Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Review

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is a readymade campaign, perfect for D&D initiates who want to try out the game. The set comes with an adventure booklet, a rulebook, 5 pre-generated character sheets, and 6 game dice. The adventure booklet is only for the eyes of the dungeon master, or “DM” for short. This booklet is robust, beginning with a brief description of what a dungeon master is, their responsibilities, and common game mechanics you’ll need to be familiar with. The rest of the booklet is dedicated to an outline of the adventure, plus an item appendix and bestiary. If this seems really complex, that’s D&D baby! Thankfully, the booklet forewarns you about improvisation as well, a HUGE part of being a DM.

The Rulebook is for everyone’s reference, going into detail about everything from spell behavior, to items, game mechanics, and even the basics of how to play the game. The back has a handy list of common statuses for quick reference. Of course one of the coolest things about this set is the pre-made character sheets, allowing players to pre-class, but still fill in name, physical description, and personality. This takes a LOT of the pressure off of making a character, letting you jump into “the fun part” immediately (if you stick around with the hobby though, min maxing a character is it’s own reward.) The races are chosen for you, which, based on how 5e works (long story), does make sense, but that does deprive the player of some key agency in the realization of their character.