The Fallow Brow

I skipped all the 2024 re-releases of the Dungeons and Dragons core books (for me there’s just nothing in them to justify the upgrade price). In fact I was so unimpressed that when my 5e Dungeon Masters’ Guide and Players’ Hand-Book were destroyed in a storm, I re-purchased the old ones second-hand rather than update.

Anyway, I’m still cranky at Hasbro (and Wizards of The Coast) for trying to turn D&D into a recurring monthly subscription service for players in DND Betray. They seem to want to get people away from physical objects in general. They charge too much for ephemeral digital add-on “purchases” they can delete whenever they feel like it (and you can’t download a backup copy just-in-case they do). And don’t even mention the way they tried to shaft third-party content creators by changing the Open Games License.

On top of all that the last several Starter Sets (my personal weakness) have been pretty low-effort affairs, especially when compared to the meticulous Pathfinder Beginner Boxes. Just two cheaply bound books and one set of dice. Sure, the adventures were pretty good but there was nothing luxurious about the experience.

But, I’ve got to admit I’m a little excited for the new starter set “Heroes of the Borderlands” for a couple of reasons:
1. Multiple adventures in the box.
2. It’s not just books and dice.
3. They are making it easy for multiple players to have a go at being the DM with what’s in the box
4. As Midnight Oil almost sang “I’m back on the Borderlands”. This will go nicely with the lovely 5e conversion of the original borderlands modules published by Goodman Games (Yeah, you can’t get it any more, but I got mine). This leads me to another WoTC gripe. When Goodman Games made this they were forbidden by the license to release it in a PDF format. Goodman‘s default is that if you buy the print copy of one of their adventure modules, you get a code for the FREE PDF within the book. Or if you don’t want the print copy you can buy the PDF – to download and keep forever. Are you listening WoTC?

You can see a sneak peak video of the new box here, and see some more pictures here.

The only thing I’m not thrilled about is the box art but, like people, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts. And, like people, it will take time to reveal what really is inside…

Once I get hold of it, I’ll try to publish a comparison between Heroes of the Borderlands and the latest Pathfinder (Remaster) Beginner Box.

Well D&D Next a.k.a D&D 5th edition, or as Wizards of the Coast want it called: D&D is out now, & I recently received my pre-ordered Starter Set in the mail.  I have previously compared 3 of these Beginner Box sets, so I thought I would take the data from the 4th Edition Red Box and compare it to its direct descendant. This should highlight some of the major differences between editions.

I haven’t had time to delve deeply into the 5th edition yet, but I can see a several changes, not just in rules but in the entire philosophy of the game.

1. The use of maps an miniatures is completely optional – which would explain why neither are included in the box. The focus seems to be on story telling and imagination. This can be a huge financial win for players and DMs as minis, playmats etc. can be ridiculously expensive.  Of course I would personally still like them, but that’s just me.
2. The rules have been radically simplified. While the 4th edition came with “power cards” etc. to help you keep track of your character, the 5th edition sweeps all that cruft away. Anything you liked from earlier versions can be incorporated into 5th edition, but out of the box it is clean and simple – much better for newbies (and old-school players) than 4th edition.
3. 5th Edition monster Stat Blocks are clean and easier than 4th edition.
4. Advantage/disadvantage.  A lot of people are talking about this and personally I love it! If a player has “advantage” (or “disadvantage”) they get to roll two d20 dice instead of one, and use the higher (or lower for disadvantage) roll. I think I will incorporate this into all my other games.
5. The artwork is beautiful. What I have seen of the 5th edition artwork is probably the nicest art in the history of D&D.

In conclusion, 5th edition is a big departure from 4th edition.  This seems good to me, as I was never a 4th Ed. fan. You can burn me at the stake if you want, but I thought 4th edition was a ridiculous, unwieldy, cumbersome beast that sucked the joy out of gaming. Even though the new box seems to have very little in it (dice, two books and some character sheets), it does have quite a big adventure module, which includes a few very handy indexes at the back (containing monster information, magic items, and an index to the Rule Book on the back cover).  I think there is both a smaller learning curve, and longer playing time for 5th edition, so it is logically better value than the old Red Box, even though emotionally it feels worse due to the lack of included geegaws and thingamywhatsits.

The new box resolves the biggest problem with the 4th Ed. Red Box: Lack of character advancement. Combining the 5th Ed. box with the free rulebook on the WotC web site allows you to take players to level 20, while the old Red Box stopped at level 2. LEVEL 2 FFS! WTF WOTC?

So in conclusion, for anyone not willing to hand over $150+ on the 5th edition core rulebooks, but who is curious about the latest incarnation of the original Role Playing Game, I would recommend the Starter Set + Basic Rules download.  If however you are looking for an introductory box to play with some buddies who are new to RPGs, I still think you are better off with the uber-sexy Pathfinder Beginner Box.

Disclaimer: All opinions are genuinely mine, and I have received absolutely no financial consideration whatsoever for this (or any other) review – I even paid out of my own pocket for my review copies of all the products mentioned herein. Anyone wishing to buy my opinions in the future is welcome, and the price of my integrity is extremely low, however any such arrangements would be gleefully disclosed.

Risorgero in ogni momento poiche
So che in vita si tramutera

   – Lacuna Coil, Die and Rise.

You may have been wondering where I have been. Probably not, but I guess anything is possible.

Once again, Life has been throwing curve-balls at my head, that nasty old anthropomorphic personification. A shake up at work has resulted in the corporate jackals culling off the old, the sick and the women (not joking here – that’s genuinely who got the axe. Makes me so proud to work for such a socially progressive group.).

Lucky for me I am middle aged and middle class along with being middle earthed. The black riders passed me by. Of course everyone in the company knew what was coming since before last christmas, and there has been chaos and confusion before, during, and after the dirty deeds. But now, finally, the “lucky” survivors can start to return to some kind of normality as the tears dry and the dust settles.

I have not stopped gaming during this time, but game times became sporadic and very casual – Wits & Wagers , Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne with the kids and/or friends.  I’m back to trying to assemble a group that are be interested in some semi-regular old-school D&D or Pathfinder Beginner Box games.

Stay tuned… Or don’t.