If you’re like me, you missed the first bus for efficient onboarding into the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons. When my friends met weekly for a campaign, I often felt left out, even when sitting at the table, especially before I got a decent handle on the game, its many systems and its countless quests.
The latest tabletop product from Dungeons & Dragons is called Heroes of the Borderlands, and it answers the questions: What if players don’t have access to materials to start a campaign? What if the time commitment is too great to get immersed in the world of roleplaying? Without even being asked.
Heroes of the Borderlands serves as a first adventure guide, allowing newcomers to enjoy the campaign and tabletop roleplaying style of D&D without having to do homework. It lets campaigns run their course in 60 to 90 minutes. I was even able to complete a campaign with Senior Game Designer Makenzie De Armas as Dungeon Master, and still had enough time left to check out the show floor at NYCC 2025.
“This is the magic of tabletop roleplaying.”
The best part about Heroes of the Borderlands is that, although this is a set of small adventures, even a group of newcomers can get a campaign off the ground with a small-time investment. Our group of adventurers were Philip the Wizard (me), Patty the Cleric, and Fergie the Rogue (sadly, there were no breaks into song and dance), as Heroes of the Borderlands lets players select between the four main classes of D&D (we were missing a Fighter).Â
After selecting the Caves of Chaos adventure, we started our adventure outside the mouth of the Cave, figuring out how we would approach the upcoming obstacle. Patty ran headfirst into the jaws of danger and immediately caused a pitfall, getting a very unlucky roll-on fall damage, but even bigger damage was done to her ego. After Fergie elected to jump down and help out, I couldn’t help but notice my small halfling stature likely wouldn’t have been much help.Â
This is the magic of tabletop roleplaying. In the short span of 30 minutes, we all left the show floor of NYCC 2025 and entered the Forgotten Realms as a party of questers. Our resident newcomer, Patty, was thrilled to learn there are basically no rules in Dungeons & Dragons—just guidelines to help the party stay on track.
Heroes of the Borderlands comes equipped with a bite-sized dungeon manual, so while we were unlikely to encounter huge monsters like the reimagined Mind Flayer from Stranger Things, we did have a quest log to consult if the adventure went off the rails. It’s worth noting we also had a very experienced player leading the adventure, so the Caves of Chaos came alive with theatrical flair.
After we escaped the mouth of the cave, there were two paths to choose from: left or right. That’s when a kobold named Drew swung his head into view and wondered what brought us to his homely cave. Makenzie’s voice work helped turn the small stature of a kobold into a vivid presence in our minds, making the adventure leap off the tabletop. Fergie elected to make a Charisma roll to convince Drew to take us to his leader, and after a natural 20 roll, Drew graciously complied.
Drew explained that there were “many legs” to the left of the entrance, so we decided that wasn’t best for business, and went along with him to the leader of the Kobolds. After having a small conversation with the Kobolds, we were enlisted to assist with their problem. Their cave has an infestation, and upon using more talents from our competent party, we discerned there’s a young dragon inhabiting the cave.Â
“Heroes of the Borderlands embodies everything a solid D&D campaign sets out to do.”
We then convinced the Kobolds and a younger, dumber, member of their party called Dave to help us lure the dragon to the “many legs” found at the left of the entrance. The adventure guide in Heroes of the Borderlands does a great job at keeping the party on task, even though every step of the way is filled with uncertainty and nervous laughter. Our resident new player, Patty, also found it incredibly easy and immersive to follow along with the story.
After we convinced the Kobold Dave it was a good idea to hold onto some treasure to lure the dragon out with (and made a Hansel & Gretel-like breadcrumb trail with gold to the entrance), we set off on our plan to get the young dragon to exterminate the “many legs,” but of course, things can go wrong. Heroes of the Borderlands embodies everything a solid D&D campaign sets out to do. It gives enough information to tell a compelling story, while also allowing the players to be the master of their adventure. When we got lost, the adventure guide (and DM) showed us the way amicably.
When the dragon crawled into sight of Dave, I used the Message spell to whisper, “Throw the gold you’re holding into the corner of the room!” Dave then attempted, poorly, to launch his small pile of gold into the corner. But, after a weak 3 roll and a weaker -1 hit to strength, the gold just rolled out of Dave’s palms and painfully clambered to the floor. While Dave’s ego may have been bruised, all the commotion roused the “many legs” and brought them into the spotlight. The “many legs” were revealed to be two giant centipedes, and now the room contained: a Kobold, two giant centipedes, a young dragon, a pile of gold, two adventurers and a pop singer rogue. A party for the ages.
“If you’re looking for an easier way to jump into D&D, Heroes of the Borderlands may be the right starter you need to get your party started.”
After Fergie drew her bow and fired a shaft into one of the centipedes, Patty swung her mighty mace and turned one of the centipedes into carpeting for the cave. I used the Burning Hands spell to take care of the other one quickly. Hilariously, Dave remained unharmed (Patty felt we had to save him after we convinced him to help), and the dragon was virtually useless the entire time, and walked with a victory swagger back to the room it came from.Â
The previously reprehensive Kobolds were now open to the idea of owning the young dragon. Fergie piped in with instructions on how to care for it, and it became a small guide on “How to Train Your Dragon,” but with Kobolds that have incredibly human names. The best part about this small Heroes of the Borderlands adventure was that it took us to a new land while on the show floor of NYCC 2025, our party succeeded (although a good amount of it was improvised), and our new Cleric player Patty, found the experience incredible for a first adventure.Â
Heroes of the Borderlands brings a very approachable onboarding ramp to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. There are materials that allow players to build characters without a daunting character sheet (instead, there are cards, prebuild sheets, and board pieces), maps of each dungeon adventure, adventure guides, and everything else a player would need to complete their first campaign in a timely fashion.Â
While I assumed this would “water down” the tabletop experience, Heroes of the Borderlands uses enough of Dungeons & Dragons’ 50-year storied history to keep the experience as faithful to the tabletop as possible without feeling too Board Game-y. If you’re looking for an easier way to jump into D&D, Heroes of the Borderlands may be the right starter you need to get your party started.Â
