Dungeons and Dragons has a starter kit you might have missed: The Stranger Things Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set. This set features a comprehensive rulebook, dice, premade character sheets, demogorgon miniatures, and an adventure supplement titled “Hunt for the Thessalhydra, a D&D Campaign by Mike Wheeler.”
Rulebook
As with other starter sets, the Stranger Things starter set comes with a comprehensive rulebook which covers the basic rules for both the players and the DM. If you’re just wanting to get your feet wet, or you’re looking for an inexpensive introduction to D&D, this is a great place to start. There’s no need to purchase any of the core rulebooks, but the adventure is completely compatible with other resources, of course.
Play Materials
Included in the kit is a single set of dice and a series of character sheets. The dice are sufficient for everyone to use, so long as they’re willing to share, but players can supply their own dice if they like. The character sheets are excellent, including all the information one needs in order to level their character up without needing to refer to rulebooks, at least through the end of the adventure.
Miniatures
This kit contains two demogorgon miniatures, one painted, one unpainted. This sets this kit apart because other starter sets don’t come with miniatures, much less miniatures as rare and specialized as the demogorgon. For a custom demogorgon, paint the second miniature however you like. The prepainted miniature could be painted again, but it’s pretty faithful to the show’s monster just the way it comes.
The Hunt for the Thessalhydra
This section is a review of the adventure, and contains spoilers. Players should skip to the TL;DR without reading the content in the spoiler.
TL;DR
The Stranger Things Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set is a complete kit for a quick and interesting D&D campaign. Players can hunt the Thessalhydra, meet the demogorgon, and re-establish the peace of the realm, and DMs can experience a painless introduction to storytelling in the world of D&D. The best part, though, is the price. It’s available on Amazon for under $13 (for a limited time).
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast provided a copy of this product for review purposes.