Unboxing the New D&D Red Box

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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Unboxing the New D&D Red Box

In a reboot of the old school, Wizard of the Coast's new Red Box Starter Set aims to introduce new players to D&D.

Dungeons & Dragons released the Red Box starter set in 1983 edited by Frank Mentzer. More streamlined and intuitive than the previous Red Box by Robert Moldvay and the blue-boxed starter set from 1977, the Mentzer Red Box introduced hundreds of thousands of people to tabletop roleplaying. For many, that product captured their imaginations and led to a decades-long love affair with fantasy roleplaying.

Since then, Dungeons & Dragons has passed through many corporate hands and several revisions to its rules. Now in its 4th Edition and published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, D&D still aims to capture the wonder felt when children first opened that crimson box adorned by a dragon and fighting man so long ago.

The new 4th Edition Red Box has everything that you need to run and play a game of Dungeons & Dragons, from dice to maps to character sheets and tokens. Wizards was kind enough to send along some Funyons and Cheetos, as well as a few miniatures and graph paper, all essential tools to any good tabletop game.

Take a look at the photos of our unboxing of The Escapist's Red Box. The plan is to lock some of our less-experienced gaming employees in a room with the Red Box, the Funyons and some foam swords. Four hours later, they will have become grognards like the rest of us.

Either that, or they will be dead from Funyon poisoning.






















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Dana22

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Sep 10, 2008
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Cheetos ? Really ? Are they reinforcing the stereotype on purpose ?
 

thenumberthirteen

Unlucky for some
Dec 19, 2007
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Oooh. All parcels should come with snacks. Maybe the next Fallout will come with a tin of out of date beans and a bottle of flat cola.
 

kintaris

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Apr 5, 2010
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thenumberthirteen said:
Oooh. All parcels should come with snacks. Maybe the next Fallout will come with a tin of out of date beans and a bottle of flat cola.
The New Vegas collectors' edition comes with stimpaks, but sadly these are in-game. Shame, as I was looking forward to hurling myself off a cliff and then injecting myself with a tiny syringe to heal all my broken bones instantly.

OT: Are the Cheetos there to serve as impromptu monster hordes when peoples' creativity/patience/Warhammer kits run out?
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Squeeeeeee....I actually have the ORIGINAL('83) of that somewhere. Play Keep on the Borderlands.

But where the hell is the Irn Bru/Vimto(UK)/Mountain Dew(US)?
 

tenny20ca

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Sep 18, 2008
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I've been DMing 4e for a while now, I can't wait for a follow up article on this to see how the staff at the escapist likes DnD 4e.

Any game nights are nothing without a few beers and chips. I always compare them with poker nights, same thing different game.
 

Feystar

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Jun 19, 2010
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The art style seems to have gone very retro, kind of back to the original TSR version. Looking good. Haven't tried v4 though so can't comment on the contents.
 

Croaker42

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Feb 5, 2009
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Cheetos..... really? Don't they know what that orange powder crap will destroy anything of pnp gaming value?

I am all for snacks at the gaming table (and a goodly amount of booze) but WotC should have learned by now that snacks hard candy, jellybeans (of the belly variety) red vines and trucker style caffeine pills...... well perhaps not the pills.

I am happy for this redbox though. PnP gaming is still going strong.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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Thats alot of crisps...what they saying about people? lol

Still, very nice!
 

Carlston

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Apr 8, 2008
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I love the old box style, It's the dnd I played as a kid.

They can also ram the cheetos up their arse. Why not add same wizard outfits, moutain dew, and pimple cream while they are at it... your first rule of marketing don't insult your buyer by calling them a nerd.

How bout a Madden 12 game collectors set with hotwings, beer, a fine for beating your wife and report from school saying your kid is a mental wreck cause daddy forced them to far in sports because dad played and failed to make the pros? Oh and a stained wife beater and a failed fantasy football team list...

Come on, sterotypes bad.
I used to snack on beef jerky my friends dad made... lot healthier.

Still to this day I have memories of playing these games, more of kicking out fake jocks who wanted to play to make fun of us, a selection of real cute girls who joined, and normally a bottle o rum to make it more interesting gaming party.

All this in the days of atari...
 

Slycne

Tank Ninja
Feb 19, 2006
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Croaker42 said:
Cheetos..... really? Don't they know what that orange powder crap will destroy anything of pnp gaming value?

I am all for snacks at the gaming table (and a goodly amount of booze) but WotC should have learned by now that snacks hard candy, jellybeans (of the belly variety) red vines and trucker style caffeine pills...... well perhaps not the pills.

I am happy for this redbox though. PnP gaming is still going strong.
Problem solved and speaking from experience it actually does work quite well.

 

Kelethor

New member
Jun 24, 2008
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want want want want WAAAAAANT!

This could be just to thing to rekindle my broken DnD spirit! well that and booze.
 

Irony's Acolyte

Back from the Depths
Mar 9, 2010
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HA! I actually saw that in Borders last night. Is this a re-release of first edition or is this the 4th edition rules packaged retro style? I couldn't really tell from the article. I might actually have to go out and get this.
 

the-kitchen-slayer

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Apr 16, 2008
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kintaris said:
thenumberthirteen said:
Oooh. All parcels should come with snacks. Maybe the next Fallout will come with a tin of out of date beans and a bottle of flat cola.
The New Vegas collectors' edition comes with stimpaks, but sadly these are in-game. Shame, as I was looking forward to hurling myself off a cliff and then injecting myself with a tiny syringe to heal all my broken bones instantly.

OT: Are the Cheetos there to serve as impromptu monster hordes when peoples' creativity/patience/Warhammer kits run out?
Ooo... Could always use a few starter Stimpacks in Fallout ^_^

And in responce to your cheeto's/warhammer comment: A true Warhammer player has too many armies to run out of figures. However, in the very rare case that does happen, that's where the lego's come in
 

Canadian Briton

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May 1, 2010
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Damn it now I want it! Unfourtunetly there are no DnD stocked shops (barring a Waterstones but I bought most of their stuff and they don't restock) Feels bad man.
 

George Palmer

Halfro Representative
Feb 23, 2009
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Irony said:
HA! I actually saw that in Borders last night. Is this a re-release of first edition or is this the 4th edition rules packaged retro style? I couldn't really tell from the article. I might actually have to go out and get this.
Its 4E packaged retro with some slightly simplified and modified rules. Or so they claim. Many people are thinking its an update or change to 4E ie 4.5E, but I don't really see it and Wizards is saying that it is definitely not 4.5E. Over all it looks like it will be fun, though I've only read through it a bit, haven't actually sat down and played it yet.
 

Folio

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Jun 11, 2010
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There is a starter set? I want to play some D&D! The only thing I want to know is: Are you allowed to create your own stories and rules as a DM?