In 2022, Dungeons & Dragons' released a ton of news about what's to come in the future of D&D. One of the more exciting announcements made at the showcase was the release of a new starter set. The first 5e (5th edition) starter set hit the press alongside the launch of 5e all the way back in July of 2014.
While the first starter set is one of the earliest releases for 5e, it is still heralded to this day as one of the most exciting and well-written adventures in the game. Consequently, the publishing of a second starter set has fans hopeful for yet another awesome adventure to add to their shelves. So, what do we know so far about this exciting new addition?
7 Everything You Need To Get Started
Like the old starter set, this starter is a box set that comes with everything you need to get started running your very own game of D&D. That includes a 48-page adventure book for the dungeon master, a 32-page rulebook for playing characters from levels 1-3, and six polyhedral dice.
As veterans of Dungeons & Dragons are already aware, owning the trifecta of the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide is ideal for beginning your D&D career, the new starter set will be able to be run without having purchased any of these important books.
6 An Ancient War Among Dragons
Though fine details concerning the adventure's quests have yet to be released, it has been stated that the experience will revolve around an ancient war among dragons. Looking more closely at the lore of D&D, it's more likely than not that the war being referred to here is the battle between the draconic forces of good and evil, otherwise known as the metallic and chromatic dragons respectively.
One of the pictures from the book shown on the set's image gallery does feature a blue dragon breathing lightning towards a bronze dragon as well, so there's a fair amount of evidence to support this theory. Many players have questioned the surprising absence of dragons in the D&D published adventures. It's nice to see Wizards of the Coast addressing this concern in the new starter set. After all, the game is called Dungeons & Dragons.
5 Exploring The Secrets Of Stormwreck Isle
Besides the ancient war among dragons, the starter set page also mentions that adventurers will be exploring the secrets of Stormwreck Isle. A cursory search of D&D lore has failed to turn up any information on this so-called Stormwreck Isle, however, we can still infer a number of things from the location's name.
For one, it's likely that the adventure will feature ships. One of the adventure's locales might even be a sort of ship graveyard judging from the "Stormwreck" part of the adventure's name. Secondly, wherever there are ships, pirates are sure to follow. And as we all know, pirates tend to keep all kinds of secrets judging by their historical depictions in fantasy. Hopefully, some of them involve magic items.
4 An Initiative To Get New Players Interested
During the 2022 showcase announcement, it was brought up that the launch of this new starter set is a part of a larger initiative to get new players interested in the game. There's no better time for Wizards of the Coast to capitalize on Dungeons & Dragons' recent publicity than now, so it's good to see an explicit move in this direction.
For those unaware, Dungeons & Dragons is bigger now than it has ever been in its nearly 50-year history. Considering how unique and enjoyable the game of D&D can be, there's no reason why this growth shouldn't continue to carry the game forward.
3 Five Pre-Generated Characters
Along with everything you need to get started, the box set also comes with five pre-generated characters so that your friends can hop in without going through the painstaking process of building your first character. While playing a pre-generated character might sound like sacrilege to more veteran D&D players, the truth of the matter is spending an hour creating a character is a huge barrier to entry for first-timers trying to give D&D a go.
It's better for a new player to get pulled into how much fun they can get out of a D&D character and be inspired to make their own than for a new player to throw their hands up in frustration halfway through creating a character and never give the game a real shot.
2 A QR Code To An Online New Player Hub
Speaking of the frustrations of starting out with D&D, it was also revealed that the box set will include a QR code to a freshly created online hub for new players to better educate themselves on how to play the game.
While the pen and paper nature of D&D is part of its charm, it's also an aspect of the game that becomes more and more outdated with every second that passes. It's good to see Wizards acknowledging this through the introduction of online educational tools that will be more appealing to younger generations.
1 Coupled With An After-School Club D&D Curriculum
Finally, the WotC team also revealed that they will be creating a "D&D Curriculum" for schools. This after-school program in the works will contain a copy of the new box starter set, alongside other instructional help, so that young kids can be properly introduced to Dungeons & Dragons.
Funnily enough, this program will also feature a section that details how and why playing Dungeons & Dragons is helpful for the development of adolescents. As any veteran D&D player already knows, casting fireball is easy. It's adding up the total of 8d6 that's the hard part.