DM that never read the DMG

[BrickBronze_E-Genasi]

I was just curious if it is odd for a DM who learned the rules by watching gaming sessions and reading the players handbook and monser manual and by just skimming for a couple key things in the DMG lke the xp table and the magical item to he never actualy read more than the first chapter of the DMG. All the gaming groups i've played with have never noticed that i never read the DMG and wen i told one of my players that i trust to DM in my absence, he was shocked and slightly angry about it. What in the DMG is actually al that essential that isn't in the Players handbook? I mean i looked at the NPC classes and the prestige classes, looked at the traps, and took a quick check of the enviromental hazards and like hunger and such.

 

[Azmyth]

For some people, myself included, reading a rulebook cover to cover holds less value than 'cherry picking' specific passages. Over time you hit the hot spots you need to know...

Now, if your lack of rules knowledge bogs down a session, then you need to get your read on!

 

[irdeggman]

There is a ton of useful information contained in the DMG.

Magic items and pretty much everything about them - but I'm sure you cherry picked that one already.

Guidelines for how to run a game, how to deal with players, the role of the DM, how to design and run an adventure, how to build a world, how NPCs interact with PCs, etc.

There are also a bunch of sidebars and optional rules contained in there.

 

[pawsplay]

It is somewhat odd, and definitely not recommended. I would definitely recommend reading it in sections, by and by. Reading it cover-to-cover is actually probably more interesting after you have a pretty good handle on the contents; otherwise it's too much like reading a textbook.

 

[slwoyach]

I don't see a problem with it at all, outside of a couple of tables most of the DMG is throwaway fluff. Does anyone seriously need the DMG to explain to them how to run a game and deal with players? It's all common sense.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I don't see a problem with it at all, outside of a couple of tables most of the DMG is throwaway fluff. Does anyone seriously need the DMG to explain to them how to run a game and deal with players? It's all common sense.

Yes.

You'd be amazed.

 

[Eldritch_Lord]

Before DMing my first 3e game, I'd read a DMG...the 1e one, many years before, when I was running AD&D. The "how to run a game" stuff hasn't changed much, if at all, and even then, I learned much more about DMing from my prior DMs than from the DMG. For magic items and PrCs I trusted my players to pick things that weren't going to break the game in half; I've since gone over all the crunchy parts of the 3e DMG, but the fluffy parts remain unread.

 

[El Mahdi]

I don't think the DMG is just throwaway stuff...at least not entirely...but I view it as an "As-Required" type of document. Read what you need, when you need it.

I've been DM'ing for nearly 15 years, and I've never read the DMG cover to cover...and I'm the best DM I've never met!

 

[IronWolf]

I was just curious if it is odd for a DM who learned the rules by watching gaming sessions and reading the players handbook and monser manual and by just skimming for a couple key things in the DMG lke the xp table and the magical item to he never actualy read more than the first chapter of the DMG.

I don't think it is so odd. If a person has played or been exposed to the game frequently I think one can pick up the vast majority of what one needs to know from that and the PHB. It sounds like you reference it when it has items that aren't in the PHB, just haven't read the whole thing.

I do think there is some decent advice in there, though these days there are probably better books for DM'ing advice than the DMG. But if your game is running fine and your players are having fun then it seems you have things in control.

 

[pawsplay]

The purpose of reading the whole thing is not for instruction, but for information. For instance, a lot of situations can be confusing if you don't realize that Attack is a standard action listed in the combat chaper, which a lot of DMs don't realize. If you don't read the book, you won't know that, unless you ask someone who has.