I thought for the start of this post we’d look at the D&D 5e Starter Set.

This is basically everything (except pens/pencils and the friends to play with) you need to start playing D&D in a box. In a previous post I’ve already talked about being able to give D&D a try without using this Starter Set. Although you’d still need dice. But with an internet connection or app you don’t even need them. I came across this page on the WotC website the other day that simulates rolls from the various dice used.

But I digress. I’m looking at the Starter Set.

The Starter Set can be purchased for between £15 and £20. I got my copy from my FLGS at about the mid point of that price range.

In the box for your money you get a set of 6 dice, 5 pregenerated character sheets, a blank character sheet, the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure, and a rulebook.

The rulebook is a nice 32 page summary of the basic rules needed by new players and dm’s to play the game. Naturally it’s not as comprehensive as the Players Handbook or the free pdf of the basic rules that WotC have on their website. The rules included doesn’t cover creating your own characters. However that’s not the point of this Starter Set. Which is to give you everything to start playing right out of the box. Besides if that’s something you want to do the info is in the free pdf already mentioned. But it does the job.

The supplied pregenerated characters of two human fighters, half elf wizard, halfling rogue, and dwarf cleric are standard fare and in my opinion a bit cliched. But I understand why they went with the tropes. It’s not the mix of classes I’m critiquing. Although a trope in itself, it’s also a good example of a balanced party for beginners. It’s the races that are used for each class I find unimaginative and cliched. For example why not have the halfling as a wizard? I play one. Mix it up a bit.

A nice touch on each of the character sheets is the background info on the race and class on the reverse side to the character stats. The background adventure info that gives each character a personal goal, defines their alignment and why they are at the start of the adventure, I love. A really nice touch. The gaining levels guidance is also really good. And guides the player up to level 5.

The Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure. A 64 page starting adventure set in the Forgotten Realms along the Sword Coast. Particularly south of Neverwinter in and around the Neverwinter Wood and the Sword Mountains. With the town of Phandalin acting as the base for the adventurers.

Our group are I’m assuming midway or just over midway through the adventure. Our sessions are about 3 hours long and are fortnightly. And we have been meeting up to play this adventure since July last year. Make of that what you will. Plus we are using our own characters not the pregenerated ones.

From a players point of view I’m enjoying the adventure a lot. It doesn’t feel like a railroad adventure, but more sandbox like. There are plenty of hooks to go off and do the adventures in the area. Which is what I like that illusion of choice. You can decide to act on the hook you get or not.

From a new dm point of view I’d have liked to have seen some player friendly handouts, such as a map of Phandalin. Maybe some pictures of the monsters players will encounter. Or how about some standees of the monsters to use? I’m stopping short of suggesting miniatures of the characters. Well we don’t know what sex that the players will chose. So 10 miniatures would just drive up the price astronomically and out of the intended audience and aim of this product. Or they could follow the Judge Dredd RPG guys and release a token pack for the Starter Set for players to buy.

The actual box for the Starter Set is twice as deep as it needs to be, and it’s why there is a bit of cardboard inside just to stop stuff rattling round. In this day and age of being environmentally friendly etc. there is no excuse for this sort of waste.

Overall this is a great option for those looking to get into playing D&D. It’s not expensive. So if your group of friends don’t like it you are not too much out of pocket. Although (and this wouldn’t be a post by me on D&D if at some point I don’t mention Mr Colville) my previous post (link in the second paragraph above) about the one-shot noob dungeon by Matthew Colville is even cheaper (FREE). Both great options for trying the game. If I was to recommend anything, I’d say try the free one-shot first, then if you enjoyed that, move onto this Starter Set.

Let’s see what shenanigans Dram and co have been getting up to since last we saw them.

After a short rest our band of adventurers looked for signs of the wizard formally known as Glasstaff.

A trial led north through the forest.

The motley crew followed the trial through the woods until they came across an abandoned camp site. Ace used his skills to determine that the camp was relatively fresh, the extinguished fire still warm. His best guess was that the person who had been here had left no more than a couple of hours before their discovery of the site.

More footprints led off from the camp site in a northerly direction, once again through the trees.

Dram and co resumed the pursuit of whoever was making the trial.

Shortly they came to the Neverwinter River. It was too wide for Dram to Misty Step across and avoid getting wet feet or having to swim across. So Dram paddled out into the river and then cast Misty Step to take him to the opposite bank.

As Dram sat on the opposite bank drying off, he watched the rather humorous crossings of his companions. Grull had tried tossing the gnome across the river. Only for the gnome to fall short and splash down into the middle of the river.

Their efforts to get out of the river were just as comedic. But eventually the others all got across to join Dram on the opposite bank, just a lot more wetter.

The pursuit resumed until they came across another clearing in the dusk of early evening. Four humanoid shapes appeared to be trying to dig up some graves.

Ace stealthy crept round to one side to get a closer look. Sadly at the opposite side of the clearing Grull wasn’t as stealthy. One of the humanoid shapes noticed him.

It attacked.

The chaos of battle ensued. Two of the humanoid figures attacked Grull. Dram from his safe spot let off a volley of Magic Missiles at those two.

Grull, the gnome and Ace just seemed to be standing there letting the attacking figures attack them! Dram was puzzled with this reaction of his colleagues. Surely they should be fighting back, defending themselves?

Dram cast Cloud of Daggers. The air in front of Grull was filled with spinning daggers. Exactly where the two attacking figures were standing.

Suddenly the paralysed heroes sprung back into life and finished off the remaining two attackers.

Closer inspection of the corpses afterwards revealed they had been fighting ghouls.

After getting their breathe back, and some patching of wounds. The party once again looked for signs of their quarry. But the path seemed to have come to a dead end.

After a brief discussion the party decided to head North to try and pick up the trail. again.

After about an hour they had still not found any sign of a trail. So they set up camp for the night.

The night passed quietly. Except in the morning Sarmyar and her panther had disappeared.