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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mips42" data-source="post: 6343860" data-attributes="member: 6746242">In reading a forum on another board, a person sat down with the 5e Starter Set, the Pathfinder Beginner Box and 4 people who, according to the website, had never played these or any other FRPG's before. The tl;dr results? Even at the higher price point, the new players preferred the Beginner Box over the Starter Set.   It was mentioned that Paizo had had essentially four years to get it's core rules sorted out before putting out it's 'Beginner Box' and WOTC had published the 'Starter Set' before it's core books were even done, so the playing field may not have been level (to borrow a sports term). I hate mentioning this subject again but there it is. With this group of new players, after looking at and working with both, they preferred the robustness and versatility of the Beginner Box, even though it cost more... SO, the question is: would it have resulted in a more complete / 'better' product if WOTC had published Basic, the PHB, MM and DMG BEFORE publishing a 'get started playing' boxed set? [sblock] Here goes: I like D&D. I've liked D&D since 1e. I like playing D&D. D&D has been a part of my life since high school at least. If D&D were a person, it'd be my oldest living friend. I know it. I am not the 'target audience' for a Starter Set. I can't evaluate it like a new player would. Having said that, I want D&D and, by proxy, a Starter Set to succeed. I want other people, new people to have as much fun as I did/do playing it. In order for that to happen, there needs to be a 'getting started' version that steps up and says 'Hi. I'm D&D, I'm here to show you wonder like you've never seen and the best part is: YOU get to be part of it.' So the getting started version doesn't need to be everything to everybody, but it DOES need to be enough for beginners, REAL beginners, to get a hold of and start that relationship. If (and I know this is a BIG if) this is the feeling echoed across new players, D&D isn't going to keep as many new players as it could. My answer, therefore, is: very possibly they should have waited. They could have gotten basic out for the experienced early-adopters (like me). Gotten the PHB, MM and DMG out for the experienced who want the extra options. THEN go back and distill that down to the "getting started" version so you HAVE all the art, you HAVE all the rules, you HAVE more 'hand holding' for the new GM, you HAVE the encounter building guidelines that you can give the GM and say 'here's how you can continue from here with what you have AND you can get the full, Basic version, free!' I know they say 'hindsight is always 20/20' but...[/sblock]tl;dr = Maybe</blockquote>

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