D&D's new free introductory adventure is a cute, functional taster session that lacks teeth—and I'm worried it teaches some bad habits
Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition came with its own starter set way back in 2014. In it, players could go through the start of the Lost Mines of Phandelver adventure—which began with a harsh goblin ambush that could cause character deaths, and even wipe out the party.
Phandelver was free for a while, making it one of the first entries to D&D for a lot of players and DMs before it was replaced by the new paid starter set (as well as the revamped Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk book). Now, there's instead a far simpler, streamlined adventure up for grabs: Peril in Pinebrook.
To be completely fair, Pinebrook is designed for younger players. It makes sense to find ways to ease the youth (or maths-adverse adults) into D&D before they have to worry about the distinction between a Melee Attack, a Melee Weapon Attack, and an Unarmed Strike.
In terms of doing that, I think the adventure's largely fine. It broadly explains what being a DM means, easing them away from a 'players vs. DM' mindset. It even shakes off the shackles of 'never say no to your players', a glittering piece of advice that's complete DM poison in disguise. Instead, Pinebrook encourages the more sensible strategy of using "'Yes, and…' or 'No, but…'".
When it comes to combat, things get rockier. The adventure does some smart things, simplifying character sheets and doing away with initiative orders. Its advice on running combat, however, is really toothless. This section in particular sticks in my craw:
«Running an exciting combat in D&D is like a thrilling amusement park ride: the players often want to be scared and excited, but they don't want the excitement to lead to certain character death. This is where you can perform storytelling and
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