Proximity, whim, and the frozen margarita I had with brunch led me to Target, where I purchased the latest - and currently exclusive to Target until October - Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set. It was concealed behind a wall of Essential Kits, making it a bit like buried treasure, so my apologies to whomever had hidden it away - I scored your Starter Set!
The cover, as well as the interior art throughout, also hints at the inclusion of the kids from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon of yesteryear. But hints are all we get - not even the 5 pregens represent the kids.
Instead we get a High Elf Wizard, a Dwarf Cleric, a Human Paladin, a Wood Elf Fighter, and a Halfling Thief. Check them out here.
If I want more on the cartoon kids, I need to buy the Icons of the Realms: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle.
From Wizkids, and admittedly cool.
Except that Sheila and Bobby (and Uni) are missing, and a Cleric (Aleena?) has been added. All of which now exist in the Forgotten Realms.
Imagine that.
The adventure itself is usable, with sidebar notes for upgrading the main encounter areas if the PCs are higher than recommended levels. I'm incapable of running something as is, but the maps and encounter areas are certainly a solid start point for the adventure-strip-miners out there. Even the main adventure arc of preventing the Blue on the cover art from ascending is a usable idea, to include the background on WHY this island is where it needs to take place (spoiler: because 5 other dragons' remains are scattered around the island - ripe for enterprising PCs to harvest the bones from for profit).
It's a Starter Set in a box, so it sits well on my bookshelf next to the initial Starter Set and Essentials Kit boxes. It could use a seventh die, notably a 10-sided with 10s on it, as well as better production values for the rules - they are useable, but feel like comic books. Give me the three-hole punched booklets of the Moldvay box!
If you've $20 and a nearby Target, there are worse things you could buy.
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