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D&D 5ePress ReleasesReviews

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set: Released Today & Mini-Review

The Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set has finally moved into wide release, after being a Target exclusive. I’m up in Canada and couldn’t run to Target to grab this starter set during their exclusive window. Last week, I finally got my hands on a review copy and it looks pretty good so far.

Here’s a very quick mini-review:

  • RULES: The rules booklet is 32 pages and it looks like it has all the rules, equipment, and spells you’d need for beginners.
  • ADVENTURE: Over 4 chapters, the 48-page adventure booklet is tightly focused on a single island that has been the battleground for dragons over the years with the magical scars to prove it. The adventure hops to various island locations, which include a monastery, sea caves, shipwreck, and clifftop observatory. The characters will encounter an adult bronze dragon, an evil blue dragon wyrmling, and other monsters and NPCs on the way to the adventure’s conclusion.
  • MONSTERS: 10 pages of the adventure booklet are filled with monster stat blocks, with a few new monsters (Fume Drake, Kobold Tinkerer, Spore Servant Octopus) not found in the Monster Manual and a small handful of NPCs unique to the adventure.
  • MAPS: Within the adventure booklet, Stormwreck Isle and each location is mapped. The island map is hex-based and each of the four locations gets a detailed battle map (5′ squares scale).
  • CHARACTER SHEETS: I really like the five pre-gen character sheets, which have a ton of explanations for running a character for a first-time player. Each pre-gen’s background is specifically tied into the adventure with a “Personal Goal”. The PCs include a dwarf cleric, elf fighter, human paladin, halfling rogue, and elf wizard.
  • DICE: The dice are the standard blue ones we’ve seen in the past, with only one of each die, including the d6.
  • PRESENTATION & ARTWORK: Overall, the materials look good and use the standard (if not boring at this point) D&D layout. About half the box is filled with cardstock filler, but there is still solid value here. The layout is not at the same tier as the more recent hardcover releases but works fine. The 80s cartoon characters show up throughout the set’s illustrations and I’m a sucker for this nostalgia. Having some pre-gens that match the 80s characters as free PDF downloads for DMs to print on their own would have been a solid add.

This press release arrived in my inbox this AM from D&D’s PR agency which includes some additional details and resources…


The D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle ($19.99) is now available for purchase widely in English. Localized versions (French, Italian, German, and Spanish) will release on October 18, followed by Portuguese and Japanese language editions at a later date.

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is the perfect gateway for new players and Dungeon Masters to immerse themselves in action-packed adventures where heroes battle monsters, find treasure, and undertake epic quests. Developed for beginners (levels 1-3), this set includes the rules of the game, an adventure booklet, five ready-to-play characters, and six polyhedral game dice.

This school year, the Starter Set is featured in D&D-inspired teaching kits for grades 4-8 as well as  Afterschool Club Kits, providing everything needed to start a D&D club at school, a local library, or club.

Below please find a list of resources and information to round out any articles or holiday gift guides you might be planning:

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Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is now available for purchase at Amazon and Target (North America only) and can be downloaded at D&D Beyond and Roll20.