D&D’s soon to be released starter set, Heroes of the Borderlands, is its biggest one yet. Will all the maps and tokens and cards be worth it?
WotC put their new D&D starter set, Heroes of the Borderlands, up for pre-order this week, and it looks to be the biggest one yet. At twice the price, it had better be. With three adventure booklets, maps, and a bunch of tokens and cards, there’s a ton of kit included in the box. Of course, you can always just get the digital version, which has similar bells and whistles (but all digital, obviously) on D&D Beyond.
But what exactly is in the set? Let’s take a look.
Heroes of the Borderlands: D&D’s New Starter Set – Coming September
Heroes of the Borderlands has its work cut out for it. Not only does it have to introduce new players to the game, it has to work with the updated rules. To that end, there’s a ton of little accessories. It’s not just an adventure, some pre-generated characters, and a few battle maps. It’s those things plus a bunch of tokens and cards for item and equipment.
And it weighs in at a hefty $49.99 for the boxed set alone, or $54.99 if you pre-order the digital/physical bundle. It’s a step up from both of the prior 5E starter sets. The D&D Essentials Kit runs for $24.99, and Lost Mine of Phandelver (rip) ran for $19.99. The new box is the same price as a core rulebook, which raises some eyebrows.
Because, surely, one of the draws of the RPG starter set is that it’s a sampler of things to come. There may be many reasons for the price increase here. Hasbro has previously said this box was manufactured in China. So, there may be some tariff-related fees going into the final price point. While there’s no telling for certain, let’s take a look at what you get – because this is bigger than previous starter sets.
“Heroes of the Borderlands is the biggest D&D starter set ever made. It includes everything a new group needs to pick up and start playing right out of the box. This box is filled with things that will make your set-up and play easier such as physical maps, class boards, monster cards, spell cards, NPC cards, tokens, and dice.
The included guides help walk newcomers through creating memorable characters, navigating classic D&D settings, forging through epic quests, fighting iconic monsters, and more. Three adventure booklets deliver fun that can be enjoyed in bite-sized, one-hour sessions, with no prior experience required.”
What’s In The Box Though?
What makes this the “biggest ever” starter set? Well, in the box you’ll get a Quick-Start Guide which has most of the basic rules, as well as a “play guide” and three adventure booklets for the DM in your group. There are four pre-generated characters, your classic Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, and Fighter. All standard stuff. But this book is chock full of maps and things.
Within you’ll find more than 200 “game cards” detailing different elements. It sounds like there’s a card for almost everything on your character sheet: backgrounds, species, spells, equipment, magic items, etc. Plus cards for the DM detailing monsters and NPCs. All handy reference material. One of the big points is that this game is as ready-to-play as it gets.
The set also comes with 18 different maps, detailing the Caves of Chaos Valley, the Keep on the Borderlands, and the Wilderness. And along with those maps, more than 200 tokens (which may well correspond to the game cards) for monsters, terrain, and “resources.” And of course, dice and a combat tracker for the DM. There’s so much stuff here that the marketing copy refers to it as a “board game” – which might also be an appeal to new players outside of the typical D&D audience.
Ready To Play Online Or Off
The same everything-in-a-box-ready-to-play vibe carries through to the digital edition of Heroes of the Borderlands. Which, on its own, is just $14.99. And that feels more like in line with what you’d expect for a starter set. Especially one that comes pre-loaded and ready to run.
The digital edition is full of all the tools you need to play using D&D Beyond’s maps program, so you can really just hop online with your friends and get going with the absolute bare minimum of prep time. In a way, that’s perfect for new DMs. One of the biggest barriers to playing D&D is the idea that you have to put in a lot of work beforehand.
Whereas with this boxed set, digital or physical, is focused on the idea that you can just play D&D right now, within minutes. Pickup and play, says the video. Especially the D&D Beyond version, where all of the encounters are ready to go. The maps are preset with enemies where they need to be. All the work that the DM would normally need to do beforehand is done already.
It’s a running theme with the starter set. It’s the biggest ever because it’s doing the work of cutting down the perceived barriers between you starting and finishing. On a personal note, my own entry into the world of RPGs was just making my own adventure to run with my friends – there’s something to be said about the joy of doing that work. About the creative process of it all.
Surmounting that hurdle might just get more people playing D&D. And that’s the goal. Get you and your friends playing as soon as possible. The Starter Set rolls in September 16th, and we’ll check back then to see what all is inside and how easy it makes picking up the box and playing. But if you want to get your friends into D&D, this could be your road to doing so!
Pre-orders for Heroes of the Borderlands are open now!
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