D&D 5E (2024) 2024 D&D Starter Set - Your turn to design

[TiQuinn]

Plastic dice with a crayon to fill in the numbers.

(Okay that’s just old school me talking now )

 

[Audiomancer]

Plastic dice with a crayon to fill in the numbers.

(Okay that’s just old school me talking now )

DICE?!?!!

Back in MY day, we had to settle for cheap cardboard CHITS…

Excuse me while I go outside and yell at a cloud.

 

[GreyLord]

I can see the appeal of a cheaper starter set, but I do remember using my old '81 Moldvay B/X set for years. While I'm not the audience for a starter set nowadays, I would to see the next generation get something they can keep and enjoy for years as well, rather than toss it out within a week for "the real game".

For 5e (2014), that was called the Essentials Kit which you bought and played after you used the Starter Set. It didn't go up to level 12/14, but it also didn't end at level 3. It went up to level 6.

You also had the actual Basic set of rules, but you had to download them and they were basically the rules for 5e but with less options. They let you go up to level 20.

 

[Cadence]

The training set-up of MTG Arena a few years ago was kind of eye opening to me in that it broke the game down in to little chunks. Kind of like some intro to chess things for children might do a piece at a time.

Has D&D had a "tutorial set" where it breaks it down into preset chunks that are obviously designed to practice different things without the new DM having to worry about how the pieces fit into a bigger whole?

So some set pieces where the party introduces itself, has some combat using just the basics, has a short rest, does some skill checks where they are prompted about what skills, has some combat where a tactic like flanking is introduced, has a social encounter, does some skill checks with less guidance, has some combat with another tactic hinted at, has a long rest. Gives the players a couple choice of a few different things that combine those and give the DM a couple choices. Get a long rest and level?

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Sure, I'll play along.

If I had been in charge of the 2024 D&D Starter Set (Heroes of the Borderlands), I would have taken a different (and controversial?) approach.

A “starter set” implies two things: first, that it’s a stripped-down, temporary version of the “real” game, and second, that it exists mainly as a tutorial because the core game is too complex to teach directly. That framing undersells what a boxed set could be.

What a lot of players actually see in these sets are the extras—maps, handouts, cards, tactile components. These are valuable not just to beginners, but also to veteran groups who buy the box for those materials alone. The problem is we (usually) only ever get one box, only at the lowest levels, and then it’s done.

There’s also a less visible audience: groups who enjoy the lighter rules and accessible structure of the starter set, but find the full game too complex once they “graduate.” For them, there’s nowhere to go. Imagine if instead of just one box, there was a continuing line—expansions that add more content, more materials, and a few more options without forcing a jump into the full game. This way, casual players can stick with a system that works for them, while everything remains fully compatible with the core rules.

So, rather than a “starter set,” I would have released a true basic game set—a simpler, self-contained version of the game that can grow through additional boxes. It would onboard new players, support veterans with useful components, and provide an ongoing path for those who prefer a lighter playstyle. That way, we don’t just get people started—we keep them playing regardless of their preferred style of game or play.

 

[Stormonu]

@Jacob Lewis - sounds like BECMI all over again - which isn't a bad thing.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

@Jacob Lewis - sounds like BECMI all over again - which isn't a bad thing.

That’s a fair comparison on the surface, but not quite the direction I’m pointing toward. BECMI was its own branch of D&D, with a different progression path and only slightly parallel with AD&D. What I’m suggesting wouldn’t be a separate rules line—it would remain fully compatible with the current core rules from the start, no conversion needed.

The bigger distinction for me is in the format, not the rules. I’d want to lean into the strengths of a boxed product: maps, cards, tokens, handouts—things that make the game feel closer to a boardgame in accessibility and presentation. The idea is that you can keep expanding with more boxes, whether you’re a casual group that prefers the simpler play experience or a veteran DM who just wants more high-quality components for their table.

So yes, it echoes the “ongoing path” feel of BECMI, but the intent here is to enrich the material experience of D&D, while staying lockstep with the core game.

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

I think it depends on the person. WotC's main audience is the newbies who will then graduate to buying $150 in core books and, ideally, remain inspired to keep shelling out $50 a pop for supplements and big adventure books.

I already have that stuff, though, and my goal is to use Heroes of the Borderlands as another box in the board game rotation, something that can be pulled out after a game or two of Labyrinth while holiday dinner is cooking and before people settle into drinking and cards.

I've come around. I am really liking the idea of the starter set as a "boardgame version of DND," and not necessarily as a stepping stone for the full game.

I am looking at my old Essentials Kit & Pathfinder Beginners Box on my shelf, and I don't think I'd ever be able to convince any of my boardgame folks to try that. But this Starter Set... I can see myself pitching that to this group, by pitching it as the "boardgame" version of DND.

I'm basically imagining a scenario in which a group uses this set periodically to play low-level one shots. Each time, they make a new character, and whoever is GM-ing brings a different low-level one-shot.

This is actually very exciting.

I own plenty of easy-to-prep adventures, including the ones in One-Shot Adventures, but this is a vastly easier play experience for people without existing characters or any real knowledge of the game.

Agreed.

Whenever there's an apparent dichotomy, it's usually because there's more than one group of people with different interests and goals.

Yeah, I definitely came into the discussion with a very strong opinion of what the purpose of this product was.

I don't think this was your intent, but you just might have convinced me to get this...