Should I get the Red Box?

[CiH]

I stopped playing RPGs the last couple years. But watching my wife obsess over playing Oblivion (Xbox), I think D&D would be a good family pastime to try out.

However, this time around, I'm not going to be world building or adventure writing or any of that. I just want to read published modules and play them as-is. I just don't have the time and inclination anymore.

So I'm looking at 4e and I notice all this "Essentials" stuff, and got confused. Then I thought, well maybe this Red Box is a good place to start at a low price point in case things don't work out.

Any thoughts?

 

[Tony Vargas]

If you only just stopped playing the last couple of years, the Red Box may not be for you. It's directed at players who have been out of circulation since before 3e and at those completely brand-new-to-RPGs. It combines a lot of retro-nostalgic look & feel with a step-by-step pick-your-path character-building/solo-first-adventure exerices, so it does seem like a pretty good first game for the target audiences. If you played 3e and are comfortable with D&D, but didn't care for 4e, the Red Box may not change your mind.


If you're looking for a casual family gaming experience, you might try Castle Ravenloft. It's an RPG/board-game hybrid and, unlike the Red Box & Essenitals, I've heard nothing but good things about it. It has multiple built-in scenarios and a promised expansion is in the works with even more.


I've also been pretty pleased with Gamma World - again, a much more casual gaming experience. It's whacky mutant apocalyptic RP fun along the lines of Thundarr the Barbarian.

 

[Retreater]

Honestly, before I dropped $20 on the box, I'd take a look at the free quick start rules, pregenerated characters, and free adventures on the Wizards of the Coast website. Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Try DnD

The box is an "okay" introduction to the game. My wife (who is not a tabletop gamer) enjoyed creating her character and playing through the intro adventure.

The problem with the red box is that it is limited in scope so that you can only play a handful of sessions before you have to spend more money. I'd suggest trying out the free material, deciding if D&D is for you, and then investing in D&D Essentials for a more complete gaming experience.

Perhaps try to find a D&D Encounters session in your area to see how the game flows.

Retreater

 

[TerraDave]

I have resisted getting the red box, and won't comment on it.

The other path is to get the DM kit and the Heroes of the Fallen Lands. (Later, if you want, you can get the Monster Vault and maybe the rules compendium).

The kit comes with a two part adventure which has some pretty good buzz. (Of course, you can first get the red box, and then get these other things.)

 

[CiH]

The only 3e I played was Conan for about a year. I mostly converted stuff to Savage Worlds, and played in a GURPS game, but that is neither here nor there.

I guess what I'm really asking is: what is the cheapest entry point to 4e so I can try this out on my family? I'm guessing it is Essentials something, but what?

Thanks.

 

[CiH]

The other path is to get the DM kit and the Heroes of the Fallen Lands. (Later, if you want, you can get the Monster Vault and maybe the rules compendium).

The kit comes with a two part adventure ...

Ah! This is what I looking for. I'll read more about the DM Kit, et al.

Oddly enough, the DM Kit was one of the products I kept skipping over when browsing the WotC site looking for my own answers.

 

[Scribble]

I stopped playing RPGs the last couple years. But watching my wife obsess over playing Oblivion (Xbox), I think D&D would be a good family pastime to try out.

However, this time around, I'm not going to be world building or adventure writing or any of that. I just want to read published modules and play them as-is. I just don't have the time and inclination anymore.

So I'm looking at 4e and I notice all this "Essentials" stuff, and got confused. Then I thought, well maybe this Red Box is a good place to start at a low price point in case things don't work out.

Any thoughts?

The redbox is designed essentially for someone completely new to gaming, who also probably doesn't have anyone teaching them the ropes... The user can play a choose your own adventure scenario, to build his/her chacter, and then there is an adventure that the user can either run for friends, or have someone run for him/her.

There is also some info on creating another adventure on your own.

It has dice, and some tokens, and maps which are cool...

It's not really intended as a continued use product though, more a teaching aid for someone with absolutely no experience.

Since it sounds like you have some gaming experience under your belt it seems like you might want to just jump into the main Essentials stuff.

For players that would be:

A copy of either Heroes of the Fallen Lands or Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, or both.

Each book has rules for different character types, but can be used independently of each other.


For the DM:

The monster vault- Contains a bunch of "classic" monsters, and an adventure. it also has tokens to use depicting the monsters at the table.

The DM's kit... It is more advice based, but has lots of good advice, and a few extra rules... It also has a screen, and an adventure. I think it's somewhat optional, although helpful.

For both:

A copy of the Rules Compendium is somewhat optional... It's a good source for pretty much all the non character specific rules of the game in an easy to use format. Most of (all of?) the rules though are found throughout the other books. You probably only need one for your table.



Hope that helps!

 

[Thasmodious]

It helps me, anyway. I bought the Red Box for my turning 9 years old daughter for her upcoming birthday, to teach her the game and see if it piques her interest. If so, more Essentials will be purchased.

 

[UnknownAtThisTime]

I have a strong opinion on this.

I think you should skip the red box and buy the DM Kit, the Monster Vault, and "The Dungeon" set of Dungeon Tiles.

This will be enough for you to do more than get your feet wet. You can essentially play through "two" modules of content with the material above. The adventures are "relatively" straight forward and require minimal prep time.

I spent literally 30 minutes for example reading the adventure included in the MV, and feel I could DM it easily with just the materials I listed above and on the fly. (The MV adventure is an abbreviated crawl, not a full size adventure).

All three of those products will set you back a total of $53.00 from Amazon.

That being said, the Red Box is $13 at Amazon. If you are that concerned with making a large investment in something you are unsure of, the red box is the way to go because it is absurdly affordable.


EDIT: I should clarify why I include the "Dungeon" set of Dungeon Tiles, when it is obviously not a requirement to play the game.
A) I am pretty sure you can build every map in the Monster Vault adventure using that large included map and a extra tiles from "The Dungeon". If you chose to play this adventure to get your feet wet, you would require no additional mapping solution(whiteboard, graph pad, etc). It would be quite an elegant intro to the game.
B) I think it is a great value for $13. At this price point, it is actually quite a cheap solution.

 

[The Human Target]

The cheapest way?

Heroes of the Fallen Lands, and the DM kit.

Red Box is totally unnecessary.