D&D Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set

Written by Randy Kalista on 9/16/2025 for MOB   PC  

A Review from the Tabletop

I didn’t expect to be face-to-face roleplaying again after 30 years. But here I am, cracking open the Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set, and suddenly I’m back in the saddle—except this time, I’ve got my wife and daughter along for the ride. And let me tell you: this boxed set isn’t just a throwback to 1979’s Keep on the Borderlands. It’s a full-blown remaster, with the kind of polish that makes you want to run your fingers across the glossy board game box cover and say, “How do you want to do this?”

First Impressions: Unboxing a Nearly Sealed Box

Thick cardboard. Sharp corners. That satisfying low toot when you open and close the lid. The box itself feels like it could survive a few dungeon crawls. Inside, it’s a treasure trove: three adventure booklets (Wilderness, Caves of Chaos, and Keep on the Borderlands), a Quick-Start Guide, a Play Guide, over 200 game cards, 18 full-color maps, 200+ punch-out tokens, and a full set of polyhedral dice. It’s not just a starter set. It’s a starter experience.

The cover art sets the tone: four classic heroes (Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue) squaring off against a red dragon, with the Keep looming in the background and wilderness all around. It’s evocative, cinematic, and the right balance of dangerous and adventurous. Get cozy if you want. Just remember that D&D bites back.

Adventure Booklets: Breaking Things Out into Bite Size

Let’s talk about the three adventure booklets. Each one is a self-contained module, but together they form a cohesive sandbox that’s surprisingly deep for a starter set.

Keep on the Borderlands

At 19 pages, this booklet covers the titular fortress in detail. It’s got everything: crenelated walls, wizard-hat turrets, garrisoned soldiers, and a full suite of shops, temples, and taverns. It’s the kind of place that feels like a home base. Safe, but not boring. You can stock up on lanterns and rope, grab some shuteye at the inn, or get into trouble with the local guild. Just kidding. Mind your P's and Q's. The guards won't tolerate misbehavior. It’s a classic setting, and it sets the stage beautifully.

Wilderness

At only 15 pages, don’t let it fool you. The Wilderness booklet is the connective tissue between the Keep and the Caves. It’s where exploration happens—woods, fens, tamarack stands, and the occasional territorial lizardfolk. It’s also where the game teaches you that the world doesn’t always revolve around you. There’s no Session 0 here. No safety rails. Just wild fey, occult secrets, and giant spiders. Sorry, arachnophobes.

The Wilderness also teaches new DMs how to handle travel, terrain, and random encounters. It’s not just filler. It’s the glue that holds the sandbox together. The maps are reusable, the terrain is meaningful, and the encounters are unpredictable. Whether you’re trudging through marshes or getting ambushed on the trail, the Wilderness is packed with adventure in every mile.

Caves of Chaos

This is the meat and potatoes: 27 pages of dungeon crawling goodness. The caves form a 65-room megadungeon, broken into session-sized encounters. Something’s drawing evil creatures here, and it’s up to your party to figure out why. Or not. Because you're not doing it for the plot. This is a sandbox. The story emerges from the players’ choices, not from pre-written boxed text. It's not the only way to run an adventure. But it's an excellent way to grasp the fundamentals.

Don’t come to the Borderlands looking for a big bad evil guy with a big bad monologue. Come here to improvise, adapt, and overcome. The Caves of Chaos are chaotic by design. They’re a proving ground for new players and new DMs alike.

Rest Rules: Finally, a DM’s Best Friend

Resting isn’t a given in this set—and thank goodness. The rules are clear: Short Rests (1 hour) are allowed outside the Caves of Chaos, but Long Rests (8 hours) require a trip back to the Keep. In the Wilderness, Long Rests aren’t allowed either. This structure removes the guilt from the DM and adds tension to every encounter. No more “Can we nap after punching two goblins?” Now it’s “Can we survive long enough to earn a breather?”

Components: Tactile, Functional, Beautiful

The maps are both vivid and functional. Terrain is clearly marked, encouraging creative movement and tactics. The punch-out tokens are a godsend—monsters, heroes, terrain elements, health, gold, one-a-day special abilities. Everything’s trackable, visual, and easy to use.

The game cards (over 200 of them) streamline play beautifully. Spells, weapons, magic items, NPCs, creatures—it’s all there, right on the table. Less flipping through rulebooks. Less searching for stat blocks. Every card's intent is to be grab-and-go.

And the dice? Eleven polyhedral beauties, ready to tell stories with every roll. From desperate attacks to nail-biting saving throws, they bring chance to every outcome. D&D without dice isn't D&D.

Character Boards: Teaching Through Play

You get four iconic classes: Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard. Each comes with a board (a sheet, really) that teaches essential mechanics—Hit Points, spell slots, equipment, etc. They carry you up to level 3. It’s intuitive, modular, and easy to navigate. My only concern is that it doesn't teach you how to fill out a real character sheet. But that comes when you graduate to the Core Rulebooks: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. Until then, these character boards are excellent at grouping pertinent information and not forcing a player to travel all over a character sheet to find their bonuses to attack, or minuses to ability checks.

My daughter yawned when I explained what each die does. My wife was stumped when I asked her character’s name. “It took me six months to name our daughter,” she said. “I’m going to need another six months for this.” My daughter changed her name half a dozen times before my wife settled on one for herself. But once we got rolling, they were hooked. The boards made it easy. The cards made it fast. The story made it fun.

Flow of Play: As Slick as Silvery Barbs

The Quick Start Guide gets you into the game fast. The Play Guide fills in the gaps. Together, they create a learning curve that’s more like a gentle slope. Turns move smoothly. Encounters feel balanced. And the game never bogs down.

Even the Wilderness maps—reused across multiple encounters—feel fresh. Sure, your players might notice the same squiggle of trail or marshy island. But that’s where your DM chops come in. Maybe it’s the same spot where they lost a boot in the mud. Maybe it’s the exact bend in the road where they were ambushed last time. Or maybe it’s just a different stretch of trail. Use your imagination. That’s what D&D is for.

Family-Friendly Fun: A Legacy Experience

Unlike board games that can demand closure before bedtime, Dungeons & Dragons flows between sessions. It’s legacy gaming at its finest. You don’t roll credits until the whole party wipes. And even then, you might just roll up new characters and dive back in.

My wife appreciated the freedom. No need for years of preexisting knowledge or strategic knowhow. Just improvise, explore, and come back later. My daughter? She’s still working on her character’s backstory—but already planning her next move.

And the roleplay? Pure gold. At one point, seeing the ruinous state the kobolds' cave was in, had my wife declare she was from the “National Cave Preservation Cleaning Service.” My daughter chimed in: “More like the Stabby Stabby Cleaners.” The kobold was confused. So was I. But it worked. Turned out my daughter was right. The wife cleaved her first enemy in two on the false pretense that she was just cleaning out an Airbnb. ("You mean Airdnd," I said.)

Final Thoughts: Who’s It For?

This starter set is for new players and Dungeon Masters, returning veterans, and anyone who wants a tactile, immersive, and replayable D&D experience. It’s not just a tribute to the past. This could very well be a blueprint for the future. Built from the ground up for the 2024 Core Rulebooks, it’s the perfect gateway into this continuing, but evolved, generation of D&D.

This box introduced my family to tabletop roleplaying. With a low-prep sandbox, built upon the shoulders of a classic and still very popular adventure, Heroes of the Borderlands is the starter set I've always wanted. It’s got wonderfully illustrated maps, freshly drawn-up monsters, boiled-down mechanics—and most importantly, the magic of tabletop roleplaying.

Every weekend I can now grab my dice, lay out a map, and plop down some punched-out tokens. Thankfully, I don't have to be the one to tell my players they can't rest yet.