gallery of Opponents for the Fate System. If you have requests or suggestions for reviews or new information for the scan, you can find him on the Christian Geek Central forum as "MindSpike". May your crits flow like water!
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