The Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set has finally moved into wide release, after being a Target exclusive. I’m up in Canada and couldn’t run to Target to grab this starter set during their exclusive window. Last week, I finally got my hands on a review copy and it looks pretty good so far.
Here’s a very quick mini-review:
- RULES: The rules booklet is 32 pages and it looks like it has all the rules, equipment, and spells you’d need for beginners.
- ADVENTURE: Over 4 chapters, the 48-page adventure booklet is tightly focused on a single island that has been the battleground for dragons over the years with the magical scars to prove it. The adventure hops to various island locations, which include a monastery, sea caves, shipwreck, and clifftop observatory. There are dragons too.
- MONSTERS: 10 pages of the adventure booklet are filled with monster stat blocks, with a few new monsters (Fume Drake, Kobold Tinkerer, Spore Servant Octopus) not found in the Monster Manual and a small handful of NPCs unique to the adventure.
- CHARACTER SHEETS: I really like the five pre-gen character sheets, which have a ton of explanations for running a character for a first-time player. Each pre-gen’s background is specifically tied into the adventure with a “Personal Goal”. The PCs include a dwarf cleric, elf fighter, human paladin, halfling rogue, and elf wizard.
- DICE: The dice are the standard blue ones we’ve seen in the past, with only one of each die, including the d6.
- PRESENTATION & ARTWORK: Overall, the materials look good and use the standard (if not boring at this point) D&D layout. The layout is not at the same tier as the more recent hardcover releases but works. The 80s cartoon characters show up throughout the set’s illustrations and I’m a sucker for this nostalgia. Having some pre-gens that match the 80s characters as free PDF downloads for DMs to print on their own would have been a solid add.
This press release arrived in my inbox this AM from D&D’s PR agency which includes some additional details and resources…
The D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle ($19.99) is now available for purchase widely in English. Localized versions (French, Italian, German, and Spanish) will release on October 18, followed by Portuguese and Japanese language editions at a later date.
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is the perfect gateway for new players and Dungeon Masters to immerse themselves in action-packed adventures where heroes battle monsters, find treasure, and undertake epic quests. Developed for beginners (levels 1-3), this set includes the rules of the game, an adventure booklet, five ready-to-play characters, and six polyhedral game dice.
This school year, the Starter Set is featured in D&D-inspired teaching kits for grades 4-8 as well as Afterschool Club Kits, providing everything needed to start a D&D club at school, a local library, or club.
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Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is now available for purchase at Amazon and Target (North America only) and can be downloaded at D&D Beyond and Roll20.
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