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The New D&D Red Box

Started by Benoist, March 06, 2010, 02:06:58 PM

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Benoist

March 06, 2010, 02:06:58 PM
From the Wizards' Community (there):

Quote from: Charles RyanI've just received the WotC solicitation for the Red Box, or more properly, the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game--the new starter version of D&D releasing this Autumn. If you've played D&D for a while, you probably recognize this cover and the "Red Box" moniker: They hearken back to the introductory boxed set in print in the early 80s, which launched many a gamer's game-playing career.



Quote from: Charles Ryan(Compare this image to the one in my earlier post, and you might notice it's different. This one is literally the original cover, with only (as far as I can tell) the WotC logo as a change. The other one evoked this version, but had new art and a retro-styled 4E logo. Both came from official WotC sources, but this is what's on the solicitation, so I think it's the most accurate.)

So what do you get for your fifteen quid (the likely--but not yet official--UK price)?

  • A 32-page players' book and a 64-page DM's book
  • 2 sheets of tokens for PCs and monsters
  • Cardstock character sheets and power cards
  • A double-sided poster map
  • 6 dice

Pretty standard fare for an introductory RPG boxed set, at a reasonable price. The box will get players from 1st to 3rd level (some internet sources are saying it only goes to 2nd, but that's not correct). It also includes solo play rules and a solo adventure, so a beginner can give it a spin without having to round up four friends just to get started.

The retro cover will only grace the first print run of this product; later print runs will have a more modern look that matches the style of the Essentials line products. This foray into the retro should make the Red Box attractive to the many millions of players who have fallen away from D&D over the years, but now have more spare time and money (and maybe game-playing-aged kids) and might like to re-enter the hobby they have such fond memories of. Alternatively, the limited initial run might make this version a sought-after collectors' item among current players. I hope WotC is printing a lot of them in the initial run!

Well, it's working for me (even though I started on the Blue Box predecessor to the original Red Box). I have a daughter who might just about be ready to start playing D&D, so I'm definitely going to give it a spin. What do you think--is the retro presentation a good way to get new and lapsed players into the game?

Comments? Reactions?

Caesar Slaad

#1
March 06, 2010, 02:32:38 PM Last Edit: March 06, 2010, 02:35:48 PM by Caesar Slaad
Quote from: Benoist;365034Comments? Reactions?

Oy.

It seems a mockery to me. Now maybe I'm wrong and they really are doing something with this that would strip 4e to the bone and make it into a game worthy of that mantle.

But take a look at the original:



Read the text there, about not needing no gameboard? Are they really going to so drastically alter the minis-and-grid centric 4e so it can live up to that statement again? I doubt it.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Narf the Mouse

#2
March 06, 2010, 02:36:27 PM
They removed that text. Also, mockery? Dude, it's a game.
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Caesar Slaad

#3
March 06, 2010, 02:39:13 PM
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365044They removed that text.

Did you really think that fact eluded me? It was the very first thing I looked for upon seeing the new cover. Hence my prior post.

QuoteAlso, mockery? Dude, it's a game.

And?
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Narf the Mouse

#4
March 06, 2010, 02:41:35 PM
Quote from: Caesar Slaad;365046Did you really think that fact eluded me? It was the very first thing I looked for upon seeing the new cover. Hence my prior post.



And?
"Are they really going to so drastically alter the minis-and-grid centric 4e so it can live up to that statement again? I doubt it." - I interpreted that to mean you hadn't looked closely enough.

And, calling it a "Mockery" makes it seem like you're ranting.
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Drohem

#5
March 06, 2010, 02:45:29 PM
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365047And, calling it a "Mockery" makes it seem like you're ranting.

Really?  One word in a sentence, and you called that 'ranting.'  Perhaps you should look up the definiton of ranting because it doesn't mean what you think it means.

Seriously, dude, you're reaching here.

Caesar Slaad

#6
March 06, 2010, 02:50:35 PM Last Edit: March 06, 2010, 02:53:16 PM by Caesar Slaad
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365047"Are they really going to so drastically alter the minis-and-grid centric 4e so it can live up to that statement again? I doubt it." - I interpreted that to mean you hadn't looked closely enough.

No, hence my point of producing the original and highlighting text ON THE ORIGINAL for contrast.

The point I am alluding to is that while they may dress it up like the classic red boxed set, I doubt the will or ability of WotC to make a game that approximates it in spirit.

But I thought that mockery was a more succinct way to put that.

QuoteAnd, calling it a "Mockery" makes it seem like you're ranting.

Dude, considering your first post in reply to me upon arriving on these boards, I'll not be accepting your judgment about who is the ranter. Or, more accurately, your attempts to label me for reasons which I'm not exactly clear.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Seanchai

#7
March 06, 2010, 02:52:06 PM
Quote from: Benoist;365034Comments? Reactions?

What levels does it cover? First I heard one through five, but now I hear just first and second.

Seanchai
"Thus tens of children were left holding the bag. And it was a bag bereft of both Hellscream and allowance money."

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Narf the Mouse

#8
March 06, 2010, 02:53:21 PM
Quote from: Drohem;365049Really?  One word in a sentence, and you called that 'ranting.'  Perhaps you should look up the definiton of ranting because it doesn't mean what you think it means.

Seriously, dude, you're reaching here.
WotC releases a product with a retro-look and the first sentence he writes is "It seems a mockery to me." Granted, "Ranting" is not technically correct. Perhaps I should have used "Deriding".

In any case, it resembles an auto-slam.

Let me note, for the record, that it seems like a quick cash-grab by putting on a picture from a game that 4th Edition does not resemble, as far as mechanics go. They are probably counting on that image to bring in gamers who would never try 4th Edition.

But "mocking"? My whole point there is, it's a game, not a religion. Sorry, I just can't take the word "mocking" seriously, in this context.
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Peregrin

#9
March 06, 2010, 02:55:25 PM
I hate minis.
"In a way, the Lands of Dream are far more brutal than the worlds of most mainstream games. All of the games set there have a bittersweetness that I find much harder to take than the ridiculous adolescent posturing of so-called \'grittily realistic\' games. So maybe one reason I like them as a setting is because they are far more like the real world: colourful, crazy, full of strange creatures and people, eternal and yet changing, deeply beautiful and sometimes profoundly bitter."

Caesar Slaad

#10
March 06, 2010, 02:56:36 PM
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365055But "mocking"? My whole point there is, it's a game, not a religion. Sorry, I just can't take the word "mocking" seriously, in this context.

Ah, I get you now. It's not that you are trying to label me. It's that you don't understand that some uses of the word "mockery" don't imply that deliberate attempts to mock are occurring.

For reference, see definition #3 here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery

"3 a : a counterfeit appearance : imitation b : an insincere, contemptible, or impertinent imitation "
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Drohem

#11
March 06, 2010, 03:01:49 PM
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365055WotC releases a product with a retro-look and the first sentence he writes is "It seems a mockery to me." Granted, "Ranting" is not technically correct. Perhaps I should have used "Deriding".

In any case, it resembles an auto-slam.

Let me note, for the record, that it seems like a quick cash-grab by putting on a picture from a game that 4th Edition does not resemble, as far as mechanics go. They are probably counting on that image to bring in gamers who would never try 4th Edition.

But "mocking"? My whole point there is, it's a game, not a religion. Sorry, I just can't take the word "mocking" seriously, in this context.

Seriously dude, what the fuck are you talking about?  The OP asked for other members' opinions and Caesar Slaad offered his opinion on the subject.  Maybe his opinion is an 'auto-slam.'  So the fuck what?  How in the fuck do you make the connection of the use of the word mockery equating to religion?  What the fuck does that even mean?  Sorry, but I just can't take your stupid tirade about Caesar Slaad's use of the word mockery, and your wacky connection to religion, seriously.

Narf the Mouse

#12
March 06, 2010, 03:03:59 PM
Quote from: Caesar Slaad;365058Ah, I get you now. It's not that you are trying to label me. It's that you don't understand that some uses of the word "mockery" don't imply that deliberate attempts to mock are occurring.

For reference, see definition #3 here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mockery

"3 a : a counterfeit appearance : imitation b : an insincere, contemptible, or impertinent imitation "
Ah, sorry.

So what you mean, then, is that it counterfeits an AD&D-style product without (Probably) being an AD&D-style product - Certainly not in game mechanics. Granted, the setting may resemble an AD&D product, but I certainly do get your point and there is disconnect there.
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Narf the Mouse

#13
March 06, 2010, 03:05:40 PM
...And this is why I don't often participate in "chancy" threads. I'm not good at social stuff.
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Drohem

#14
March 06, 2010, 03:11:40 PM
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;365062Ah, sorry.

See, right there- I like you Narf. :)  A man who can acknowledge that he was off and apologize sincerely is a man in my book.
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