FREE LEAGUE RRP £40
ALIEN RPG STARTER SET
|
CONTENTS
◗ 104-page rulebook
◗ Chariot of the Gods
◗ Map
◗ Cardboard game markers
◗ Deck of custom game cards
◗ Five pre-generated characters
◗ Dice set introductory scenario
Most of the other starter kits we’re talking about today stick to the classic RPG staples of fantasy and mystery, but Alien take things down a darker alleyway by introducing your table to the blood-spattered world of horror roleplaying.
Set in the same universe as the titular movies, Alien excels at getting the entire table sat on the edges of their seats, just waiting to see what slithering monster is waiting around the next corner. The nature of horror gaming, where there’s a good chance that a character is going to get eviscerated before the night is though, makes it ideally suited to the short, snappy games you want out of a starter set.
The rulebook is a little on the chunky side, but the Chariot of the
scenario is solidly written and does a great job of getting things going. On top of this, the entire kit has a slick, stylish design and all the accessories are of the highest quality.
Some might balk at the comparatively high list price of the set, but the sky-high production values mean that you can’t really complain too much.
PATHFINDER BEGINNER BOX
PAIZO | RRP £43
CONTENTS
◗ 80-page player’s guide
◗ 96-page game master’s guide (including introductory adventure)
◗ Four pre-generated characters & four blank character sheets
◗ 100+ character and monster tokens
◗ Double-sided map
◗ Reference cards
◗ Dice set
Lusher than a Mwangi jungle and packed with more combat than Friday night in an Absalom tavern, the Pathfinder Beginner Box is by far the easiest way to get your buddies tinkering with fantasy gaming’s chief bruiser.
Note, however, that ‘easiest’ is not quite the same thing as ‘easy’. Pathfinder has always been a game that prides on the depth and customisability of its mechanics, and this is reflected by a pair of rule booklets are definitely on the heavier side of things.
However, while you still probably need to be at least a bit interested in the fiddlier side of character building to get the most out of the game, the introductory adventure featured in the GM’s guide offers an incredibly solid tutorial. This is a great way to take some of the cliffs out of the game’s learning curve and get you into the action-packed combat that lies at its heart with a bare minimum of fuss.
The appeal of the box set is also enhanced by the fact that it comes loaded with a whole pile of tokens and maps that can be useful long past the time you’re outgrown the starter kit and moved on to even deeper waters.