Rex Blunder
First Post
Nice character sheet. The fact that there are only 12 lines for "powers and feats" tell us that it is for the starter sheet only.
New "Red Box" Starter Set hands-on preview
- Thread starter thalmin
- Start date
thalmin
Retired game store owner
Keywords: Arcane, Illusion, Implement.
UngeheuerLich
Legend
Did somebody notice:
Weapon finesse specified light crossbow. There actually is no light crossbow. There is just a crossbow.
My bet: We will see light and heavy crossbows.
I am crossing my fingers for a +3, 1d6 weapon with reload minor, and a heavy crossbow, +3, 1d10 with reload move. (which will bring those weapons back in line with a superior crossbow, that is "too much of an upgrade" right now.
Weapon finesse specified light crossbow. There actually is no light crossbow. There is just a crossbow.
My bet: We will see light and heavy crossbows.
I am crossing my fingers for a +3, 1d6 weapon with reload minor, and a heavy crossbow, +3, 1d10 with reload move. (which will bring those weapons back in line with a superior crossbow, that is "too much of an upgrade" right now.
thalmin
Retired game store owner
After seeing the other new Essentials products, let me add:
The tokens in this set are for this less expensive beginners' set. Tiles in the Monster Vault are of the same quality as the Dungeon Tiles, nice and thick. Thinner tiles here were to keep price down for beginners.
The tokens in this set are for this less expensive beginners' set. Tiles in the Monster Vault are of the same quality as the Dungeon Tiles, nice and thick. Thinner tiles here were to keep price down for beginners.
I have not played D&D (or almost any other rpg) for close to 20 years, but picked up a copy of the new red box this week (my local store had them early for some reason). It was partly nostalgia, and partly curiosity, as I never really followed the 2nd, 3rd, etc editions. The descriptions seemed (mostly) clear, and my 3rd grade son, as well as my wife have gone through the starter encounter, which was very cool. There is no way either of them would have waded through one of the large books just to make a character.
There is one thing that doesn't make sense to me, and the reason I'm posting here (sorry if this is not the right place)
One of the cleric at-will powers is "storm hammer" that looks like it replaces a regular attack with lightning damage. I went down to my local store to check out what other powers clerics get (assuming that the starter set was a subset of the powers available) and did not see this power listed in the cleric section of the PHB. Is this from some other book?
I have to admit, watching my son, who doesn't have much time for anything that doesn't flash or beep, sit at the dining table for an hour playing through the first little bit was worth the price.
There is one thing that doesn't make sense to me, and the reason I'm posting here (sorry if this is not the right place)
One of the cleric at-will powers is "storm hammer" that looks like it replaces a regular attack with lightning damage. I went down to my local store to check out what other powers clerics get (assuming that the starter set was a subset of the powers available) and did not see this power listed in the cleric section of the PHB. Is this from some other book?
I have to admit, watching my son, who doesn't have much time for anything that doesn't flash or beep, sit at the dining table for an hour playing through the first little bit was worth the price.
nnms
First Post
There are lots of different cleric powers in the PHB, Divine Power and Dragon Magazine articles. The Storm and Sun clerics are getting fully detailed in the upcoming Heroes of the Fallen Lands. If you have a character you want to play with after you're done with being level 2 in the Red Box, that's the book you want. It comes out in September. If you have a local game store that sells things early, it should be available September 10.
I just wanted to chime in here as someone new to D&D as well (the intended target of the new Red Box!) who has picked up the starter set (my store also offered it early! hooray!).
While I've been a gamer for years (MMOs, video game RPGs, CCGs, minis games, etc.), I've never tackled D&D. A buddy of mine decided we should start playing with a few other friends, and his wife, and it looked like the Red Box would be the best way to start. Nice timing on that.
I've been able to peruse the 4e books, and have listened to many of the pod casts (mostly the Penny Arcade stuff, being fans of theirs), so I got a grasp on those rules before diving into the Red Box content.
The solo adventure to start off character creation was quite enjoyable. It led to a lot of questions given my 4e knowledge. I wanted to know why I was being given this or that stat, etc., but overall, it seemed a nice way to get people going.
It would have been nice to get a little more movement and combat rules in the player book, though (instead of being hidden away in the DM's book). 4e seems to go smoothly enough if you have a DM that knows all the rules, but if you're both as clueless about it, that doesn't make things easy.
There also appear to be a number of errors in this first print [I've noticed the 'Errata' thread you've got going here]. Some of that was certainly confusing (powers being referenced when they weren't actually included being the worst of it). And it's odd that something like Magic Missile is actually different (and way too easy, I think) from the main books.
For all that, the Red Box has gotten us on our way. Those we've encouraged to play that were maybe a bit wary about RPGing are having fun. We've not finished the group adventure, but plan to do so this Saturday. Then, we're liking moving straight on to normal 4e. We don't really want to wait so long for the other Essentials products, and feel like we're not playing the 'real' version of the game - at least the couple of us that are 'gamers'. So for that, mission accomplished Red Box. Mission accomplished.
While I've been a gamer for years (MMOs, video game RPGs, CCGs, minis games, etc.), I've never tackled D&D. A buddy of mine decided we should start playing with a few other friends, and his wife, and it looked like the Red Box would be the best way to start. Nice timing on that.
I've been able to peruse the 4e books, and have listened to many of the pod casts (mostly the Penny Arcade stuff, being fans of theirs), so I got a grasp on those rules before diving into the Red Box content.
The solo adventure to start off character creation was quite enjoyable. It led to a lot of questions given my 4e knowledge. I wanted to know why I was being given this or that stat, etc., but overall, it seemed a nice way to get people going.
It would have been nice to get a little more movement and combat rules in the player book, though (instead of being hidden away in the DM's book). 4e seems to go smoothly enough if you have a DM that knows all the rules, but if you're both as clueless about it, that doesn't make things easy.
There also appear to be a number of errors in this first print [I've noticed the 'Errata' thread you've got going here]. Some of that was certainly confusing (powers being referenced when they weren't actually included being the worst of it). And it's odd that something like Magic Missile is actually different (and way too easy, I think) from the main books.
For all that, the Red Box has gotten us on our way. Those we've encouraged to play that were maybe a bit wary about RPGing are having fun. We've not finished the group adventure, but plan to do so this Saturday. Then, we're liking moving straight on to normal 4e. We don't really want to wait so long for the other Essentials products, and feel like we're not playing the 'real' version of the game - at least the couple of us that are 'gamers'. So for that, mission accomplished Red Box. Mission accomplished.
Similar Threads
AD6_gamerati_skyscraper
Upcoming Releases
-
April 16 2024 -
May 31 2024 -
June 3 2024 -
June 4 2024 -
June 18 2024 -
July 16 2024 -
September 17 2024 -
October 1 2024 -
November 12 2024 -
February 18 2025
