D&D General Who is this made for (Not Beginners) - the New D&D Starter Set

[mamba]

There's been about two posts that actually sort of addressed my concerns, but they didn't actually cover WHY the problem happened in the first place except to blame everything but the box. All my players, me, anything but WotC is to be blamed.

I mean, all of you apparently missed stuff that is actually in the box... I am not sure people were looking into why that happened, but it is pretty odd if they were to blame the box for it

 

[Micah Sweet]

When you say all opinions are equally valid, this is where I push back. Ignorance does not equal someone's actual experience, particularly just because it matches their bias.

So is your claim, like how I read @Imaro , that you should keep your mouth shut about anything for which you have no personal hands-on experience? So reviews and the like should have no commentary beyond, "this review makes we want to experience the product first-hand, so that the internet will allow me to express an opinion on it"?

Obviously this is admittedly hyperbolic, but I use that language to hopefully illustrate how ridiculous IMO this demand is.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I suspect this was designed to appeal to both old hands and new. Specifically, to encourage the old hands to introduce new players to D&D. I've seen several comments about long-time players buying these boxes to onboard people they wanted to get into D&D, and I think that was something WotC was counting on.

The WotC/D&D team has certainly learned that nostalgia moves products and is leveraging that.

I thought the intention of the product was for the use of entirely novice players (ie, no experienced guide)? Can someone please verify my claim here? I'd hate to suggest something untrue if I can help it.

 

[Mannahnin]

Repeating or credulously amplifying misinformation is definitely not of value.

It's certainly possible to make meaningful contributions to a discussion about a book one hasn't read, a movie one hasn't seen, or a game product one hasn't played with or even read, but there are obviously some limits and lines.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I mean, all of you apparently missed stuff that is actually in the box... I am not sure people were looking into why that happened, but it is pretty odd if they were to blame the box for it

I suppose it's a lot easier to take something personally when you blame a person for a problem than when you blame a box. A box (and the company that makes it) doesn't really benefit from protecting their feelings, but a person might.

 

[Mannahnin]

Exactly. The legacy content is there to get some sales out of the old timers, but maybe also spark them to take up the game with their kids, or at least share some old war stories with them.

Yup.

The starter box seems to have been primarily designed to onboard new players, incorporating some design practices from modern board game design and presentation ("read this first" booklets and links to online tutorials are super common nowadays, as are other elements like the individual player boards for games with characters), but the use of KotB as the setting and the inclusion of all those goodies like the attractive map of the keep, and full color battle maps for the caves, makes it appealing to experienced players too.

I'm in a FB group centered around a guy's old school campaigns (and the sweet art he draws for them), mostly B/X, but his last few posts have been speaking very highly of this set and using the maps for play with his kids.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

So is your claim, like how I read @Imaro , that you should keep your mouth shut about anything for which you have no personal hands-on experience? So reviews and the like should have no commentary beyond, "this review makes we want to experience the product first-hand, so that the internet will allow me to express an opinion on it"?

Obviously this is admittedly hyperbolic, but I use that language to hopefully illustrate how ridiculous IMO this demand is.

You're free to express your uninformed opinions. We're free to value it less than others who have experience and less of an obvious grudge.

Hell man, you're already looking for some angle to complain about the mere suggestion that kids DM round robin. Clearly an insidious plot to erode the vaunted authority of the DM and replace them with AI.

 

[Imaro]

I thought the intention of the product was for the use of entirely novice players (ie, no experienced guide)? Can someone please verify my claim here? I'd hate to suggest something untrue if I can help it.

Read it... or better yet do some minimal research on the internet if suggesting something thats untrue is really all that important to you...if not maybe its better not to make uninformed assertions.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Repeating or credulously amplifying misinformation is definitely not of value.

It's certainly possible to have meaningful contributions to a discussion about a book one hasn't read, a movie one hasn't seen, or a game product one hasn't played with or even read, but there are obviously some limits and lines.

Well, the people who liked the message to which I'm responding didn't seem to allow for meaningful contributions from non-experiencers based on their rhetoric. They just (it seemed to me) told me my opinion is functionally worthless and I shouldn't express it. Since that opinion wasn't positive, it makes me feel that was the reason.

 

[Mannahnin]

You don't need to do that, it's just suggested in the Caves of Chaos Book that you can alternate DM's with each cave to try learning. It's not suggested as the default, just an option you can do.

And it's a great suggestion, too. Laying some groundwork to counter the Forever DM phenomenon is an excellent idea.