Starter Boxes vs Core Book

[DarkCrisis]

For $30 you can get the starter box! Shortened rules, premade PCs, a map, a one shot intro adventure and a set of themey dice. It's one and done.

Or for $50, a whole $20 more you get the whole RPG rule set and an endless amount of adventure.

And thus Im always so indecisive. Spend the lesser amount to try it out, hope I like it, and hey got some cool dice (sometimes $20 special dice only used for that game , then maybe spend another $50 to get the core. Or spend the extra $20 and get the Core right off the bat and have the whole rules and use over and over and over.

Currently trying to decide on the Tales From the Loop starter or core...

I like the Cyberpunk Red box. Its got cards, dice, etc. Same with The One Ring 2E box, it has more than just dice I can use for the core. TFtL has just dice int he box that can be used with core...

Anyone else have this issue?

 

[Alzrius]

Anyone else have this issue?

As with so many things, I see both sides of it, and there's merit to each one.

On the one hand, I love the old black boxed set. On the other, I can't say that Justin Alexander was wrong when he described it as a pay-to-preview product.

...which I guess is my way of saying that I'm no help whatsoever. Sorry!

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

Always a tough decision.

I think, as an experienced gamer (by that, I mean I judge myself to have played a long time(since 1982) and played many varying types of systems), I can get by with watching an Actual Play and judging for myself how well I will grok the game at the table. But not always. So, sometimes, it's better to have that included adventure to show you what the gameplay is supposed to be like. YMMV.

 

[aco175]

Do you have a group of friends to play the game ready to go? If not, then get the box set and go through it yourself, try to get some people to try it, and see if you like it. If everyone does not like it, fine your out 30 bucks, if people like it and you play it to the point you get the main books and I see it as "pay to preview"

 

[Hex08]

I wouldn't buy one as an experienced gamer but it's a less expensive way for a new gamer to be introduced to the hobby. Not a horrible way to get introduced and if you spend the money on the full ruleset and don't need the starter box anymore you can pass it on to someone else.

 

[Professor Murder]

Suggestion: Take up a pool from your regular gaming group, purchase the starter and see if it jams with you all. If so, donate it along and pick up the book.

 

[John R Davis]

Suggestion: Take up a pool from your regular gaming group, purchase the starter and see if it jams with you all. If so, donate it along and pick up the book.

Good plan for all box / starter sets.
The quality of them in recent years has been great.

 

[S'mon]

For $30 you can get the starter box! Shortened rules, premade PCs, a map, a one shot intro adventure and a set of themey dice. It's one and done.

Or for $50, a whole $20 more you get the whole RPG rule set and an endless amount of adventure.

And thus Im always so indecisive. Spend the lesser amount to try it out, hope I like it, and hey got some cool dice (sometimes $20 special dice only used for that game , then maybe spend another $50 to get the core. Or spend the extra $20 and get the Core right off the bat and have the whole rules and use over and over and over.

Currently trying to decide on the Tales From the Loop starter or core...

I like the Cyberpunk Red box. Its got cards, dice, etc. Same with The One Ring 2E box, it has more than just dice I can use for the core. TFtL has just dice int he box that can be used with core...

Anyone else have this issue?

A good starter set introduces the world and the game in a much more accessible form than the typical full game. Many people find modern 350 page core rulebooks pretty inaccessible; without a Starter Set they (inc me) might not get into the game at all. Also, a good starter set includes material that will be useful long term in conjunction with the core rules.

Sometimes IMO starter sets are simply better than the core. I like the gameplay of the 1e Pathfinder Beginner Box a lot more than I like 1e Pathfinder, for instance. I can imagine running 1e BB Pathfinder again in the future, when I would be extremely wary of ever running the full game again.

 

[aramis erak]

Good plan for all box / starter sets.
The quality of them in recent years has been great.

The L5R and Star Wars ones from FFG have a useful set of tokens, and a set of the needed dice. Plus decent 1-2 session adventures, and a 2-4 session follow up downloadable.

the modiphius ones I've seen are heavy on the reusable components as well - dice, map tiles for Star trek.

 

[John R Davis]

The L5R and Star Wars ones from FFG have a useful set of tokens, and a set of the needed dice. Plus decent 1-2 session adventures, and a 2-4 session follow up downloadable.

Yep. I have them all