D&D 5E The Starter Set and In-box Handholding

[halfling rogue]

I’ve read more than a few folks out there who have complained that the Starter Set fails to properly teach and/or explain how to run and play D&D. The idea being that there’s no way a group of kids who have never played before could buy this box and just start playing. Is it safe to say that the lack of in-box handholding is one of the biggest knocks against the Starter Set?

Personally, I kind of like that there is nearly no handholding in the Starter Set. That sounds like D&D to me. Here is the game, here’s a few tips, go for it. There is a type of freedom there. And it's not like there is zero handholding in the box. A little is in there, but it's just not laid out in a step by step process. That’s not to say a formal in-box handholding is a bad idea at all. I just challenge the notion that it is needed, and therefore a flaw.

But hey, perhaps a bunch of 12 year olds really couldn’t figure it out. To be honest I have no idea. But I don’t think the naysayers know either. We all think we know what might happen but we don’t really know. I for one, would be vastly interested to see or hear about a group with absolutely no D&D or tabletop rpg experience opening up the Starter Set and play. No older brother, no older cousin or crazy uncle introductions.

Every story that I’ve heard has come from at least one person with experience. If this is the case then why knock the Starter Set for this at all? I’ve yet to hear or read about the 12 year old kid who bought the box and gave up because he and his friends couldn’t figure it out.

Until I hear otherwise, I'm calling this a myth. It's a complaint without substance. For that matter, my assertion that a formal handholding is unnecessary (for this box) is currently without substance as well.

Does anyone have any evidence for or against?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Give smart kids with a little imagination the box set and let them run wild with it, even if they are "doing it wrong". Hell we were running a mash up of Red Box and AD&D until we figured out that they weren't actually the same system. A little hand holding is OK, but not really that necessary.

 

[BackInAction]

I haven't seen the starter set, in person, but I assume it is nothing more than the Basic PHB.pdf and a module, right? If so, the problem isn't really the starter set per se, but the wall of rules without practical examples found in the PHB (basic or book form).

I would love to see a written narrative of simple examples of rules in the basic set and/or basic PHB.pdf. Though these days, if you want to attract 12 yo, I would make a youtube channel with several? several dozen? 1-2 min videos with "live" examples of rule usages, etc. So, you can see how a gaming session is run.

Those hour long "gaming session" videos WotC does have are just painfully slow to watch.

 

[Morrus]

It's very handholdy. In the first encounters, so much so that it says stuff like "now you need to roll the goblin's initiative. It's +2 so roll 1d20 and add 2."

 

[Ravenheart87]

If I could learn palying my first rpg at twelve from a ~400 pages long handbook that had much less handholding and worse organization, then others can do it from the Starter Set.

 

[Henrix]

As Morrus says, the scenario is what is holding the DM's hand as it goes along.


But I think it is safe to say that the aim for the starter isn't to get 12 year olds who have never played RPGs before.
It caters to the larger, primary, market of people who know what it is and want to start with the new edition.

If they had made a starter directed at kids with no prior experience it would not have sold as well to grown ups who have played before. One of its strengths is that it is not just a starter - it's a good adventure on its own, and there's not a load of stuff that just a beginner needs.

 

[Mark CMG]

I've been RPGing for 40 years, since the start of D&D, and I think the 5E Starter Set is an excellent intro to D&D or RPGs in general. There is some dead weight in the adventure (I'm looking at you Thundertree!) but even that has enough value for beginners. We took a break from our 1E AD&D game in the summer to playthrough the 5E Starter Set adventure (with some of the downloaded Basic rules added in). I blogged about our experiences here -

http://www.creativemountaingames.com/2014/07/the-friday-grab-bag-my-d-5e-starter-set.html

 

[Nebulous]

I've been RPGing for 40 years, since the start of D&D, and I think the 5E Starter Set is an excellent intro to D&D or RPGs in general. There is some dead weight in the adventure (I'm looking at you Thundertree!) but even that has enough value for beginners. We took a break from our 1E AD&D game in the summer to playthrough the 5E Starter Set adventure (with some of the downloaded Basic rules added in). I blogged about our experiences here -

http://www.creativemountaingames.com/2014/07/the-friday-grab-bag-my-d-5e-starter-set.html

I love Thundertree!

I think the starter set adventure is great, and it is perfectly good for beginner 12 years olds or experienced players.

 

[Nefzyflin]

I've been RPGing for 40 years, since the start of D&D, and I think the 5E Starter Set is an excellent intro to D&D or RPGs in general. There is some dead weight in the adventure (I'm looking at you Thundertree!) but even that has enough value for beginners. We took a break from our 1E AD&D game in the summer to playthrough the 5E Starter Set adventure (with some of the downloaded Basic rules added in). I blogged about our experiences here -

http://www.creativemountaingames.com/2014/07/the-friday-grab-bag-my-d-5e-starter-set.html

40 years !

I feel young again.

I've ONLY been playing for 30 years.

Nef

 

[halfling rogue]

I haven't seen the starter set, in person, but I assume it is nothing more than the Basic PHB.pdf and a module, right? If so, the problem isn't really the starter set per se, but the wall of rules without practical examples found in the PHB (basic or book form).

I would love to see a written narrative of simple examples of rules in the basic set and/or basic PHB.pdf. Though these days, if you want to attract 12 yo, I would make a youtube channel with several? several dozen? 1-2 min videos with "live" examples of rule usages, etc. So, you can see how a gaming session is run.

Those hour long "gaming session" videos WotC does have are just painfully slow to watch.

The starter set rules are actually more slim than the Basic Rules.

The written narrative is what I'm talking about in my OP as "formal handholding". This seems to be one of the biggest knocks against the Starter Set, but I just don't see it.