D&D Adventure Game: Dungeons & Dragons Indtroductory Product (D&D Introductory Game) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

What you get: A set of polyhedral dice. A double sided map (one side of which is blank for creating your own maps and adventures on). 2 sheets of cardboard counters for characters, monsters, doors, treasure, etc. 6 pregenerated characters, and a blank character sheet. A rules summary which explains combat, exploration, and illustrates some of the various monsters. A 30 page rulebook (more of a rules booklet, actually) A 47 page Adventure Book (which contains 6 adventures of varying degrees of complexity and are designed to introduce the game) Anyhow. What this boxed set is good for is introducing the game to new players. You won't be able to create your own characters with the Adventure game so much as you will be able to try out some of the various rules of the new Dungeons and Dragons before you dive right into the Players Handbook.

Let me say that again- there aren't any rules for making up your own characters here. You need the Players Handbook for that.

In any case, I'm very happy that I bought it. It's an extremely lightweight, colorful game, in that you should be able to actually start playing it within about an hour of opening the box. Some of the mechanics of the game (such as initiative) have been simplified to facilitate ease of use. Although this boxed set focuses exclusively on Diablo-style dungeon-clearing, (run down into the dungeon, fight the goblins, rescue the unicorn..thats pretty much the first adventure in the Adventure Book) it can certainly be used to introduce some of the more creative and immersive aspects of roleplaying as well.

This is the kind of game I would play with my son, or with anyone who had never played D&D before. The visual appeal is stunning and the game aspects are a lot of fun. Sometimes a game is just a game.

For more advanced players, or experienced roleplayers, I would suggest starting right out with the Players handbook instead.

Why? There are several reasons. The first is the value. For one low price, you get a rulebook, 48 pages of unique adventures (all high quality and very playable), dice, 2 sheets of gorgeous full-color counters, a giant poster map, 8 pre-designed characters, and a set of quick-start rules that will have you ready to play in 30 minutes. And when you consider that there's enough material for the Dungeon Master (storyteller) to write his or her own adventures, you have a starter set that will keep you busy for at least a hundred hours of play. Compare that to the price of a movie!

Second is the graphics. The illustrations are stunning, evocative, and flat-out beautiful; not only do they give you a vivid idea of who populates this finest of all fantasy worlds, they also make you want to become a part of it. Wizards of the Coast have truly outdone themselves here.

Third is the "bridge factor." You will indeed need the Player's Handbook later on, but there's no better way to "ramp up" to that work than this set. You'll go from absolute novice to enthusiastic veteran in a matter of a few months, and it will all be because of this box.

Fourth is the production qualities. The books are very well-written, the adventures are cinematic and entertaining, the instructions are clear, and everything is explained cleanly and logically, with a minimum of confusion. (Anyone who remembers the "red dragon, blue book" basic set from the 70s will be pleasantly surprised. ;)

So... Is there anything wrong here? Yes. Rules are only provided for 1st and 2nd level characters. With an enthusiastic group, you might be able to plow through that much gameplay in just a couple weekends. There is enough play value here for many more game sessions; but with the "2nd level wall," you'll have to keep creating 1st-level characters if you don't buy the Player's Handbook. But this is a minor quibble; the Basic Set has always been intended as a starter product, leading to bigger and better things. And considering the replay value of the maps, counters, and dice, every veteran player should snag a copy of this as well. It's that good!

Well, two days later, I was running the first adventure for two of my friends. Since then, I've gotten two people into D&D with this adventure set, and I plan on trying to get even more to enjoy it. It's great for people who have never DMed before or who have never played D&D before.

For the price, it was a great value! There was a lovely map, nice tokens, a rule book, an adventure book, some premade characters, and some dice. The eight premade characters included magic users, fighters, clerics, and rogues of different races. The adventure booklet gave complete rules for six different adventures which grew in complexity with each adventure. The rule book gave some basic rules and instructions on how to create more adventures.

This is really a great product to introduce people to D&D or for just some simple fun. I only wish there had been more adventures and a tiny bit more role-playing so that people could learn that D&D isn't always about combat and dungeons.