That does look pretty slick. i can’t wait to pick u[p a copy. I am a little disappointed by the cover however. I’m already dreading the stink storm that is about to hit my blog roll after this.
Character and monster tokens. If it’s anything like the original D&D Starter Kit it’ll have tokens aplenty – more than enough to run any number of encounters right out the box without needing to buy minis.
What was that, like 8 pages of some kind of cards? Is it like a Magic the Gathering meets D&D kind of thing? And what was up with the, “If you’re an elf or a human you have an 18 dexterity?” Seriously? LOVE the look of it, but…might have to skip this one.
The cards contain details about abilities the different classes can use in combat. They’re just like the old 2nd Edition AD&D Spell Cards, except every class has them (not just Wizards & Clerics) to describe the special attacks and moves that help make the classes unique .
Using cards is entirely optional (they just reproduce what’s on your character sheet) but they do simplify play. Considering this Red Box set is specifically designed to be an easy introduction to the game, it’s great to see them included.
So no, not like Magic the Gathering at all.
The line about “if you’re an elf or a human you have 18 dexterity” is from the introductory solo adventure where the character is built based on actions your hero takes. The standard array for stats in 4e D&D is (as it was in 3e) 10,11,12,13,14,16. Elves are +2 to DEX & WIS and Humans +2 to any one – hence the 18 DEX for the Rogue in this example.
You’re free to generate the stats any way you want, of course. The 4e PHB also suggests 4d6 drop lowest or point buy. We’ve played with rolling 3d6 in order to great effect too.
If these two (sadly widespread) misconceptions put you off the game, you’re missing out :)
Well those books look really, really flimsy. Not like my old basic red box books that are still in good condition (pity I stepped on the box though).
Agreed. This is a real pity because it sounds fairly well conceived. I was surprised that no comment was made in the review about the quality of the materials, the pages appear to be not far from transparent! The flimsyness alone has me considering cancelling my pre-order. :-(
The books look to use the same paper as the original 4e D&D Starter Kit – slightly thicker and better quality than Keep on The Shadowfell, and surprisingly hard wearing. I still use the Dungeon Masters booklet from that set for low-level games (ie, almost on a weekly basis) and it’s stood up to wear and tear very well.
I do miss those cardboard covers though. Can’t have everything, I guess.
That does look pretty slick. i can’t wait to pick u[p a copy. I am a little disappointed by the cover however. I’m already dreading the stink storm that is about to hit my blog roll after this.
the cover makes me ridiculously happy.
Character Pogs?
Character and monster tokens. If it’s anything like the original D&D Starter Kit it’ll have tokens aplenty – more than enough to run any number of encounters right out the box without needing to buy minis.
What was that, like 8 pages of some kind of cards? Is it like a Magic the Gathering meets D&D kind of thing? And what was up with the, “If you’re an elf or a human you have an 18 dexterity?” Seriously? LOVE the look of it, but…might have to skip this one.
The cards contain details about abilities the different classes can use in combat. They’re just like the old 2nd Edition AD&D Spell Cards, except every class has them (not just Wizards & Clerics) to describe the special attacks and moves that help make the classes unique .
Using cards is entirely optional (they just reproduce what’s on your character sheet) but they do simplify play. Considering this Red Box set is specifically designed to be an easy introduction to the game, it’s great to see them included.
So no, not like Magic the Gathering at all.
The line about “if you’re an elf or a human you have 18 dexterity” is from the introductory solo adventure where the character is built based on actions your hero takes. The standard array for stats in 4e D&D is (as it was in 3e) 10,11,12,13,14,16. Elves are +2 to DEX & WIS and Humans +2 to any one – hence the 18 DEX for the Rogue in this example.
You’re free to generate the stats any way you want, of course. The 4e PHB also suggests 4d6 drop lowest or point buy. We’ve played with rolling 3d6 in order to great effect too.
If these two (sadly widespread) misconceptions put you off the game, you’re missing out :)
Well those books look really, really flimsy. Not like my old basic red box books that are still in good condition (pity I stepped on the box though).
Agreed. This is a real pity because it sounds fairly well conceived. I was surprised that no comment was made in the review about the quality of the materials, the pages appear to be not far from transparent! The flimsyness alone has me considering cancelling my pre-order. :-(
The books look to use the same paper as the original 4e D&D Starter Kit – slightly thicker and better quality than Keep on The Shadowfell, and surprisingly hard wearing. I still use the Dungeon Masters booklet from that set for low-level games (ie, almost on a weekly basis) and it’s stood up to wear and tear very well.
I do miss those cardboard covers though. Can’t have everything, I guess.