Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set Price Point Revealed

The new Heroes of the Borderlands D&D boxed set will be significantly more expensive than past Starter Sets. Pre-order pages up on D&D Beyond and Amazon confirm that the new Starter Set, made to introduce the new version of 5th Edition rules to newcomers, will cost $49.99. Previous starter sets, such as the Essentials Kit or the Dragons at Stormwreck Isle, had much lower price points ranging from $19.99 to $24.99.

One reason for the price increase is that the new Starter Set will contain many more components than previous Starter Sets. A trailer (seen below) shows off many of the cards, tokens, and handouts that are included in the boxed set in addition to the standard quickstart guide and character sheets. Per Amazon, the new Starter Set will contain 3 adventure booklets, 8 character class boards featuring iconic D&D classes, 1 quick-start guide, a reference booklet, 5 in-world immersive handouts (including a tavern menu and shop catalogs), 9 double-sided poster maps, a combat tracker, 11 dice, 210 game cards (including spells, magic items, and equipment), and 273 tokens (including monsters, terrain, and resources).

One twist for this new boxed set is that it will include tiles that will add a modularity to character creation. Players will choose their background and class and then build a character sheet using corresponding tiles.

Hasbro also previously stated that the Starter Set was produced in China, so the increased price could be impacted by the current tariffs imposed by the US on foreign-made goods.


The new Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set will be released on September 16th, 2025.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Given that D&D started out as a miniatures game, it's "theatre of the mind" that is the non-standard variant.

 

[NN]

did the 1977 basic set include minatures etx?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Could you download and print the 1977 rules for free?

Miniatures, you were expected to provide yourself, it certainly wasn't written to be played "theatre of the mind".

Also, this was the original:

Didn't come with minis either, but required them to play - minis predated the game.

 

[Metroido]

did the 1977 basic set include minatures etx?

No, but the Black Box Basic set in the late 80s/early 90s did. Along with battlemaps, enemy standees, etc.

 

[payn]

did the 1977 basic set include minatures etx?

Have you been in a coma since then?

 

[NN]

No, but the Black Box Basic set in the late 80s/early 90s did. Along with battlemaps, enemy standees, etc.

And its worse than the earlier sets

 

[NN]

Have you been in a coma since then?

as far as D&D is concerned (not rpgs in general) a coma since 1984 with a brief awakening to consider the aborted promise of 3E is all ye need.

 

[NN]

Have you been in a coma since then?

my point is that the 1977 basic ser is more relevant

 

[Sacrosanct]

my point is that the 1977 basic ser is more relevant

That’s like saying a rotary phone is more relevant to be someone’s first phone over a cell phone.

Also, from the 1977 set:

Intro, page 1:
They create their own map as they explore.
While only paper and pencil need be used, it is possible
for the characters of each player to be represented by
miniature lead figures which can be purchased inexpensively
from hobby stores or directly from TSR Hobbies.
Page 40
If miniature figures are used, they can be
arranged in battle order on the table top and the
movement through passages and rooms imagined, the
pieces rearranged for combat or other changes of formation.
Figures are available for all the character types
of Dungeons & Dragons as well as for most of the monsters.

 

[sevenbastard]

And its worse than the earlier sets

It would be interesting to do a scientific study on which starter set actually teaches the game the best. Get about 5000 people who have never played and a variety of starter sets split them into groups, ect.

The BIG PROBLEM is no one can agree how to D&D is supposed to be played.

Hard to judge a teaching tool if we cant agree on what we want the lesson to be.