Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands–A First Look
This is the fourth Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) starter set I’ve opened since the release of fifth edition D&D. I was really looking forward to this one because it is based on the original Keep on the Borderlands adventure, which was my introduction to D&D when I was a kid.
This new starter set is also one of the first products published by Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) following the release of the D&D 2024 rulebooks. Official adventures for the new rules are still scarce at this point. WoTC released Dragon Delves in May to whet our appetite, and anticipation for Heroes of the Borderlands was high from the moment the set was announced.
Opening the Treasure Chest (I mean, the Boxed Set!)
The first thing that struck me when I picked up the box was its weight; this is a hefty box. I had the feeling that I was getting a lot for my money. I was not disappointed. I always enjoy opening D&D boxed sets. It makes me feel like I’m one of my D&D characters about to loot a treasure chest.
The first thing I saw when I opened the box was the Quick-Start Guide, a four-page introduction that lists everything included in the box. There’s a lot of material to unpack, so this guide will be a welcome feature for anyone who is new to D&D. The list of items is split into two columns : items for the players and items for the DM. This will help prevent players from seeing things that only the DM should see. There’s also a link to a quick-start video, which is a nice addition.
Rules and Adventuring Made Simple
The rulebook (called the Play Guide) is satisfyingly short. Its design is similar to what we’ve come to expect from the Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide, except that the rules are very simplified. This will undoubtedly be welcomed by new players and DMs not ready to tackle the full 2024 ruleset.
The adventure is broken into tree booklets: the Keep on the Borderlands, Wilderness and the Caves of Chaos. Dividing the adventure into three parts is an interesting way to introduce new players to some basic mainstays of D&D : role playing, exploring and dungeons. The game starts with the Keep on the Borderlands, which is mostly a role-playing adventure. It’s a great way for new players to get familiar with basic (non-combat) D&D mechanics. It also highlights the importance of role-playing in creating a narrative. The adventure features many interesting NPCs and opportunities for characters to interact with the Keep’s denizens and features.
The Caves of Chaos gives new players a chance to experience their first dungeon (many of them, actually). This is a simplified version of the original Caves of Chaos featured in the original Keep on the Borderlands adventure. It retains the charm of the original adventure. It introduces new players to several low-level monsters in a group of small, co-located dungeons in a nostalgic nod to the original adventure, the grandfather of the classic dungeon crawler.
Wilderness is the final adventuring area, moving the action from dungeons to the great outdoors. Wilderness areas are sometimes seen merely as the zone where random encounters occur, or the area a party must cross to get to a dungeon. In this instance, the Wilderness provides many opportunities for more than random encounters. It’s an important part of this adventure in three parts.
Class Boards and Simplified Stats
The class boards are a surprising addition. At first, I thought they were simplified character sheets. They can be used as such, of course, but they are actually
guides (using the Play Guide’s simplified rules) on how to build player characters, from choosing a species to outfitting. The available species are D&D staples: human, dwarf, elf and halfling. The classes featured in the boxed set are limited to fighter, rogue, wizard and cleric. This has a very strong, nostalgic Basic D&D feel to it.
Here is where we find the most important rule simplifications of this starter set: the rules do not use stats (i.e., strength, intelligence, etc.). Depending on your class, you are given standardized bonuses for each stat, so you don’t get to roll any stats. Bonuses are also given for the usual stats and skills checks, saving throws and attacks. Since the boxed set covers levels 1 to 3, it contains Class Boards for all three levels of each class. This makes leveling almost effortless.
Some players might find that level of simplification problematic if they want to keep using their starting characters beyond level 3. However, a DM can easily help players flesh out their starter characters for the full D&D 2024 rules.
Pick a Card–Any Card!
The number of additional gaming aids is one of the great features of this starter set. The many different decks of cards are a great feature, covering anything from monsters to magical items and from NPCs to equipment. There are also quick reference cards for spells and character backgrounds that players can choose. The equipment cards and the armor cards can be attached to the class board, which is a nice touch that further simplifies player character design. There are also cards that the DM can hand out to players that provide very handy and quick references to all the actions player characters can take during combat. There is nothing new about such cards; we’ve seen similar cards in the past. However, it’s nice to see them included in this set. They are also very nicely designed, with useful explanatory notes and great illustrations.
It’s Not D&D Without Dice
The box comes with the customary dice set. Its presence is expected, of course, but it’s always nice to get a new set. (You can never have too many dice!) They’re all there, of course, including 2D10 (for percentile rolls) and 3D6 for making it easier to roll stats (even though this starter set doesn’t use stats).
My Favorite Feature
The Combat Tracker Sheet is the most useful inclusion. The set includes a whole pad of them. They will greatly help track each player character’s initiative, hit points and conditions. They also track death saves, a more advanced feature that made it into these simplified rules.
Tokens as Game Props and 3D Accessories
The tokens will also be very useful. There are tokens for gold pieces and hit points. Additionally, you will find player, monster and terrain tokens that can enhance the three-dimensional experience when using the various maps. The box even includes very handy plastic baggies to store your tokens once you’ve punched them out of their sheets.
The handout sheets are also a nice element of this boxed set. Usually, when choosing your starting equipment, you do so from a list in the Player’s Handbook. In this set, each type of supply comes as a catalogue or menu style sheet, complete with cost and illustrations. They really add something to the role-playing experience. It will help players feel like they’re in an actual shop, picking up different items. A simple list would do just as well, but these sheets really make you feel like you’re there, in that world, purchasing your first leather armor or buying a beer at the local inn.
Finally come the maps. There are many. There are maps for everything, from the keep to the wilderness and the Caves of Chaos. There’s a bird’s-eye view of the series of caves that is highly reminiscent of the blue & white map that appeared on the inside cover of the original adventure. It’s reproduced here in glorious detail and color, an obvious wink and homage to the original map.
Reliving the Excitement of the Original Keep On the Borderlands
Players who want to run this adventure to relive the original Keep on the Borderlands might be disappointed, unless they are willing to play using greatly simplified rules and a scaled-down version of the adventure. If not, I would recommend using Into the Borderlands by Goodman Games. One of the great things about this book is that it combines both the original adventure and a fifth edition conversion of the adventure. A DM would be able to easily adjust the fifth edition conversion to the 2024 rules. You can also replay the original adventure using Basic D&D rules.
Good for the Long Run
Overall, this is a very nice set that I would highly recommend to anyone who has never played D&D before. Personally, I haven’t had this much fun opening a D&D boxed set since the release of the Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty boxed set or the Curse of Strahd Revamped boxed set.
Heroes of the Borderlands will serve as a particularly good introduction to D&D for anyone who is intimidated by extensive rulesets. The best feature of this starter
set is that it will be a great intro to D&D for both players and DMs. The approach is a bit different than the previous sets that were published for the 5th edition rules (in chronological order: the 2014 Starter Set, the 2019 Essentials Kit and the 2022 Dragons of Stormwreck Island Starter Set). This one greatly simplifies the rules, pretty much like the Essentials Kit did in 2019, but going even further. This set also includes much more material than the previous ones. In many ways, when you open the box, it feels like you are looking at a board game, not a role-playing game. But a role-playing game it is, with everything you need to set you up on your D&D path.
Some players might argue that it’s expensive given that it can only be used for the first three player character levels. But for anyone who wants to try the game, this represents a minimum investment given that the full ruleset (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual) plus an introductory adventure would cost even more.
You also get a lot of playtime for the cost. Most of the material (tokens, cards, maps, dice) can also be reused for the full D&D 2024 ruleset; they can even be used to improve the gaming experience if you are running the original Keep on the Borderland adventure (using Basic D&D rules) or Into the Borderlands (the fifth edition conversion by Goodman Games). I know I will definitely use those items and the Combat Tracker Sheets for my other D&D games.
