Dungeons & Dragons Provides Guidance on How to Run Heroes of the Borderlands As More Traditional Campaign

A new D&D Beyond article by the designer of the Heroes of the Borderlands set provides guidance on how to tie together various parts of the starter set into an overarching plot, which seems to be a direct response to some of the main criticism leveled at the new D&D starter set. Today, Justice Arman posted a new article providing guidance on how to run the Heroes of the Borderlands starter set into a more traditional adventure. The article contains some new narrative read-aloud text, some additional guidance on how to start playing through the adventure, and some guidance on how to emphasize the Cult of Chaos as the overarching antagonists of the adventure.

Heroes of the Borderlands is based on the 1979 adventure Keep on the Borderlands and utilizes a sandbox-style campaign, where various encounters and plots are provided to DMs, but an overarching plot is left for the players to draw out on their own. There are narrative threads that tease various encounters present in the booklets, but there's not a traditional storyline compared to the other Starter Sets. Several reviews, including our own, criticized the design of the adventure, saying that it wasn't advantageous to new DMs. Part of the reason for the narrative freedom, according to the D&D Beyond article, was to allow every player a chance to DM without spoiling the story.

 

[darjr]

I’ve super appreciated the more sandbox approach in this box set. I wish they’d do more of that.

 

[SlyFlourish]

If so, why wouldn't you just make up that sentence or two?

I can make up whole adventures! What am I paying them for?

Yeah, I can, but in the case of the cart in the first scenario of the wilderness, one big missing factor is "who was robbed? where are they now?" For my player, this was the main question they had. Have they been kidnapped? Are they back at the Keep? Who are they?

If the book even said "the owner of the wagon made their way back to the keep and can be found sulking in the bar" that would have been something. I can, of course, just do this, but I don't know that they hadn't done it and buried it as an easter egg like the goblin cake.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I’ve super appreciated the more sandbox approach in this box set. I wish they’d do more of that.

You and I talked about this elsewhere but just for our friends here on EN World, I'm totally good with the open approach but it had me scratching my head when you have four encounters along the road and two of the four have no connection to the others. Why are they even grouped together? It felt like four separate random encounters on top of a list of random encounters later on in the book. I'm not looking for the plotline of Tyranny of Dragons, but something tying some of the pieces together is something I would have liked.

Does the guy hunting for game know anything about the bandits? Does the traveler know where the guy who owned the wagon ran off to?

Of the sixish of these encounters I ran, each of them had me saying "so what" at the end.

I get that this was just a style of play and lots of people are having a lot of fun with it so I'm not saying its' the end of the world. But as a customer, it's something I would have liked.

 

[darjr]

You and I talked about this elsewhere but just for our friends here on EN World, I'm totally good with the open approach but it had me scratching my head when you have four encounters along the road and two of the four have no connection to the others. Why are they even grouped together? It felt like four separate random encounters on top of a list of random encounters later on in the book. I'm not looking for the plotline of Tyranny of Dragons, but something tying some of the pieces together is something I would have liked.

Does the guy hunting for game know anything about the bandits? Does the traveler know where the guy who owned the wagon ran off to?

Of the sixish of these encounters I ran, each of them had me saying "so what" at the end.

I get that this was just a style of play and lots of people are having a lot of fun with it so I'm not saying its' the end of the world. But as a customer, it's something I would have liked.

Not just a style of play, but also a teaching tool. Each of those encounters had a job to do. And I also appreciate the focus they had on that job.

This is where I point out that the NPC cards have more info and connections on them. Specifically to the castle though. Which is kind of the point, the wilderness encounters were not required or really meant to be strung together.

Though I get that putting details like that only in the cards can hide them.

Still if you follow the “start here” document it says to read those cards. Thought for my first game I only read them when I pulled them out to use them on the spot and it still lead the players to other places.

I do get your point though. I just didn’t find it an issue.

Could be I had lower expectations for some things given the purpose of this set.

 

[darjr]

As an aside, I wasn’t going to buy this set or own. I’d agreed to run it with the proviso that the store was getting a demo copy from WotC via the WPN.

As is per usual it didn’t ship in time, or at all as far as I can tell. So to keep my promises I bought one.

I was not entirely happy about that, and wasn’t going into the box with much glee. But I’m happy I have it now.

Edit: adding that the store itself is at no fault. They made things right with me.

 

[Charlaquin]

I remember carving a turnip when I was a kid (they are very hard). It was illuminated with a candle, not a coal though. Couldn't really get pumpkins in 1970s Liverpool.

That’s the thing, pumpkins started being used in the US because they were more accessible here

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That’s the thing, pumpkins started being used in the US because they were more accessible here

Also why pepperoni pizza is the default pizza in the Americas.

 

[Distracted DM]

If you tell people what to do it isn't emergent.

They didn't say give them orders- giving advice and guidance isn't going to necessarily remove someone's agency.

 

[Stormonu]

Some people need directions, others are willing to take where the whim blows them.
I don't think its bad to have that article for those who want structure, but I've always just started groups at the entrance to the Caves myself, then let them wander around from there if they want to (...and survive the goblin cave that seems to always get picked first).

As for the road encounters not being connected, I'm glad. That gives you four different directions subsequent adventures could go, depending on what the party wants, not what the story dictates.

 

[Charlaquin]

Also why pepperoni pizza is the default pizza in the Americas.

Yeah, pumpkin doesn’t even taste good on pizza!