The New D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
A Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set For The Next Generation of Heroic Characters
The future of Dungeons & Dragons is NOW with the new D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Dragons of Stormwreck Isle was one of the most exciting announcements made at the 2022 Dungeons & Dragons Direct showcase.
The first 5e (5th edition) game play Starter Set debuted alongside the launch of 5e in 2014 as a boxed set and has stood tall as the definitive resource for beginners. It’s also cemented as one of the most well-rounded sourcebook adventures available for 5e. (Not to be confused with the Essentials Kit that was released in 2019)
With an impending second starter set release comes a ton of expectations and many questions. There is a veil of mystery over many details surrounding the upcoming game but here are specifics we know about the new D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle.
The Dominance of D&D Continues
Dungeons and Dragons was first published in 1974. It’s had its struggles and its fair share of controversies, but it is still around. Not only has it persevered it has exploded in popularity since the release of the Fifth Edition. This is due to many factors – from the emergence of Critical Role, Online play, Stranger Things influence, and overall GREAT 5e writing.
One key element that’s been a mainstay over the last 40 years is the push to offer adventures specifically for beginner players and for Dungeon Masters. This method guarantees a steady flow of new players consistently discovering D&D.
This brings us to the Official Dungeons and Dragons Starter Sets and the changes they will bring.
The D&D Starter Sets are developed as an introduction to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. They simplify the amount of DM planning needed to run a D&D Adventure. The New Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is no different in function, but it does symbolize an evolution in the game.
What’s in the Box: Character Sheets, Playing Characters, Dice, and MORE!
The official Promotional package describes the upcoming Beginner Adventure as such:
“Explore a magical world set in the Forgotten Realms with Everything you need to start playing the world’s greatest roleplaying game.”
“The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is your gateway to action-packed adventures in the cooperative storytelling game Dungeons & Dragons, where heroes battle monsters, find treasure and undertake epic quests. This box contains the essential rules of the game plus everything you need to play heroic characters caught up in an ancient war among dragons as they explore the secrets of Stormwreck Isle.”
THE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS STARTER SET INCLUDES:
- A 48-page adventure booklet with all the rules you need to get started
- A 32-page rulebook for playing characters of levels 1–3
- 5 pre-generated characters, each with a character sheet
- 6 polyhedral game dice (all you need to play NOW)
- Adventures to be played by 1-6 players
Wizards of the Coast’s press release on the topic states that the starter set offers “a more streamlined onboarding experience for new players. It also offers a range of free online digital onboarding tools to further improve the game for anyone playing for the first time”.
The New D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
The Gamer Website GAMERBRAVES sat down to speak with Natalie Egan, Product Manager in the D&D Studio as well as Shelley Mazzanoble, Senior Brand Manager. The conversation helped shine some light on a few things to come in Dragons of StormWreck Isle.
When asked what the New Starter Set includes that Lost Mines of Phandelvare did not, the duo answered:
Egan: The adventure was written with first-time dungeon masters in mind. The dungeons were written with minimal prep work so it’s less intimidating for a brand-new DM.
Mazzanoble: We will also have tutorials on how to read stat blocks since they can be difficult for newcomers.
Egan: From the inception of this product, our goal was to create an introductory experience, suitable for folks playing and DMing for the first time. We’ve had 8 years of fan feedback on the Lost Mines starter set. We considered all of that feedback when making this starter set less intimidating and making it just as easy as possible to get started playing.
Mazzanoble: There are many things to love with the new D&D starter set. It bypasses a lot of the tedious parts by giving players pre-made characters, as well as pre-made adventures to get you right into the action.
Mazzanoble: And there are lots of Dragons!
LOTS OF DRAGONS!
Lack of Dragons is a consistent criticism of the official fifth edition adventures so this is HUGE!!
A Taste of Things to Come
Some recent updates add to the anticipation factor leading up to the game’s release in July 2022. A dedicated Redditor was able to pull info from a Promo Image of the games table of contents. The Promo Image points out that the campaign begins with an arch titled “Welcome to Dragon’s Rest”. Whether coincidence or not, Dragon’s Rest is also the name of a Dragonlance module set on the continent of Taladas.
WizKids also unveiled their newest line of Icons of the Realm painted miniatures for Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. The pack contains minis influenced by the classic 80’s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. The D&D Icons of the Realms: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle contains 5 iconic D&D adventurers!
This includes a Wizard (Presto), a Fighter (Hank), a Rogue (Diana), a Paladin (Eric), and a new Cleric character. Missing from the 80’s cartoon lineup are Sheila the Thief and Bobby the Barbarian. Also missing is Uni the Unicorn.
But wait—There’s MORE!
WizKids will also be releasing D&D Idols of the Realms: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle – 2D. This 2D acrylic miniatures set will debut in August 2022.
This set of 2D acrylic miniatures is designed as a support tool for the upcoming Dragons of Stormwreck Isle adventure. This set includes a Blue Dragon Wyrmling, a Cleric, a Fighter, 7 Kobolds, a Myconid Sovereign, 7 Myconid Sprouts, an Owlbear, a Paladin, a Rogue, 7 Stirges, and a Wizard.
There are a great many details yet to come so be sure to stay tuned!
There are big questions for the new Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle.
Will this be a 5e-specific adventure? Will it be a hybrid transition to a rumored 5.5e or sixth edition of D&D? If so what will THAT look like? Will it be compatible with the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide?
The New D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
The game releases on July, 31st 2022 and will answer all these questions!
It won’t be long before we unleash our character abilities in high fantasy perilous adventures and battle legendary monsters!
So, make sure and catch up on these Nerd Night News Exclusive articles about The World’s Greatest Role Playing Games!
WILL YOU BE PLAYING the NEW Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set?
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AND WHY?
LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW!
I have the game, the resources they talk about are just a series of youtube “how to play” that are accessed via a link OR a qr code. The characters from the Cartoon are in the artwork but are not in the adventure at all. even the character sheets of the premade characters do not match up to the cartoon characters (or the minis of the cartoon characters) each premade has its own artwork / portrait an none of them fit the cartoon characters from the rest of the art. The only one closely resembles is the HALF ELF Archery FIGHTER. but it is obviously not hank because Hank was human. otherwise I really don’t see any difference between this and the first starter set, but this is not a bad thing because so far both starter sets in my opinion have been far better than most of the other hardcover adventurers D&D 5e has put out. but if your buying this set out of pure nostalgia of the cartoon, prepare to be disapointed.
I was a bit deflated as well. I was hoping there were more nods to the cartoon besides the artwork. Overall, I’m still enjoying the Starter Set and looking forward to running it!
Thanks David!