D&D Reveals New Starter Set: ‘Heroes of the Borderlands’
A new edition means a new D&D Starter Set and WotC has one coming soon. Here’s a look inside Heroes of the Borderlands.
If you’re a DM, odds are good you know the value of a boxed starter set by now. Whether it was Lost Mines of Phandelver, the unimaginably named 4E Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set, or First Quest for 2nd Edition, which released with an audio CD that holds up surprisingly well, starter sets have always been a way for DMs to get a bunch of resources to get their friends into the game.
It might seem weird that a “starter set” is aimed at a DM more than new players. But it largely falls to DMs to get people into the game. If you’re someone who wants to play D&D? You gotta find someone to run a game.
But DMs notwithstanding, a Starter Set is often a great set of resources. You’ll find adventures that encourage easy play (and by extension, easy customization), to maps and artwork and miniatures. A good starter set is a gateway drug.
Which is why it’s weird that the 5.5E starter set is coming out after the core books—usually the starter set is the opening salvo in product release. And it might have made a big splash last year, but we got Vecna: Eve of Ruin instead. Which I’m sure many people are still playing and have no complaints about.
D&D’s New Starter Set – Heroes of the Borderlands
Of course, the new starter set takes place in the Borderlands. This is an area that should be familiar to Greyhawk fans, assuming it’s the same Borderlands as the Keep on the Borderlands. The new starter set is reputedly the biggest starter set to date:
“Heroes of the Borderlands is the best way to introduce your friends and family to D&D! The biggest (and easiest to get started) starter set to-date; it’s been completely reimagined from the ground up to deliver fast 1 hour D&D sessions.
It’s never been easier to make D&D your game night go-to as everything you need to play is included in a single box. The inclusion of componentized gameplay elements, like cards, help actualize the rules and make this a fast and fun experience for D&D players old and new.”
One thing I find interesting is the idea of “replayability” as the core of its design. That sounds like something you’d mention in a video game. It feels like D&D is kind of inherently replayable, you’ll always have a different experience because of the players and improvised nature of the game. But, I’m curious to find out what WotC means. Maybe the scenarios can play out a few different ways! But the idea of having short, focused sessions of D&D feels like a great way to get folks playing.
Look for ‘Heroes of the Borderlands’ later this year!
