Essentials Kit (2019)

The dunguons and dragons essentials set is probably the best introduction to the dunguons and dragon world. It consists of some dice,a map (double sided), many blank character sheets, a prewritten adventure as well as a rulebook and cards for items, people and quests. The adventure is pretty good. It's not like other prewritten adventures, it has more choices as it consists of picking quests to do, with each quest being in a different place on the map. The adventure book also has a couple of monster stats at the back of the adventure book. The rulebook is also good. Not thick like the extra books that you can buy but it has all the information that you need at the start. The essentials set also consists of card, which are useful. There are cards explaining certain rules, like being grappled or suffocating, there's some initiative cards (the way of turns in a battle), there's some cards on some sidekicks. These can be used when there's only two people playing (one player and a dunguen master). However it is much more fun to play the game with 3 or more people. There's also cards on quests, these give you the name of the quest and some information on them. The cards are useful as it's a lot better to give something physically rather than telling them and then they'll have to write it down somewhere or remember it somehow. There are also a lot of blank character sheets.For someone who's only starting the game, it's a lot better to get pre made characters, this can be done by finding them on the Internet. I made my characters using dnd beyond, it's an app and it's useful for creating characters (give you a step by step guide) or getting information about Spells or tracking what happens at each level up. Other than the blank character sheets it's all perfect. Overall, in mu opinion, the essentials set is a lot better than the starter set, for someone who wants to start playing, I heavily recommend spending that extra bit of money to get something worth your while. You'll also have to learn some of the basic rules and know how the game works. It's a great start to start off a new hobby.

TL;DR: Great quests in the book, especially for beginners, easily adaptable to other adventures, but does require some pre-existing knowledge of D&D, and a commitment to spend time fleshing out what's given to you. A lot of this might be due to my own negligence, but I was hoping this adventure would be a little more out-of-the-box. This was my first interaction ever with D&D, and it was a little overwhelming. I had to do a lot more research and preparation for it than I intended (which I love, but wasn't clear to me beforehand) and is the only thing that threw me off. The stuff that comes in this set is great, with a good rulebook to learn the basic rules and start playing, the adventure book (which will need fine-tuning from the DM), and all the handouts you would use during the adventure (love!). A big selling point of this particular adventure for me was that it could be run with just one player, which is definitely doable, and this set helps with that. It's easily scalable for more players too, which makes it more fun. For any first-time adventurers, I recommend either having played a game or two of D&D before, or going over the free "Mines of Phandelver" adventure on the DND Beyond website to get a better feel on how to run a campaign, then explore this set. The free adventure is more out-of-the-box playable, and lets you get a better grasp on how D&D works. Both are set in the same location (Sword Coast, specifically around Phandalin) and in roughly the same time period, so one adventure can lead nicely into the next, and the free adventure will give some necessary practice before going ice dragon hunting. The adventures/quests themselves are very nice, and can be adapted to fit any playstyle, both as a story or as standalone outings, with the book giving good introductions to the world, and some basic information on how to run encounters at each location (but as noted a few times now, the DM will need to have some experience already, as a lot of it needs to be adapted for the specific playstyle of their own game). The way I used this set was to expand on the "Mines of Phandelver" adventure with my friends, to give a more structured feel towards adventuring (as the quests in Icespire are very much sandboxy) and I think this works really well. Overall, I do recommend this adventuring set, as the physical items are super cool and the adventures inside the box are really fun, just be wary that it's something you'll need to put some work into before being able to play.

Great new intro to the world of DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) and its 5th edition. Im an experienced DM with a lot of official content but still picked this up. Experienced DMs will probably pick this up cos a) fed up of running Lost Mines and want the new Adventure and some new quests around a familiar area of the Forgotten Realms b) need a complete collection c) like the new sidekick rules, quest cards and haven't already bought the map from Mike Schleys website d) want a nice rulebook to hand to newbie players. So whats this DnD thing everyone at work is talking about.... ? Where this shines is for new players and new DMs who dont want to yet splash out the cash on the core rules and give it a blast cos curious or just have a few mates who have wondered what its all about and need a new fix in between Game of Thrones / Stranger Things....which is perfect. Please do join this inclusive hobby as its no longer just for geeks, middle aged white men with beards, quirky teens etc etc (please insert stereotype depending on age and gender) Whats the swag then.... Contents: You get a book thats a full set of mini adventures and a map to help with the immersive experience (as a DM this is how I like to play) so the Dungeon Master can get stuck in. Enemy stats at the back, rules included to get going. Players get a nice rulebook to guide them through how to setup their character (limited choices of class and race but you can get a good enough flavour for now and plenty of online resources or books for more) and the sidekick rules really help if you know, you are a couple and fancy playing this and don't have a regular gaming group of 5 who might be interested etc etc Cards - for sidekicks, quests, magic items (A nice touch), initiative order (nah thanks) and conditions. Some more useful but a nice addition on simple perforated cardstock. Dice - yep again saves you needing any extra but not the best. Character Sheets - saves you needing to print them off from the Wizards site. DM Screen - is flimsy and not as solid as the Reincarnated one but it has the exact same info, aka everything you need bare min to run a game. Just add pencil, friends, a table and a free evening or two..or three (DnD is very addictive with the right group of mates) and liberal sprinkling of imagination and yeh lets do this attitude. Job done. Absolute bargain for £25 and if you all chip in then you will get a great evening out of this and then you will be totally back for more....

In the end, I ended up getting both this and the Starter Set, and between the two the Essentials Kit is far more complete. It's also feels like better value; the rulebook and adventure book are both nice, glossy things with proper spines, lots of high quality illustrations and no hint of the fuzzy, scaled up maps found in the Starter Set books. Everything here looks crisp, consistent and professionally made, and the text is concise and unambiguous. The DM screen is useful (if evidently not the best) and the included dice are a slightly translucent ruby set that are nice to use and again feel a cut above the minimum spec. If I had to be picky; the printed cards for conditions, items, sidekicks and initiative counts are kind of 'meh'. They are well presented (with their own little box and everything) - and OK the item cards are fine - but in use we found it all a bit of a faff and one can't help wondering if the money could have been better spent elsewhere. Some low level spell cards for the spellcasters would have been more useful (new spellcasters need all the admin help they can get) but hey the internet and home printing makes such things easily accessible to those who want them. As little more than a series of (loosely) related quests in a set of varied dungeons located near and around the town of Phandalin (which acts as a safe 'hub' for rests and resources) the included adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak is really easy to get to grips with at first (especially if you are more used to video game CRPGs) but quickly gets boring without a good bit of extra content thrown in by an enthusiastic Dungeon Master. You'll also need to do some tweaking of enemies as some of the encounters, especially early on in the game, are a little too challenging for low-level characters. Balance issues aside, it's a better campaign if you tend to play in small chunks of an hour or so though, as it's not really necessary to track major plot points across quests. One thing I really like about the adventure is that levelling up characters is done by completion of quests, rather than by tracking 'Experience Points' awarded in combat, which is much easier to track between sessions and has the bonus effect of rewarding non-combat based resolutions the same as killing everything in sight. To conclude, if you want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons my advice would be to definitely buy this kit. Just make sure your appointed Dungeon Master watches some YouTube videos on how to DM and is prepared to spend a few evenings of paper-based DIY creating their own additional content (maps, clues, NPCs, dialog, counters, etc). For new DM's, watching on-line content of 'professional' D and D helps massively: Critical Role and NPC D&D are great resources to see what it's all about before diving in.

A much better starter set than the rather disappointing 'Starter Set' and far better value for money. Everything you need to start playing D&D (except a pencil), simply explained, without having to pore through the dense full-game rule books (which are daunting for a beginner). The rule book and adventure book are both well laid out and short, meaning it doesn't take a lot of reading before you can get on and start playing. The rules are a concise distillation of D&D into the fundamentals of role playing. And the style of writing is evocative and engaging: the books are not just instructions but also enjoyable to read. The adventure book includes several scenarios, which can each be enjoyed independently or as parts of the greater campaign which takes characters up to 6th level. The beginner DM is led step-by-step through the process of running an adventure, but with enough space to allow your own creativity room to move. In short, the game mechanics come down to simple rolls of a 20-sided die (with occasional roles of other dice). This simplicity means you can put your time into the role playing, rather than rule checking. Tiny niggles: the font size could be a fraction bigger, especially as the text is black on grey. And it would have been helpful to include an example character sheet filled out, to make it clearer which value goes where. But these are niggles and in no way detract from this being a great introduction to D&D.

When i was considering the starter set but I am extremely happy i chose the Essentials kit. - Biggest surprise was the nice glossy cards - multiple sheets with magic item, potions, condition effects( drawing on one side of the effect, written explanation on the other side) and several sidekicks. I was already considering finding magic item cards but i'm set for now (will be lookign for more in the future). No spell cards but since it's starter set this is good enough ( when players pick their classes, will be looking for those). - The map is great and has hexagons, so if you try to do some encounters, or determine how much time it would take for the party to go from one point to the other would be of use. - The dice - 4 x d6 - perfect amount for rolling ability scores, 2 xd20 - rolling disadvantage/advantage is easier with two dice available, the percentile dice has one of the better shown numbers (a bit smaller but easier to understand what you have rolled) - The DM screen - looks great (the art is lovely), but it's from sturdy cardstock and not cardboard like the Reincarneted Dungen master's screen. Still sturdy enough and good for starting out. - The discount code for D&D beyond - BIG plus. I've used D&D beyond before and super useful , especially for lookign up spells fast, makes character creation much easier. Having the discount code for sure was one of the reasons why i picked the essentils kit. - The added adventure - i have yet to go through it all but from what i have glimpsed - well presented and great help if you're new dm and haven't prepared your own adventure. You even get few cards with quests on them. - the basic rules - great to have. No need to buy the Player Handbook from the absolute start + you get a discount code for it on D&D beyond Overall for the money you pay you're basically set for some time. The

Great! A good start and usefull for game designers. Recommended. Dave Meadows Autumn 🍂 2025

So having played DnD fifth edition for just over 2 years now there's a few things I love about the game and a few I dislike. Likes - It's an amazing hobby that encourages social interaction, numeracy and literacy. It has depth, after 40 years of Dungeons and Dragons this game has all of it covered, if you can find a unique situation and not find help online then I'd say you are playing it wrong. Resources out the ying yang. Dislikes - Having to buy all the bits separately to enjoy an adventure. That's where this box kicks in. It literally has everything you need to start a campaign, yeah the starter set is great, but this has blank character sheets, yes plural sheets AND cards containing important information for the New Dungeon Master. I honestly think the only thing missing from this kit is an initiative board. The adventure is well written and has all the fun included to show the game off in all it's potential. I would strongly suggest playing the Lost Mines of Phandalin before this, which is part of the starter set. then lay the adventure in this set and then move onto the books in chronological order, playing weekly as most of us do, will give you years if not decades of adventure time. N.B. if you can't find anyone to play with go to your local comic book and/ or games shop, they will have loads of info there. GEEKS UNITE!!!

Hoewel je deze ook niet echt nodig hebt zitten er wel wat bruikbare en handige items in. Wel prijzig voor wat je krijgt.

La campaña es perfecta para los que van empezando, viene con: -Dos sets de dados bien balanceados -Tarjetas con información de los estados, como funcionan los turnos, la iniciativa, objetos mágicos, personajes y misiones. -Viene con un mapa de Phandalin, en el otro lado viene de costa de la espada. -Una versión corta del manual de jugador para crear tu personaje y como funcionan los turnos. -La campaña es de niveles 1 a 6, pero es fácil de expandir o personalizar, ya la he dirigido 3 veces y la estoy dirigiendo de nuevo, de manera diferente.

Le produit conforme, il y a de jolis dés rouge transparent, des cartes de sorts, une map, un livret de regles, une aventure (et d'autres choses à découvrir vous même) pour commencer Donjons et Dragons. Dans ce kit vous créez vous même votre personnage (il existe une appli si vous galèrer mais elle est en anglais) et une aventure à Phandalin et ces environs. Le colis n'arrivé pas, mais équipe réactive qui a proposé de me renvoyer l'article. Ils ont étaient très gentils.

Sealed and complete. cheaper than buying it at our local library. Perfect to starting out. My brother and me enjoyed our first session

Das Set enthält vieles was man als (neuer) DM braucht, die Karten finde ich besonders praktisch und es ist etwas was ich für weitere Abenteuer übernehmen werde, allerdings muss ich sagen dass es (nach kurzem Überfliegen) vom Aufbau eher für DMs geeignet ist, die schon zumindest ein bisschen Erfahrung haben. Für unerfahrene DMs finde ich das Abenteuer aus dem Starter Set (Lost Mine of Phandelver) besser strukturiert. Nichtsdesto trotz ein augenscheinlich gutes Abenteuer und ich freue mich drauf es mit meinen Freunden zu spielen. ACHTUNG: Laut Artikelbeschreibung sollen Codes dabei sein um das Abenteuer gratis und das Playerhandbuch 50% reduziert auf DnD Beyond zu bekommen, dies war bei mir nicht der Fall. Laut Dnd Beyond Support sind die Codes nicht mehr enthalten (auf meine Frage hin, haben sie sich allerdings kulant gezeigt)