I want to introduce D&D to a friend. Starter set or essential kit ? Or other ?

[Myth27]

I have this friend who never played any kind of rpg in is entire life who showed interested in learning dnd. So I was thinking about gifting her either the starter set or the essential kit although I can’t figure out which one is best. The starter set seems a bit dated pheraps, but the essential kit maybe it’s not for complete beginners? Any one has bought them ? Or did anyone have a similar experience introducing a friend ? How did you do it ?

[EggKookoo]

What do you mean by "learning D&D"? Learning to play? Learning to DM?

I don't recommend someone that has never played any kind of RPG start off as a DM. I know in some cases it's unavoidable, if you have people who want to play for the first time. Someone has to DM. But can you get her(?) into a game as a player first? It might be more fruitful than merely dropping one of the D&D books in her lap and expecting her to "learn" the game. That's usually not the most efficient way of doing it.

[Myth27]

What do you mean by "learning D&D"? Learning to play? Learning to DM?

I don't recommend someone that has never played any kind of RPG start off as a DM. I know in some cases it's unavoidable, if you have people who want to play for the first time. Someone has to DM. But can you get her(?) into a game as a player first? It might be more fruitful than merely dropping one of the D&D books in her lap and expecting her to "learn" the game. That's usually not the most efficient way of doing it.

Learning to play as a player. I wanted to give them the basics so that she can join a dnd table as a player

[chiefwaha]

Learning to play as a player. I wanted to give them the basics so that she can join a dnd table as a player

I'd give her a pregen and run her through a one shot first. Then if she is still actually interested, get her the PHB instead.

The starter set and essential kit are really more of a starter GM tool.

[Zhorn]

Yeah, for introducing someone to D&D, the first thing you want is to get them at the table playing. Learn by doing.

Once they are playing, a set of dice and their own PHB is what they want and need.

Both the Starter Set and Essentials Kit are if they want to start DMing.
Starter Set (LMoP) is still pretty solid for both new and seasoned DMs for building out a structured multi level adventure.
Essentials Kit (DoIP) is good at serving as a small set of tangentially connected one shots.

I've run LMoP 4 times now, most recently with DoIP woven in, and every run has felt very different even with the same general bones. Well worth the investment, but again, it's a worth while investment for DMs, not players.

[Anymage]

How much of this is about wanting to provide resources vs. how much is about wanting to give a gift?

If it's about making a bare bones ruleset available, the basic rules give you all the basic classes (excepting the artificer) and one subclass each. dndbeyond.com gives you all the basic stuff in an easy to parse format. It leaves a lot of content out that you have to purchase, but is very handy for someone who doesn't yet know if they want to invest in picking up the game.

If it's about giving someone a gift, it depends on how much you want to spend. Just the PHB is a decently priced purchase to get someone's feet wet. If you want to spend more you can add in the DMG and MM (alternately Xanathar's and Tasha's as the rule expansion books with more player options), but that's all down to how much people usually spend in your circles.

[PhantomSoul]

How much of this is about wanting to provide resources vs. how much is about wanting to give a gift?

If it's about making a bare bones ruleset available, the basic rules give you all the basic classes (excepting the artificer) and one subclass each. dndbeyond.com gives you all the basic stuff in an easy to parse format. It leaves a lot of content out that you have to purchase, but is very handy for someone who doesn't yet know if they want to invest in picking up the game.

If it's about giving someone a gift, it depends on how much you want to spend. Just the PHB is a decently priced purchase to get someone's feet wet. If you want to spend more you can add in the DMG and MM (alternately Xanathar's and Tasha's as the rule expansion books with more player options), but that's all down to how much people usually spend in your circles.

Really good question, particularly at this time of year!

I'd echo the idea of playing with them, but would probably make the character with them (handling the main mechanical aspects) so that they see what kinds of choices are involved and get to provide direct input (alternatively, having a series of pregens for different types of characters), which could also help them feel invested in the character and the action.

[JustIgnoreMe]

I have this friend who never played any kind of rpg in is entire life who showed interested in learning dnd. So I was thinking about gifting her either the starter set or the essential kit although I can’t figure out which one is best. The starter set seems a bit dated pheraps, but the essential kit maybe it’s not for complete beginners? Any one has bought them ? Or did anyone have a similar experience introducing a friend ? How did you do it ?
I have both. The Essentials Kit is fine for complete beginners, whether playing or DMing; arguably better than the Starter Set for them.