Since Dungeons & Dragons was first released, getting new players adapted to a complex system has been one of the toughest problems to solve. The Player’s Handbook can be an intimidating tome for new players, and fledgling DMs have a ton of material to work through to really grasp the rules. That’s where the starter set comes in, as an effort to box up everything needed to quickly introduce players to the game. Dungeons & Dragons has released many iterations on this format over the years, with the new Heroes of the Borderlands set as its latest effort.
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Heroes of the Borderlands introduces new players to Dungeons & Dragons 5e, using the 2024 revision. Though the basic idea is the same, this starter set is a new approach to onboarding D&D newbies. It offers a pared-down character creation system instead of pre-generated characters and includes an array of physical tokens, cards, and maps to help players visualize the concepts represented in the rules. Priced at $49.99, Heroes of the Borderlands is a solid value for a first-time D&D player to get a handle on basic materials and rules for the game. Though there’s much to like with the basic setup of this new D&D starter set, the actual adventure booklets it contains are sadly missing a key component that defines D&D – the story.
Rating: 4/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good value with solid starter gear for a true D&D beginner | Adventures have no overarching story |
| Solid, pared-back overview of basic gameplay mechanics | Maps and certain other materials likely won’t hold up to multiple play sessions |
| Character boards offer a great intro to character sheets | Basic options for character creation are a step up from pre-gens, but still narrow |
| Tokens and cards offer a visual, immersive experience to engage players | |
| Full-size, full-color maps for several different areas |
The Most Comprehensive Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set Yet
In terms of sheer materials included, you won’t do much better than the Heroes of the Borderlands starter set. Where previous starter sets offered pre-generated character sheets, a set of dice, and printed adventure materials, this assembly steps it up in a major way. This impressive collection of materials features a Quick-Start Guide and Play Guide for players and DMs, 3 adventure booklets, 9 full-size foldout maps, handouts to accompany each adventure, a paper combat tracker, character class boards, over 210 cards to represent spells, characters, and monsters, and nearly 300 tokens to bring your tabletop sessions to life.
For the price of $49.99 for the set, this is one of the more affordable options for getting a solid D&D session started. The Play Guide offers a basic overview of the rules prior to your investment in a Player’s Handbook and DM Guide. The set also includes polyhedral dice, so players can get rolling – though it would be nice to have a second set to make opposed rolls and combat flow more smoothly. That said, having physical maps, character and monster tokens, and cards renders the game more tangible. Not only is this just plain more fun as an entry to D&D, it can also be helpful to physically see the items on your character sheet represented in physical form.
Tokens, Minis, and Maps Make D&D 5e Rules Tangible for Beginners
One of the biggest improvements with this set is its use of tokens, cards, and other items to make game rules more tangible to new players. The set includes tokens to help players track their gold, player character and monster tokens for mapping out combat, and cards to represent spells, NPCs, and monsters. In this way, it brings the best elements of a more traditional board game to D&D, letting players see the rules manifest in front of them.
In particular, I was impressed with Heroes of the Borderlands‘ answer to character creation. This is one of the more nebulous concepts in D&D when you’re just starting out, and the previous sets’ use of pre-generated characters simply bypassed the challenge altogether. The character cards are a solid midpoint, letting players pick and choose key aspects to design their own character using the cards in the set. It’s not the full overwhelm of drafting a character from scratch, but it does a better job of letting new players get a feel for what that might be like. Not to mention the ownership of the character they bring into the game compared to one that’s been pre-built for them.
The full-size maps included in Heroes of the Borderlands are another nice addition. These let the DM truly create an immersive experience. Combined with the monster and character tokens, it’s a budget-friendly option for the impressive tablescapes that require investment in 3D minis and props. The paper combat tracker is another simple yet handy tool to make it easy for players and the DM to keep track of what’s happening in a clear, physical format. The notepad will run out eventually, but it has more than enough pages to last you through the 3 adventures included in the starter set.
Encounters Without Story Risks Missing the Heart of Dungeons & Dragons
In terms of introducing new players to the basic gameplay elements of Dungeons & Dragons, the Heroes of the Borderlands set is a triumph. It offers the right tools to help players get a grasp on game concepts before graduating to the full 5e rulebooks. The adventure booklets offer a good mix of scenarios, letting players and DMs get a feel for what it’s like to experience a D&D session. There’s exploration, combat, and plenty of secrets to uncover. Unfortunately, the one big thing the starter set is missing also happens to be one of the best elements of D&D.
When reading the Quick Start guide for Heroes of the Borderland, you’re greeted with this note: “The adventure has no overarching plot.” Each of the booklets included is a guide to an area, which contains encounters, secrets, and places to explore. There’s a bit of flavor text for the DM to read, but it’s pretty bare bones. It tells you what situation the players find themselves in, but it’s very open-ended. The why, the story drive that puts everything into motion, is notably absent. And given that this set is geared towards D&D beginners, that’s a slightly baffling choice.
Sure, it makes sense not to give new DMs a ton of story lore to balance. But placing new players into a world devoid of the great stories and immersive lore that makes D&D great risks teaching them the logistics of the game, but not why so many people love it. Yes, the players and DM can build their own story into the game, but homebrewing like this might be asking a bit much of newcomers. This is the one aspect that makes the new starter set feel like a step back compared to prior renditions, which did offer a bit more of a traditional starter campaign to give players a better sense of the sort of stories Dungeons & Dragons can tell.
In all, Heroes of the Borderlands is a comprehensive and cost-effective way for new players to understand the basics of D&D. It breaks down the rules and concepts in a clear, effective manner, with all the props to help make theater of the mind a bit more concrete. But it’s missing a bit of that story drive that forms the heart of a truly excellent D&D session, bringing it down a notch compared to what might have been.
A review copy of Heroes of the Borderlands was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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