D&D 5E Full preview unlocked!

[GX.Sigma]

Given that in the past we have paid money for entire books that were unearthed arcana, and planes, and are expecting information on grids, and are hoping for mass battle rules, and rules on point buys magic systems, and alternate healing and and and, that looks like a short list of pages. Some of those topics took up books, or dozens of pages before. Heck, they took up dozens of magazine issues also.

Well, it's not just an unearthed arcana. It needs to be a DMG, too. It needs to have guidelines on how to run the game. In fact, that's mostly what it needs to be. That's why it says "Dungeon Master's Guide" on the cover. Were you expecting literally 320 pages of rules options?

My only disappointment is that only one page is dedicated to Known Worlds of the Material Planes... so.... what, a paragraph of the many Dungeons and Dragons worlds.....Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Eberron, Ravenloft (could be in the Shadowfell section), Birthright, Mystara, Dark Sun, Nentir Vale and others.. Seems like not a lot of space for such an important part of the game itself. I was personally hoping for a Basic World Map and a one to one and half page primer on each at least.

34 pages about creating a world
1 page about published worlds


Seems like a good ratio to me.

 

[Zaukrie]

People asked what I wanted......I want more AU than it appears we are getting. Not saying anyone has to agree or not. I want lots of optional rules.

 

[Evenglare]

People asked what I wanted......I want more AU than it appears we are getting. Not saying anyone has to agree or not. I want lots of optional rules.

What is AU? Sorry I hate acronyms with a passion.

 

[Raith5]

I cant help but think that concerns about the amount of options and modules is more about how these options are framed/organised - rather than the amount/page count of the options. I liked the basic/standard/advanced way of talking about 5e is lead up to the edition being released - does this divide still have any meaning?

I am looking at the DMG primarily from the perspective of whether there is something more complex to 5e than what we have seen in the PHB and the MM. Basically, I know that 5e does basic/standard D&D really well, but is there another gear to this thing?

 

[Hereticus]

I am curious if you grew up on AD&D 1e for your initial dungeons and dragons experiences, or something else? Because for me, this is just a minor throw-back to the 1e DMG. It never changed the character of the game in the way you fear - it purely served as a skeletal basis for other non-D&D games like Boot Hill, Star Frontiers, and one D&D module (Barrier Peaks).

At least for me, AD&D 1e was more magical than 3e and 4e D&D, and it's also the edition that had these same type of rules tucked in the DMG in roughly the same way.

Yes, I started in AD&D back in 1980, when I was in college.

I never really played played any non-D&D games other than White Wolf's Vampire/Masquerade, Vampire/Dark Ages and Mage/Ascension.

 

[Hereticus]

Third edition had alien tech and firearms in it; I don't think it changed much to D&D.

One of the supplemental books had aliens in it, but they were just weird monsters. There were no ray guns.

I believe it was 3.5 of PF that introduced gunslingers and bomb makers. Fortunately there were none in any of the games I joined.

And I can't see how there is less magic; EVERY class has a casting option for magic, more than half are full-casters.

I have to ask... are you serious?

 

[Remathilis]

One of the supplemental books had aliens in it, but they were just weird monsters. There were no ray guns.

I believe it was 3.5 of PF that introduced gunslingers and bomb makers. Fortunately there were none in any of the games I joined.



I have to ask... are you serious?

Ah, Pathfinder. Paizo makes that, and it has no bearing on what Wizards of the Coast does. I don't expect alchemists or gunslingers in and D&D books anytime soon.

And I'm dead serious. Care to explain how 5e is LESS magical than 3.5 or AD&D?

 

[Hereticus]

And I'm dead serious. Care to explain how 5e is LESS magical than 3.5 or AD&D?

I did a magic item count that our characters encountered through the caves in Horde of the Drag Queen, and it amounts to zero, and we are fourth level.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Looks great to me. I do think, however, that people wanting modular options are going to be disappointed. The "DM's Workshop" has some stuff, but at only 27 pages its a small fraction of the book. I don't think we're going to see in-depth treatment of, say, a powers module or tactical combat (3 pages for "Combat Options"). I have a feeling that the bottom line is going to be something like, "You can do anything with 5E - just come up with a house rule and/or hand-wave the whole thing, and we'll support you on that." I have no problem with that, but I imagine those wanting more explicit rules are going to be pissed off.

My favorite part, though, is that there is a chapter called "Creating the Multiverse." I'm also excited about the random dungeon generator, but was hoping for more than 12 pages.

Anyhow, I can't believe we have to wait five more weeks for this thing! I might be cancelling my Amazon pre-order and buying this in store.

Yeah, I was expecting a lot more space dedicated to modular options. I was expecting a section that said, "If you want a 3.XE flavour game, swap these rules for these rules. If you want a 2E flavour game, remove these rules here and here, but add in this module of rules, etc."

However, looking at the TOC, there just doesn't seem to be enough space dedicated to something like that, which is a little disappointing.

Still, I'll be holding off full judgement until I can see the book for myself.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Both PHB and MM had their (few) optional rules in sidebars spread all over the books. Could it be that the DMG is organized the same way, with sidebars spread all over the book?

That would explain why optional rules in ToC is only 27 pages long.

I really hope that they have.