Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG Starter Set Board Game Review

While many folks are currently out exploring the beaches and tropical forests of Tural in Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, Dawntrail, other folks have been able to dip their toes into and explore the world of Eorzea on their tabletop, thanks to Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG (referred to simply as FF14 going forward).

To level set expectations, I want to make clear that this Starter Set offers a narrow look at only a small aspect of the experience that this RPG system features – how combat works and the narrative flow (i.e. how skill checks work). Nearly all customization aspects and systems are still a mystery and won’t be explained here.

Contained in the set is everything you and up to four friends need to complete the included three scenarios: four premade characters (two DPS, one Tank, and one Healer), a player book, a game master book, and all the required maps, tokens, and do-dads needed to complete the scenarios.

FF14 follows the general flow that all tabletop RPGs do, where the players tell the Gamemaster their idea, and the GM has them roll a die to see how well they do in their endeavor, all culminating in the outcome of their actions. Occasionally, players will find themselves in combat, which introduces certain abilities or skills tied to the individual’s character’s class that they can use to dispatch their foes, and also involves rolling dice. You can expect a good bit of hilarity, with plans crumbling in the first few moments, and things just spiraling out of control, but those moments are also part of the charm and magic of these games. These will eventually lead to some amazing memories for you and your friends, so just enjoy the ride.

For players of other popular tabletop RPGs like Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons, there are a lot of similarities in how combat and skill checks play out in FF14. Dice rolls are focused around the use of a D20 – a 20-side dice – to determine if you succeed in something and how well you do. Having an advantage or disadvantage in a situation causes you to roll two dice and take the higher/lower of the two, critical hits when you roll a 20 – it all feels familiar and comfortable to play (as a longtime D&D player). That isn’t too say that FF14 is a carbon copy, as it still does tweak and adjust some mechanics that impressed me, and made it all feel like its own game as opposed to just a D&D clone with a Final Fantasy paint job.

From a quick glance through the four characters included in the set, Square Enix has put the work into trying to incorporate mainstay systems from the MMO here into the tabletop experience. For players coming over from the digital game, you will notice familiar terms and concepts for each class and role. The Black Mage gains bonuses if they cast spells of the same element concurrently (such as dealing additional damage with fire spells thanks to their Astral Fire trait), or the Warrior has attacks that combo into another, letting them attack multiple times in a single round. And the incredibly powerful Limit Break attacks also make an appearance that can turn the tide of a tough encounter if used at a pivotal time.

The aspect that I found myself most enjoying was the “Direct Hit” mechanic for attacks. In place of rolling to see if you hit at all, FF14 instead adopts the idea where you always, at minimum, hit a target, but if you roll and manage to meet or exceed the target’s physical or magical defense value, it’s considered a “Direct Hit.” These “Direct Hits” can cause additional damage or effects to trigger.

Take the Warrior’s “Overpower” primary ability as an example. The base effect of the skill causes enemies that don’t target the warrior to take a penalty should they attack anyone except the warrior. However, if you manage to succeed in the attack and score a Direct Hit, Overpower additionally deals 2 damage to all targets. One of the most soul-crushing things in a TTRPG is to plan some cool attack out in your head, line everything up, and then have it all come crashing down around you as you roll poorly and not only miss out on that cool moment but also risking missing out on that turn, period. I love removing “missing” with an attack, not worrying about losing out on a turn, and not helping my team.

Where this starter set stumbles (and stumbles pretty hard actually) is in just how little of the actual system you get a peak at with this kit – which is a shame because what they do show is pretty neat. If you’re hoping to find out how to level up your character and gain new abilities, you won’t find it here – take three character sheets of the same character at three different levels instead. Or how about a look at how the equipment works? Won’t find even a spot on the included sheets for that.

Class changing, non-combat jobs, character creation, specifics on racial bonuses, and the list goes on for parts of this system that remain in a mystery, but all of this wouldn’t be as big of a deal if the set had been released alongside the core player and GM books. Instead, this starter set was released isolated from any other release, meaning that all those questions remain unanswered.

And if playing this set sparks your interest, you have to wait to keep playing with only a “Coming Soon” to take comfort in. Some sites, such as BigBadToyStore, have a preorder page with “March 2025” listed for the Standard Handbook, meaning players may still have a good bit of time yet to wait. Without the availability of those core rule books to then continue your adventures, that means that for the foreseeable future, this starter set has to serve as both your start and end points with your time with the game, and there simply is not enough “stuff” in this set to meet those needs.

These issues are all capped off with the relatively high price tag of $59.99 on Square’s store page – a price that is nearly triple that of other TTRPG starter sets (that arguably are more feature-rich) or is the same as the video game Final Fantasy XIV Online Complete Edition that bundles the base game and all its expansions.