When organizing a game, it’s a good idea to start with a “session zero” just to make sure everyone knows what to expect.

Running a villain who the players both fear and respect can be a difficult task, and there is no other 5e campaign that gives as detailed advice as Curse of Strahd. The group is guided through this by the dungeon master, who describes the world, plays all of its non-player characters - including the creatures you’ll fight - and oversees the rules. The final part in the adventure is a huge dungeon, full of magical enemies and the reveal of the main villain. Cowie ended his review by stating that "Basic is a lot closer to the spirit of the original game than is the rambling, unwieldy and sometimes pompous Advanced" and that "for one-off dungeon type games I would recommend Basic to anyone, beginner and veteran alike".You’re probably not here for an in-depth review of the set’s box dimensions, so let’s look at the main meat – the rules and the adventure. The book also contains tables listing weapons, armour, adventuring equipment and any spells a player would need through levels 1-5. The set also included a Dungeon Master's Screen, a set of six plastic miniatures for players, 24 foldable cardboard enemy standees, a poster map, and a set of dice. The characters, the content of the adventure, and the miniatures were almost entirely different from the 2004 edition.

Having a map, even a basic one (I played on a dry erase map with simple markers for years) can help a player understand where they are quickly and with little confusion.It’s best to get your party up to level two as fast as possible and maybe set up an NPC that can buff them with support spells like Aid or Bless before going into combat. The lack of what’s here does impact the game you can play with this set, and the games you will play in the future, for which it provides no foundation to build on. More players than ever are discovering the wonders of the Forgotten Realms through video games, movies, or the 5th Edition. It also includes information on how to play adventures inside dungeons for both players and the Dungeon Master.