D&D's Essentials Kit: Everything You Need To Know
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- The new D&D Essentials Kit is available exclusively through Target stores until September 3rd 2019. The box includes several codes for D&D Beyond: one to unlock the adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak, one for 50% off the Players Handbook, and QR codes pointing to WotC-written supplemental adventures. Anyone interested in purchasing the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure on D&D Beyond can do so on September 3rd 2019.
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Todd Talks: • Todd Talks
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Dungeons & Dragons BOOKS
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual
Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica
Mordenkainene's Tome of Foes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Volo's Guide to Monsters
Sword Coast Aventure's Guide
Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
The Tortle Package
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Tomb of Annihilation
Storm King's Thunder
Curse of Strahd
Out of the Abyss
Princes of the Apocalypse
Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Rise of Tiamat
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Lost Laboratory of Kwalish
Rrakkma
"I want you to be sad when they die."
This is Chris's design and DM philosophy, pretty sure.
That's how he made Spurt
Pretty sure people's suffering sustains him.
Blair Bird He’s WotC’s resident lich.
First impression about the Essentials Kit: Wizards of the Coast Listened to us!!
You mean they finally realised thier starter kit is a heap of dogshit and took notes from Pathfinder and thier AMAZING starter kit.
@@TheKodiak72 Pathfinder's starter set is so terrible an introduction to pathfinder that it is basically a completely different game.
@@recursivecoin359 Mathfinder.
@@@CharalamposKoundourakis I mean, he's not wrong, the starter set was bad, at least pathfinder's starter set you could build your own characters without the pdf and you got more for you money.
You basically paid 20 dollars for a box that was half empty.
@@CharalamposKoundourakis stop being a dumbass. You rolled a Nat 1 on your intelligence roll.
The idea of it also taking place in Phandalin is really cool! I was not expecting that, especially given the cover art.
It feels kinda lazy for me. I kinda hoped they'd present something fresh for the people that have already gone through Phandalin.
@@ViggoChannel Phandalin isn't exactly an overused location; it's nice to get to visit places a couple of times.
Why would people that have already done a starter/beginners adventure do another beginner adventure?
@@wwaxwork because people typically play in the low levels multiple times over the course of their gaming lives?
@@ViggoChannel
Its a "base camp" town.
Any town can be created fr the purpose. There is nothing wrong with branching more adventures from that ne base camp.
If you want an over-used city, look at Waterdeep or Greyhawk.
Nobody complains that they are over-used....
**********
I create my own stuff. I still create one town that I expect the party to use as a base camp for the majrity of the campaign.
I will buy modules (I started before L1 was published), read the story, steal the maps and write my own adventure which may or may not have anything to do with the story in the module...
I ran the "Bone Hill" maps for many groups and never had the same story twice. (great maps in that one)
"The hero is the sidekick." -->Big Trouble In Little China
Tali Teichman greatest movie of all time
Came down here to say this.
"Now you must appease the sovereign emperor by destroying this!" -- Thunder
Played since Basic D&D. What they are doing with 5E is awesome. Played lots of other games. I adore Numenera and Pulp Cthulhu and love many others, but 5E for me is exactly what they put on the cover - the best RPG in the world.
I find listening to Chris Perkins talking about "why" he builds things really compelling. It makes me excited to use the content that he creates.
A cold Wild West... like the Yukon
Shhhhh! Chris is Canadian, he knows.
That's exactly what he described
There are many westerns with snow.
Chris: Sidekicks!
Me: let me fix that for you, "hirelings"
Colville has entered the chat:
Colville: "Retainers"
Hired swords
Cool adventure: the Side-kicks team up and take over Phandalin and now your party has to go free the town from them!
Dude if the DM plays that right it could be one heartwrenching (in a good way) adventure.
I'm more excited about this Essentials Kit than any other product this year. Will be at Target first thing Monday morning to buy it.
One game my group is doing is a pirate campaign so ghosts of saltmarsh was exciting to see
Descent into Avernus does look cool and I've pre-ordered it. But despite the fact that I've followed D&D since the early 1990's, I have very little experience actually playing. So smaller entry-level adventures appeal to me a lot more than the big, 300+ page MEGA adventures.
Also, I really like the 1 DM and 1 Player adventure idea. It will allow me to try my hat at running an adventure with a friend of mine without feeling all the anxiety that would come with trying to run a game for a group.
I was at one of my local Targets yesterday morning. They just had the old Starter Set out. Maybe I'll go look again today and/or try one of the other nearby stores. Thanks.
This might be one of the few bundled kits I would purchase. Everything looks pretty solid!
Same.
I like how they added a map that can be shared with the group especially with the town
Also Mike Schley has the Starter Set on his website for 10 bucks and you can print the maps in poster / table top grid format.
Buying just for the 1on1 rule variant
I may have been the only person to finish the video, but THANK YOU for putting codes in the book for use on D&D Beyond!!!
"The Wild West of The North"
...the Yukon?
Fandalin = Yellowknife circa 1879
Colorado?
So glad to see D&D is undergoing a renaissance thanks to a collective of amazing people who care deeply for it and are putting a lot of thought into presenting it in the most appropriate way to modern players.
POOp folder. Now it makes sense. I always wondered. In a live Acq Inc game Chris had the players peek at his laptop to visualize something and the joke was "You have a folder just labeled poop.." There was no explanation given. Respect for Chris Perkins as always, such drive and focus. That's what loving your job looks like.
I'll be at Target first thing tomorrow to pick up a copy! I'm in the middle of a Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign and my party has picked up a goblin companion. They've been bugging me to make him more useful, but I didn't want to give him full character classes. Now that I can make him a sidekick, maybe he can finally do more than hide behind the Cleric!
By goblin companion do you mean our Lord and savior Droop?
I love all the little extensions and improvements they made. And that DM Screen is gorgeous :')
This is the first time watching this, but I did exactly as suggested and combined both starter sets. Which I think are excellent (especially the lost mines campaign) I’ve played D&D consistently for 35 years, this was my wife and 13 year old sons first time. I let my wife play Paladin from phb and son playes fighter. I created 3 npc’s (not henchmen) the other 3 traditional core classes (wizard, rogue, cleric - life in this instance) I introduced them to eventually be removed but to show them the other primary class options and be there to advise them etc. We have now played for nearly 50 hours in around 4 and a half weeks, my wife straight up told me if any of the 3 party npc’s die or leave or any of the principle villagers die she is probably going to burst into tears and won’t want to play again 😮🤣, my son has already told me that if the rogue in the party (his best friend and fellow orphan from Waterdeep) dies he will be devastated. The other characters, even though they are more than henchman, never take agency away from my wife and son. They are there as a support crutch, as friends or as fighting companions. They always ask, how do you think we should do this, not this is how we should do this and they all look out for each other. I’m going to be throwing in Sunless citadel from ‘tales from the yawning portal’ and then after that they will be moving to help their neighbours in the east at red larch in the princes of the apocalypse campaign (after I’ve filled it with post it notes) but with a viable option for them to be able to return often to their beloved Phandalin. If people haven’t already… I would 100% pick up both box sets, even as an seasoned player and Dm I found these two campaigns fantastic.
One of the best tools that we need is a character creation matrix, basic explanations, how to, 1st level spells and what not and equipment, which is totally separate that can be handed around to the players during a character creation session. Either a hand out that comes in a printed kit or a PDF we can print at need.
I love you Chris Perkins, we need a Spurt Sidekick!
Wastelandhero I prefer when my sidekicks last more than 11 days
@@thehalfa95 but those would be the best 11 days in the game
12:03
Some Perkins poo, some Kenreck snort--hey, it's all good.
Good lord I look forward to this! Starter kits are always the best stepping stone into the game
the solo mission seems like a really good idea too. finding a group able/willing to commit can be herding cats....
Steve Von Doom I agree! I struggle finding consistent groups :/
Solo will be good too for introducing players because, as a DM I can struggle sometimes when I have four new players at the table asking loads of questions simultaneously ahaha
Gonna buy for the new DM screen alone! :D
But the other plus things are also nice!
Yeah that art is nice...
Same here :)
David_Blake it’s really thin and flimsy, but beautiful
RIP Phandalin... all that's left is black glass.
god tier comment
"the hero is the sidekick" ohh like the tick
My thought was more, "so, would that be more Sancho Panza or Wang Chi from 'Big Trouble in Little China'?"
@@thor30013 or samwise gamgee
Hey Todd, great video! Mr. Chris Perkins one of best DM's I have ever seen. Very intelligent & patient person. You guys struck gold on this one, I think its essential that I pick up this box set. I remember playing d&d with my friends, (when we were young-many moons ago). We would start out at level 0, you know farm boy turned fighter. Just to play a simpler version of a fighter, (side-kick idea is epic).
Thanks Todd & Chris you guys have a great day.
I’ve already ordered my copy to introduce this to my brother. Now that we have sidekicks... Chris has to rework the ranger companion! Batman (rogue/fighter) and Robin (monk)!
Batman feels like he should have at least a couple levels of vengeance paladin...
You’re not wrong but as a starter game I have to pick how many levels of each to get since we’d start at level 1. Both rogue and fighter I could probably get 1 level of each and could get more if I really wanted to - maybe 3 levels of fighter to get Battle Master archetype and a bunch of combat maneuvers. But I agree... Paladin of some kind. Vengeance. Oathbreaker for turning on the league of shadows. There are a few to choose from.
Yeah the more I think about Batman the more it’s like “yeah he’s at least 10 levels of half the classes”. 🤣
I love it! I had a blast DMing the Starter Set, and look forward to doing it again with a new group, prior knowledge, and a ton more options!
I'm in love with this DM screen!
This set has a lot of cool features. The most important being character creation! If my first experience with D&D was with a pre-gen character I probably wouldn't have continued playing.
I also like the idea of a sidekick party!
I just bought the essentials kit tonight. And this will be my first time playing and DMing. And my wife and friends first time playing. I couldn't be more excited!!
Corey s good luck I’m doing same
I have fallen in love with the Sidekicks in the adventure, they are all really great!
They should update the official Basic Rules PDF with this.
I played AD&D and this talk reminded me of two things that the DM had allowed my Dwarf to have and was incorporated into his game.
1) Beard Knots; These knots were made up of various types, sizes, and color of ribbons woven into them. These knots would represent major battles, births (theirs, children's), deaths (family, friends), events (weddings, etc...), gains (awesome weapons, wealth, etc...), loss (awesome weapons, wealth, etc...) and others(?).
2) Dwarven Stone Milk; This liqueur is far stronger then Dwarven Ail and gets better as it ages. It's extremely rare, expensive and exclusive to Kings/Rulers (Knot worthy if found).
It's one of the highest honors for a Dwarf to be served Stone Milk, more so if given a keg (4 gal, hopefully in a bag of holding) of it.
I love how the captions/subtitles keep referring to sidekicks as "psychics". 😅
Oh Quinn. Running around and punching people in the nuts. Truly Shelly's son.
I love that this isnt "just another starter kit", that this introduces things that matter after you finish the campaign. Stuff to give it more worth of cracking that book on ther regular.
As a new DM, this is an amazing kit. The dungeons are linear enough to be a basic guide for the encounters, but there's plenty of room to change things. Love the setting as well as its very classic high fantasy dnd, which is what new players are looking for.
I've been wanting side kicks in the game forever. It's very hard to find enough people to play. Thank the gods lol
Damn it, now I need to buy this just to get the adventure XD
So hype for this. So many friends looking for an easy way to learn and try things out.
I have some friends who have never played before i can't wait to run a game for them where they're ALL sidekicks
Oh God store exclusives have left the video game world and entered board games, I mean I know I need Target to stay open, but I never want to actually go into a store again
Did Chris just say "Streamlined butt fun"?
Roll an Astoglide check
I need this, i have been running lost mine of phadelver and this is perfect!
I love Chris Perkins man; he seems like the kindest business minded person I've ever seen.
Man I wish I waited a few months until this box came out. It looks so good!
I love the direction these guys have taken d&d 👍 well done
So, what this became is just like the Basic Set of old (BECMI), except now with handy cards and DM screen. It's about time.
Love the Essentials Kit! They really designed this to suit the way people play. I have a review with the details on my channel!
I’m 50yrs old, never played D&D but always been aware of it. I just purchased this essentials D&D kit as my first foray into the game. Any further recommendations for me would be appreciated to get up to speed and for quality life upgrades... new excited subscriber from the Uk. Looking forwards to watching your back catalogue of videos sir! atb
Welcome! We recommend joining our Discord (discord.gg/dndbeyond) and our Forums (dndbeyond.com) where there are a plethora of awesome friends who can help with any questions you have!
I feel like they have done the "official" version of all the extra things I had to do for the starter kit (item cards, maps, etc)
How about essential bestiary tokens (to run full combats from the adventure), essential battlemaps and/or tile sets to build maps/layouts from the book/setting?
Wizards is still getting money on the miniatures market, so they're not likely to push tokens like Pathfinder does.
The maps can be downloaded online and printed out, I assume. There are ways to make physical copies of them, and I don't think WotC would be wise to publish full dungeon tile sets specifically for this short module. The Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated boxes are possibly a factor there, but I don't think they're quite good enough to be used for recreating specific dungeon layouts. You can approximate with them, but it won't be exact.
I'd be surprised to see a Maps and Miscellany release for the Essentials Kit, considering how much is included in the set already. The Maps and Miscellany sets for Dungeon of the Mad Mage and for the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica are both fantastic and helpful, but they rely on a lot of cards and map depictions that have already been included in this new release. When they say essentials on the box, they mean it!
All of that is true enough. However, the goal of this box is to be an intro to the game. Including a poster battlemap, or at least a nondescript battlemap, and tokens for the encounters in this box could go a lot further than you or they give credit for. They still make money off of DM screens still, and you could print out your own tracking charts and all that, however they saw fit to include one in this box.
Though it says ‘essentials’, there’s still room to be inclusive of other items to be fully introductory to the game and system and not overlap or overstep on other products. If anything, having those in the box could lead to further sales of those products. Miniatures to replace the tokens, the map tiles reincarnated to replace the battlemap, etc.
You have to remember the need to balance the content vs. the cost a curious person is willing to pay. You can add more content, but it will be at an increase in price. That narrows down the market of buyers.
I finally bought the starter kit because it was on sale at a comic store. Sure, I was interested and wanted to try the game, but I wasn't going to pay $20 for it. I didn't know if I could get a group together. Plus, I'm old enough to remember when the kids at school looked like they were doing math homework instead of playing a game. So, I didn't know if it would be fun.
For $15 it was worth a shot. For anything over $25, I would have bought a videogame.
Oh heck yeah! Character creator for the new one is a great idea!
I picked this up and the other two starter sets so my son and I can learn to play. And my son is going to use one to dm for his new dnd club at school, we're both extremely excited to start!
I don't allow video gaming in my games. those characters tend to die very quickly, and when the player is confused as to why they died, I explain to them it is because they "kicked in the door and attacked a monster" without trap checks, without nature checks on the monster, without perception checks for other enemies etc. video gaming is a common ailment with millennial players.
That DM screen looks so good!
I am really enjoying reading through all of this. I am running Lost Mines for my kids and will absolutely roll this into that!
There are so many useful components in this pack I can't wait to pick it up. It will even be useful for running the first campaign. Win/Win.
“We are not responsible for any Gnomes killed in this adventure.”
“We are just setting the pieces on the board. If you don’t know how to play chess feel free to sit down and play it however you want to.”
This kit has got me into DM'ing and 3 new players learning the ropes. We haven't actually got into the meat of the adventure yet as I created a "tutorial" mission so I could be a bit meta and explain to each character what they can do, and their class features.
I really wish I had spell cards though so the wizard can reference them quicker than the book.
Get ready for me, I’m gonna have no character but play as twenty sidekicks
Aside from a wish for a dedicated Planescape expansion (Avernus is going to be AMAZING but I digress), I am most excited for this box - it helps me to bring the joy I get from DMing to my son. Rock on guys.
Looking forward to what seems to be an amazing set :) and SO HAPPY about the addition of DnD Beyond codes to the physical copies!!!
You know it's a really good advertisement when you watch it for 22 minutes and end up wanting the product really badly.
Dungeons and Dragons?! Maddness!
I'd be curious to know if WotC play tests D&D with people who have never played before? That's not a critique of the how this box was put together. It just brings up the question.
Not merely a question but I think it's a good suggestion if they don't. However, I'm quite sure that the creators have introduced enough players to the game they know the quirks of starting them out.
Thanks for giving big box stores this months before the FLGS that sustain your community and products! We really appreciate how much WOTC has been screwing us lately between DND and MTG
Can never get enough of Chris Perkins!
You: how’s the market reacting?
Lackey: they’re eating it up sir!!!
You: good. let them have their POO and eat it too.
So when is this Essentials Kit coming out? I have been contemplating playing DnD with my little brother. And I want to purchase this asap.
today!!
Here's another idea: All Sidekick game.
The players all choose Sidekicks, and go on an adventure. They aren't heroes - they aren't these larger-than-life figures - they're just normal people. They can't tackle a DnD quest the same way a full Classed PC would. They have to be clever, and be careful. Avoid fights as much as possible, because monsters are so much more threatening. Use hit and fade tactics, and go around problems. Stealth, diplomacy, trickery, and lateral thinking.
Not unlike, indeed, DnD's early years. Where Player Characters were built using the same rules as all other humanoids in the setting, with starting ability scores of 3d6, _period._ Few incredible powers - even spellcasters get only a few castings a day. Players had to use wits, mundane equipment, and incredible precision to succeed, because they were barely removed from common people.
I could care less about the dm screen or cards but I love that it includes a poster map and basic character creation rules in addition to the adventure!!
That sidekick idea is so cool! :D
He is wearing a Beadle and Grimm shirt! That's awesome. It's Matthew Lillard's D&D company.
Looks good, I wish they would add pawns for the adventures and a map of the main dungeon. But overall it’s a step in the right direction.
Crhris looking pretty trim here
Public service announcement to all the hobbyists out there that enjoy the DDAL do not buy this on release wait for the timed exclusiveity to end and buy it at your FLGS support your communities and do not encourage wizards to favor the big box outlets if you can avoid it.
Wish I could but I am starting a campaign next week set in Phandalin. I got no choice, man. I wish WotC would be selling this in FLGS's too.
Buy where ever and how ever you want. This is a public service announcement
As always its your choice as a consumer but when was the last time your target ran friday night magic, adventure league, or wednesday warhammer events? Your local communities need income to thrive and provide table space and events Target will do fine without that income I promise. If target is all you have then thats fine but if you can hold up a buisness that has carried the hobby on its back when it wasnt exploding in popularity I would support those guys so even when the hobby cools it doesnt just evaporate.
Any particular reason they're doubling back support for local game stores, not to mention U.S. exclusivity for two full months? The product sounds fine, but its distribution is dirty. But no, yeah, sure, Acquisitons Incorporated is clearly the more meaningful worldwide product. Whatever you say, WotC.
@Ian Jones Then they can enjoy me not paying for this product.
Lumi Jo the exclusivity is til sept I believe. Just hold back and buy it later.
I am very excited about this, just went to the target website and ordered it since its a Target Only product. That seems weird to me, but at the same time that seems like it might be a score for WotC. I have a 9 yo girl that wants to play, and I have cludged together some sidekick rules for her so I am looking forward to seeing how the sidekick rules in this set work out. You talk about a Product of Opportunity: Here is another one for you. I am sure there are loads of parents out there like me that want to teach our kids D&D, and like me we probably want to start teaching them earlier than the demographic for the Stranger Things Starter Set. And like me dont have time to reinvent the wheel for a kid friendly game. In a kid friendly starter set: We need a sheet that shows pictures of dice and how they match up to the real dice. We need some kid friendly simplistic character sheets. We need some kid friendly adventures. Like all the people over 13 have disappeared in town and its up to the kids of Phandalin to save the day! Do it! You know you can! You know you have enough folks at WotC and the other Seattle gaming group to figure out how to help us parents out?! :) If not ping me! I freelanced in the 4e days, I'd be happy to freelance / consult on some kid friendly D&D stuff.
Build this adventure and sell it on DMs Guild!
This actually makes me so Hyped 😬
Can’t wait to order one
I need that DM screen and those cards. Super hype for the story too!
Sidekicks aren't really a brand new concept in D&D. Older editions had hirelings and such.
1e had a vaguely similar mechanic called "retainers". There was a "morale" mechanic and everything for them. This incarnation seems much more "organic" and promising. I am looking forward to experiencing the new "sidekick" option. I love all the new 5e innovations thus far. Kudos, in advance to W.O.C., for creating another compelling niche product (Just so happens 9/3 is my birthday!).
I love this. But as a DM that travels to play, I'd really like to see books in a form factor like the 4e essentials books, I was really disappointed when I found out that wasn't what we were getting.
Fantastic interview! Thank you!
This sounds awesome. Can't wait to pick this up!
This sounds like a great improvement! I like the sounds of this.
Will sidekicks be added to the DND beyond character creator?
Sidekicks are an option in the Extras tab of the character sheet.
@@sillvvasensei That's awesome to know. As the DM iI had a hard time finding their stats in the adventure compendium but for the players, this is super helpful.
The sidekick system seems really good
I have the box. Now if only I'd find a friend to play with.
Me and my girlfriend want to play more hen once a week someimes so we have a 1 player adventure i run for her Sidekicks for her i voice them for RP so she can have discussions/argmens but she runs them in adventres
I love the Essential Kit I got it as a Christmas gift and have just started DM'ing my first game I will say my only disappointment is the DM screen was pretty shoddy quality-wise
I'm hopeful that wizards will release miniatures (or pawns) related products with this kit...
this kit kicks ass
Reminds me of the henchmen system from AD&D Second Edition.
yeah. I was confused by that. Henchmen and retainers are not new to D&D. They are new to 5th ed though; I wonder if that's what he was saying.
I think it's closer to the Companion feat from 3.X
Sidekicks = Big Trouble in Little China!
Did anyone else think that when he snapped it sounded like the snap in Nintendo Directs?
DM screen has a cat on it *reaches for wallet*
Lol the sidekick that knows better! You mean kato from the original green hornet 😁