Customer Reviews

Dungeon Master's Kit: An Essential Dungeons & Dragons Kit (4th Edition D&D)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Length:: 9:34 Mins

In this short video, I'm unpacking the recently released Dungeons and Dragon Essentials: Dungeon Master's Kit.

I'm putting this video up as a reference so other DM's who are thinking about buying this kit can have some idea of what they are getting.

In summary, you get:

1 272 page book
1 DM's screen
2 adventure booklets
2 double sided battle maps
3 sheets of tokens

You get the D&D Essentials Dungeon Master's Book.

At a glance this appears to be basically an abridged version of the DM Guide.

It discusses combat concepts, summarizes other game rules, gives notes on setting up an adventure's background, and it also has a few special items listed in back (though I don't know if they are unique to this book or not).

I'm assuming some of the rule updates and clarifications issued since 4.0 Dungeon Master's came out are included in this book.


There's nothing special about the included DM screen as far as I can tell.
It appears to be the same one I already have.


The two included booklets comprise an adventure called Reavers of Harkenwold, parts 1 and 2.

Part 1 is subtitle: The Iron Circle
It looks like you can play this adventure with just the battle maps included

Part 2 is subtitled: The Die Is Cast

It makes use of the maps included with the kit, but appears to include battle scenes where no map is provided. I'm assuming those will have to be conducted on a blank battle map.


There are two double sided Battle Maps

The first battle map has two full poster size maps covering each side. One one side is small farm, and the other side is a small castle.

The other Battle Map has two half poster size maps on each side. On one side half the map a small tavern and stable, and the other half is cave

On the flip side there a map of an outdoors scene with some sort of Stonehenge type ruins set next to an abandoned cart. Opposite of that is a dungeon scene that seems to cater to some sort of wizard.


There are three sets of Tokens. Two sets of tokens appear to be player and NPC tokens. The other set is a collection of monsters. Some of these tokens I've seen before in various other D&D starter sets I've picked up

And that... petty much sums up what you get

This 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons product from the Essentials line generally achieves its intended purpose: providing an economical entry point into running a 4th edition D&D game. (If you're completely new to role-playing games and tentatively testing the gaming waters, the new red box Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game: An Essential D&D Starter (4th Edition D&D) is a cheaper trial/demo you can consider.)

The Amazon description is slightly inaccurate: There is no 32 page monster book. The heart of the product is the 96 page rule book. It's well written and provides great advice for how to run a game, including an emphasis on encouraging a fun, collaborative, and imaginative shared experience.

The two adventure booklets comprise two parts of a campaign designed to take a party of adventurers from 2nd to 4th level. They are also well written with a clear layout format that makes them easy to run. The adventure itself is laudable in it's immersion into the environment, flexibility of options, and creating the feeling that the heroes' actions have repercussions. Clear illustrations use the provided maps and tokens.

One large two-sided poster map could be cut into two pieces for easier use/portability. The art style is an exact copy of the Dungeon and Dragon tile sets, which is a plus for consistency and integrating those maps with tiles you have or plan to purchase. The other map, also two-sided, is well drawn and complex. It's a distinctly different style. It shares the same strengths and weaknesses as many good poster sized maps: interesting layouts but limited ability to reuse.

I'm not a fan of flat cardstock tokens. They are more difficult to identify around a table and sometimes awkward to manipulate. They may not take well to whatever method you use to show marks/status effects. Stand-up paper miniatures are more functional if actual plastic/metal figures are not viable.

The DM screen is useful with the updated tables and status effects. It uses the exact same art as the older (out-of-date and mistake-ridden) heavier DM screen Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Screen. Although thinner, it seems durable and is lighter for easier transportation. (While it may not be as an attractive of an experience, larger-type player-side tables for conditions and/or actions might be more helpful than the panoramic mural.)

This kit is harder to recommend for veteran players. The rules updates are fairly easy to incorporate if you have the original Dungeon Master's Guide. The updated DM screen is nice, but may not justify buying the kit. The Rules Compendium Rules Compendium: An Essential Dungeons & Dragons Compendium (4th Edition D&D) is more than sufficient to keep abreast of the many "updates."

If you're new to Dungeons & Dragons, or just starting to build your collection, the Kit is a much more worthwhile purchase.

I got this book last week. Good stuff. People not playing 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons may be wondering what to buy and I would say if you're interested in creating your own world or just running your own game with published adventures, this is all you need.

Wizards of the Coast has been releasing Essentials products for a couple months now, but most of them are either for kids -- i.e. the Red Box Starter Kit -- or current 4e players and DMs -- i.e. the Rules Compendium. This is the box you need if you want to DM and don't already have the Dungeon Master's Guide. The DMG is actually a good book, but then they released the DMG 2 and maybe even the DMG 3. The Essentials line seems to be saying, "Forget all that stuff and all those supplements. This is all you need to play the game!" I couldn't agree more. The heart of the kit is the Dungeon Master's Book, which contains all the charts, rules, tips and examples you need to get a game up and running. Encounter design; combat; travel across the land; skill challenges. It's all in there.

WotC has made it incredibly easy to get into the game. You don't even need any of the player's books anymore. Just download the Character Builder from their website and buy this kit. Voila! You're roleplaying your own game for $26.

Of course, they know you're going to get hooked on the game and want to buy their other books -- or tiles or miniatures -- so they're not worried about cannabilizing the sales of their other products. Love it but want to create a PC with pen & paper? Buy the Player's Handbooks I, II & III or the softcover "Heroes of" series. Want to create dungeons filled with monsters of your choosing? Then buy the Monster Vault or all 3 Monster Manuals.

One more thing. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it's really not for people who already have their products. So if you already have the Dungeon Master Guides or even the Rules Compendium, some of the stuff is necessarily repeated here so save your money.

This box set includes monster and player tokens, two adventures booklets, a Dungeon Master's book and a DM screen and relevant maps for the adventures.

The adventure is not a continuation from the previous adventure included in the red box. As far as I can see, it's simply another adventure set in the Nentir Vale. This is consistent with WOTC's apparent policy in letting the players 'fill in the gaps' when it comes to narrative structure which can be simultaneously freeing and frustrating. And while there are two booklets, it is simply one adventure.

The monster and player tokens will definitely come in handy but I'm going to need a way to organize them because trying to dig through a pile of small shiny cardboard pieces when all I need is a goblin is not my definition of fun.

The DM'S screen feels a bit flimsy but it does indeed stand up and incorporates current errata, which means my old screen will probably be retired, unless I simply attach this flimsier version to the inside of the old, sturdy copy.

The maps are maps. Nothing special. My one complaint with WOTC maps is that when you try to play with tokens, they will slide all over the place where the map is folded or buckled because the tokens are too light to hold it down. This is a PITA in actual play.

Oddly enough, I've looked at the DM's guide the least. With the Rules Compendium and the DM screen and previous DM's guides, I'm interested to see how much I actually use this one. I'll update this section once I've used this more.

Overally, a very solid product from WOTC. This would be a great gift for the 4th ed DM in your life and it would let Red Box enthusiasts continue their adventures in the Vale.

Many reviewers here are saying that if you have the original DMG and/or lots of minis, you probably won't get much new out of this and would be better off with just the rules compendium book.

I agree with them somewhat, but I went and bought this even though I have the original 4e hard backs and a carp-load of plastic minis... Despite that, I *really* like this set.

The Good:

There are a lot of figure flats, especially of player character races. While I prefer minis, this is a good set for people who don't want to spend a lot of cash on plastic. There is a selection of monsters outside of the ones presented in the modules to help expand the monsters available to a GM. Between the humanoid flats and the mix of monsters, this is a really good set for people who want a variety of figure tokens. Combined with Monster Vault, the selection of flats really shines.

The revised rule book is excellent. I think this is a better book than the original 4e DMG even though it's mostly a reformatted reprint. It's better organized and the copy-writing has improved. There is some scenario material in the DMG that was left out of the Kit, but that's somewhat minor complaint.

I like battle maps, and the ones included are nice. As others have noted, some are more re-usable than others, but all in all, the maps are pretty good.

The DM screen also offers a lot of extra value. While it is not quite as thick cardstock as the version that was sold on its own, as long as you take some care with it, it should hold up well.

The Awesome:

The adventure booklets included in the kit are beyond excellent. The early 4e modules were so disappointing, with most of them being grind-it-out dungeon crawls. Reading the adventure books in the DM Kit were a joyful epiphany by comparison.

The encounters are non-linear and allow the DM to "get off the rails" and give the players some flexibility. The Iron Circle also makes for a great villain group that could continue to antagonize the players deeper into a long running campaign. The plot, while relatively simple, offers lots of variety and opportunities for GM improvisation. This is the way I hope many more future 4e modules will be written (the HS1: Slaying Stone module has a similar sand-box feel). The modules make the play value of the Kit go way, way up.

The Mediocre:

OK, maybe mediocre is too harsh, but here is what I see is a big con, and it really applies to the whole Essentials line:

I get that the trade paperback format is cheaper than hardback which means WotC can offer a reasonably good value in these box sets. However, the Essentials books, while good for reading, are less good when playing around the table top. Hardbacks can lie open to a page without hurting the binding. This is basically impossible with a trade paperback-style book without really stressing the binding. It will be interesting to see how these books hold up to a lot of play. I prefer the way a hard back can lie flat, open to a particular set of rules. This is slightly less important for the DM Kit book than it is for the Monster Vault, Rule Compendium or new player's books... but it's still something to note.

On a tangential note:

The WotC MSRP for the Kit is a little high. The Amazon price is good, but the high MSRP on these box sets penalizes local game stores because of how deeply Amazon can discount. This is a shame, because I try give my local game stores as much business as I can, but when the discount is so deep from Amazon, it's hard to justify that extra $15. WotC could drop the cover price a little while also encouraging its distributors to level the playing field more for the non-chain stores. A price differential of $10 or less would likely put more money into the local economies. Game stores keep the hobby alive, but Amazon is like the guy selling stuff out of the back of a van -- you know you shouldn't, but you can't resist the prices.

I've only been playing 4th Edition D&D since October 2010 and I've fallen in love with the game. One of the essentials in having the game run smoothly is the Dungeon Master's Kit. It comes with some handy token pieces to use, a screen, some basic level pre-made campaigns, and a book which has the core, basic set of rules, Dungeon Master advice, and the vital statistics of some common monsters you will find in the Dungeons & Dragons world. Before I myself got the core rulebook set for 4th Edition, my friends and I were dependent on that little DM book to help us out.

I would recommend this on the basis for the rule book inside. The token pieces are always a nice help, since miniatures (which I've considered buying) are quite expensive. The maps inside are for the pre-made campaigns, but they're always nice to have and to change around for future, custom campaigns. I would still get it even if you'd have all the rulebooks that are currently published for 4th edition. It's a nice, quick-to-the-point reference and go-to kit for any group of adventurers.

After seeing the poor reviews for the Red Box, I decided to buy this as an alternative start-up kit. I thought it was a very nice quality set, and aside from the class books, it had almost everything my friends and I needed to start playing.

I think my one complaint is the lack of a dry-erase grid. I can understand not including dice, because they would add quite a bit of cost to production. However, they include two double-sided battle maps. I would have greatly prefered they only gave one double sided map of a few of the more highly used maps, and then provided a blank grid instead of the other map. Some of the encouters don't take place on the given maps anyways, so I don't think it'd be too detrimental to take away a few more of them.

Overall though, it's a good kit. The book provided tells you all the rules that are important enough to care about, and you can more-or-less start playing with just this, one of the class books, and a set of dice. You'll just have to reuse a map or two and pretend to not notice the striking resemblence.

Great product! I don't want to go into what this box has, as others already have, but I would like to comment on a few of it's aspects. First of all, the screen included is gorgeous...the artwork is superb and it contains four glossy panels. I like that it is shorter than typical 11" tall DM screens, so it's easier to reach over. Some people complained the screen is flimsy; I disagree. It's reasonably sturdy (maybe won't stand up in those 30-MPH-Wind power sessions, but I dont think anything will!), and again the art is so well done (the player side is covered in a variety of iconic monsters, from ropers to fire giants) that I told my players this is the nicest screen I've ever seen.
Second, the inclusion of more tokens is a must-have for the economical DM. The DM book included is well written, with some sage advice for writing and adjudicating entire campaigns, quests, and adventures. The included adventure is so well written. I told my players I wanted to get them a stronghold early in the campaign, and this adventure contains one...though I'll have to kill off the rightful owner, or perhaps he can die of old age and leave it the PC's in a will IF they do such-and-such...
All in all a great product. I like keeping the campaign notes etc in the box between sessions. I must say I like everything about this product, and the Essentials line in general. I've been DMing for over 20 years, and am pleased I got this.

If you have the Dungeon Master's Guide you don't really need this product. If you prefer to have a book with updated errata and that excites you, then you may want this product. The real reason to score this boxed set is the adventure that comes with it. The Reavers of Harkenwold is outstanding! It is a great mini campaign with plenty of opportunity for a DM to add his or her own flair. The monster tokens are really useful. I tend to use miniatures for the games I run, but keeping the tokens that have come with the Essential line products is great for when your PCs do the unexpected- you can reach into your bag of tokens and find something fast so your game mat (or tiles) don't fill up with dice or coins.

Outstanding!

This is a very solid product. The book is full of good information. It also comes with plenty of good extras. I also found the price to be very good. Along with other products in the Essentials line, I am up and running some good games.