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Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game
- 1–5 players
- 60 min
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- 2010
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- BGG #3,689
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
2008
Rules assistance for Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a board game released in 2008 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Bill Slavicsek and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Storytelling, and Role Playing.
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About the game
Another board-game format introduction to the Dungeons & Dragons RPG. This is essentially a 4th Edition update to the previous "Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (2000)", "Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2004)", and "Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2006)", with pre-generated characters, a Dungeon Tiles-based game board, complete set of standard polyhedral dice, monster and PC tokens, and a "Quick-Start Rules" book for players and a "Dungeon Master's Book" with advanced rules, short pre-generated adventures, and information for creating more adventures. From the back of the box and inside cover of the rule books: ~~~~~ "Enter a World of Adventure and Imagination! Run the Game: build your own dungeons and pit your friends against monsters and villains! Play the Game: explore the dungeon with your friends, fight the monsters, and bring back the treasure! Everything you need to start playing now! - Over 50 full-colour character and monster tokens - 3 sheets of double-sided D&D Dungeon Tiles - 16-page 4th Edition Quick-Start Rules - 64-page Dungeon Master's Book - 6 dice "Welcome to the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game! This is the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set, your introduction to the worlds and adventures of D&D. The newest edition to the Dungeons & Dragons Rolpeplaying Game showcases an evolution to gameplay and puts an emphasis on fun. You, the Dungeon Master (DM), can build and populate dungeons so that your friends can explore fantastic locations, trade quips with terrible villains, and defeat vicious monsters. Together, you and the players (through their characters) tell amazing stories and have a great time." ~~~~~ NOTES: Another version of Wizards of the Coast's dungeon crawl board game-style introduction to D&D, inspired by boardgames like "HeroQuest" and "Advanced HeroQuest" (which in turn were inspired by the original Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games.) These basic/starter boxed sets attempt to bridge the gap between miniatures board games, miniatures war games, and role-playing games by using a board-and-counter/miniature format with simplified versions of the Dungeons & Dragons rules. This entry returns to cardboard counters used in the 2000 "Adventure Game" version, after a couple "Basic Game" versions using miniatures released in 2004 and 2006; this version updates the rules set to D&D 4th Edition, and continues the tradition of including completely new adventures and selections of monsters and pre-generated player characters, but is otherwise virtually the same product as its predecessors, and this line of games would be joined in 2010 by yet another updated, "Red Box" 4th Edition Essentials basic/starter game version. All these basic/starter games are direct fore-runners of the "Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System" boardgames ("Castle Ravenloft" and "Wrath of Ashardalon"), which are still simplified versions of the D&D rules set using tile-based game boards and miniatures. The box cover of this version says "2-5 players", but there are enough included materials for 6 players (5 pre-generated Player-Characters, and one Dungeon Master.) Dungeons & Dragons Starter Sets: 2nd Edition: The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons and Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition/3.5 Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game 4th Edition: Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set 5th edition is an RPG item: Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Wizards of the Coast
Questions and answers
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Adventure, and Game System. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Storytelling, and Role Playing. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set are: Bill Slavicsek. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.