Dungeons and Dragons Adventurer Issue One - First Thoughts

I managed to find a copy of  Hachette's Adventurer magazine and here are my initial thoughts. 

Contents

The first issue pack contains a 14 page booklet covering a bit of background to Dungeons and Dragons, what the role Dungeon Master involves (interestingly they don't use the more modern term Dungeon Moderator), an introduction to players characters, a bit about the town of Phandalin of Lost Mine/Shattered Obelisk and Dragon of Icefire Peak fame, and a short 6 page Encounter/Adventure.

There is also a pad of four pre-generated characters, a small booklet running through combat and a tin containing a set of seven dice (d4, d6, d8, 2xd10 D12 & d20) in a foam insert. 

Additionally there are leaflets listing subscriber benefits and an overview of the series, which will come in useful for working out what future issues might contain.

A Closer Look 

This is a bold attempt to make Dungeons and Dragons accessible to people. Just as with Hachette's various Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar part works, the collector will end up with a comprehensive set of rules in loose leaf binders (one of these is one of the subscriber's extras). The rules are presented clearly, and in the likely order that you might need them. As with the previously mentioned part works, the loose leaf format allows them to build up different sections covering Sage Advice (background to the game, advice on playing etc ), Character Creation, Lore (predictably for the Forgotten Realms), DM's advice, Combat and Encounters (mini adventures).

The booklets are full colour throughout, and I think it's nearly all new artwork. Slightly disappointingly the map for the adventure is only black and white, but it is clear to read.

Final Thoughts

So is it worth it?  Well yes if you're a role-player.  £1.99 for a nice set of dice in a tin justifies the cost alone.  Good luck hunting this out.

However, is it worth buying future issues or even subscribing?  I'll do a deeper delve into the first issue, looking at what I think does and does not work in a future post and try and work out who this is aimed at.