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The D&D Essentials Kit is a complete introductory tabletop RPG set featuring the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure for levels 1-6, a detailed rulebook, a Dungeon Master’s screen, 11 polyhedral dice, 81 cards covering magic items and sidekicks, a fold-out map, and character sheets. Designed for 1-5 players aged 12+, it offers an affordable, immersive gateway into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, perfect for beginners and social gamers eager to build creativity and strategic skills.









| ASIN | 0786966831 |
| Age Range Description | Age Range:12 Years & Up |
| Best Sellers Rank | #22,584 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #537 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
| Brand Name | Dungeons & Dragons |
| Container Type | Box |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 22,173 Reviews |
| Edition | 5th |
| Educational Objective | Enhance creativity, problem-solving, and social skills through collaborative storytelling and strategic gameplay |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00630509861798, 09780786966837 |
| Grenre | Action & Adventure, Adventure, Dragons & Mythical Creatures, FICTION, Fantasy, GAMES & ACTIVITIES, Mythical, legendary and supernatural beings, monsters and creatures, Role Playing, Role-playing, war games and fantasy sports, action fiction |
| Included Components | Boxed Set |
| Indoor Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Item Dimensions | 9.1 x 2.1 x 11.6 inches |
| Item Type Name | Tabletop Game |
| Item Weight | 981 g |
| Manufacturer | Wizards of the Coast |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 0786966831 |
| Manufacturer recommended age | 12 years and up |
| Material Type | Paper |
| Model Name | PHB |
| Model Number | Essentials Kit |
| Model Year | 2019 |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Packs | 1 |
| Number of Players | 2-5 |
| Operation Mode | Manual |
| Other Special Features of the Product | 1-on-1 rules variant, sidekick rules |
| Package Quantity | 1 |
| Product Style | Starter Set Only |
| Set Name | D&D Essentials Kit |
| Size | 9.1 inches x 2.1 inches x 11.6 inches |
| Subject Character | Drake of Icepeak |
| Theme | Games |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
B**Y
ESSENTIALS KIT vs STARTER SET: Which is better? (no spoilers review)
ESSENTIALS KIT vs STARTER SET SHORT REVIEW: if you can only buy one set and are new to the game then buy the Starter Set. It explains the rules in a condensed version and easy to read manual--you will be up and running quicker than Essentials Kit. The rules and setup in the Essentials Kit has more steps and might get new players bogged down with too many details. After playing the Starter Set you wil have a feel for the flow and mechanics of the game and can then go deeper into the rules with the Essentials Kit. After playing the Starter Set and you want to move on, choose the Essentials Kit next before buying the hardcover Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide which have way too much information for new players. The Essentials Kit will build on the Starter Set by introducing magic-using races/classes and character customization. LONG REVIEW AND COMPARISON: ESSENTIALS KIT vs STARTER SET: In the Essentials Kit you get a 64-page squarebound rulebook and 64-page Adventure book. The Starter Set has a 32-page staplebound rulebook and 64-page staplebound Adventure book. I'm not going to talk about the Adventure books to avoid spoilers. But both are recommended and both should be played. The Rulebook differences are significant: in this case shorter (Starter Set) is better. The Essentials Kit has 6 blank character sheets. Players will use the Rulebook to help create their own custom character. The Starter Set has 5 pre-made characters which is NOT bad and for first time players it might be better to start this way. It forces you to play different races and classes of characters, it shows you what type of background story you might want create for future characters, it gives you an idea of how a character sheet is put together and where everything goes, and most importantly it gets you up and running quickly so you can learn how the game plays out. On your second adventure you can take the extra time to create your own character knowing what you liked or didn't like based on your first character. You can easily download and print blank character sheets online. I personally think the Starter Set's idea to use pre-generated characters is best for first time play. DICE: There are 11 dice total in the Essentials Kit but there are duplicates; there are only 7 different types. The Essentials includes a percentage die not in the Starter Set which has 6 different dice total. You only need the 6 types of die so both sets are equal to me. For the Starter Set that's all you get: Rulebook, Adventure book, pre-filled character sheets and dice. It's priced less than the Essentials Kit here on Amazon. Additional material in the Essentials Kit includes extra cards that come 9 to a sheet and you need will need to separate them. None of these are necessary to play. You could write down the information on the cards on paper, but the cards are a nice convenience and can help move the game along. The different cards are: 9 Initiative cards: these are just cards with a number on them, #1-9. 3 Combat cards: these are cheat sheets of combat rules. 24 Magic Item cards. 9 Quest cards: a description of a mini-quest players might take during the bigger Adventure Book. 9 Sidekick cards: your extra character when running a 2-player game. 14 Condition cards: when characters suffer from a certain condition this card reminds them of the symptoms. 1 Magic Charm card. Some of the cards are helpful to have and the Starter Set could be improved to include them as well. Other items in the Essentials Kit: a thin paper Dungeon Master's folding screen. It has a picture on one side and rules/tables on the other. This is very helpful for the Dungeon Master only--it has no use for players. A color map of the world. Maps are fun! And a thin cardboard box to store your dice (not fun). Both the Essentials Kit and Starter Set are good steps towards introducing new players to the game. I think they are both useful. Starter Set should be first. And the Essentials Kit should come second. After that you can play a few more adventures with the information you currently have. Or if you want to dive into the hardcover books then that's the next step. I highly recommend the Starter Set and Essentials Kit. Both are worthwhile purchases. I suggest the Starter Set first then Essentials Kit.
D**S
If you want to create your own characters,
Use this set! The Starter set comes with pre-made characters. That’s the big difference between this(Essentials) and the starter set as i understand it. The value in this set is real: a portion of the dnd ruleset complete with character creation rules ,combat rules, equipment, spells and a few other rules along with a couple of pages on the general concept of what DnD is and how to play it. You also get a Dm’s screen and 6 THICK paper character sheets. Buying these separately is 20 clams, granted you get a lot more sheets and a few extras but it’s nice to have them included as they are very helpful. You get a full set of dice which includes an extra d20 and a couple more six-sided dice as well. Also provided are a lot of play-aids like status-effect , player-aids, magic items, initiative cards , npc cards, a lil fold-out box to put them in and even a double-sided map of the adventure area done by the searingly skilled Mike Schley. The rulebooks have a mix of excellent color and ink art created by a host of talented individuals. Finally you get a full color adventure book that will take player characters from 1-6th level. I don’t run premade adventures , so I can’t assess it as well as one who has run it, but it seems like a fun, semi-sandboxy adventure. Monster art and stat blocks are included. The classes , backgrounds and races aren’t as varied as in the full game, but there is a nice mix with as many backgrounds. Players can choose to be Human(ewwww ;)) , Hill or Mountain Dwarves, High or Wood Elves, and halflings. Classes choices are Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Rogue and Wizard. This set has my utmost recommendation for those who want to check out “the world’s greatest role playing game”.
E**I
The Perfect Introduction to D&D: A Review of the Essentials Kit
The D&D Essentials Kit is packed with everything you need to get started, including a rulebook, character sheets, a set of dice, and an adventure book. The rulebook is clear and easy to understand, making it perfect for beginners who may not have any prior experience with tabletop games. The character sheets are also well-designed, with plenty of space to record your character's stats and abilities. One of the standout items in the kit is the set of dice. The dice are of high quality, with a satisfying weight and feel. The set includes all the dice you'll need to play the game, including the iconic 20-sided die (also known as the d20). The adventure book that comes with the kit is also a lot of fun. It's filled with exciting quests and challenges that will keep players engaged and entertained for hours. The book is well-written, with detailed descriptions of the world and the creatures that inhabit it. But what really makes the D&D Essentials Kit stand out is its accessibility. The game is designed to be easy to learn and play, making it perfect for kids and families. The rules are straightforward, and the adventure book provides plenty of guidance and direction for players who may be new to the game. Overall, the D&D Essentials Kit is a fantastic product for anyone who is interested in exploring the world of Dungeons and Dragons. It's well-designed, easy to use, and packed with everything you need to get started. If you have kids who are interested in tabletop games or are looking to try out D&D for the first time, this kit is a great choice. It's a fun and engaging way to spend time together as a family, and it's sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.
A**E
Great for new players, useful for old ones too
If you're looking for a way to get into D&D, this is a great resource. It includes everything that you need* to get started: * dice (a full set including 2d20s so you can easily roll advantage and 4d6 which are good for rolling stats). If you don't have extras, you can pass these around the table as needed, but buying a few extra sets of dice so everyone has a set is about the only thing that you NEED beyond this set. (They're even selling them at the dollar store now, but you can play with one if you must, it'll just slow things down a bit.) * an adventure that goes from levels 1-6 -- great for new players to start in or experienced players can roll up new characters for * basic rules book - this tells you all the basics of how to play the game. There's much more in-depth information and options in the Player's Handbook, the DM Handbook, and expanded in Xanathar's Guide and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. I would recommend buying them in that order if you can afford them, but you can certainly play with just what's in this box without them (and if you don't want to be overwhelmed with too many options or spend more money, just using what's in the box is fine). * character sheets (a blank set of 6; you can run photocopies of one or download more later) -- the only thing I would have changed would have been to include pre-generated characters for new players, as new character generation can be one of the most daunting and boring tasks if you don't know what you're doing. Just make copies before you start, because if your characters get killed and you need new ones, you don't want to have them all used up. And use pencils, because you'll be doing a lot of erasing and updating! * DM screen (pretty basic version but a good starter one) * a set of perforated cardboard cards detailing magic items and NPCs that can be found in the adventure, character conditions, and combat steps. There's also a set of numbered cards that can be passed around during combat for initiative order -- this is the least useful thing included, as a good initiative tracker (like a flag style) or even just a whiteboard that everyone can see is much more helpful than having to look around the table. Even getting some spring-loaded clothespins with characters' names painted on them and clipping them to the DM screen in order is better than the cards. But the condition cards (that explain what happens when you're grappled, blinded, etc) are boku useful and can be passed around the table as needed. I use the condition cards in my games all the time. * A 2-sided fold-out poster map (about 15x22") that shows the area the adventure occurs in (there's a world-map on one side and a town on the other). This is helpful for showing stuff to players, but some parts of the game happen inside building and caves and such, that aren't on the poster map. If you want to have visual aids for those (which are helpful to the players) I'd recommend getting some wrapping paper with the grid on the backside. You can redraw the building maps on that, and then get some tokens to represent your players. You don't need expensive minis, if you go to printableheroes.com or grab pieces from another board game or just use coins or something. You can also just use "theatre of the mind" and describe what's going on, but most players think having a visual "board" makes the game easier and more fun. D&D is a hobby you can easily spend hundreds of dollars on if you really enjoy it (trust me, I have) but for $8 with this introductory set you can't go wrong. A copy of the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Handbook and some extra dice would help things, but aren't necessary.
D**C
Amazing Presentation/Great Resources/Great Value, but the Adventure Needs Some Work
Quick version: PROS - More to work with than the Starter Kit; a DM screen, cards to represent magic items, the ability to play D&D as a two-player game (one player with a "sidekick" NPC and one DM), full dice set - to include four D6s for stat rolling and two D20s for rolling with advantage/disadvantage, instead of one of each, a foldout map, a rulebook that walks players through character creation instead of using stock characters, a campaign for levels 1-6, and a code for (imo better!) electronic follow-on material for levels 7-12. Frequently sells for very cheap on Amazon. CONS - The 1-6 adventure struggles more than it should to create a sense of urgency or draw players into its plot, may be challenging (at a few specific points) for a new DM, and will probably kill a character or two for a new party. The DM screen is somewhat flimsy. 7-12 content is digital-only and can only be redeemed via D&D Beyond. EDIT - Now that I've taken a full party all the way through Dragon of Icespire Peak as written, I reiterate my complaint that the balance is "all over the place." Some enemies ate up most of a session without ever genuinely threatening the party (this type of thing causes the phones to come out, or digital players to alt+tab), while others (Wererats before magic or silver weapons?) would have killed them had they not been lucky or willing to run. EDIT 2 - the party has just completed the follow-up included digitally. It coulda used a bit more oomph to the dungeon crawls, in my opinion - the dungeon maps were often small and contained maybe one trap, one puzzle, and one or two secret doors leading to a treasure chest. The simplicity works very well for an inexperienced DM with an inexperienced party, which is exactly what you'd want from a product like this, but we'd been playing for a year by the time we hit the final two quests; they're not rookies who don't make Investigation checks anymore, and the end of an adventure should present a real challenge, you know? There's also some DM embellishment required to add overall narrative weight or opportunities for strategic combat, and you might want to expand some of the shop inventories to give them a reason to be excited about late-game gold rewards. Excellent variety among quests, from exploration, to dungeon crawling, to naval combat, to investigating a haunting, to full-scale pitched battles, but only a few individual quests were particularly strong on their own. I initially picked up this kit because, like some others, I was lured in by the idea of getting a DM screen, some dice, and a way to introduce new players to the game for about the price of the official DM screen product, thanks to the deep discount Amazon is offering. Unfortunately, the included DM screen is not of the same quality as the one that's sold separately, but it does contain a wealth of useful reference information while doing its primary job of hiding your notes and dice rolls. While I was disappointed by the size/sturdiness of the screen, I was very pleasantly surprised with the inclusion of a large fold-out map of the Sword Coast and the central town of the included adventure, as well as the magic item reference cards. The cards are handy props that prevent your players from having to write down all the details of everything in their inventory, since it's not exactly proper to tell a new player with no sourcebooks to reference the Dungeon Master's Guide to see what their loot does. The box also includes blank character sheets on decent quality paper and a full set of translucent red dice, no complaint with either of those. Perhaps the main reason to buy this product over the Starter Kit, though, is the version of the basic rules it includes. The Starter Kit is arguably for a group of people who want to sit down and start playing *immediately* - it provides four pre-generated characters to hand out to players, so that they can jump right into the action as soon as the last member of the group sits down at the table. The Essentials Kit, by contrast, walks new players through the process of creating a new character. They don't get quite as many options as the Player's Handbook offers, nor do they have much to work with past Level 6, but they get to go through what is arguably one of the most important parts of the D&D experience - creating characters who are truly their own. The restricted set of options is, of course, partly Wizards saying "you still have to buy the Player's Handbook eventually," but it also helps prevent newbies from experiencing information overload. On to the adventure itself. It uses a "quest board" mechanic pulled straight from your average video game RPG, which, while not exactly innovative, provides freedom of choice, rather than railroading your party, and also provides new players the comfort of familiarity. The main problem, as you'll notice while reading through the material, is that quests provided by the Townmaster never, at any point, directly send the party to go kill the titular Dragon of Icespire Peak, or even reveal its location (though the adventure title should give that away). In fact, the "Ending the Adventure" section talks about concluding with the defeat of the dragon OR the completion of everything on the quest board. Allowing the players the freedom to completely skip the Big Bad is good in the sense that you shouldn't force your party to go down a given path, but the quests themselves aren't particularly exciting. (They do have some nice surprises on the fun/silly side of things, but any group that isn't made up of hardcore roleplayers will often create the comic relief on their own.) A few quests drop breadcrumbs for the player to follow to a different location, which might in turn reward them with exceptionally valuable treasure, a pointer toward the dragon, or hints at the follow-on adventures (Storm Lord's Wrath, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, and Divine Contention) included digitally, but the players might not take the bait. In fact, you can't always blame the players for this, as level progression is tied solely to completion of quests ON THE BOARD (though they don't know that), and sometimes the information comes from suspicious in-game sources. Speaking of the character progression, that deserves a deeper look. The adventure uses what is known as "milestone progression," meaning characters level up when they meet specific criteria, rather than through the original method of gaining XP for kills. This is perfectly fine on the surface, as it discourages the "murder hobo" playstyle where scenarios that lead to combat are actually ideal (as the only means of gaining strength), and allows the resolution of problems through more creative or diplomatic means. WotC's published adventures have leaned away from XP-based progression because of this. However, the dragon's lair serving as the "final dungeon" of sorts is balanced for a 6th-level party, according to the book, and the only way to reach 6th level is to complete nearly every quest on the board - the party might find the lair well before they accomplish this, at which point continuing to help assorted townsfolk can ruin the sense of urgency. In fact, for an adventure ostensibly about "a dragon is threatening the local town not only directly, but via displaced orcs willing to fight to the death," the story can feel like quite the slow burn - of the initial three quests, one provides little of real value other than some fun roleplaying potential, another primarily drags the party into forced combat, and the third is just an excuse to find a place to buy health potions - which the party might miss altogether if they did the other two quests first, prompting the appearance of three follow-up options. That third quest also throws a Challenge Rating 3 enemy at the potentially Level 1 party - they can negotiate out of the fight, but if they don't realize that (maybe because this is an adventure for new players and new DMs), their very first combat could be a "Deadly" (both in actual balancing terminology and literally) encounter. Which brings me to my final complaint, something I've only noticed now that I'm running the adventure as written for the first time. The balancing of this introductory adventure is honestly all over the place. The DM *must* be able to adapt on the fly, or an inexperienced party (or single player + sidekick) will almost definitely die the first time they get unlucky. Dying in your first combat because you split the party and charged blindly into a dark cave teaches you a lesson. But dying at the start of your first quest because you tried to help an NPC while you were still learning the ropes? Does anyone learn anything? Even the meanest DMs typically want to feel like they outwitted the players in a total party kill situation, not like they just deleted them. D&D Beyond's recent article on "best adventures for a new DM" included Lost Mine of Phandelver (from the Starter Kit) but not Dragon of Icespire Peak (included here), despite the fact that the Essentials Kit's redeemable codes are a way to sell people on the website's own products. That probably says enough. There's some more good though. The dungeon maps are generally well done; you can clearly indicate the locations of objects and significant features to your players as the book describes them, and each location has a variety of named NPCs with assigned quirks. The previously mentioned cards include combat order, condition reminders, and sidekick cards in addition to the magic items. The sidekick cards are a neat idea, and essentially serve as miniature/abridged character sheets for NPCs that can round out an undersized party. Finally, the box comes with a discount code for the Player's Handbook on D&D Beyond (if you're genuinely a new player, you'll probably want that book in some form or another eventually), and, more interestingly, a code to redeem three follow-up adventures on the same website. (For experienced DMs with a collection of Roll20 source material, that might not be as much of a perk.) These followup adventures, at least in my opinion, are a bit more creative in their gameplay mechanics, environments, overarching plot, and challenges, and take the party all the way through Level 12, meaning if you're willing to use digital references, this product contains most of what you need (the DM probably should pick up the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual) to run a full-length campaign! (As someone who's played a decent number of times, it's pretty rare to keep a party alive AND a player group together/motivated long enough to hit Level 20 without the campaign going off the rails, if you can pull that off, you're a special DM, but ending at leveling up to 13 is fine.) Despite all my criticisms of "Dragon of Icespire Peak," the Essentials Kit as a complete product for a new player is worth the $15-20 I frequently see it for on Amazon, and the beauty of D&D is that, if you're buying it intending to try your hand as a Dungeon Master, you can simply improvise your way through anything that doesn't work for you! This is a passable introductory product, but it could have been so much more.
P**E
If you can only buy one Dungeons and Dragons product...
Of all the starter kits I've ever seen in my life, this one and the new BattleTech Beginner Box are running neck-and-neck for the best "bang-for-your-buck" experience. This is one of the best thought-out and best put-together kits I've ever seen. A lot of care obviously went into the making of this set and it shows in the decisions, such as the perfect binding of the books (they could have saddle-stapled and called it a day), the quality of the paper and cardstock used for the maps and cards, and the crispness of the printing shows that this is them putting their best foot forward and not just slapping something together to make a quick cash-in. And keeping the price down to $25 (or on Amazon, $15) is, pardon the pun, essential to getting new players interested. Although geared to beginners, the box has a lot of draws for a veteran DM as well. * A hard copy of the Basic Rules. Essentially all you actually need to play the game -- while they're a free download from the Wizards of the Coast website, the presentation and the care in printing and production of the book make it worth the price of admission. And included is a new page of rules for "sidekicks", quasi-NPCs that the players can use to bulk up small playing groups. As well as all the other goodies you get with it: * A full-scale adventure book, giving some encounters to bedevil players with, also printed to amazing production standards; * 72 full-color, fairly sturdy cards detailing conditions in battle, the various quests in the adventure book, magic items available in the quests, "sidekicks" referencing the new optional rules, and also initiative counters. All but the last are cool ideas -- I can see the initiative cards as being pretty useful for brand-new players or for groups with kids, but for most groups they're superfluous as the DM usually tracks and calls initiative order; * The most surprising thing is a pre-assembled box to store said cards, something most starter kits don't bother to include, a very classy touch in my opinion; * DICE! For the first time I can remember, a D&D starter set has a full "regulation set" of dice -- actually a bit over what you need to actually play the game (There are 2d20, 4d6 -- great for rolling character stats, 1d8, 1d12, 1d10, 1d00 -- for percentages--, and 1d4 -- previous sets have often skimped on the d00 and would have just 1d6 and 1d20), a total of 11 dice. Not even Chessex or other dedicated dice manufacturers usually include so many dice in a set. That alone may be a draw, as we gamers are stereotypically dice hoarders. The dice look to be fairly good quality in red transparent plastic. * A DM's Screen. While earlier reviews have described it as "flimsy", and it certainly isn't going to be to the standards of their separately-sold screens, it is still solidly within the excellent production standards of the kit. It's made of laminated cardstock and looks like it would work fine for a starter screen. It has all the basic info a DM would need, and is very serviceable. At any rate, it is equal to or even slightly better than the quality of DM's screens TSR sold separate back in the '70s and '80s * A double-sided map, one side showing the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms (as a personal quibble, it's a map I'm likely to never use as I usually DM in the World of Greyhawk) and the other side showing the town of Phandalin, used in the adventures in the adventure book. The maps are on a glossy heavy paperstock and have gorgeous art. About the only thing they could have thrown in to have made it better would have been miniatures (either plastic or standee), as with the old 2e starter sets, but they're not strictly necessary and probably would have upped the price by a significant amount. So better to get more people into the game than appease a cranky grog like me :-) If you, for some reason, can buy only one D&D product in your life, the Essentials box is really all you need. Game on!
P**U
Excellent for beginners, good fun for veterans
The D&D pundits all agree that the Lost Mines of Phandelver (from the Starter set) and the Dragon of Icespire peak (from this Essentials kit) are wonderful for new DMs (or returning DMs like me) and new players. I have to agree. These two adventures, best played in that order although this is not necessary, are set in the small frontier town of Phandalin and can be run as is by a moderate DM and are very friendly to brand new DMs, especially the Lost Mines of Phandelver. Beyond that the kits both include a rulebook and a set of dice (a few more in the case of the Essentials Kit). The Starter Set includes some pre-generated characters. The Essentials kit includes * a small but serviceable DM screen with the same back info as the official one * a map of the area on one side, with a map of Phandalin on the other - very welcome addition * Some cards to cut with description of the conditions, description of the magic items and the quests that get posted every now and then on the townhall kiosk. The Dragon of Icespire Peak (the adventure in the Essentials kit) is designed to be non-linear and that can cause surprises if the adventuring party picks a first quest that is balanced for level 2 or more, as happened with the current group I an running it with - without spoilers, some adjustment may be needed to ensure against a TPK, always a possibility in these gritty early levels especially with new players as my group. As for the rulebooks included in these two, the starter set is clearly geared towards new DMs with a thin (but sufficient) booklet that includes everything needed to run the adventure with the pre-rolled characters. The Essentials kit rulebook includes character creation, limited to the classes I would suggest to new players and just human, elves, dwarves and halflings. Both booklets include a selection of spells with description and all. These are fully compatible with the Player's Handbook and other tomes, to the point in both cases I would let my new players expand using the PHB, WGE or TCE (sorry: Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) All in all the added stuff in the essentials kit is nice but not necessary and if you are planning to introduce D&D to new players you cannot go wrong with either kit.
S**1
Start with this set if you are new to Dnd. Great family fun.
This is a great kit for the beginner of DnD. I have never been a DM and my son and wife never played before. I use to watch friends play back in the 80s but never knew what was really going on. Thanks to Stranger Things for bringing back those memories, I wanted my family and I to give it a shot. I read the players manual and the adventure guide included and had to watch an entire YouTube series to still understand all the mechanics (see Don't Stop Thinking on YouTube for a great tutorial series) and we started the adventure the next day. The 11 (3 extra d6, 1 extra d20 and 1 percential) dice are more handy than the 5 dice that come with the original starter set that we bought a year ago. That sets books kinda still confused me as well as the adventure. The essentials kit comes with cards that helps new players and DMs such as us keep track of stats and initiatives. We haven't tried the sidekicks yet but might through 1 for each player to control to increase our party size. Yes, the DM screen is flimsy. Took some folding back and forth to have it stand up straight. No, its not the thick one you can buy separate for currently $12. Did anyone really think that was the one they were going to give away with a $15 kit? The campaign that comes with the set has quests for all levels and shows how to suggest them in an order so your party doesn't die right off to bat. We enjoyed the 2 quests we have started in the included campaign and look forward to continuing our adventures with the starter kit later and then modules sold separately later on. 1 suggestion is to copy the maps on to a computer and enlarge them for the table to use. Cover sections that haven't been explored yet so you don't ruin the surprise. Its hard to get new players to really visualize their environment right off the bat and they rarely create their own map on paper as they are moving along. This will help them get into it more.
M**L
DnD is awesome
Hoewel je deze ook niet echt nodig hebt zitten er wel wat bruikbare en handige items in. Wel prijzig voor wat je krijgt.
J**Z
La campaña perfecta para iniciar en Dungeons and Dragons 5e
La campaña es perfecta para los que van empezando, viene con: -Dos sets de dados bien balanceados -Tarjetas con información de los estados, como funcionan los turnos, la iniciativa, objetos mágicos, personajes y misiones. -Viene con un mapa de Phandalin, en el otro lado viene de costa de la espada. -Una versión corta del manual de jugador para crear tu personaje y como funcionan los turnos. -La campaña es de niveles 1 a 6, pero es fácil de expandir o personalizar, ya la he dirigido 3 veces y la estoy dirigiendo de nuevo, de manera diferente.
M**W
Bon kit pour débuter.
Le produit conforme, il y a de jolis dés rouge transparent, des cartes de sorts, une map, un livret de regles, une aventure (et d'autres choses à découvrir vous même) pour commencer Donjons et Dragons. Dans ce kit vous créez vous même votre personnage (il existe une appli si vous galèrer mais elle est en anglais) et une aventure à Phandalin et ces environs. Le colis n'arrivé pas, mais équipe réactive qui a proposé de me renvoyer l'article. Ils ont étaient très gentils.
G**O
Perfecto inicio autocontenido a D&D
Otro enfoque diferente para iniciarse en la quinta edición de Dungeons & Dragons. Al contrario que en el Starter Set, en el cual te dan unos personajes pregenerados y una aventura más guiada, en este Essential Kit te dan las reglas para que crees tus propios personajes y la aventura es más abierta, más sandbox. Tanto esta como la otra caja de inicio son opciones muy buenas para introducirse en este juego, teniendo todo lo necesario para jugar las aventuras que traen. Aparte otro punto importante son las reglas de acompañantes o NPC que suben de nivel que trae el libro de reglas, con el cual se puede llegar a jugar la aventura solo con dos jugadores (1 Master y 1 jugador) y rellenar el resto del grupo con dichos NPC's. No todo el mundo dispone de un grupo de 5-6 personas para jugar regularmente, menos ahora con la pandemia. El producto esta en completo inglés.
O**.
Original packaging sealed
Sealed and complete. cheaper than buying it at our local library. Perfect to starting out. My brother and me enjoyed our first session
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