D&D (2024) What's In D&D's New Starter Set?

There's a new Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set, titled Heroes of the Borderlands, coming in September. WotC has given us a quick peek at what's inside! The set is designed to be replayable, and comes with maps and cards, which are presumably part of the tile-based character creation system WotC has hinted at recently. The video doesn't reveal much else, but we should have more information over the coming months.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

It is. This hasn't been kept a secret.

The overwhelming majority of D&D players who've ever existed are playing right now, and they have almost all started with 5E and are the age of the children and grandchildren of many of the posters here at ENWorld.

So, yes, Hasbro is going to sell to that audience, rather than to a much smaller audience that wants something different but who are likely hoarding books that they paid for decades ago and won't necessarily buy anything new anyway.

See, here's the thing. We assume that is the majority of D&D players. Maybe it is. But there's a significant indication that there is a lot of people who are genuinely unhappy with these new directions. How many? Who knows. Who cares! Even if it were close, the company is making a decision about who their target audience is going to be moving forward. You think companies are infallible and incapable of making decisions that we wouldn't expect because they have the same goals as their consumers? I think you know better than this.

I'm not saying this isn't the majority mindset. But who decides when the majority wins? It's not a vote to see what the company needs to do next for anybody else. They decide for themselves, and they can control their own narrative. If they want us to believe that everybody wants this, are you still going to believe it even when many people around you are verifying that they themselves are not? Maybe it's a calculated decision where they know they will lose some of their support in the process, but it is a loss they are willing to accept. Because they have a longer game strategy to excise the people who keep them from doing what they want, because we continuously influence what others think, and therefore dictate what's good, bad, or otherwise, and they're trying to rebuild a more supportive base that isn't going to flinch the next time they try to kill that troublesome OGL that keeps them from getting whatever it is (they're not going to tell us they want, so no point in guessing... but you know.)

 

[Nikosandros]

I didn't even think about that. A red dragon in the Borderlands is new to me. (No idea if one was in Return.) This definitely looks like part of the thinking with Dragon Delves, that players probably expect to encounter dragons in and around a dungeon in their games.

My question is this: when will we be able to finally meet an ampersand?

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I mean, this is a discussion board, so discussion will happen.

And it's well-meant advice: I do think you'd probably love a bunch of those other games I mentioned. I am a huge fan of Shadowdark and Pirate Borg (a derivative of Pirate Borg in a grim supernatural Caribbean).

In any case, I hope you find a game that works for you.

And I do appreciate that, but sometimes comments like that just come off as wanting to satisfy an argument, like the answer was there all along. So, no. I don't take it as personal. I was just commenting on the comments like that we see all the time from persons who aren't well-meaning. Thank you for clarifying that.

I hope we can continue our discussion.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My question is this: when will we be able to finally meet an ampersand?

Hopefully alongside a dread gazebo.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

But when you tell D&D fans who've played for decades that the game is no longer suitable for them anymore, what's the message you're really sending, other than just a polite dismissal to go play somewhere else?

D&D fans who have played for decades probably already know how to play D&D, or at least learn from a rulebook, given there weren't really starter sets previously. They aren't the target audience. This is a starter set for kids, primarily.

My experience with younger players indicates they like lighter and fluffier. I run a game for the kids of our group, who range from 9 - 14 years old. They had to deal with a lot of anxiety from the pandemic and other factors. They don't want grimdark. My sample size is admittedly limited, but does track with trends towards hope punk, cozy, etc.

 

[Parmandur]

Replayable?

That means character creation. No Character creation and I HIGHLY doubt that this thing is replayable "again and again" as it states.

Character creation is a game changer. It has it, it'll be a great set. It doesn't...it's probably a one and done.

This has character creation, with a randomized card element.

 

[Parmandur]

AFAIK it does have Character Creation!

It's just designed in a modular style (pick your species card, pick your class card, pick your background card...) It's a boardgame-ttrpg fusion. And board games are very replayable, even if nothing changes (and I doubt that's the case here).

It seems like a smart introductory product that could have legs. It's not what most of us would want, but what do we need a "starter" for, anyway? Most of us started years ago (sometimes decades!) So we only "need" starters as a teaching tool, or for our amusement (be that collecting or whatever).

This seems good to me for those purposes.

As a gift for...the children...obviously...

 

[AlViking]

I introduced new players to D&D through Phandelver, to great success. I don't see why it shouldn't count.

I think it was a good module as well. I also think it had a different target audience and don't see any contradiction with what I said.

 

[Micah Sweet]

D&D fans who have played for decades probably already know how to play D&D, or at least learn from a rulebook, given there weren't really starter sets previously. They aren't the target audience. This is a starter set for kids, primarily.

My experience with younger players indicates they like lighter and fluffier. I run a game for the kids of our group, who range from 9 - 14 years old. They had to deal with a lot of anxiety from the pandemic and other factors. They don't want grimdark. My sample size is admittedly limited, but does track with trends towards hope punk, cozy, etc.

That seems a little binary though. Cozy and grindark aren't the only options.

 

[AlViking]

See, here's the thing. We assume that is the majority of D&D players. Maybe it is. But there's a significant indication that there is a lot of people who are genuinely unhappy with these new directions. How many? Who knows. Who cares! Even if it were close, the company is making a decision about who their target audience is going to be moving forward. You think companies are infallible and incapable of making decisions that we wouldn't expect because they have the same goals as their consumers? I think you know better than this.

I'm not saying this isn't the majority mindset. But who decides when the majority wins? It's not a vote to see what the company needs to do next for anybody else. They decide for themselves, and they can control their own narrative. If they want us to believe that everybody wants this, are you still going to believe it even when many people around you are verifying that they themselves are not? Maybe it's a calculated decision where they know they will lose some of their support in the process, but it is a loss they are willing to accept. Because they have a longer game strategy to excise the people who keep them from doing what they want, because we continuously influence what others think, and therefore dictate what's good, bad, or otherwise, and they're trying to rebuild a more supportive base that isn't going to flinch the next time they try to kill that troublesome OGL that keeps them from getting whatever it is (they're not going to tell us they want, so no point in guessing... but you know.)

I just don't see much of a new direction. Yes, the starter module is aimed at young kids and I think they should be. But the recent modules? Some are lighter fair, some are not. Unless of course you think an undead wizard trying to remake all of existence to his own liking is light and fluffy. I've heard that Curse of Strahd is still one of the best selling modules. Some of the stuff is more light hearted but there's always been some of that in DnD. For every colorful Sphinx of Wonder we still have demonic gnolls that crave endless slaughter and destruction or ghasts that are reeking undying corpses. Meanwhile we've had flumphs since 1e.