Happy New Year! The holiday season continues with no time for a weekly update. Instead, this week, a collection of boxed starter sets. Starter sets are a great way to test a new RPG and with a new year on the way, now is a perfect time to try a new RPG. If the RPG is a hit, many times a boxed set has components that can then be used in an ongoing campaign.
Note: RPG Print News covers recent RPG releases and some classics, reprints, and sales available from retailers. It does not cover products that are available directly to customers only through Kickstarter or as print on demand.
The One Ring Starter Set | The Walking Dead Universe RPG - Starter Set by Free League Publishing
Soulbound RPG Starter Set by Cubicle 7
Pendragon RPG Starter Set | Call of Cthulhu Starter Set (40th Anniversary) | RuneQuest Starter Set by Chaosium
Avatar Legends Starter Set by Magpie Games
Transformers RPG Beginner Box - Roll Out | G.I. JOE RPG Beginner Box - Boot Camp by Renegade Games Studio
Shadowrun - Sixth World Beginner Box (Sixth Edition) by Catalyst Game Labs
Note: RPG Print News covers recent RPG releases and some classics, reprints, and sales available from retailers. It does not cover products that are available directly to customers only through Kickstarter or as print on demand.
The One Ring Starter Set | The Walking Dead Universe RPG - Starter Set by Free League Publishing
- SYSTEM: custom d6 dice pool with a d12/Year Zero Engine
- RETAIL PRICE: $51.35/$39.99
- OTHER RPG NEWS: The Walking Dead Universe RPG: An Interview with Nils Hintze
- DESCRIPTION: The One Ring Starter Set is set between the time of the Hobbit and the events in The Lord of the Rings. Pre-generated PCs explore the Shire by taking on the roles of Drogo Baggins, Rory Brandybuck, Esmeralda Took, and more. Includes: a condensed rulebook, a book about The Shire, an adventure book, eight double-sided pre-generated character sheets, two maps showing the Shire and Eriador, 30 wargear cards, six double-sided Journey Role and Combat Stance Cards, two D12 Feat Dice, and six D6 Success Dice. Aside from the pre-gens and adventure, all of this material is easily usable in an extended campaign. In The Walking Dead Universe RPG, the PCs are people struggling to survive the lack of essential supplies, conflicts brewing within the group, hidden construction flaws in the PCs’ safe haven, and walkers hungering for flesh. Inside: a condensed rulebook, an adventure, six pre-generated characters including Carol and Michonne, a double-sided area map depicting an area north of Atlanta and a region in Virginia, three adventure maps, 10 Base Dice and 10 Stress Dice, and a Threat Meter to keep track of nearby walkers.
Soulbound RPG Starter Set by Cubicle 7
- SYSTEM: unique d6 dice pool
- RETAIL PRICE: $29.99
- OTHER RPG NEWS: Soulbound Starter Set Unboxing and Overview
- DESCRIPTION: For the price, this starter set is packed. PCs are Soulbound heroes fighting evil in a new Warhammer world. Newly arrived in the city of Brightspear, they are pulled into an adventure beneath the city streets. Includes: an adventure set in the Agloraxian ruins beneath the city of Brightspear, a Brightspear city guide, five gatefold pre-generated characters, three two-sided rules reference sheets (Tests, combat, and spellcasting), a two-sided sheet with a map of Brightspear on one side and the lands of Aspiria on the other, Tokens (for tracking Mettle, Soulfire, and Doom), and eight six-sided dice.
Pendragon RPG Starter Set | Call of Cthulhu Starter Set (40th Anniversary) | RuneQuest Starter Set by Chaosium
- SYSTEM: Basic Roleplaying d100 (or d20 roll under)
- RETAIL PRICE: $29.99 each
- OTHER RPG NEWS: Pendragon Starter Set: A Review, A Review of the 40th Anniversary Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, RuneQuest Starter Set: Played It Review
- DESCRIPTION: Like Soulbound, for the price, these starter sets are packed with value. The Pendragon RPG Starter Set contains three soft-cover books: a solo adventure, a setting, and linked adventures. Appendix sheets provide additional rules and setting details discovered through play, 18 perforated cards to generate combat encounters, and quickly reference enemy combat mechanics, eight pre-generated Player-knights, six D6s, and a D20. PCs are knights in an age of chivalry and change. Inside the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set are three softcover manuals broken into rules and scenarios including a solo adventure. The box also includes six dice, premade PCs, maps, and player handouts in full color. PCs are investigators who discover otherworldly, deadly, insanity inducing monsters. The Runequest Starter Set has four softcover manuals broken into rules, setting, and scenarios with a solo adventure. The box also includes dice (I really like the golden color), 12 premade character folios, maps of Jonstown and the surrounding areas, and a Strike Rank Tracker. PCs are heroes in a world steeped in magic and myth.
Avatar Legends Starter Set by Magpie Games
- SYSTEM: Powered by the Apocalypse
- RETAIL PRICE: $24.99
- DESCRIPTION: PCs go on action-packed escapades through the Four Nations. They weave tales of self-discovery and action with their fellow PCs and work with legendary heroes like Fire Lord Zuko to bring balance to the world. Features: booklet of condensed rules, introductory adventure booklet featuring The Pirates of Crimson Sails set in the era of Avatar Aang and The Burning Fuse set in the era of Avatar Korra, 10 engraved dice featuring Tui and La, 21 combat action cards, 10 illustrated pre-generated character sheets, six rules reference sheets, and a large full-color map of the Four Nations.
Transformers RPG Beginner Box - Roll Out | G.I. JOE RPG Beginner Box - Boot Camp by Renegade Games Studio
- SYSTEM: Essence, d20 based
- RETAIL PRICE: $35 each
- DESCRIPTION: In the Transformers RPG, PCs play heroic Autobots like G1 warrior Hound and treasure-hunter Anode. They battle the Decepticons, collect Energon cubes, and protect the people of Earth. Features: Playing the Game booklet, and two adventure booklets, eight pre-generated characters, Transformers dice, and GM screen. The PCs embody heroes ranging from tank driver Steeler to determined investigator Sherlock in the G.I. JOE RPG Beginner Box - Boot Camp. As some of the best, brightest, and most courageous folks, the PCs fight to stop the global menace of COBRA. The PCs travel the world, foil evil plots, and save the day as members of the world’s elite fighting force. Contents: three booklets with two adventures, eight pre-generated characters, a set of G.I. JOE dice, and a GM Screen.
Shadowrun - Sixth World Beginner Box (Sixth Edition) by Catalyst Game Labs
- SYSTEM: unique d6 dice pool
- RETAIL PRICE: $24.99
- DESCRIPTION: PCs go on runs in a dystopian urban fantasy world of guns, cybernetics, magic, and cyberspace. The world of Shadowrun combines cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and crime stories with occasional bouts of conspiracy, horror, and investigation. Contains an introduction to the Sixth World, quick-start rules, pre-generated player character dossiers, a deck of gear cards, and six dice bearing the Shadowrun logo.
