Apparently the beginner Red Box has been discontinued. I've heard it wasn't that great anyway but would getting rid of the introduction to the game really be a smart move?
I know Pathfinder has their beginner box that came out not to long ago and it's really nice.
What do you think?
Firstly, I will have to echo other requests for confirmation of this. Has it truly been discontinued, or is it just currently unavailable?
However, assuming it has been discontinued:
Cancelling the Red Box is a good move. Cancelling the only Introductory Set for the game is a really bad move.
The key thing to consider is: what is the entry point for the game. Assuming a new player, with no prior expertise, and nobody around to show him the ropes: what should he do?
At present, the answer is: Get the "DM's Kit", the "Monster Vault" and
one of the "Heroes of..." books (and, worse, there are
four "Heroes of..." books, but only two of them are valid choices). How does the new player decide which to get? Well, it depends: does he prefer
this set of four classes he doesn't know anything about, or
that set of four classes he doesn't know anything about?
Anyway, assuming the player manages to settle on the right combination of books, he needs to put down $90 (ish) for these books. Then he needs to read them, create an adventure (or buy one, at additional expense), get some friends together, they need to understand the rules enough to create characters (more reading, unless the DM creates the characters for them). And then they get to
start having fun.
And all of that for a game that they
might like.
Hell, put like that, I would rather play WoW, and I avoid MMOs like the plague!
(4e Classic was much the same, but did at least have the advantage that the new player didn't need to make a choice before knowing anything about the game!)
If D&D is ever going to grow significantly, it
needs a good starter set. There needs to be a single, clear and accessible way into the game. And it needs to be available even if it doesn't sell well in and of itself. Otherwise, you are relying on existing players expanding the network - and we're not, by and large, a group noted for our social skills!
IMO, the Red Box was not a good product. But even the Red Box is a hell of a lot better than 'nothing'.