Your style of review is very comprehensive and comparable to more high profile dnd figureheads, big props for making these quality videos in high frequency. You are severely underrated man
I’m working on combining the two kits together to make a singular advantage. The Dragon Slayer Sword I related to the black smith in town and had it said that the person who made the sword was her ancestor who made it to kill an Adult Green Dragon and gave it to the girl who kills it. This Green Dragon is the mother of the Young Green Dragon Venomfang in Thundertree who ran away after his mother was killed. As for cryovain, I made cryovain an invading dragon from the north who wants to take over Venomfang’s territory, and if the players kill him/drive him out, Cryovain uses his disappearance to invade the region. Her arrival leads to the Orcs and Half-Orcs doing their thing. Meanwhile The Black Spider is aware of all this and is using the chaos to put people in beneficial positions for him. (In this case, he’s using all this to put Glassstaff as the town master of Phandelain so he can keep the town in check and use its recourses to help find Wave Echo Cave) and to use the uneasiness in the region to force people to stay away.
I am just going to confess that this video, and the video of Jim Butterfield introducing the Commodore 64, are my version of AMSR. I put them on in the background when I want to relax. If that makes me weird, I won't argue the point.
All good. I am from New Zealand as is AJ Pickett and he has been informed he helps put people to sleep on his Patreon. I can only hope to be as successful ;)
Just got the Essentials Kit today - really well produced and contains just about everything I will need to get back into D&D after a gap of some 30 years. I still have a couple of copies of the first edition rules (as well as first edition Warhammer Battles). Great review!
This set is great. I do like the adventure in the starterset though, Lost mines of Phandelver. This one is more go out and explore. New players and DM's can use the help of a clear mission and who does not like a main villain? I want to combind the two adventures. All the NPCS from Phandalin, premade characters as examples for new players or "surprise joiners". The maps etc from this one.
i can't get over how awesome a deal this is for $25 and it has everything you need plus the accessories can be used with the lost mines from the starter set
I think the essentials kit and the starter kit both have their pros and cons. I picked up both and am glad I did. The contents of the Essential Kit, except for the adventure is better than the Starter set. If they took all of that and put it together with the Starter Sets pregenerated character sheets and adventure they would have a perfect set.
there are tables in the DM guide for generating random locations, dungeons, and encounters you could place on that map...also tables for rolling up NPC qualities to flesh those out
If they ever come out with a version it doesn't support miniatures . I don't think I would play. I enjoy painting miniatures and making the sets. It's what got me into the d&d. P.s thanks for the review.
Its dumb trying to get away from props but the whole box is props.. I like the idea of having visuals to avoiding all the repetitive questions like how far from so and so am I. I love props and the condition cards and magic item cards are awesome. So you know who has what
the status cards are good to hand out to players so you can say ok you're prone and this is what it means, hold onto that and give it back when you're no longer under that condition, use them to keep track of what state people are in, even your monsters....quest cards are probably better for DM quick reference as well, initiative cards? meh, i mean, it introduces the idea of using cards to keep track of initiative, so there it isn't so much about the cards themselves as how instructive they are...how do you keep track of initiative for your games?
I doubt that they are "moving away" from minis, otherwise they would not have launched Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures. If anything, they stopped including tokens so that people would have to buy the Nolzur's minis.
i think the sidekick cards should be held by the DM for easy reference instead of giving the card to the player as if that sidekick would reveal their greatest secret/flaw and their inspirations hopes and dreams
The rule book has several clarifications and changes printed in it that reinforce some sage advice compendium. 1. It explains how advantage/disadvantage works with “luck” mechanic from feat/racial features. 2. It explains how magic missile’s damage application works by showing an actual damage equation in the rock gnome recluses stat block. I found one or two more when I first read through it but I forgot what they are.
Minis have always been an option and unnecessary to the game. They greatly aid in resolving combat. Before D&D minis were easily available, we used all sorts of things as tokens to represent relative positions. My favorite was candies such as jelly beans. As the enemies were killed we ate them. ******** I seem to have more stuff in my Essentials kit than what Fred W got in his kit. 3 duplicate pages of the cards with conditions. Some "tent" style oversize figures, similar to those in the Phandelver Starter Set. ******* Using a low cost lamination machine and full size "pouches" I laminated all of the pages of cards and everything else that I want to retain for re-use. I've been laminating items in adventure modules ever since TSR started selling modules. Because of this I have several of the early modules for AD&D, complete and able to be run. (not hard to convert the NPCs and creatures)
Your style of review is very comprehensive and comparable to more high profile dnd figureheads, big props for making these quality videos in high frequency. You are severely underrated man
Thank you.
i think its great that they are bringing back and normalizing theater-of-the-mind play
Yes, I agree. It gets more people involved.
I’m working on combining the two kits together to make a singular advantage. The Dragon Slayer Sword I related to the black smith in town and had it said that the person who made the sword was her ancestor who made it to kill an Adult Green Dragon and gave it to the girl who kills it. This Green Dragon is the mother of the Young Green Dragon Venomfang in Thundertree who ran away after his mother was killed. As for cryovain, I made cryovain an invading dragon from the north who wants to take over Venomfang’s territory, and if the players kill him/drive him out, Cryovain uses his disappearance to invade the region. Her arrival leads to the Orcs and Half-Orcs doing their thing. Meanwhile The Black Spider is aware of all this and is using the chaos to put people in beneficial positions for him. (In this case, he’s using all this to put Glassstaff as the town master of Phandelain so he can keep the town in check and use its recourses to help find Wave Echo Cave) and to use the uneasiness in the region to force people to stay away.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I think it will take me a while to be sure of what to do combining the two adventures.
I am just going to confess that this video, and the video of Jim Butterfield introducing the Commodore 64, are my version of AMSR. I put them on in the background when I want to relax. If that makes me weird, I won't argue the point.
All good. I am from New Zealand as is AJ Pickett and he has been informed he helps put people to sleep on his Patreon. I can only hope to be as successful ;)
Just got the Essentials Kit today - really well produced and contains just about everything I will need to get back into D&D after a gap of some 30 years. I still have a couple of copies of the first edition rules (as well as first edition Warhammer Battles). Great review!
Thank you.
Love it. I have been reading the books and bought the players handbook. Monster manual coming soon.
I am glad you are enjoying the kit. I have a DM Guide on the adventure.
This set is great. I do like the adventure in the starterset though, Lost mines of Phandelver. This one is more go out and explore.
New players and DM's can use the help of a clear mission and who does not like a main villain? I want to combind the two adventures.
All the NPCS from Phandalin, premade characters as examples for new players or "surprise joiners". The maps etc from this one.
i can't get over how awesome a deal this is for $25 and it has everything you need plus the accessories can be used with the lost mines from the starter set
I think the essentials kit and the starter kit both have their pros and cons. I picked up both and am glad I did. The contents of the Essential Kit, except for the adventure is better than the Starter set. If they took all of that and put it together with the Starter Sets pregenerated character sheets and adventure they would have a perfect set.
Yes.
there are tables in the DM guide for generating random locations, dungeons, and encounters you could place on that map...also tables for rolling up NPC qualities to flesh those out
If they ever come out with a version it doesn't support miniatures . I don't think I would play. I enjoy painting miniatures and making the sets. It's what got me into the d&d. P.s thanks for the review.
You are welcome.
you could always stick with a version that supports minis. no reason to stop playing
actually was going to get the DM screen but decided to get the essentials kit which included it because it was only $10 more, so glad I did
Its dumb trying to get away from props but the whole box is props.. I like the idea of having visuals to avoiding all the repetitive questions like how far from so and so am I. I love props and the condition cards and magic item cards are awesome. So you know who has what
.
Will you do a video on how to combine this with LMoP?
Eventually.
That would so great!
the status cards are good to hand out to players so you can say ok you're prone and this is what it means, hold onto that and give it back when you're no longer under that condition, use them to keep track of what state people are in, even your monsters....quest cards are probably better for DM quick reference as well, initiative cards? meh, i mean, it introduces the idea of using cards to keep track of initiative, so there it isn't so much about the cards themselves as how instructive they are...how do you keep track of initiative for your games?
Love your accent!
Thank you.
Thanks for helping me
You are welcome :)
There is a combat actions cheet sheet in card form that you can hand out to each player.
Yes, I did mention it. It's not very detailed.
@@HowtoRPG ya, I was commenting while I watched so it was only later that I saw your comment.
I doubt that they are "moving away" from minis, otherwise they would not have launched Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures. If anything, they stopped including tokens so that people would have to buy the Nolzur's minis.
i think the sidekick cards should be held by the DM for easy reference instead of giving the card to the player as if that sidekick would reveal their greatest secret/flaw and their inspirations hopes and dreams
The rule book has several clarifications and changes printed in it that reinforce some sage advice compendium.
1. It explains how advantage/disadvantage works with “luck” mechanic from feat/racial features.
2. It explains how magic missile’s damage application works by showing an actual damage equation in the rock gnome recluses stat block.
I found one or two more when I first read through it but I forgot what they are.
It's a very good rulebook.
The 4d6 are for rolling your attributes not your Hit Dice.
Yes, I know. I did say that after Hit Dice.
@@HowtoRPG well, you mantioned it in passing. That's OK, we know what you meant.
Minis have always been an option and unnecessary to the game.
They greatly aid in resolving combat. Before D&D minis were easily available, we used all sorts of things as tokens to represent relative positions. My favorite was candies such as jelly beans. As the enemies were killed we ate them.
********
I seem to have more stuff in my Essentials kit than what Fred W got in his kit. 3 duplicate pages of the cards with conditions. Some "tent" style oversize figures, similar to those in the Phandelver Starter Set.
*******
Using a low cost lamination machine and full size "pouches" I laminated all of the pages of cards and everything else that I want to retain for re-use.
I've been laminating items in adventure modules ever since TSR started selling modules.
Because of this I have several of the early modules for AD&D, complete and able to be run. (not hard to convert the NPCs and creatures)
Thanks for your input.
great
It's pretty good.
Cooool!
Yes, it's cool.