Dungeons & Dragons fifth version got here with its personal starter set means again in 2014. In it, gamers may undergo the beginning of the Misplaced Mines of Phandelver journey—which started with a harsh goblin ambush that would trigger character deaths, and even wipe out the celebration.
Phandelver was free for some time, making it one of many first entries to D&D for lots of gamers and DMs earlier than it was changed by the brand new paid starter set (in addition to the revamped Phandelver and Beneath: The Shattered Obelisk guide). Now, there’s as a substitute a far easier, streamlined journey up for grabs: Peril in Pinebrook.
To be fully truthful, Pinebrook is designed for youthful gamers. It is sensible to search out methods to ease the youth (or maths-adverse adults) into D&D earlier than they’ve to fret in regards to the distinction between a Melee Assault, a Melee Weapon Assault, and an Unarmed Strike.
By way of doing that, I believe the journey’s largely high-quality. It broadly explains what being a DM means, easing them away from a ‘gamers vs. DM’ mindset. It even shakes off the shackles of ‘by no means say no to your gamers’, a glittering piece of recommendation that is full DM poison in disguise. As a substitute, Pinebrook encourages the extra smart technique of utilizing “‘Sure, and…’ or ‘No, however…'”.
In terms of fight, issues get rockier. The journey does some good issues, simplifying character sheets and casting off initiative orders. Its recommendation on working fight, nonetheless, is basically toothless. This part specifically sticks in my craw:
“Operating an thrilling fight in D&D is sort of a thrilling amusement park experience: the gamers typically need to be scared and excited, however they do not need the thrill to result in sure character demise. That is the place you possibly can carry out storytelling and mathematical magic.”
The part then goes on to suggest the DM unfold out assaults, give the gamers benefit and the enemies drawback, and even have the infant dragon they’re escorting intervene. That is ‘fudging’, and whereas it has its place, it is in no way common recommendation.
I will not say I’ve by no means lied a few cube roll or chipped off a few hit factors, however DMs who fudge all the things rob their gamers of D&D’s most attention-grabbing parts: playing, threat, and consequence. Once more, this can be a guide for youthful gamers—it is high-quality to recommend a DM handles the gamers gently on their first go.
Which is a hair complicated, seeing as rules-as-written, gamers cannot die in Peril in Pinebrook anyway, as talked about in its part on hit factors. “On this journey, a personality at 0 hit factors stays unconscious till they regain hit factors by way of therapeutic or till the top of the encounter, after they regain 1 hit level robotically.” Not a single demise saving throw in sight.
However assuming this stripped-back D&D is focused at an age vary of round 10-15, I believe it is kinda condescending to imagine gamers of that age cannot deal with the danger of character demise, or that they would not discover it thrilling. That is an enormous cognitive leap, particularly contemplating all of the edgy discussion board OCs I keep in mind from my temporary stint as a teen.
This appears like an overcorrection of Phandelver—which is truthful. In case you are not as conversant in fifth version as I’m, the problem there stemmed from degree 1 gamers having a piddly pool of hitpoints. For instance, a Wizard with no Structure bonus has about 4. The goblins deal round 5 factors of injury with their crossbows.
That is sufficient to knock our poor novice mage unconscious, but it surely’s additionally sufficient to simply homicide them outright. On a essential hit, one among these goblins may hit you for 4-14 injury. In the event you take injury that knocks you out, and the remaining injury is greater than your most hit factors, you simply die.
There’s additionally the truth that, being an ambush, there’s an opportunity these goblins would give your entire celebration the “Shocked” situation, inflicting them to face round sucking their thumbs till their second flip of fight.
Clearly, there’s a lot incorrect with the ambush. However I additionally do assume some gamers get hooked by that have. The hazard is what attracts them in. I really feel like several good starter information—even one for youthful gamers—ought to make it clear that is an possibility. It is not like Wizards of the Coast would not know this already. One of many extra in style adventures, Curse of Strahd, depends on mechanical hazard to promote its horror elements.
That is to not say Peril in Pinebrook is a horrible first introduction in itself. I just like the setup—escorting a child dragon again to its mom is a candy idea. I like the way it streamlines your first fight encounters, and the way it prompts the DM to go away breaths in between exposition dumps for the characters to roleplay.
It is definitely not excellent although. If the gamers attempt to hurt the infant dragon, the Captain would not allow them to whereas the journey type of simply shrugs as to what that appears like. In the event that they attempt to assault the mama, the DM is inspired to handwave it, which is a cardinal sin in my thoughts.
The options introduced are ‘have it ignore the assaults’ or, if pushed too far, it breathes magic ‘teleports you exterior’ breath and they do not get a reward. I do not know if any of those choices are higher than giving the factor a really highly effective stat block. There’s additionally a suggestion for it to inform the celebration to ‘cease playing around’, and I can not think about a quicker solution to begin an argument between a desk of 13 12 months olds enjoying a TTRPG for the primary time.
Letting the gamers struggle it and get (non-lethally) trounced with the principles they’ve already understood could be educating second. ‘Positive you possibly can struggle stuff, however it may well flatten you’, fairly than ‘I do not need you guys to assault my large dragon’.
I simply fear that, by treating a ‘softer’ DMing fashion as gospel, alongside a linear journey that encourages railroading, this starter journey dangers giving DMs some unhealthy habits early. Particularly because it’s free, which means gamers of all ages will doubtless go for it as their first introduction to the sport.