I'm the teacher sponsor for the brand new D&D club at my school. Now known as Students and Swords! I need a copy of this for the club! This is the point where I wish I had all the money to set up an awesome resource library for my students. :)
If I can Help Let me know...DM from the state of Virginia! I think this game will help kids stay straight! 42 years of experience with the game! 540-321-4552!
Thanks for the offer! My school is in Indiana, so it's a bit far away. We're about to have out "Session 0, where we teach everyone how to roll up characters and make sure those who are bring them in did it right, as well as set the ground rules for a school hosted gaming club. We're super excited!
Yeah unfortunately it is not an inexpensive game to get into particularly if u want actual hardcopies of the books. That said u can find alot of info online it just can be inconvenient to access everything from just a smartphone.
I recommend trying the DnDBeyond Master tier. It worked wonders for my club. You might even be able to get a local organization like the American legion to sponsor it. Also, there's plenty of research material about the benefits of RPGs if you get pushback from people.
Thought about getting it, but went bananas and got the core rule set with DM screen. After my wallet recovers from the kidney shank I will get Xanatar and Volo.
I just started playing D&D using Fantasy Grounds and I went ahead and adapted the Essentials Kit before they made it available in their online store. What I am doing is I combined the Starter Kit and Essentials Kit adventures together so there is a major storyline (Starter Kit) with a subplot (Essentials Kit) and an open world field with optional quests (quest board). My players are loving it so far because it feels more like the open world video games they play on their own like Assassins Creed Odyssey for example. Plus I tied their backstories and personal quests to both adventures so it is more personal and they feel more tied to the adventure, the region and each other. I would definitely recommend this method and it doesn’t take a lot of extra prep work on your part as an experienced DM to do. For beginning DMs I would stick to one or the other but the flavor of the Starter Kit is very linear and the Essentials Kit is more open world and progression based although there is a real threat in the background of whatever your players decide to do. Both are great and it just depends on whether you feel comfortable with the improv of an open world compared to the linear nature of the Starter Kit in making your decision. Personally I’d love to see how your group would handle the adventure in a stream or a video or how you would suggest handling or implementing the 1 player and 1 DM optional ruleset.
and from what I read in other places that feels like it not besigned for that but there been some effort from DnD to make that posible relativly easy. to run both box sets at the same time and have it work. and I find that good.
@@Zack_Wester The timeline in each set is very different. The Essentials Kit comes years later and having two different BBG can make it complicated. So if you can adapt them, it works out but normally I would suggest one BBG and steal the side quests or other aspects to make the world feel more alive. If you wanted even more Sword Coast content in Phandalin then the Acquisitions Inc. campaign works that way too but they are only in Phandalin for a small amount of time - specifically at the Redbrand Hideout.
I bought the starter edition and the Essential kit and used the two to create this interesting dragon V dragon idea. Basically Wave Echo Cave was the lair for an adult green dragon who has been attacking the region until a powerful warrior woman killed her with the Dragon Slayer Sword that can be found it Essential Kit. This Sword was forged using the Spell Forge by the weaponsmith of Phandelain’s ancestor. After this dragon was killed, her baby has been forced to leave the area and becomes Venmonfang. After nearly a century, venomfang attacks and takes over Thundertree which was the site of an Orc Tribe. This leads to the orcs trying to summon a god to aid them in killing Venomfang. However if Venomfang is killed, this causes the deadly Cryovain to invade the area seeking to expand its territory as Venomfang was a powerful deterrent against it.
I have not played D&D in 20 years, my son come across some of my OLD D&D books and has asked to learn how to play. So I do think I will pick this set up for him and to some me the newer rules and maybe even get my wife to try it out and make it a family nite type of thing. Like you two do here keep up the good work.
Same, my first screen was cut from a big cardboard box I found. Later I used a shoe box and some tape to make myself a dry erase board, it was rough around the edges but got the job done.
That is really cool! I don't know if you are new to D&D or not, but it is a fantastic bit of fun. Just remember when making your character that it not only needs to be fun for you, but everyone at the table. Get excited and be silly, but not at the expense of other peoples fun. It will be a great time!
Hobby Knight I’ve been playing for a year and I am as silly and strategic as magically possible so say I’m mew when I tried intimidating a red adult dragon with a Viking yell
First time DM that started playing the Starter Set. I got the Essentials kit for things like the extra dice and the cards in the box, but mainly so i can combine both adventures into a super quest
Great presentation dudes. :) Very detailed, step-by-step, showing the pieces of the kit. I particularly liked your honest opinion / idea / insight on each element, be it dices, magic item cards, the module itself, the DM screen, the map, etc. It was really helpful and very informative with pros and cons, thank you for that!
Just finished playing through this solo as a Bladesinging wizard; my wife DM'd for me and it was a blast! Now on to attempting to solo Dungeon of the Mad Mage...wish me luck :)
@@travisterry2200 yes, I had a sidekick. However, though it was a warrior, the sidekick didn't land a single hit in the final battle due to poor rolls. Meanwhile, my character killed the boss in 3 turns, the first of which it was surprised because it was sleeping and my stealth was good. I was level 6 by the time I reached the end because I did all quests and side quests.
I think side kicks are designed to be a second character run by the player, not by the Dungeon Master. Or you let the player run the side kick in combat and you manage the side kick daring role playing.
The DnD Beyond content says ‘It’s up to you and the DM to decide who controls the sidekick in play.’ So it could be the player or the DM or both trading off.
I got both sets for $21 total on Amazon. Since I'll be running Lost Mine for my kids soon. I've plundered all the fun extras from the essentials kit to augment the Starter Set. The dice, the map, the item and condition cards, etc. Makes for a nice little 1st time DM kit.
I agree that the Starter Set is better for first time player/gm groups, while the Essentials Kit is better for a player switching to the GM seat. You can probably mix and match the sets if you use a milestone system.
I've been playing this kit for the last month with my group and I love it! The DnD Beyond content tie-in is the ONLY way I want source materials to be handled. So good!
I'm gonna be that guy, the Essentials Kit introduction made a really good case for sidekicks. The sidekicks exist for the small party the one other person and gm where if you're trying to teach maybe younger children or someone that is a little shy about the whole thing but wants to give it a try without having to put themselves out there. So as someone that knows what that's like on both accounts, I for one have nothing but good things to say about the Sidekicks. If they aren't for you or your group they're a thing you can ignore, but they're nice to have as a way to more comfortably introduce more people to the hobby and I feel like that is always a good thing.
Agreed, this was actually the reason I purchased this at Target on launch day! I am running it with the sidekicks for my kids right now, and they have had a lot of fun learning to use them. I do the role-playing while they choose their actions, works great.
I'm a 39 year old high school English teacher. I always wanted to play D&D but just never found the right circumstances. Suddenly this year I have stumbled into a couple different circles of friends who play and I've dived in. I currently am in 3 campaigns. Just wanted to say I love you guy's channel. Great videos and so so helpful on every topic plus ya'll are funny and cool. Keep up the good work!!!!
I gotta say as a brand new dm who got both sets without realizing they took place at the same town, I gravitated towards Dragon of Icespire Peak because of how simple it was. Having more to read in the Lost Mines module was actually intimidating, and having the option to just flavor things how I want to was nice. Maybe I'm weird lol
You guys make the best D&D content. From guides that doesn't force cookie-cutter builds, to campaigns, to videos like this, it's just helpful content. Love your channel - keep it going bros :D
my problem with Dragon of Icespire is that a party of 6th level characters will be DECIMATED by a cr6 dragon much less a solo run. I came up with a blending of this and the original lost mines adventure and it only requires a small amount of adjustment that even a new DM can handle. run LMoP through chapter 1 and 2 giving the players a level up after each chapter (party level 3). in chapter 3 when LMoP open up introduce DoIP and the first set of 3 notice board quests (each group of notice board quests from DoIP grants a level up (so each set of 3 quests is 1 level). the party can do the first set of notice board quests during chapter 3 (level to 4.) finish chapter 3 of LMoP. (the party should be level 5 ) start chapter 4 of LMoP and unlock the 2nd set of notice board quests, let the players do 1 or 2 of them (no level up yet, need all 3 for that) then have them finish chapter 4 of LMoP.(level to 6). once that is finished give them the remaining t2 notice board quests (level to 7) and finish DoIP leveling the party when appropriate. should finish the game with the players at level 10 or so.
My party just finished this. 4 party members at lvl 6. The fight was over in 2 rounds because we hasted our fighter who has the dragon sword. DM had buffed the dragons hit points and we still took him down immediately. So then the DM came up with the idea that there were two and the second one got buffed almost to a full cr 13 dragon and we still took him down in about 3 rounds. Dragon sword is so OP. But it was fun
I imagine having a cork board nearby could be highly beneficial for any group. Having a space for current goals, and it would be easy for keeping track of initiatives, and various information.
I’m currently running a play-by-post where I’m running this and LMoP together. I used the LMoP as the introduction, and my players just got to Phandalin, the rumors table has already started to pay off. This video inspired me for my D&D club. Put up a message board, have three dm’s (or more), allow teams to pick which adventure they go on by “picking” the job. These jobs will be one to two page dungeons so we can rotate players.
As a new player, I was VERY pleased with the essentials kit. I've been pouring over your videos for the past few weeks, getting pointers for new players, and suggestions. We made our characters tonight and we start on Tuesday, SO excited. LOVE your channel :)
This is called an "Essentials Kit" not "New Starter Set" for a reason. It can be used to start out with, just another module to run, or in addition to MoP in the Starter Set. Its still not meant to replace the core three, PHB/DM/MM. But for most people on the fence dropping $25 is more feesible than $80-$100.
I bought this a few weeks ago to start a game for the family. So far, everyone is really enjoying it! Character creation was easy for both of the kids and it's been a great way to get all 4 of us together for a couple of hours. I've really enjoyed sharing a lifelong hobby of mine with everyone in the house.
I was seriously impressed with this set. It was well organized and really gave you so much more than I expected. You get a lot of bang for your buck. I started playing D&D in 1980 and I would have given a limb for a box set like this. Well done!
I use the initiative cards when I play with my kids, and handing out initiative cards to the players and monsters is AMAZING for keeping track of order of combat.
Nice, awesome to watch a Canadian D&D TH-camr! I had my suspicions that you guys were Snow people! Love your work, keep making awesome videos!! ❤❤❤ -Isabelle
4E Essentials was such a welcome gift to me and my group. I never understood why someone would only like to play a Fighter. Then I played a Slayer, and it was so much fun. My personal favorite character. I hope this box can bring that joy to new and old players.
My nearby store in the mall (it’s name escapes me) sells all things dnd! It basically has all the books, figures, dice, etc.. Definitely going to go there for all my DnD needs! (I’m not sure if they have the campaign books or the spell cards, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.)
I'm in the middle of running this with the family. I played and DM'd a little bit back in the 80s, but my wife and kids have never played tabletop RPGs before. My comments: - A little more background on the town and the dragon would have been nice. In the intro to the town for the players, it never explicitly talks about the dragon. Experienced DM's would have no trouble working it in, but newbie DM's struggle. - I REALLY like the quest cards. I can pass out the available quests and ask the family to choose their next quest through the week. I beg them to tell me the choice the day before we play so I can prepare better. Makes the sandbox layout a bit easier on me. - The magic item cards are nice too. - Good to have a slightly expanded set of dice. Especially 2 D20's. We haven't bought any extra dice, so it is good to have one D20 for the players and one for the DM. - I'm having to secretly change a lot of dice rolls, since many of the monsters are pretty hard for low level characters, and my players don't have a lot of experience looking for alternate solutions or finding the best way through combat. In the first few quests my spell casters were afraid to spend the spell slots and ended up being ineffective. We play once a week, and this box will keep us busy for months.
I might be running this at our local game store for the Youths (teaching them how to play D&D) - so thank you for showing us what is actually included in the box so I know what to bring and not bring ^_^ It was very helpful, thank you.
I just finished DM-ing this campaign for my family. Can definitely say that for the price this thing goes for, it is so absolutely worth it. Chock full of magic items, quests, and roleplaying encounters, such a fun campaign.
I felt the lost mine of phandelver was a bit more directed for the dm on how and why to do what. Icespire felt like alot of very loose vignettes with a wierd job board system I wasnt too keen on. I feel like combining them is a fun experience and something I'd be very interested in doing.
I just found out about this now. My lost mine group is almost done so I just ordered this to do exactly that. Tackle the highest level job board quests and then off to fight an ice dragon.
Came from your video on the Player's Manual vs the Starter set, you guys made some big improvements! Keep it up and thanks for helping me decide my first steps into DnD!
Started playing in 1983...when the original "Red Box" came out. Still have the Basic, Expert, Companion and Masters books, as well as the Rule Cyclopedia all on PDF. Tons of B & X modules as well Nice to see kids getting back into actual gaming without looking at computer screens Have Fun Everyone!
One thing of note that not many people are mentioning, the dungeons are a bit less guided than the starter set or many modules. The maps are mostly classic style simple layouts, and the rooms have plain descriptions. A dungeon may have 26 rooms, but only around 2-4 small encounters, and 80% of those rooms are simple, functional, abandoned, and mostly barren. The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and some modules such as Hoard of the Dragon Queen take a much more detailed approach to the dungeons, where every room or every other room has a purpose outside of simply being a room that realistically should be there but provide nothing mechanically interesting for the players, as well as having descriptively drawn maps that can help new DMs imagine the content. For comparisons' sake, one can look at Mike Schley's LMOP maps such as the Redbrand Hideout, or Cragmaw Castle. Each room has something going on. This room has a trap and enemies. This one has treasure hidden inside a pool, this one has an owlbear lurking within, and this one has a grick ready to stalk the players and goblins on the other side praying to their god. In contrast, many of the Dragon of Icespire Peak maps are simplistic, and they tend to give a brief description of the room, but there is little in the way of depth beyond that. In most rooms, usually nothing is hidden, no enemies, nothing that an adventurer would find useful. This is a more realistic approach for sure, but may or may not be one that certain groups enjoy, especially if they are coming off LMOP where the expectations are different. Some groups might like the idea that an abandoned fortress is rightfully not full of events and treasure, while others might feel it lacks content. I think it should be noted in reviews, as it is in my opinion a very large factor in the enjoyment of some players, and of many DMs as well.
Ordered this one and the old intro box to mix the scenario booklets and run a 1 v 1 campaign with the G/F. She's getting real big on the RPIng thanks to critical role. She even joined up with a DnD campaign. So happy happy joy joy!!!
I got the essentials kit to run with my wife and kids as a family activity. I'm a new DM and pretty new to DnD in general, but we have been having a blast. It's easy to run with mechanically simple combat encounters and strait forward exploration. It's still engaging though and is balanced well enough to still have tense moments. That said, it is light on some of the roll play components. The very adventure the dungeon dudes mention in gnomegrad puts the players in a situation where killing a member of the gnomes group is a very likely out come, but gives you no clue as to how the rest of the gnomes would react to the death of a cohort. Also the adventure booklet isn't well bound and it's already losing some pages, but over all it's a great value for the money.
I bought this for a new group of players from work. Also run a homebrew but I just don't have the time for 2. So far I'm liking the adventure and I have just left the whole box at work, including the screen because we're playing there after hours. Very handy, especially liking the cards with conditions and magic items.
I love the value of this box and love the job board style questline which I imagine is easier for new dms to run (only having to keep track of one small quest at a time as opposed to one epic long adventure). The Dwarven Excavation quest has become my default Starter Dungeon for new groups as I find it perfect for very low levels
If you are just playing with your son, the Sidekick system in the Essentials Kit is a great way to round out a single-player game. If you are playing with 2-3 others, the Starter Set is a better choice. Have fun!
I'm About to have it for christmas and this really helped to know it's for people that want to start playing d&d, we heard about the game alot and it's good to start with this kit,Thanks for making this video! 👍😃
I have both modules and granted im still very new to the DM side of things, but I saw both as being good for new players. LMoP is good for completely new players that have never played before because they can grab a pre-made sheet with a more railroad character advancement with what spells/abilities to take and run a relatively quick session with a fairly streamlined campaign for the DM. After getting their feet wet, jump to DoIP and have it be their first shot at fully creating their own characters from scratch with (almost)everything opened up to them and the DM can tweak the campaign as they see fit. LMoP is the tutorial and DoIP is the first campaign with all aspects open. As a DM I'd rather do away with the bounty bound almost entirely, and have the town react differently to the PC's depending on what they've done and I can also interject more enemies and monsters during the usual travel and adventure spots if need be.
Absolutely! I would like to see a “tutorial“ for dms. How and when to use checks, how to set the difficulty (DC) tipps on improvising and things like that. I think “before phandelver“ is the best you could get if you want something that resembles a tutorial.
Running this campaign right now, loved when they talked about creating a cork board setup with parchment notices for the players as I did exactly that! Thanks BTW for telling me about the online expansions which I completely missed!
Great Video. Wanted to add a positive comment about the Initiative number cards. Even with players who aren’t new to the game, some tend to lose track of when their turn comes, especially the first few rounds of a battle or when playing with a larger group. Having the numbered card lets them know how soon their turn is.
I fall into that role of brand new DM. I played in my immediate pre-teens and 20s and my older brother was (luckily for me) the best DM to date that I’ve played with. Now I’m at the point where I have bought the starter pack and essentials for my partner’s two teenagers. They love board games- Risk, Baker Street, Colditz…. So I think they will absolutely love d&d. This video has helped with my nervousness about DM’ing. Played for the first time aged 11. DM’ing for the first time at 51.
I'm a little late to the party , but I just ran the first session for my friends who have never played, all my experience in dnd is watching 1200 hrs of critical role. But I don't know anyone who DMs so I decided to do it myself. We had an epic blast and now indont know how to act. Buying minis and battle maps left and right
Just got this for a group of friends and myself, most of whom haven't played 5e and one who has never played at all, and I'm DM'ing for the first time! I really like that this gave me mostly everything I need to feel comfortable running this game, and that I didn't have to spend even more money for additional resources like a separate DM screen. I just need to get a grid mat and some character placeholders (too broke for minis lol)
I as the DM would order the cards in initiative order and hold onto them and then run through the order. rinse and repeat. Handing them out would get confusing but holding onto them will help the DM keep the order going and keep track.
literally bought this only because I wanted the DM screen and it was only $10 more than the DM screen but came with an adventure to boot, and turns out the DM screen is slightly better in the essentials box
My local gaming store can thank you guys for a quick sale yesterday after I watched this video. Have a friend about to DM for the first time and this will make an amazing gift. Thank you for the review.
Great video guys!! Looking at this kit and the monster manual and playershandbook. I’ve had the Master guide and I’m finally putting them to use. Running a solo campaign for my son.
A couple pre-gen characters would be good as a reference, for people (like me) who learn better from an example, than an instruction. I wonder if this'll ever be available in Australia. I know I can probably get it online, but I have a problem with package theft :P
So sad that affiliate links are not for EU, you nearly convince me to bought this and the starter set . I also agree that if you bought the physical version you should also have access to the digital content in D&D Beyond and the included codes are really nice start.
The initiative cards are GREAT. It takes less time to just hand them out rather than writing it down. I laminated mine after one use because the group liked it.
First of all: very informative video, as always :) Sidekicks are meant to be played by the player. That's noted at the beginning of the adventure(unfortunately not in the rulebook). I think i'ts actually very well done, because the sidekicks are not fleshed out PCs, they basically have a monster stat sheet. A caster can only cast 3 spells for example. I think that is manageable, even for a new player.
that part about players with sidekicks or companions: the way my group handles it you kind of touched on, but a few of our players have companion animals or sidekicks.. we as a player get to sort of control what they do, but the DM is in charge of their personality and the roleplaying part.
Hi guys, thanks for the great video. I just got the essentials kit and was kinda surprised to find that the rulebook that came with it is a lot shorter than the one that can be downloaded from the official site. I would have thought it would be the other way around. There's a lot of common vocabulary but I was curious if you know where does the online rules appear in text, in the player's handbook perhaps? Thanks
I'm in the middle of running lost mines for a bunch of new people and just grabbed icespire peak. I think piecing together parts of icespire peak to include in LMOP is an awesome way to make both campaigns better. I'm making venomfang be the half sister to cryovain and wants him eliminated, as he's causing chaos around the surrounding land. When the party encounters venomfang she'll try to barter with them to leave peacefully if they can eliminate her half brother. (Obviously lying, but we'll see if they pick up on it) I'm also thinking of using a few of the different encounters from icespire peak as quests they'll need to complete - they'll have to collect magic seals to unlock the door to the forge of spells.
I like the idea of those itemcards. They give players a quick refference to look up what their item does in case they've forgotten and it is neat to be able to give them something physical instead of just telling them that they got a fancy sword. But I really don't like the design they picked for the cardback. You could do so much more by picking a picture of the actual item and different backgrounds instead of just a plain white card saying magical item. I used to print out similar cards on normal paper and really didn't want to do anything too fancy, but even I included a small picture of the item (which I totally downloaded on the internet, cause I can't draw at all)
it's a card box, not a dice box! i've seen this before, people just assume its for the dice! but if you read everything, i think it tells you exactly what its for
I bought that essentials kit...and I struggled to learn. So I bought the starter set... And still struggled... So I finally bought the stranger things set... And I learned how to play with that set, it it's so basic and simple that it's easy to learn, after that set I starter to get the hang of the starter set, and starter playing that, and now I will start the essentials set and already created some characters, d&d is confusion for the laymen, I strongly suggest the stranger things set, comes with pre made characters, a short story, and very simple to follow story line
Nice insight. I always saw the strangers things set as the inferior option because it was expensive and didn't offer a lot of content, but it looks like it actually does a very good job explaining the basics of the game.
As an experienced D&D player and DM, I wanted my friends to get into D&D. Conveniently my freind had this box given to her by a family member and wanted to try out DMing. We went to Gnomengarde and came to the spinning blades room. half of us were unconicous, the DM was nice to not let one instantly die, but then the last one died of failed death saves. Our new quest is to find someone to revive our fighter and we will probably play "revive the fighter" campaign instead of this one
My view on things is that if you're running the game, buy both of them. Essentials is also pretty good for anyone who wants to go with D&D Beyond for things since it's got the discount code and you can get it with your dice and some other useful bits and pieces along with the PHB there for less than just the phb in most cases.
I printed the condition cards onto cardstock. My printer is not meant to have cardstock run through it but it survived. I cut them out and have plenty now. I also printed out the deck of many things and taped them onto playing cards incase I ever decide to use it.
Each player needs a dice set. I recommend 4 D4, 4D6, 4D8, 2 D10 (different color D10 or one being the 10's numbered) D12 is becoming optional and a D20 that has high contrast between main color and numbers. Best if all have high contrast, but the D20 is most important.
The adventure in this kit is great for short, simple game sessions. There’s lots of optional content and flexibility without any specific structure to follow. It really just gives you what you need to write your own adventures. It’s not really a campaign, more like a reference of multiple gameplay options. I’d recommend the starter kit for beginners or campaign groups, and the essentials kit for experienced DM’s or casual groups. Of course if you want to be a true D&D player, you DEFINITELY need The Player’s Handbook. 👍
I got this to start dm’ing, and when I went online to get the extra digital stuff it came with the book, and 3 more! I was expecting like 3 missions, 3 more books!
I'm thinking on doing tyranny of dragons after icespire peak. Start HotDQ at 6th level, adjusting encounters as needed, and start RoT at 10th level. Might work, who knows what the player's will do.
My DM Screen from the original Ravenloft box back in the 90s was equally "flimsy". We considered this to be normal and we liked it a lot! I'm German and I had it sent to Germany and it cost a fortune for a student (and it took more than 6 weeks to get here!) The times they are a changing (sigh)...
D&D is on sale this weekend at 40% off in chapters indigo canada. I just picked up the Wraith of Ashardalon for around $45 compared to regular price at around $74 CDN. Though with the gift card i had on hand I only ended up paying $16 for it.
Wizards of West Coast runs DND correct, they also run Magic the Gathering card game. So why can't they come out with card sets of magic items or creatures or spells and such. I collected the magic card sets back in my teens.
There is actually an expansion available to this that explores the wider world and further issues beyond. If you want it to feel cohesive that is easily the best choice. Beyond that, most of the modules out now take place in the forgotten realms and could connect very well to this campaign with a little imagination.
Thank you guys. I think I am going to try Waterdeep Dragon Heist, based on your review and just general vibe of the story. I'm sure my players will love the Matt Mercer connection.
Bought this for my son's 10th birthday next month. I DM'd the starter kit, now it's his turn to find out if he's ready. Good luck boy!
GOOD LUCK TO THE GOOD BOY
Kratos: BOI!
Awesome! I hope to get my girlfriends daughter into D&D in a few years.
Best reason for a father to buy D&Dset that he is really curious about, your kids birthday..
I crited two players with the ochers I felt so bad 1 shotting them lucky the warlock had spare the dying and the bard had a heal.
I'm the teacher sponsor for the brand new D&D club at my school. Now known as Students and Swords!
I need a copy of this for the club! This is the point where I wish I had all the money to set up an awesome resource library for my students. :)
If I can Help Let me know...DM from the state of Virginia! I think this game will help kids stay straight! 42 years of experience with the game! 540-321-4552!
Thanks for the offer! My school is in Indiana, so it's a bit far away. We're about to have out "Session 0, where we teach everyone how to roll up characters and make sure those who are bring them in did it right, as well as set the ground rules for a school hosted gaming club. We're super excited!
Yeah unfortunately it is not an inexpensive game to get into particularly if u want actual hardcopies of the books. That said u can find alot of info online it just can be inconvenient to access everything from just a smartphone.
I recommend trying the DnDBeyond Master tier. It worked wonders for my club. You might even be able to get a local organization like the American legion to sponsor it. Also, there's plenty of research material about the benefits of RPGs if you get pushback from people.
I want to get the Dndbeyone subscription for sure, but we need to have some fundraising and sponsorship first for sure!
Thought about getting it, but went bananas and got the core rule set with DM screen. After my wallet recovers from the kidney shank I will get Xanatar and Volo.
The core set is a good way to start then toss in Volo's and Xanathar's is even better.
Sorry but did they just subtly say that the amazing Dungeon Dudes are from Canada? This is new information
we already knew (i'm canadian)
7 Nite - “out” and “about” - dead giveaway from day one!
They did.
But sometimes they pop that sweet canadian accent, ever so slightly, so it's wasn't news to me personally😅
The Roots bunnyhug gives that one away :)
Represent!! 🇨🇦 we are Canadian.
I just started playing D&D using Fantasy Grounds and I went ahead and adapted the Essentials Kit before they made it available in their online store. What I am doing is I combined the Starter Kit and Essentials Kit adventures together so there is a major storyline (Starter Kit) with a subplot (Essentials Kit) and an open world field with optional quests (quest board). My players are loving it so far because it feels more like the open world video games they play on their own like Assassins Creed Odyssey for example. Plus I tied their backstories and personal quests to both adventures so it is more personal and they feel more tied to the adventure, the region and each other.
I would definitely recommend this method and it doesn’t take a lot of extra prep work on your part as an experienced DM to do. For beginning DMs I would stick to one or the other but the flavor of the Starter Kit is very linear and the Essentials Kit is more open world and progression based although there is a real threat in the background of whatever your players decide to do. Both are great and it just depends on whether you feel comfortable with the improv of an open world compared to the linear nature of the Starter Kit in making your decision.
Personally I’d love to see how your group would handle the adventure in a stream or a video or how you would suggest handling or implementing the 1 player and 1 DM optional ruleset.
That's just what I plan to do! :)
and from what I read in other places that feels like it not besigned for that but there been some effort from DnD to make that posible relativly easy.
to run both box sets at the same time and have it work.
and I find that good.
@@Zack_Wester The timeline in each set is very different. The Essentials Kit comes years later and having two different BBG can make it complicated. So if you can adapt them, it works out but normally I would suggest one BBG and steal the side quests or other aspects to make the world feel more alive. If you wanted even more Sword Coast content in Phandalin then the Acquisitions Inc. campaign works that way too but they are only in Phandalin for a small amount of time - specifically at the Redbrand Hideout.
Only $12.55 on Amazon when I checked just now. For that price...definitely!
I bought the starter edition and the Essential kit and used the two to create this interesting dragon V dragon idea.
Basically Wave Echo Cave was the lair for an adult green dragon who has been attacking the region until a powerful warrior woman killed her with the Dragon Slayer Sword that can be found it Essential Kit. This Sword was forged using the Spell Forge by the weaponsmith of Phandelain’s ancestor. After this dragon was killed, her baby has been forced to leave the area and becomes Venmonfang. After nearly a century, venomfang attacks and takes over Thundertree which was the site of an Orc Tribe. This leads to the orcs trying to summon a god to aid them in killing Venomfang. However if Venomfang is killed, this causes the deadly Cryovain to invade the area seeking to expand its territory as Venomfang was a powerful deterrent against it.
I have not played D&D in 20 years, my son come across some of my OLD D&D books and has asked to learn how to play. So I do think I will pick this set up for him and to some me the newer rules and maybe even get my wife to try it out and make it a family nite type of thing.
Like you two do here keep up the good work.
My first DM's screen was some cardboard me and my mom taped together
**Respect 100**
Another poor fellow to add to the gang
Lol, mine was two open folders stapled and taped together
@@iminawhitebox7717 it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s poor
Same, my first screen was cut from a big cardboard box I found. Later I used a shoe box and some tape to make myself a dry erase board, it was rough around the edges but got the job done.
My school is starting a DnD club
That is really cool! I don't know if you are new to D&D or not, but it is a fantastic bit of fun. Just remember when making your character that it not only needs to be fun for you, but everyone at the table. Get excited and be silly, but not at the expense of other peoples fun. It will be a great time!
Hobby Knight I’ve been playing for a year and I am as silly and strategic as magically possible so say I’m mew when I tried intimidating a red adult dragon with a Viking yell
Mines starting one to!!
Rocky 1Man be cool if it was the same school
I’m a teacher and I’ve been wanting to start one for my high school. I’ve definitely been thinking about how to do it best
First time DM that started playing the Starter Set. I got the Essentials kit for things like the extra dice and the cards in the box, but mainly so i can combine both adventures into a super quest
Great presentation dudes. :)
Very detailed, step-by-step, showing the pieces of the kit. I particularly liked your honest opinion / idea / insight on each element, be it dices, magic item cards, the module itself, the DM screen, the map, etc.
It was really helpful and very informative with pros and cons, thank you for that!
Just finished playing through this solo as a Bladesinging wizard; my wife DM'd for me and it was a blast! Now on to attempting to solo Dungeon of the Mad Mage...wish me luck :)
Question(s) : did you use the helpers? What level did you get to?
There seems to be some doubt as to whether a L6 party could handle this boss.
@@travisterry2200 yes, I had a sidekick. However, though it was a warrior, the sidekick didn't land a single hit in the final battle due to poor rolls. Meanwhile, my character killed the boss in 3 turns, the first of which it was surprised because it was sleeping and my stealth was good.
I was level 6 by the time I reached the end because I did all quests and side quests.
I think side kicks are designed to be a second character run by the player, not by the Dungeon Master. Or you let the player run the side kick in combat and you manage the side kick daring role playing.
They also scale really nicely.
The DnD Beyond content says ‘It’s up to you and the DM to decide who controls the sidekick in play.’
So it could be the player or the DM or both trading off.
Oh okay 👍
On that flimsy DM's screen, if someone had access to a laminator, one could make it into a more sturdy proper screen.
This is exactly what I was looking into doing!
Looks like great value. That height of DM screen is nice as it is easier to look over the top.
That goes both ways. Both for good and for bad.
@@travisterry2200 DM screen is flimsy! you need to fix that to use it in my opinion. I dont use a DM screen anymore!
would be fun to see your group run the starter sets
I got both sets for $21 total on Amazon. Since I'll be running Lost Mine for my kids soon. I've plundered all the fun extras from the essentials kit to augment the Starter Set. The dice, the map, the item and condition cards, etc. Makes for a nice little 1st time DM kit.
You can put binder clips on the bottom of the DM screen and it makes it a lot more sturdy. One of the small clips per panel works well.
Always love your hot takes in these videos, and the work you put into your content
I agree that the Starter Set is better for first time player/gm groups, while the Essentials Kit is better for a player switching to the GM seat. You can probably mix and match the sets if you use a milestone system.
I've been playing this kit for the last month with my group and I love it! The DnD Beyond content tie-in is the ONLY way I want source materials to be handled. So good!
I'm gonna be that guy, the Essentials Kit introduction made a really good case for sidekicks. The sidekicks exist for the small party the one other person and gm where if you're trying to teach maybe younger children or someone that is a little shy about the whole thing but wants to give it a try without having to put themselves out there. So as someone that knows what that's like on both accounts, I for one have nothing but good things to say about the Sidekicks. If they aren't for you or your group they're a thing you can ignore, but they're nice to have as a way to more comfortably introduce more people to the hobby and I feel like that is always a good thing.
Agreed, this was actually the reason I purchased this at Target on launch day! I am running it with the sidekicks for my kids right now, and they have had a lot of fun learning to use them. I do the role-playing while they choose their actions, works great.
I'm a 39 year old high school English teacher. I always wanted to play D&D but just never found the right circumstances. Suddenly this year I have stumbled into a couple different circles of friends who play and I've dived in. I currently am in 3 campaigns. Just wanted to say I love you guy's channel. Great videos and so so helpful on every topic plus ya'll are funny and cool. Keep up the good work!!!!
I gotta say as a brand new dm who got both sets without realizing they took place at the same town, I gravitated towards Dragon of Icespire Peak because of how simple it was. Having more to read in the Lost Mines module was actually intimidating, and having the option to just flavor things how I want to was nice. Maybe I'm weird lol
You guys make the best D&D content. From guides that doesn't force cookie-cutter builds, to campaigns, to videos like this, it's just helpful content. Love your channel - keep it going bros :D
Thank you!
my problem with Dragon of Icespire is that a party of 6th level characters will be DECIMATED by a cr6 dragon much less a solo run. I came up with a blending of this and the original lost mines adventure and it only requires a small amount of adjustment that even a new DM can handle.
run LMoP through chapter 1 and 2 giving the players a level up after each chapter (party level 3). in chapter 3 when LMoP open up introduce DoIP and the first set of 3 notice board quests (each group of notice board quests from DoIP grants a level up (so each set of 3 quests is 1 level). the party can do the first set of notice board quests during chapter 3 (level to 4.) finish chapter 3 of LMoP. (the party should be level 5 ) start chapter 4 of LMoP and unlock the 2nd set of notice board quests, let the players do 1 or 2 of them (no level up yet, need all 3 for that) then have them finish chapter 4 of LMoP.(level to 6). once that is finished give them the remaining t2 notice board quests (level to 7) and finish DoIP leveling the party when appropriate. should finish the game with the players at level 10 or so.
There's a magic sword in DoIP that makes the last fight trivial.
My party just finished this. 4 party members at lvl 6. The fight was over in 2 rounds because we hasted our fighter who has the dragon sword. DM had buffed the dragons hit points and we still took him down immediately. So then the DM came up with the idea that there were two and the second one got buffed almost to a full cr 13 dragon and we still took him down in about 3 rounds. Dragon sword is so OP. But it was fun
I imagine having a cork board nearby could be highly beneficial for any group. Having a space for current goals, and it would be easy for keeping track of initiatives, and various information.
I’m a 50yr old D&D noob who just purchased this kit. Really looking to get immersed in the D&D world.. new subscriber too, atb gents!
I’m currently running a play-by-post where I’m running this and LMoP together. I used the LMoP as the introduction, and my players just got to Phandalin, the rumors table has already started to pay off.
This video inspired me for my D&D club. Put up a message board, have three dm’s (or more), allow teams to pick which adventure they go on by “picking” the job. These jobs will be one to two page dungeons so we can rotate players.
As a new player, I was VERY pleased with the essentials kit. I've been pouring over your videos for the past few weeks, getting pointers for new players, and suggestions. We made our characters tonight and we start on Tuesday, SO excited. LOVE your channel :)
I just wanted to say that your content is amazing and is very helpful. I just started playing and looking to move into DMing.
Thanks again I'm going to DM for the first time and I'm trying to decide between this and Lost Mines of Phandelver. Very helpful!
This is called an "Essentials Kit" not "New Starter Set" for a reason. It can be used to start out with, just another module to run, or in addition to MoP in the Starter Set. Its still not meant to replace the core three, PHB/DM/MM. But for most people on the fence dropping $25 is more feesible than $80-$100.
I bought this a few weeks ago to start a game for the family. So far, everyone is really enjoying it! Character creation was easy for both of the kids and it's been a great way to get all 4 of us together for a couple of hours. I've really enjoyed sharing a lifelong hobby of mine with everyone in the house.
I was seriously impressed with this set. It was well organized and really gave you so much more than I expected. You get a lot of bang for your buck. I started playing D&D in 1980 and I would have given a limb for a box set like this. Well done!
I use the initiative cards when I play with my kids, and handing out initiative cards to the players and monsters is AMAZING for keeping track of order of combat.
Nice, awesome to watch a Canadian D&D TH-camr! I had my suspicions that you guys were Snow people! Love your work, keep making awesome videos!!
❤❤❤
-Isabelle
4E Essentials was such a welcome gift to me and my group. I never understood why someone would only like to play a Fighter. Then I played a Slayer, and it was so much fun. My personal favorite character. I hope this box can bring that joy to new and old players.
My nearby store in the mall (it’s name escapes me) sells all things dnd! It basically has all the books, figures, dice, etc.. Definitely going to go there for all my DnD needs! (I’m not sure if they have the campaign books or the spell cards, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.)
I'm in the middle of running this with the family. I played and DM'd a little bit back in the 80s, but my wife and kids have never played tabletop RPGs before. My comments:
- A little more background on the town and the dragon would have been nice. In the intro to the town for the players, it never explicitly talks about the dragon. Experienced DM's would have no trouble working it in, but newbie DM's struggle.
- I REALLY like the quest cards. I can pass out the available quests and ask the family to choose their next quest through the week. I beg them to tell me the choice the day before we play so I can prepare better. Makes the sandbox layout a bit easier on me.
- The magic item cards are nice too.
- Good to have a slightly expanded set of dice. Especially 2 D20's. We haven't bought any extra dice, so it is good to have one D20 for the players and one for the DM.
- I'm having to secretly change a lot of dice rolls, since many of the monsters are pretty hard for low level characters, and my players don't have a lot of experience looking for alternate solutions or finding the best way through combat. In the first few quests my spell casters were afraid to spend the spell slots and ended up being ineffective.
We play once a week, and this box will keep us busy for months.
I might be running this at our local game store for the Youths (teaching them how to play D&D) - so thank you for showing us what is actually included in the box so I know what to bring and not bring ^_^ It was very helpful, thank you.
I just finished DM-ing this campaign for my family. Can definitely say that for the price this thing goes for, it is so absolutely worth it. Chock full of magic items, quests, and roleplaying encounters, such a fun campaign.
I felt the lost mine of phandelver was a bit more directed for the dm on how and why to do what.
Icespire felt like alot of very loose vignettes with a wierd job board system I wasnt too keen on.
I feel like combining them is a fun experience and something I'd be very interested in doing.
I just found out about this now. My lost mine group is almost done so I just ordered this to do exactly that. Tackle the highest level job board quests and then off to fight an ice dragon.
Came from your video on the Player's Manual vs the Starter set, you guys made some big improvements! Keep it up and thanks for helping me decide my first steps into DnD!
Started playing in 1983...when the original "Red Box" came out. Still have the Basic, Expert, Companion and Masters books, as well as the Rule Cyclopedia all on PDF. Tons of B & X modules as well
Nice to see kids getting back into actual gaming without looking at computer screens Have Fun Everyone!
One thing of note that not many people are mentioning, the dungeons are a bit less guided than the starter set or many modules. The maps are mostly classic style simple layouts, and the rooms have plain descriptions. A dungeon may have 26 rooms, but only around 2-4 small encounters, and 80% of those rooms are simple, functional, abandoned, and mostly barren. The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and some modules such as Hoard of the Dragon Queen take a much more detailed approach to the dungeons, where every room or every other room has a purpose outside of simply being a room that realistically should be there but provide nothing mechanically interesting for the players, as well as having descriptively drawn maps that can help new DMs imagine the content.
For comparisons' sake, one can look at Mike Schley's LMOP maps such as the Redbrand Hideout, or Cragmaw Castle. Each room has something going on. This room has a trap and enemies. This one has treasure hidden inside a pool, this one has an owlbear lurking within, and this one has a grick ready to stalk the players and goblins on the other side praying to their god. In contrast, many of the Dragon of Icespire Peak maps are simplistic, and they tend to give a brief description of the room, but there is little in the way of depth beyond that. In most rooms, usually nothing is hidden, no enemies, nothing that an adventurer would find useful. This is a more realistic approach for sure, but may or may not be one that certain groups enjoy, especially if they are coming off LMOP where the expectations are different. Some groups might like the idea that an abandoned fortress is rightfully not full of events and treasure, while others might feel it lacks content. I think it should be noted in reviews, as it is in my opinion a very large factor in the enjoyment of some players, and of many DMs as well.
Ordered this one and the old intro box to mix the scenario booklets and run a 1 v 1 campaign with the G/F. She's getting real big on the RPIng thanks to critical role. She even joined up with a DnD campaign. So happy happy joy joy!!!
I got the essentials kit to run with my wife and kids as a family activity. I'm a new DM and pretty new to DnD in general, but we have been having a blast. It's easy to run with mechanically simple combat encounters and strait forward exploration. It's still engaging though and is balanced well enough to still have tense moments. That said, it is light on some of the roll play components. The very adventure the dungeon dudes mention in gnomegrad puts the players in a situation where killing a member of the gnomes group is a very likely out come, but gives you no clue as to how the rest of the gnomes would react to the death of a cohort. Also the adventure booklet isn't well bound and it's already losing some pages, but over all it's a great value for the money.
I bought this for a new group of players from work. Also run a homebrew but I just don't have the time for 2. So far I'm liking the adventure and I have just left the whole box at work, including the screen because we're playing there after hours. Very handy, especially liking the cards with conditions and magic items.
I've been watching class guides recently. And this video inspired me to start playing. Good work with everything guys
I love the value of this box and love the job board style questline which I imagine is easier for new dms to run (only having to keep track of one small quest at a time as opposed to one epic long adventure).
The Dwarven Excavation quest has become my default Starter Dungeon for new groups as I find it perfect for very low levels
Newbie, never played before. I will pick one of them to play for first time with my 10 year son. Which to select, Essential Kit or Starter Set ?
If you are just playing with your son, the Sidekick system in the Essentials Kit is a great way to round out a single-player game. If you are playing with 2-3 others, the Starter Set is a better choice. Have fun!
I'm About to have it for christmas and this really helped to know it's for people that want to start playing d&d, we heard about the game alot and it's good to start with this kit,Thanks for making this video! 👍😃
I’m some what new to D&D and this channel so thanks for making this video
Lol I’m starting as a DM good luck to me
I have both modules and granted im still very new to the DM side of things, but I saw both as being good for new players. LMoP is good for completely new players that have never played before because they can grab a pre-made sheet with a more railroad character advancement with what spells/abilities to take and run a relatively quick session with a fairly streamlined campaign for the DM. After getting their feet wet, jump to DoIP and have it be their first shot at fully creating their own characters from scratch with (almost)everything opened up to them and the DM can tweak the campaign as they see fit. LMoP is the tutorial and DoIP is the first campaign with all aspects open. As a DM I'd rather do away with the bounty bound almost entirely, and have the town react differently to the PC's depending on what they've done and I can also interject more enemies and monsters during the usual travel and adventure spots if need be.
This is an awesome review and I'm so happy to see videos that are around the 20-minute mark! Keep up the good work dudes!
Agreed, it's a great kit for new group of players, but it's a little weak on the DM guidelines.
Absolutely! I would like to see a “tutorial“ for dms. How and when to use checks, how to set the difficulty (DC) tipps on improvising and things like that.
I think “before phandelver“ is the best you could get if you want something that resembles a tutorial.
I'm planning on integrating this into our current LMoP adventure. Crossing over the stories and making an overarching Phandalin story.
its right next door on the map (compared to the rest of forgotten realms)
Running this campaign right now, loved when they talked about creating a cork board setup with parchment notices for the players as I did exactly that! Thanks BTW for telling me about the online expansions which I completely missed!
"Short adventure"
My group has been in Gnomengarde (their first quest) for three sessions 😆
They actually covered want I wanted to know about this set. Thanks
Great Video. Wanted to add a positive comment about the Initiative number cards. Even with players who aren’t new to the game, some tend to lose track of when their turn comes, especially the first few rounds of a battle or when playing with a larger group. Having the numbered card lets them know how soon their turn is.
I finally subscribed to you guys today, after watching a ton of your videos. Great job guys!
I fall into that role of brand new DM. I played in my immediate pre-teens and 20s and my older brother was (luckily for me) the best DM to date that I’ve played with.
Now I’m at the point where I have bought the starter pack and essentials for my partner’s two teenagers. They love board games- Risk, Baker Street, Colditz…. So I think they will absolutely love d&d.
This video has helped with my nervousness about DM’ing.
Played for the first time aged 11.
DM’ing for the first time at 51.
I'm a little late to the party , but I just ran the first session for my friends who have never played, all my experience in dnd is watching 1200 hrs of critical role. But I don't know anyone who DMs so I decided to do it myself. We had an epic blast and now indont know how to act. Buying minis and battle maps left and right
If you have two players that want to play the same class, instead of letting one of them down you can use the sidekicks as extra characters
Just got this for a group of friends and myself, most of whom haven't played 5e and one who has never played at all, and I'm DM'ing for the first time! I really like that this gave me mostly everything I need to feel comfortable running this game, and that I didn't have to spend even more money for additional resources like a separate DM screen. I just need to get a grid mat and some character placeholders (too broke for minis lol)
Thankyou for this review gents, totally new to this and your in-depth analysis and guidance was perfect. Cheers.
I as the DM would order the cards in initiative order and hold onto them and then run through the order. rinse and repeat. Handing them out would get confusing but holding onto them will help the DM keep the order going and keep track.
literally bought this only because I wanted the DM screen and it was only $10 more than the DM screen but came with an adventure to boot, and turns out the DM screen is slightly better in the essentials box
My local gaming store can thank you guys for a quick sale yesterday after I watched this video. Have a friend about to DM for the first time and this will make an amazing gift. Thank you for the review.
Great video guys!! Looking at this kit and the monster manual and playershandbook. I’ve had the Master guide and I’m finally putting them to use. Running a solo campaign for my son.
A couple pre-gen characters would be good as a reference, for people (like me) who learn better from an example, than an instruction.
I wonder if this'll ever be available in Australia. I know I can probably get it online, but I have a problem with package theft :P
Of course, since there's dice in this kit. The goblin in me needs the shiney!!!!
Yeah, no idea why they decided the boxes had to either come with character creation or pregens, they could've had both.
So sad that affiliate links are not for EU, you nearly convince me to bought this and the starter set .
I also agree that if you bought the physical version you should also have access to the digital content in D&D Beyond and the included codes are really nice start.
DM guide has tables for rolling up NPC ideals, bonds, flaws, mannerisms, traits, etc
The initiative cards are GREAT. It takes less time to just hand them out rather than writing it down. I laminated mine after one use because the group liked it.
First of all: very informative video, as always :)
Sidekicks are meant to be played by the player. That's noted at the beginning of the adventure(unfortunately not in the rulebook). I think i'ts actually very well done, because the sidekicks are not fleshed out PCs, they basically have a monster stat sheet. A caster can only cast 3 spells for example. I think that is manageable, even for a new player.
that part about players with sidekicks or companions: the way my group handles it you kind of touched on, but a few of our players have companion animals or sidekicks.. we as a player get to sort of control what they do, but the DM is in charge of their personality and the roleplaying part.
Hi guys, thanks for the great video. I just got the essentials kit and was kinda surprised to find that the rulebook that came with it is a lot shorter than the one that can be downloaded from the official site. I would have thought it would be the other way around. There's a lot of common vocabulary but I was curious if you know where does the online rules appear in text, in the player's handbook perhaps? Thanks
I'm in the middle of running lost mines for a bunch of new people and just grabbed icespire peak. I think piecing together parts of icespire peak to include in LMOP is an awesome way to make both campaigns better. I'm making venomfang be the half sister to cryovain and wants him eliminated, as he's causing chaos around the surrounding land. When the party encounters venomfang she'll try to barter with them to leave peacefully if they can eliminate her half brother. (Obviously lying, but we'll see if they pick up on it)
I'm also thinking of using a few of the different encounters from icespire peak as quests they'll need to complete - they'll have to collect magic seals to unlock the door to the forge of spells.
I like the idea of those itemcards. They give players a quick refference to look up what their item does in case they've forgotten and it is neat to be able to give them something physical instead of just telling them that they got a fancy sword. But I really don't like the design they picked for the cardback. You could do so much more by picking a picture of the actual item and different backgrounds instead of just a plain white card saying magical item.
I used to print out similar cards on normal paper and really didn't want to do anything too fancy, but even I included a small picture of the item (which I totally downloaded on the internet, cause I can't draw at all)
it's a card box, not a dice box! i've seen this before, people just assume its for the dice! but if you read everything, i think it tells you exactly what its for
I bought that essentials kit...and I struggled to learn. So I bought the starter set... And still struggled... So I finally bought the stranger things set... And I learned how to play with that set, it it's so basic and simple that it's easy to learn, after that set I starter to get the hang of the starter set, and starter playing that, and now I will start the essentials set and already created some characters, d&d is confusion for the laymen, I strongly suggest the stranger things set, comes with pre made characters, a short story, and very simple to follow story line
Nice insight. I always saw the strangers things set as the inferior option because it was expensive and didn't offer a lot of content, but it looks like it actually does a very good job explaining the basics of the game.
As an experienced D&D player and DM, I wanted my friends to get into D&D. Conveniently my freind had this box given to her by a family member and wanted to try out DMing. We went to Gnomengarde and came to the spinning blades room. half of us were unconicous, the DM was nice to not let one instantly die, but then the last one died of failed death saves. Our new quest is to find someone to revive our fighter and we will probably play "revive the fighter" campaign instead of this one
I have a question... The booklet contains the campain but do you have to follow it? Can you just start your own?
You can always change things about the adventure or make up your own stuff, it's actually expected.
My view on things is that if you're running the game, buy both of them. Essentials is also pretty good for anyone who wants to go with D&D Beyond for things since it's got the discount code and you can get it with your dice and some other useful bits and pieces along with the PHB there for less than just the phb in most cases.
To bad for "THE ADVENTURE ZONE" who managed to glass the whole town.
I printed the condition cards onto cardstock. My printer is not meant to have cardstock run through it but it survived. I cut them out and have plenty now. I also printed out the deck of many things and taped them onto playing cards incase I ever decide to use it.
Each player needs a dice set. I recommend 4 D4, 4D6, 4D8, 2 D10 (different color D10 or one being the 10's numbered) D12 is becoming optional and a D20 that has high contrast between main color and numbers.
Best if all have high contrast, but the D20 is most important.
I just realized there are two places named after them in the dragon of icespire peak
The adventure in this kit is great for short, simple game sessions. There’s lots of optional content and flexibility without any specific structure to follow. It really just gives you what you need to write your own adventures. It’s not really a campaign, more like a reference of multiple gameplay options.
I’d recommend the starter kit for beginners or campaign groups, and the essentials kit for experienced DM’s or casual groups.
Of course if you want to be a true D&D player, you DEFINITELY need The Player’s Handbook. 👍
I got this to start dm’ing, and when I went online to get the extra digital stuff it came with the book, and 3 more! I was expecting like 3 missions, 3 more books!
I'm thinking on doing tyranny of dragons after icespire peak. Start HotDQ at 6th level, adjusting encounters as needed, and start RoT at 10th level. Might work, who knows what the player's will do.
My DM Screen from the original Ravenloft box back in the 90s was equally "flimsy". We considered this to be normal and we liked it a lot! I'm German and I had it sent to Germany and it cost a fortune for a student (and it took more than 6 weeks to get here!) The times they are a changing (sigh)...
D&D is on sale this weekend at 40% off in chapters indigo canada. I just picked up the Wraith of Ashardalon for around $45 compared to regular price at around $74 CDN. Though with the gift card i had on hand I only ended up paying $16 for it.
The wife has been wanting to learn , this set is going to be perfect for me doing a solo adventure for her.
Did DDudes ever release a follow-up review of the adventure after running it?
Wizards of West Coast runs DND correct, they also run Magic the Gathering card game. So why can't they come out with card sets of magic items or creatures or spells and such. I collected the magic card sets back in my teens.
I thought they did, am sure I've seen them but maybe it was from a different company.
I'm an old 3.5 player. I just ran this for some friends who bought this and wanted to learn. They love it. What 5e module should I run after this?
There is actually an expansion available to this that explores the wider world and further issues beyond. If you want it to feel cohesive that is easily the best choice. Beyond that, most of the modules out now take place in the forgotten realms and could connect very well to this campaign with a little imagination.
Thank you guys. I think I am going to try Waterdeep Dragon Heist, based on your review and just general vibe of the story. I'm sure my players will love the Matt Mercer connection.