Red Box D&D

Walking Paradox · October 01, 2010, 04:16:07 PM

Has anybody here tried the new "Red Box" D&D set, sold under the name "D&D Essentials," yet?

estar · October 01, 2010, 04:20:40 PM

Yes, it is D&D 4th edition with slightly different classes and powers. The Red Box itself is a tutorial to get you started playing and refereeing D&D 4th edition and does a pretty job of doing that. However that is pretty much all it does. There is just enough material to run a handful of sessions after the first two adventures.

Benoist · October 01, 2010, 04:26:27 PM

Estar basically got it. Don't think so much of it in terms of heir to Mentzer Basic D&D (the actual Red Box), but rather as an heir to Holmes D&D (the blue book/box of 1977): it gives you the fundamental, enough to run through a few levels, but you'll want to upgrade to the full Essentials system after a short while.

pspahn · October 01, 2010, 05:13:47 PM

All right does that seem like a strange first post to anyone else here?

Pete

brettmb · October 01, 2010, 07:43:56 PM

I have it, but haven't played it. Don't think much of it.

mhensley · October 01, 2010, 07:48:57 PM

Unless you are complete newbie, you're better off buying a copy of the character book or the rules compendium.

Seanchai · October 01, 2010, 08:16:17 PM

Quote from: pspahn;407748All right does that seem like a strange first post to anyone else here?

Yup.

Seanchai

TheShadow · October 02, 2010, 05:37:51 AM

So a guy is interested in an introductory product from the world's most famous game line, and wanders in to an online forum to ask about it.

He must be a sockpuppeting troll! Get 'im, (fan)boys!!!

DKChannelBoredom · October 02, 2010, 08:06:16 AM

Will pick it up in two weeks time, simply for the nostalgia of the box. I don't think I'll ever play it, but I will certainly enjoy having the red box on the shelf.

Seanchai · October 02, 2010, 11:21:13 AM

Quote from: The_Shadow;407828So a guy is interested in an introductory product from the world's most famous game line, and wanders in to an online forum to ask about it.

He must be a sockpuppeting troll! Get 'im, (fan)boys!!!

Shrug. I can think of better places to get information. For example, Googling "Red Box D&D" turns up a brief review and pictures of the contents in the first three thinks. Given the easy availability of pertinent information elsewhere, yeah, it's a little fishy.

Seanchai

Benoist · October 02, 2010, 01:49:33 PM

Quote from: The_Shadow;407828So a guy is interested in an introductory product from the world's most famous game line, and wanders in to an online forum to ask about it.

He must be a sockpuppeting troll! Get 'im, (fan)boys!!!

Yeah, that reaction surprised me too. Come on guys, he's just asking a question.

@ Walking Paradox: if you have not played D&D for some time but want to get back to it with the current edition of the game, this new Red Box certainly is the best way to start, to then upgrade to Essentials D&D, a line of ten products that cover today's core D&D experience. If however you are still in the flow of things, are a consumate gamer, and just want to try Essentials out, you can just skip the Red Box and go directly for Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Rules Compendium, DM's Kit et al. in the D&D Essentials line of products.

brettmb · October 02, 2010, 01:54:34 PM

Or you could just find something better than D&D

Walking Paradox · October 04, 2010, 06:06:07 PM

Quote from: Benoist;407843Yeah, that reaction surprised me too. Come on guys, he's just asking a question.

@ Walking Paradox: if you have not played D&D for some time but want to get back to it with the current edition of the game, this new Red Box certainly is the best way to start, to then upgrade to Essentials D&D, a line of ten products that cover today's core D&D experience. If however you are still in the flow of things, are a consumate gamer, and just want to try Essentials out, you can just skip the Red Box and go directly for Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Rules Compendium, DM's Kit et al. in the D&D Essentials line of products.

Hi guys. For what it's worth, I've played 4th Ed. before and I even tried my hand at converting one of my old adventures to it. I did not like the results. I wanted to know if this was just the same old 4th Ed. rules re-hashed or if there was something new in it, like making this a 4.5 edition or something like that.

I feel the need to be familiar with the latest edition of D&D even though I don't play the game anymore unless it's the only one that everyone else wants to play.

Thanks for all the tips. I like reading stuff like this in forums rather than trusting what the average random dolt has to say in his blog or whatever. LOL!

Walking Paradox · October 04, 2010, 06:10:34 PM

Quote from: brettmb;407846Or you could just find something better than D&D

Well, yeah. I figure anybody who's at a gaming site like this that isn't ENWorld or WotC's forums is going to have an anti-D&D attitude. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think if there has to be a "one size fits all" RPG, then it has to be something better than D&D 4th ed. I can handle the dense rules, but every time I pick up the core books, I keep thinking that the kid that I was when I was 12 who opened his first 1st Ed. PHB would not be able to make head or tail of it.

Walking Paradox · October 04, 2010, 06:11:41 PM

Quote from: estar;407739Yes, it is D&D 4th edition with slightly different classes and powers. The Red Box itself is a tutorial to get you started playing and refereeing D&D 4th edition and does a pretty job of doing that. However that is pretty much all it does. There is just enough material to run a handful of sessions after the first two adventures.

Is there anything in there on how to make your own adventures or are you stuck with packaged stuff that's in the box?