Customer Reviews

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2006) (Dungeons & Dragons Game)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The components in this set are:

* 12 miniatures (4 heroes and 8 monsters)
* 4 map tiles, illustrated in color on both sides
* 6 dice (basic, solid colors with white numbers)
* 1 glossy sheet of counters (treasure chests, doors, etc.)
* 4 character booklets, 1 per player during the first adventures
* 1 Dungeon Master booklet, containing five adventures for the characters at level 1
* Advanced Rulebook, which includes level 2 character sheets for the four characters and a sixth adventure for the characters after they've reached level 2 by completing the First Adventure Book

Contrary to the Wizards of the Coast web site, my set has 6 dice, not 7, and 12 miniatures, not 16. There is only one ten-sided die, not two. The actual game box lists the correct components.

I think the components are well worth the money. You get a nice set of miniatures (including a dragon), some colorful map tiles, and a few basic dice. The rules booklets are a different approach, and I think an improvement, from the previous versions' use of character sheets. Each player gets their own character information, plus the basic rules, in one booklet. The Dungeon Master gets a booklet for the first adventures and uses the Advanced booklet after that.

This game will most likely be reviewed in comparison with its predecessors, the earlier D&D Basic Game and the D&D Adventure Game. In comparison to the earlier Basic Game, this set has, on the con side, four fewer miniatures and less interesting-looking dice. On the pro side this set has booklets with more information for each player than just character sheets, character sheets for level 2 in the Advanced Rulebook, and a bigger, bluer dragon.

On the true neutral side, the adventures in this set are presented as a series of one-shot excursions, between which the characters return to town. I haven't played them yet, but I'm guessing this will give players the chance to learn more incremently, take breaks, and talk about what just happened in a different way than with the previous set, which had one, long dungeon. But, even the previous set advised a return to town before encountering the final monster.

Given the quality of components in the Adventure Game, which has a glossy paper map and counters instead of miniatures, and originally sold for just under US$10, this current set is a bargain at the current price.

I like the Adventure Game and I like both versions of the Basic Game. I do not see the Basic Game 2006 as an improvement or enhancement of either of these sets, but simply a different approach. Although you get fewer miniatures and dice without flash, you do get another way to learn the rules. The change from character sheets to booklets, the inclusion of level 2 character sheets, and the separation of the game play into shorter adventures leading to a final, longer adventure are the major changes I see in this latest set. All of these changes give new players a slightly different way to learn the game.

As I am interested in games as learning tools, and love to see games whose creators seem to care about making the learning process easier, I thought this Basic Set's focus on changing the pacing of the first adventures and the amount of information given to players was worth the purchase in itself. And, now, my black dragon has someone to fight.

For slightly fewer components and an interesting, new approach to learning the game, I give the Basic Game 2006 four stars.

Happy gaming.

I recieved this as a christmas gift and I had never played D&D or an RPG before and i was very plaesed with the result!
I opened the box and the first thing to catch your eye is all the wonderfull miniature each in its own plastic bag(i have ead a review on here about the game not coming with stat cards so you cannot play the D&D miniature warband game but you can download and print these off the D&D site.

The rules:nice and strait forward i understood them very fast(Yes, these are very "dumbed" down rules for all us newbies)i played a few rounds by my self (being teh NPC's and teh PC's just to get a hang of it(with can be fun) and then a round with my older brother who thought it was ok but didnt realy get into it, but the next night i played with my sister and now we have been playing it all the time(people say this is more of a mini battle game but me and my sis had a whole game with no die rolling just good old fashioned RPG-ing)
and now i want to advance more so I ordered the D&D players kit(the day after i got the basic game of course) wich looks great!
one of the things i would like better would be to have seperate RPG stat cards for all teh monsters instead of having to flip through teh pages of teh DM book...but thats no biggie.

So I personaly think this is a great game!

My son really is enjoying this game. It is a great game for introducing people to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. I would STRONGLY recommend that you have an experienced Dungeons and Dragons person to be the Dungeon Master. The adventure and rules are completely inadequate for a first timer to be the Dungeon Master in that they do not address the various scenerios that arise from the game or give enough background for the adventure. Without an experienced person being the Dungeon Master, the game could end up being a disaster.

Review by the purchaser's son, age 14.
Summary: Get this for the materials (adventures, figures, etc.) Get the rulebooks for content. Roll some dice. Have fun.

Dnd is a hobby that requires a lot of dedication and the purchase of at least three rulebooks at around $30 apiece. Many new players/DMs will not know if they like Dnd enough to purchase the books they need, and this product is a great jumping-on point. It clearly outlines most of the basic rules. The key word there, however, is "basic." The characters that come with this set do not follow many of the rules presented in the Player's Handbook (for example, skill ranks that are absurdly high) and as such, confusion can be caused when the standard rules are incorporated. The six adventures in this book make up a small but high-quality mini campaign, and your players (I speak as a DM) will be hooked. For the best experience:
1. Purchase the core rulebooks (Player Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) along with this set. Use the miniatures, adventures, and treasure/experience included in this boxed set, but use the standard rules for rolling up (creating) characters and for leveling up that are detailed in the Player Handbook.
2. Take the time to fill out character sheets and you will be rewarded. They provides spaces, blanks, and boxes for just about every variable in Dnd, and it's very hard to stay organized without one.
3. LEARN THE RULES. This is the absolute most important point. Yu don't need to learn about sundering weapons, grappling, bullrushing, and other advanced tactics until you're experienced, but basic rules like skill/ability checks and combat rolls are a must.

Pretty good value for the money, BTW.

REMEMBER: THIS IS THE 3.5 EDITION OF DND. VERSION FOUR COMES OUT IN MAY AND JUNE 2008, BUT THAT WILL NOT MAKE THIS PRODUCT ANY LESS USEFUL. THERE ARE PLENTY OF RULEBOOKS FOR DND VERSION 3.5.

I expected the 2006 Basic Game to improve on the 2004 version. In my opinion it does not, which is disappointing.

This game is less flexible and less useful as a starting point for continuing into more advanced role playing. In the interest of simplicity it removes such core elements of the game as halflings and ability scores. The starter adventure plays more like a board game and less like an RPG than previous versions. Also, the minis included do not have corresponding cards, so are unusable for the D&D minis game.

On the plus side, the dungeon tiles included are nicely designed, and the six-part adventure seems ok. The five individual rule booklets (one for each character and one for the DM) are the best feature, and would make it easier for a group of novice players to learn the game from scratch (no passing the rulebook back and forth). There are a couple of typos, but in general the rule booklets are useful within the limited scope of the starter game.

In summary, this is an ok investment as a stand-alone product for a group who knows nothing about D&D and wants to learn a very limited version of the game. However, this product by itself is not really a role-playing game or D&D.

I recently bought this game because I wanted to get into D&D and thought this would be a good place to start. It is okay if you have never played before and want to learn alittle bit on how to play dnd but you have to use premade characters and the adventure is short and not that great. I bought the three core rulebooks last night so I could get me and a couple other people into it more and have more fun with it. All together I would recommend anyone that has never played and wants to play to pick this game up. You get some cool miniatures and almost a full set of dice.

This product does a very good job of introducing the player(s) to the D&D world. I would suggest it to anyone who has no experience with RPG's and wants to get involved with the granddaddy of them all. It does a nice job of walking the player(s) and the Dungeon Master(DM) through a few scenarios; and is a nice starting point to see if the game will be enjoyable without a high initial investment.

1.you get 4 double side map tile board that can be combined with other dungeon tiles to build various dungeons. very good.
2. great selection of monsters with even couple of goblin and a large blue dragon - see your edition's MM.
3. the heroes: the female one isn't great, but the others are superb.
4. nice dice.

my advice for better rules is get a core rule set.

Pretty good introduction to the game, albeit very simplified. The miniatures come in handy later as part of a larger collection. Most are fairly standard monsters.

I have been interested and wanted to know more about D&D for well over 20yrs, but I always seemed so busy and to take on a new "hobie" and find the time for it was next to impossible. Well now I am disabled and have a lot of time on my hands for checking out all the things I did not have time for when I was younger. I seen this game on Amazon and although it's from 2006 I just had to have it for the price, (under $[...]). I did a little research on The web site "Wizards of the Coast" [...] I have also been learning the Trading Card Game "Magic the Gathering" which you will find on the same site. I learned that the world of D&D seemed to have more than one variation of D&D games, and this game was geared to teach you the basics of "D&D Miniatures" and comes with everything to get you and some friends a good base to start at. You get a 12 miniature figures of Heroes, Monsters and a cool Blue Dragon. 4 booklets for each Hero and a basic Dungeon Master booklet, dice, dungeon tiles, 1 sheet of counters - doors, chests etc. made of glossy cardboard, a getting started 1pg sheet and an Advanced Rule book. This being my 1st D&D game I think it has everything to get you started and if you like it you will have a good foundation to move on to other versions of the game. I also bought this game: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set (D&D Introductory Game), which is similar except it starts on the new version D&D 4 and has cardboard discs instead of the minitures. I have been reading through each set and I think for the price I got much more than I expected, and look forward to get on with playing them. I think I picked a great starting point for the game and recommend anyone interested in D&D to get this set! As a newbie I give it 5 stars!