The D&D Essentials Kit Review – A New DM’s Perspective

Now, several years on, I find myself playing in two campaigns, running one for my family (a miracle in and of itself), and contemplating starting another. That might not seem like much to people who have five, six or more campaigns running concurrently. But for everything else going on in my life, I’d say I’m pretty invested at this point.

When I first started thinking about Dungeon Mastering, I figured I’d ease myself in. I’d read through some of the handbooks and figure out exactly what to do. But then I was given the D&D Essentials Kit as a gift, and that plunged me straight down the rabbit hole. My group still hasn’t finished the campaign that makes up the Essential Kit’s adventure. But we’ve made our way through enough of it to tell it’s a rather helpful place to start for anyone wanting to learn how to run the game.

A Brief D&D Essentials Kit Review

What Does It Come With?

On the front of the Essentials Kit itself, it reads, “Everything you need to create characters and play new adventures in this introduction to the world’s greatest roleplaying game.” And that’s not an overstatement. Of course, players and DM alike could benefit from having the respective handbooks available. But the Essentials Kit ensures they aren’t necessary for first-time players who want to learn the basics of D&D. This set includes:

• A fundamental D&D rulebook
• An introductory adventure for levels 1-6, called Dragon of Icespire Peak
• A double-sided poster map depicting the adventure region
• A Dungeon Master’s screen with helpful information printed on the inside
• Enough blank character sheets for 6 players
• 11 polyhedral dice
• Over 80 cards that describe magic items, potential sidekicks and more

Really, it seems like the only things missing are a few pencils and a box of pizza. Because apart from those “necessary” components, the Essentials Kit provides everything new players could want when starting on their first RPG adventure.

But that doesn’t even begin to touch on the quality of the materials themselves. All of the printed material, from the handbook and adventure guide to the glossy cardstock used for the magic item cards, is sturdy and durable. And the fact that the kit includes item descriptions at all saves both DM and players quality adventuring time. This way, newfound items can simply be passed around the table instead of looked up and written down. In that sense, the provided material contributes well to the expediency of play and helps keep the adventurers in-game.

Initial Character Setup

One of the best parts of starting a new D&D campaign is character creation. There’s something intrinsically fun about getting to choose your race and class, then come up with a fitting background. In comparison with a full adventure, the Essentials Kit rulebook includes a limited number of options for race and class:

And for anyone just starting out, this truncated list helps narrow down the options and avoid undue confusion. But that doesn’t mean the adventure must be limited to the races and classes listed in the rulebook. It’s entirely possible for adventurers who want to use different races or classes to look them up on sites like D&D Beyond. So, while this information isn’t included in the Essentials Kit, it’s a free option for expanding possibilities when creating the ideal character.

The Adventure

The Essentials Kit explicitly markets itself as an introductory campaign for levels 1-6. But the length of the adventure itself depends solely on the group playing. Because like with anything in Fifth Edition, the players may take the expedition to completely unexpected ends. The published adventure, primarily set around the town of Phandalin, carries enough content to give new players a good taste for D&D. But it isn’t difficult for new DMs to start adding additional sidquests, mosters and backstory once they get a handle on the basics.

Another selling point for the adventure is the inclusion of rules for sidekicks. Typically, D&D campaigns require a group of people to come together in order to play. However, those starting out for the first time might be unnerved by playing with a crowd. To combat that, the sidekick rule system allows the DM to take a single player through the campaign. Instead of extra adventurers, they are aided by different characters they meet throughout their journey. So, it is perfect for anyone who’s nervous about their first time playing. Because it allows a small group to try it out and get the basics down before adding additional players to the next campaign.

The DM Experience

The Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure guide makes leading this short campaign as easy as possible for new Dungeon Masters. Throughout the book, there are numerous tips, maps, tables and explanations for how to run a sequential adventure. Here, players make choices and certain consequences follow based on those actions. So, from the magical caves of Gnomengarde to the frigid mountaintop hold on Icespire Peak, DMs will always have the info they need to run a successful and entertaining game.

Price

The D&D Essentials Kit is currently available on Amazon for only $16.00, an almost unbeatable price for everything the kit includes. Typically, at it’s highest, the set runs about $20.00-$25.000 in stores, still an amazing bargain for the adventure. So, for anyone who wants to try out D&D but isn’t sure whether they’ll like it or not, this set is the perfect option for a low-price but high-quality test run.

Moving Beyond the D&D Essentials Kit Review — The Best Tools for DMs

The Essentials Kit includes everything that new players need in order to get started with their first D&D campaign. However, there are additional materials which could help enhance the experience even more. So, for anyone looking for a more in-depth experience with the Essentials Kit, some helpful additional items to purchase include:

• The Player’s Handbook — The essential and comprehensive reference guide for adventurers in any D&D campaign. It includes guides for character creation and leveling, common shop and item information, as well as spell lists and other information.
• The Dungeon Master’s Guide — A core rulebook for running D&D campaigns. This handbook shows DMs how to craft the world around their campaigns to create truly memorable roleplaying experiences. It also highlights tips for treasure, magic items, monsters, and creating unforgettable NPCs (non-player characters).
• Kraken Dice — Every player needs a good set of polyhedral dice, and Kraken has hundreds of options to choose from. You can find resin, metal and stone options, then select the perfect color scheme to get a personalized set of dice for your adventure. Prices vary, but some starts even start as low as $8.00.
• Kraken Quick Mats — Helpful square grid mats with different environmental backgrounds to help visualize battles and different strategies while adventuring.
• Miniature Market — The perfect place to find miniature figures that represent player characters and monsters during battles or other adventuring scenarios.

Conclusions for the D&D Essentials Kit Review

Hopefully, this D&D Essentials Kit review has helped you determine whether you might want to give it a shot. As a new Dungeon Master, the Essentials Kit was the perfect starting place to help me get my footing. The abundance of helpful materials included as well as the easy-to-navigate adventure guide make this a great addition for anyone looking to get started in the world of D&D. And at such a low price, it’s virtually a risk-free way to test the waters and determine whether tabletop RPGs are something you might enjoy.