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

[FitzTheRuke]

Sure, if they get past the starter set, which has no perspective beyond the one built into it, since the group is entirely comprised of complete novices in the intended use.

In another thread I have seen you argue with teachers that kids ought to be able to read complicated texts, and yet here you are acting like a new D&D player will be stuck forever if things aren't explicitly spelled out for them.

(And you're starting from information that is factually wrong regarding what is spelled out in this set).

As I've said before in other threads: This set isn't for you, but it most certainly IS very well done for your standard new player.

I've literally taught over a thousand people to play D&D over forty years. In my opinion, while I think there is still room for improvement, I feel that this set is about as good as we've ever seen for that.

Absolutely the adventure was better in the Phandelver Starter. Everything else is better about this set.

I believe the OP that they had a bad experience with it, but from what I can tell, mistakes were made that were not the fault of the HotB Starter's design.

 

[BruceWright]

Sure, if they get past the starter set, which has no perspective beyond the one built into it, since the group is entirely comprised of complete novices in the intended use.

I’m not even sure what you mean by this. You can’t possibly be saying that if a new player learns from the starter set, they won’t know about Baldur’s Gate 3, DNDBeyond, websites like this, DND Podcasts, etc, until they “get past” the material in it.

What are you saying?

 

[Micah Sweet]

In another thread I have seen you argue with teachers that kids ought to be able to read complicated texts, and yet here you are acting like a new D&D player will be stuck forever if things aren't explicitly spelled out for them.

(And you're starting from information that is factually wrong regarding what is spelled out in this set).

As I've said before in other threads: This set isn't for you, but it most certainly IS very well done for your standard new player.

I've literally taught over a thousand people to play D&D over forty years. In my opinion, while I think there is still room for improvement, I feel that this set is about as good as we've ever seen for that.

Absolutely the adventure was better in the Phandelver Starter. Everything else is better about this set.

I believe the OP that they had a bad experience with it, but from what I can tell, mistakes were made that were not the fault of the HotB Starter's design.

Fair enough. To me, the adventure matters far more than anything else.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I’m not even sure what you mean by this. You can’t possibly be saying that if a new player learns from the starter set, they won’t know about Baldur’s Gate 3, DNDBeyond, websites like this, DND Podcasts, etc, until they “get past” the material in it.

What are you saying?

Why would a kid who has had no contact with D&D definitely know about those other things just because one of their buddies' parents bought their kid a starter box to play with friends?

 

[BruceWright]

Why would a kid who has had no contact with D&D definitely know about those other things just because one of their buddies' parents bought their kid a starter box to play with friends?

I mentioned the internet, and said “Purchasers of the box set will have many avenues to get more information about the game.”

Your direct response was, “Sure, if they get past the starter set”. How is the starter set impeding their ability to get perspectives on D&D outside of the starter set?

I mean, come on. The internet. The existence of a starter set does not impede the flow of information that is from other sources outside the starter set.

 

[HomegrownHydra]

Why would a kid who has had no contact with D&D definitely know about those other things just because one of their buddies' parents bought their kid a starter box to play with friends?

How has anyone in the last 50 years learned about anything related to D&D? Why does everything there is to know about the game need to be spelled out in this box?

 

[Hussar]

There are two red ones and two green ones, one of which is directly adjoined to one of the red ones. Which now that you mention it is incredibly colorblind-unfriendly visual design.

Heh. Yeah, I wasn't really making a joke when I said the boxes were red or green. I haven no idea which ones are which - I see three boxes.

But, even with my color blindness, I can STILL tell that the three boxes are what you need for the numbers in combat.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In another thread I have seen you argue with teachers that kids ought to be able to read complicated texts, and yet here you are acting like a new D&D player will be stuck forever if things aren't explicitly spelled out for them.

Maybe just using a board is too simplified. Watching videos is not reading texts...

(And you're starting from information that is factually wrong regarding what is spelled out in this set).

Speaking about reading or following longer conversations in text form.

As I've said before in other threads: This set isn't for you, but it most certainly IS very well done for your standard new player.

I think this is actually close to a formal and correct logical conclusion...

I've literally taught over a thousand people to play D&D over forty years. In my opinion, while I think there is still room for improvement, I feel that this set is about as good as we've ever seen for that.

I also think so. I am really looking forward to getting it as soon as it is available in German.
Actually I am really waiting for D&Dbeyond to have translations. It is a real hold back for using D&D with younger players.

Absolutely the adventure was better in the Phandelver Starter. Everything else is better about this set.

I believe the OP that they had a bad experience with it, but from what I can tell, mistakes were made that were not the fault of the HotB Starter's design.

Yes. I think it is easier to blame everything else than yourself...

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I just feel you're not getting a campaign experience with a short turn as GM in a round-robin style, and the campaign is the whole reason I like to GM. Short sessions mostly filled with combat seem more likely for the proposed style, and that doesn't sound like an RPG experience I would enjoy for long.

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.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Fair enough. To me, the adventure matters far more than anything else.

As a pretty experienced DM at this point the adventure is pretty good. It's a pretty solid update of Keep on the Borderlands, one of the original starter adventures, did you not like Keep on the Borderlands?