There’s a mistake in the Wizard section of the Essentials character-creation. A starting wizard has a +4 Intelligence modifier (or +3 if a dwarf). When introducing AC, the rules say “Your AC is 10 + your Intelligence modifier.” Then, in fake-handwriting font, the book shows your armor class, written on your character sheet, as 15. That’s probably going to confuse some n00b trying to follow the math. Oh well. I’m sure that the n00b will come up with some cockamamy rationale for it, which rule misunderstanding will become a crazy house rule, which will set the kid’s feet on a path which lead to greatness as a game designer. Either that or this is the mistake that will ruin the American educational system.

I bet the person who was writing up the AC forgot that for some reason they had decided to give out bad character creation advice and so gave the wizard a reasonable AC of 15 under the assumption that ANY reasonable wizard would have an Intelligence of 20 instead of a mediocre 18 or EVEN MORE mediocre 16!

More Red Box thoughts…

The big difference between the wizard and the fighter path through the initial Essentials starter adventure is that the wizard has a lot more power choices to make. This will be true throughout the career of the class, so I think it’s neat that they made the wizard section extra complicated.

In a nice bit of Choose Your Own Adventure design, the wizard battle lasts exactly two rounds. Each round, the wizard chooses between two different at-will attack powers. At the end of the fight, the wizard has used two – exactly two – attack powers. And that’s it: the wizard has chosen all of his at-will powers for the game.

The wizard also has something else to experience that the fighter doesn’t have to deal with: enemies with hit points. The fighter hacked down some minions and called it a day. The wizard, on the other hand, can choose to fight minions or shoot (and be shot at by) a goblin archer with real hit points and real variable damage. Neither the wizard nor the goblin archer will have time to die during the two-round combat, but the wizard learns something the fighter doesn’t: he’s not the only badass in the room.

More Red Box thoughts…

The choose-your-own-adventure used for character creation/rules walkthrough is quite well-executed. You’re on a wagon with a dwarf merchant. Your embryonic, any-color hero is ambushed by goblins. Based on how you react, the game recommends a character class to you. You make choices first, and then learn mechanics.

Your four potential character classes all lead through the same goblin battle. If you’re like me, you’ll try all the classes; and furthermore, you’ll read all the text blocks to see the options you didn’t choose. Luckily, the options are sequenced by character class, so reading the book in order doesn’t give you a confusing mess; it gives you, in order, the slightly-branching but easy-to-follow stories of a fighter, wizard, rogue, and cleric each fighting goblins.

The adventures for the different classes each have to provide much of the same game information, so there is a lot of repeated text; but there are a few surprising differences for each class.

Before we get to the classes, though, the game asks us some role-playing questions. “Think for a moment about what your character hopes to achieve. […] Are you setting out on a life of adventure on purpose – or about to stumble into one by accident? Are you heading to the town to see someone you know, or perhaps to pay your last respects to a relative who has died?”

I think my character hopes to achieve fame and fortune as a merchant prince. He needs trade goods, so he’s hoping his merchant companion will have a tragic accident on the road. He doesn’t have the guts to murder the merchant in cold blood, but maybe if there’s a fight… weapons can slip…

More Red Box thoughts…

The Essentials Players Book, like the 1983 Mentzer Player’s Book, starts with a solo adventure that teaches the basic D&D concepts. One difference is that in Mentzer, you play a male human fighter – a lovable, goofy, dumb fighter. In Essentials you can build any of the 4 main D&D classes: fighter, wizard, cleric, and rogue. But that choice comes later. First you choose your gender, race, and appearance.

“Your hero can be a human, an elf, a dwarf, or a halfling […]. Your character can be male or female, and can have whatever color skin, hair, and eyes you can imagine.”

Wow, I feel like I’m drinking from the firehose of narrative power! My character will forever define my unique spirit! I think I’ll be an elf with ebony skin and violet eyes!

More Red Box thoughts…