Essentials Kit (2019)

The D&D Essentials Kit is packed with everything you need to get started, including a rulebook, character sheets, a set of dice, and an adventure book. The rulebook is clear and easy to understand, making it perfect for beginners who may not have any prior experience with tabletop games. The character sheets are also well-designed, with plenty of space to record your character's stats and abilities.One of the standout items in the kit is the set of dice. The dice are of high quality, with a satisfying weight and feel. The set includes all the dice you'll need to play the game, including the iconic 20-sided die (also known as the d20).The adventure book that comes with the kit is also a lot of fun. It's filled with exciting quests and challenges that will keep players engaged and entertained for hours. The book is well-written, with detailed descriptions of the world and the creatures that inhabit it.But what really makes the D&D Essentials Kit stand out is its accessibility. The game is designed to be easy to learn and play, making it perfect for kids and families. The rules are straightforward, and the adventure book provides plenty of guidance and direction for players who may be new to the game.Overall, the D&D Essentials Kit is a fantastic product for anyone who is interested in exploring the world of Dungeons and Dragons. It's well-designed, easy to use, and packed with everything you need to get started. If you have kids who are interested in tabletop games or are looking to try out D&D for the first time, this kit is a great choice. It's a fun and engaging way to spend time together as a family, and it's sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.

ESSENTIALS KIT vs STARTER SETSHORT REVIEW: if you can only buy one set and are new to the game then buy the Starter Set. It explains the rules in a condensed version and easy to read manual--you will be up and running quicker than Essentials Kit. The rules and setup in the Essentials Kit has more steps and might get new players bogged down with too many details. After playing the Starter Set you wil have a feel for the flow and mechanics of the game and can then go deeper into the rules with the Essentials Kit.After playing the Starter Set and you want to move on, choose the Essentials Kit next before buying the hardcover Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide which have way too much information for new players. The Essentials Kit will build on the Starter Set by introducing magic-using races/classes and character customization.LONG REVIEW AND COMPARISON: ESSENTIALS KIT vs STARTER SET:In the Essentials Kit you get a 64-page squarebound rulebook and 64-page Adventure book. The Starter Set has a 32-page staplebound rulebook and 64-page staplebound Adventure book. I'm not going to talk about the Adventure books to avoid spoilers. But both are recommended and both should be played.The Rulebook differences are significant: in this case shorter (Starter Set) is better.The Essentials Kit has 6 blank character sheets. Players will use the Rulebook to help create their own custom character. The Starter Set has 5 pre-made characters which is NOT bad and for first time players it might be better to start this way. It forces you to play different races and classes of characters, it shows you what type of background story you might want create for future characters, it gives you an idea of how a character sheet is put together and where everything goes, and most importantly it gets you up and running quickly so you can learn how the game plays out. On your second adventure you can take the extra time to create your own character knowing what you liked or didn't like based on your first character. You can easily download and print blank character sheets online. I personally think the Starter Set's idea to use pre-generated characters is best for first time play.DICE: There are 11 dice total in the Essentials Kit but there are duplicates; there are only 7 different types. The Essentials includes a percentage die not in the Starter Set which has 6 different dice total. You only need the 6 types of die so both sets are equal to me.For the Starter Set that's all you get: Rulebook, Adventure book, pre-filled character sheets and dice. It's priced less than the Essentials Kit here on Amazon.Additional material in the Essentials Kit includes extra cards that come 9 to a sheet and you need will need to separate them. None of these are necessary to play. You could write down the information on the cards on paper, but the cards are a nice convenience and can help move the game along. The different cards are:9 Initiative cards: these are just cards with a number on them, #1-9.3 Combat cards: these are cheat sheets of combat rules.24 Magic Item cards.9 Quest cards: a description of a mini-quest players might take during the bigger Adventure Book.9 Sidekick cards: your extra character when running a 2-player game.14 Condition cards: when characters suffer from a certain condition this card reminds them of the symptoms.1 Magic Charm card.Some of the cards are helpful to have and the Starter Set could be improved to include them as well.Other items in the Essentials Kit: a thin paper Dungeon Master's folding screen. It has a picture on one side and rules/tables on the other. This is very helpful for the Dungeon Master only--it has no use for players. A color map of the world. Maps are fun! And a thin cardboard box to store your dice (not fun).Both the Essentials Kit and Starter Set are good steps towards introducing new players to the game. I think they are both useful. Starter Set should be first. And the Essentials Kit should come second. After that you can play a few more adventures with the information you currently have. Or if you want to dive into the hardcover books then that's the next step.I highly recommend the Starter Set and Essentials Kit. Both are worthwhile purchases. I suggest the Starter Set first then Essentials Kit.

I had always wanted to play DnD and never got to until I bought this. Its very fun to play, there's good quality and a valuable amount of supplies for starting out.

Use this set! The Starter set comes with pre-made characters. That’s the big difference between this(Essentials) and the starter set as i understand it.The value in this set is real: a portion of the dnd ruleset complete with character creation rules ,combat rules, equipment, spells and a few other rules along with a couple of pages on the general concept of what DnD is and how to play it.You also get a Dm’s screen and 6 THICK paper character sheets. Buying these separately is 20 clams, granted you get a lot more sheets and a few extras but it’s nice to have them included as they are very helpful.You get a full set of dice which includes an extra d20 and a couple more six-sided dice as well.Also provided are a lot of play-aids like status-effect , player-aids, magic items, initiative cards , npc cards, a lil fold-out box to put them in and even a double-sided map of the adventure area done by the searingly skilled Mike Schley.The rulebooks have a mix of excellent color and ink art created by a host of talented individuals.Finally you get a full color adventure book that will take player characters from 1-6th level. I don’t run premade adventures , so I can’t assess it as well as one who has run it, but it seems like a fun, semi-sandboxy adventure. Monster art and stat blocks are included.The classes , backgrounds and races aren’t as varied as in the full game, but there is a nice mix with as many backgrounds. Players can choose to be Human(ewwww ;)) , Hill or Mountain Dwarves, High or Wood Elves, and halflings. Classes choices are Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Rogue and Wizard.This set has my utmost recommendation for those who want to check out “the world’s greatest role playing game”.