D&D's New Starter Set: Shiny Props, Simplified Spells, But Does the Adventure Cast a Shadow?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
D&D's new *Heroes of the Borderlands* starter set nails simplified mechanics and offers impressive, tactile components, making it a stellar entry point for new players. However, its otherwise rich potential is somewhat dampened by an adventure campaign that, despite its detailed props, surprisingly lacks depth and fails to truly empower new Dungeon Masters to craft compelling, interconnected stories.
Right, so Wizards of the Coast just dropped their latest Dungeons & Dragons starter set, *Heroes of the Borderlands*, and I've been poking around it like a goblin with a shiny new spellbook. It's a revival of Gary Gygax's classic 1979 module, *The Keep on the Borderlands*, originally designed as a friendly gateway for newbies to the sprawling world of TTRPGs. And fair dinkum, this new iteration? It's a bit of a mixed bag, but in the most intriguing way, blending genuinely smart design choices with a campaign that perhaps doesn't quite live up to its flashy components.
First off, let's talk about getting into the game. Remember the days of poring over thick rulebooks, trying to figure out if your charisma-dumped bard was a strategic genius or just a hilarious mistake? Yeah, WotC seems to have heard our collective sighs, or at least peered over the fence at what other modern TTRPGs are doing. This set actually lets you *choose* your class, species, and background – a step up from previous starter sets that just handed you a pre-gen character. But here's the clever bit: they've streamlined the process. Each of D&D's four classic classes gets its own playmat, pre-calculating all those fiddly ability modifiers, saving throws, and hit points. It's like they've finally learned that the 'fun' part isn't calculating if your halfling rogue *actually* makes sense with a criminal background, but *being* the bloody halfling rogue without the maths homework.
What’s even cooler is how they've tackled ability score bonuses and weapon mastery. The upcoming 2024 D&D rules tie ability bonuses to your background, but *Heroes of the Borderlands* just... ignores the need for optimisation. You can be an elf soldier if you fancy darkvision and a damage reroll, no questions asked. This beautifully simple approach echoes newer TTRPGs like *Draw Steel!* and *Daggerheart*, which have totally divorced stats from character options. It's about playing what looks fun, not what's 'optimal,' which, honestly, is how it should be, isn't it?
Then there’s the weapon mastery. The 2024 rules get a bit granular, giving fighters mastery in three weapons, rogues in two, and letting them swap after a long rest. This starter set? It just says, 'Nah, you're good with whatever you're wielding, mate.' This isn't some game-breaking power-up; it just means a rogue can seamlessly switch between melee and ranged, and a fighter can pick up that magic axe and instantly unleash its full potential. Honestly, it makes you wonder why we had those fiddly, progression-based rules in the first place. Sometimes, simple just works better, like a magic scroll that just *auto-casts* when you need it.
Beyond the rule tweaks, the physical components of this set are, quite frankly, bloody brilliant. At $49.99, it's D&D's biggest and most expensive starter set to date (compare that to *Dragons of Stormwreck Isle*'s $19.99), but you can see where the coin went. High-quality tokens represent hit points and gold pieces, removing the need for constant erasing. Even better are the 'power tokens' – one clever little mechanic that covers everything from spell slots to a fighter's Second Wind. Less scribbling, more adventuring! Spellcasters still get their deck of spell cards, but these tokens smooth out the mechanical differences between classes, making it easier for new players to grasp the core concepts. Plus, the seven double-sided maps and versatile monster/player tokens mean these props will be useful long after you've conquered the Borderlands themselves.
Here’s where my wizardly eye starts to notice some cracks in the cosmic tapestry, though. The physical goodies? Top-tier. Maps, tokens, NPC cards bursting with personality – honestly, it's like opening a treasure chest full of pure potential. But then you look at the actual adventure, and it feels... a bit like a spell that fizzles just before the grand finale. The original *Keep on the Borderlands* didn't even name its NPCs, but this set gives them detailed pictures, DM prompts, and juicy rumours. That’s fantastic!
Yet, the richness of these components doesn’t quite translate to the campaign's depth. The Keep provides a safe hub with small quests (lost goats, rogue oozes), but there’s almost nothing connecting it meaningfully to the Caves of Chaos or the wilderness beyond a single map-making quest. Why wouldn't you link that captive dwarf in the Caves of Chaos to someone back at the Keep? It’s like setting up a brilliant portal to another dimension, then forgetting to tell anyone what’s on the other side! There’s a gentleman thief, but no bounty for him. Bugbears planning an invasion, but no suggestions on how the Keep's leaders would react to intel.
The adventure booklet even dedicates time to explaining how PCs can earn gold by doing chores rather than detailing heroic quests. An occult ritual in the wilderness happens, and if you fail to act, a statue is destroyed – but the book offers no explanation of what that statue *did*, or any consequence beyond its destruction. It begs the question, doesn't it? Are we being given a beautifully crafted stage, but no script for the main actors to really sink their teeth into?
This lack of connective tissue and actionable consequences for player choices is a real head-scratcher, especially for new Dungeon Masters. While the set is great at simplifying the *rules*, it feels like it hands DMs a beautifully painted diorama and says, 'Right, now you figure out how to make these static figures tell a compelling saga!' The original *Keep on the Borderlands* also expected DMs to fill in blanks, but the elaborate props here might make a novice DM *more* intimidated to improvise their own characters or locations, rather than less.
So, is *Heroes of the Borderlands* a magic missile or a misfire? Honestly, mate, it’s a bit of both. It’s a fantastic training ground for new players to grasp the 'how' of D&D, thanks to genuinely smart rule simplifications and top-tier components. But the 'what' and 'why' of the story might just need a seasoned DM to truly bring it to life – or at least a DM willing to go wildly off-script, which, let’s be fair, is half the fun anyway. These props are ace, but once you've got your confidence, don't be afraid to set them aside and forge your own path. That’s where the real adventure begins.
*(Originally reported by Polygon)*
Tags: DungeonsAndDragons, TTRPG, StarterSet, TabletopGaming, GameReview
Original article: Polygon