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Dungeons and Dragons conjures up all sorts of imagery for different people. Perhaps you think of some eerie looking man, eyes only just visible above a screen describing some vulgar creature. Maybe for you it’s in depth story telling between a group of friends. Or maybe you just think its a bunch of nerds playing make believe.
Whatever it is that comes to mind D&D as a game means alot of different things to different people and it can mold itself to suit you and your groups ideas of what the game is. But for many who are yet to experience their first taste of the Dungeon Masters seat, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
Well D&D publishers wizards of the coast have you covered with the Essentials kit.
The essentials kit is perhaps the most complete starter set available for D&D, with everything (or almost everything) you could possibly need to start playing. The kit includes, the basic rules, a pre-written adventure with handy cards, a couple of maps, a DM screen, Dice, character sheets and some extra digital content in the form of a code.
So let's break this down and discuss each element individually starting with;
The Dice
In the box you receive 11 polyhedral dice. That’s all 7 o the usual maths rocks with an additional D20 (20 sided die), and 2 additional D6’s (6 sided die). There’s nothing too much to write home about here. They are simple red dice with white numbers. If you are a bit of a dice goblin (collector of dice) then it’s unlikely they will prize very highly in your collection, though they are clear to read which is always a bonus.
Rulebook
This 64 page book (or 65 if you include the appendix on the back cover) gives you all the basics you need to know to begin playing. It outlines everything from character creation to spellcasting up to 3rd level spells.
The rulebook is somewhat limited though, particularly in the field of character creation only offering you 4 playable races and 5 payable classes, though this could be an advantage for those newer to the game to prevent becoming too overwhelmed with choice.
If the lack of character option is an issue to you then the Players Handbook might be a necessary second purchase which will up the character race choices to 9 and the class choices to 12.
Otherwise the rulebook is very well laid out and does a good job of explaining the rules in a simple and clear way, with everything referenced in the index of quick mid-session look-up’s to settle those pesky rule disputes. In fact if you do own a copy of the Players Handbook, I’d suggest that having this rulebook on hand for quick reference could be a huge benefit.
Most useful of all is likely the appendix on the back cover that lists and explains the rules for the major conditions that characters could find themselves subjected to.
There are also rules for sidekicks, which are like dummy characters that can be added to the party for smaller groups, or 1 on 1 play. Personally I take issue with the premise, but I can see the merit, I also see how this could be abused by some DM’s to take over some of the party choices. My suggestion is that i you require a bit of extra fire power for a quest then have the party joined by a relevant NPC.
The maps
A double sided poster map gives you maps of the main town included in the pre-written adventure as well as of the region the players will explore. Though these are both definitely useful, they highlight the lack of any other maps.
By no means do I believe that battlemaps are a must for a game of D&D, but as a preference I do prefer playing with them. This isn;t too much of an issue however as it’s nothing that pen and graph paper can’t fix.
The maps that are included are well detailed highlighting all the main locations in town, and only the more prominent locations on the region map, meaning players can’t just randomly point at a point on the map and exclaim “lets check that out!” walking into area’s they ought not be.
Dungeon master's screen
This unfortunately is little more than a flimsy bit of cardboard. That said the player facing side does have some artwork that is pleasing to the eye, whilst the Dm facing side has a whole host of information that would be helpful to the less experienced Dungeon Master. If you are more experienced then you might find that you’d be better served by some lesser used rules.
Character sheets
These are your run of the mill D&D 5e character sheets. Nothing special here, but it does make a pleasant change from the other 2 starter boxes on the market which come with the sheets pre-filled. This is probably the biggest sign that this is meant for a slightly more experienced player than either of the other starter boxes.
The adventure
Possibly the meat and bones of this box is the adventure itself. Honestly playing through this adventure has been the most fun I have ever had as a DM, though that might have more to do with the group, and the improvised moments than the adventure itself.
Dragon of Icespire Peak see’s a white (ice) dragon take roost in the mountains pushing out previous inhabitants which in turn cause trouble for the region. It takes a more sandbox approach with the suggestion that 3 quests should be offered at a time, on top of more side quests being offered through rumors.
You can probably already see the issue you might have as a DM. That is potentially 3-4 different quests in 3-4 different locations that you are going to have to have prepared before the start of each session. On the flip side, if you follow the book as written you’ll have players that won’t feel railroaded. My suggestion is only offer what you can feasibly plan for.
Though it is that same open nature that enables a creatie DM to easily fill in some gaps, or add their own quests into. I ran this game for a group of 5 each with their own backstories which I was able to easily squeeze into the adventure without it feeling shoehorned.
I did find that there is a slightly disjointed nature to each quest location offered within the text though. It was hard to see the overarching storyline. The reason for each individual locations situation can be easily missed, and some of the quests within Neverwinter woods have you fight an evil religious group that has no link to the titled Dragon, though this particular thread is picked up in expansion modules which can be downloaded in digital form with codes provided in the box.
Overall the adventure is strong enough to hold its own but does take a good chunk of workload from the DM. If the workload does put you off then I’d recommend the much more streamlined starter box with the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle adventure (the one with a blue dragon on the box).
Final Verdict
Overall I would highly recommend this box providing you have the time to put into studying and planning the adventure. The box is by far the most complete “starter set” on offer for Dungeons and Dragons 5e, with everything of a fairly decent quality.
To answer the titled question; if you are new to D&D then this kit contains everything you need to get started and more, if you are looking for bang for your buck, then this box should be the way to go to get yourself those D&D Essentials.
