D&D (2024) Take A Deeper Look At The New D&D Starter Set's Card-Based Characters

Heroes of the Borderlands, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons 2024 starter set due out in September, was on display at New York Toy Fair, and the YouTube channel Otakus & Geeks were given a brief demo. The way the cards, standees, and maps are presented it looks like they took some inspiration from 1989's boardgame HeroQuest!

• Character creation is card-based.
• Each player has a 'class board', such Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, and Warrior (it's not clear if the demonstrator misspoke and meant to say Rogue or not).
• Then you pick a species card and a background card and place them on your class board.
• Those components the tell you what equipment or spell cards to also pick up--for example, the Fighter takes the cards for chainmail. greatsword, a lantern, and one additional item.
• The class board and the equipment cards tell the players what dice to roll for attacks, etc.

• The DM has a small, 10-page guide.
• There's a big battlemap for each of the three main areas (presumably Keep, Caves, and Wilderness?), and a booklet for each.
• Monsters have tokens and corresponding monster cards for the DM.

 

[R_J_K75]

eference cards are already sold they are not new.

Never said they were

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Looks pretty cool.

OTOH, I haven't given WOTC a dime since the OGL scandal, so I probably should stand firm.

 

[The Soloist]

When I first saw that cards were being introduced, I was very surprised and thought wow, WotC is not necessarily staying the course I thought they would.

Maybe not, but if not randomized packs, then at least "booster" packs. With what little we know about this now I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that WotC has plans to take the game in directions not yet seen.

Already been tried. The Gammaworld edition that came out under 4e introduced expansion random card booster packs for mutants and equipment. It did not go well. The customer backlash was intense. I don't think they will do that again.

 

[The Soloist]

Yeah Ive been thinking about card based character creation for a bit, then tend to leap to cardbased combat too - looks like a fun little set

You should try Gloomhaven if you have not.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

Vanquish monsters with strategic cardplay in a 25-scenario Gloomhaven campaign.

boardgamegeek.com

 

[The Soloist]

nevermind...

 

[The Soloist]

I don't think WoTC will do expansion adventures with new cards. They don't want to replicate the dual D&D BECMI and AD&D model. It created a split in the player base. This starter set is a gateway game to the three core books. Nothing more, imho. It replaces the D&D Board games like Wrath of Ashadalon, which was a gateway game to get into 4e.

 

[Azzy]

Yeah, the overall page count of the class section is very large which I think comes out to about 14 pages for each class. It's too much IMO.

I don't think that page count is a meaningful metric of comparison—the 5.24 PHB has more class art (and more art in general), a slightly bigger font size, plus the spell lists are now in the class section. That alone pads out the page count. You'd need a more meaningful comparison like word count or something.

 

[Azzy]

Reference cards are already sold they are not new. The Essentials kit several years back also came with a bunch of reference cards a lot like the ones shown in this starter set.

Right, we've had spell cards since 2e, Paizo released magic item cards during late 3.5e/pre-PF1.

 

[Argyle King]

I don't think WoTC will do expansion adventures with new cards. They don't want to replicate the dual D&D BECMI and AD&D model. It created a split in the player base. This starter set is a gateway game to the three core books. Nothing more, imho. It replaces the D&D Board games like Wrath of Ashadalon, which was a gateway game to get into 4e.

The concept I talked about in a previous thread was to link physical products to digital by having some way to scan minis/cards/whatever and unlock the same item's digital model.

Drives more people to subscribe to the digital platform while retaining incentives to buy physical product

Over time, you can foster a culture that has only known the cards. Without DMs or players experienced with creating their own stuff, you can then sell more A.I. tools (which would generate content for a price).

 

[Argyle King]

Right, we've had spell cards since 2e, Paizo released magic item cards during late 3.5e/pre-PF1.

Sure, but they were most often sold as accessories, not a central gateway into the game.

This is potentially a new opening through which Cocks can penetrate the market.