Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are celebrating the United Nations-recognized International Day of Play (June 11) early this year with a free Dungeons & Dragons adventure that’s perfect for first-time players. Borderlands Quest: Dagger Danger! is a short one-shot adventure for level 1 characters designed to provide a simple but compelling introduction to the game.
The new adventure, which is available to download for free from D&D Beyond, takes players through a dungeon crawl to retrieve a missing family heirloom. Along the way, players encounter several classic monsters such as bugbears and kobolds. There are optional elements from the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands, but Dagger Danger! can still be played using just the free rules available on D&D Beyond.
According to WotC, the adventure includes:
- A short, self-contained adventure
- An overview of Dungeons & Dragons and key rules
- Text for new Dungeon Masters to read aloud, including text for play setup
- Guidance on running the adventure for the Dungeon Master encouraging roleplay and keeping the adventure moving
- A map and stat blocks so there’s no need to reference other D&D rulebooks rules
There are also five premade characters (a dwarf cleric, an elf wizard, a goliath barbarian, a halfling rogue, and a human fighter) that the adventure suggests using.
Usually, the easiest way to get into Dungeons & Dragons involves buying a starter set, which currently runs about $50 for a physical copy and includes some basics like a pared-down rulebook, maps, dice, and an adventure. But that’s a lot to invest in a game if you’re not sure whether it’s for you. Dagger Danger! offers a significantly lower barrier to entry and seems especially good for introducing younger players to the game.
Last year, Wizards of the Coast offered another free Borderlands Quest, Goblin Trouble, for free in honor of the International Day of Play. That adventure is still available for download, too, just in case your new adventuring party soars through Dagger Danger! and can’t wait to dive into another scenario.
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