UPDATE: The D&D Next/5th Edition starter set is out now, and after you have read this article, you can get a comparison here.
Time-out. Since I now have a number of “beginner” sets for D&D Essentials and Pathfinder RPG, I thought I would take some time to look at them and the similarities/differences between them. I know this is super sexy, but please try to remain within your pants for the duration of this article. Your cooperation is appreciated (and mandatory).
These boxes are designed for newly minted players and game/dungeon masters. If you have just this instant been conjured, naked and caked in filth from some horrific monster-infested demonic realm, such as Tasmania, and know nothing of this role playing caper, this is where you begin. All these sets contain simplified versions of the rules – not “different” rules, but stripped of much of the complicated and unnecessary stuff. The number of options have been whittled away, with fewer races, classes, spells, weapons, abilities etc. to stop these things overwhelming the newbies. In all cases, that which you learn in these sets will not need to be “unlearned” if you graduate to the full D&D 4th Edition, or Pathfinder RPG, rather those games will be augmented with additional “stuff”.
If you are an experienced GM or Player, I could only recommend these products if you are planning to indoctrinate a new brood of novitiates. There is nothing new nor exciting here for you; save your dough.
| D&D Starter Set |
D&D Dungeon Master’s Kit | Pathfinder Beginner Box (PFBB) |
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| RRP/SRP | US$19.99 | US$39.99 | US$34.99 (and/or download as PDF: US$9.99) |
| Link to publishers page | D&D Starters Set | D&D Dungeon Master’s Kit | Paizo Beginner’s Box |
| Player book | 32-page book (30 pages of which are the solo adventure) | None | 64-page Hero’s Handbook (includes solo adventure Skeleton Kings Crypt). |
| DM Book | 64-page DM’s book. | 272-page book of rules and advice. | 96-page Game Master’s Guide. |
| Maps | 1 Double-sided mat 22″x34″ – one side dungeon, the other wilderness. Easier to crumple than the PFBB map, and wet erase and permanent markers are harder to remove (although alcohol works great for cleaning) | 2 double-sided battle maps measuring 21″ x 30″ each. Easier to crumple than the PFBB map, and wet erase and permanent markers are harder to remove (although alcohol works great for cleaning) | 1 Double-sided mat 24″x30″- durable plastic laminated cardboard, much thicker than the AD&D boxes. One side is dungeon, the other brown background with a 1″ grid. Wet and Dry erase markers can be used on the map. |
| Dice provided | Set of 6 black dice
7 dice is more usual. Missing a d10 numbered 00-90 used in conjunction with the included d10 to roll a % (1-100). |
None. | Set of 7 red dice
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| Player/Hero tokens/pawns | 12 Hero tokens (one side normal, the other side has the same hero “bloodied”). 5 “Action point” tokens | 12 Hero tokens (one side normal, the other side has the same hero “bloodied”). 6 “Action point” tokens | 28 – Includes Human, Elf and Dwarf versions of Cleric, Fighter, Rougue and wizard (male and female each) plus the 4 pre-generated heroes). |
| Monster tokens/miniatires | 36 one-inch and 3 two-inch monster tokens (with different monsters on each side). | 86 one-inch and 4 two-inch monster tokens (one side “normal”, the other “bloodied”). | 56 one-inch wide monsters and 3 two-inch monsters. |
| Adventures included | 1 Solo, 1 group (The Twisting Halls broken into 7 encounters) | Two 32-page adventure books: Reavers of Harkenwold, parts 1 & 2. |
1 Solo (Skeleton Kings Crypt), 1 group (Black Fang’s Dungeon, broken into 10 map sections) |
| Addition adventures (free online from publishers’ web site) |
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Can’t see anything specific… |
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| Additional free online resources |
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| Other Items in box |
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| Character Sheets | 4 blank | None | 4 blank + 4 pre-generated |
| Character levels | 1st to 2nd | 1st to 30th | 1st to 5th |
| # of players | 1 to 5 | Not specified, however the included adventure is best with 5-6 players + 1 DM. | 2-5 |
| Other notes/observations | May be out of stock at the time of writing, however second printing is expected soon, and might include some of the errata | ||
| ISBN | ISBN 13: 9780786956296 ISBN 10: 0786956291 |
ISBN 13: 9780786956302 ISBN 10: 0786956305 |
ISBN 13: 9781601253729 ISBN 10: 1601253729 |
| Bar-code | 9 780786 956296 | 9 780786 956302 | 9 781601 253729 |
| Summary: Pros |
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| Summary: Cons |
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For the purposes of this review, I am not considering anything that is neither in the box, or available for free from the publishers’ web site. Both Paizo (Pathfinder) and Wizards of the Coast (D&D) have developed thriving communities of players, DMs and other weirdos, who make available all sorts of additionata (to use a Garth Merenghi word). Documenting all this could be a lifes’ work, so I won’t. YOLO!
At the end of the day my personal preference of the 3 boxes is the Pathfinder Beginner box. It’s more expensive, but the quality of the paper and printing is awesome, and it should last you longer (without having to purchase additional material) than the D&D Starter Set. I also prefer the stand-up paper miniatures of the PFBB to the tokens of D&D, but I acknowledge that this is a lifestyle choice, and your religion may have something to say about which is virtuous, and which is a vile perversion of nature. The Beginner Box also comes with more the free adventure downloads from Paizo. Many of the PFBB monster tokens are not used in the included adventure, and so are new material for you to design your own adventures around. The blank side of the map will also help you here – there’s a lot of free space to draw maps on!
Another thing to keep in mind is that the WotC* folk who publish the D&D sets do have additional tools online, however these are not free: you must pay a monthly subscription. Since this column is aimed at people who, like me, don’t know their mithril chain-mail from a dead goblins arse, paying for a monthly subscription is probably not ideal.
One more thing worth pointing out is that there is a free version of the Hero Lab character creation software for the Beginner Box (most other RPGs supported by this software cost money). I like it, even though it’s a Windows/Mac/iPod program. The Windows version runs OK on Linux using Wine (and I assume PlayOnLinux/Crossover). Definitely worth looking at when it’s time to create your own characters. If you decide on D&D over the PFBB, it may even be worth your money to buy this.
Cheerio! You Smell!
* WotC = Wizards of the Coast (publishers of Dungeons and Dragons)
UPDATE: The D&D Next/5th Edition starter set is out now, and after you have read this article, you can get a comparison here.
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