D&D 5E In Search Of: The 5e Dungeon Master's Guide

[Maxperson]

What I would want in a DMG would be less in the way of platitudes and more in the way of reasons to make specific choices. Upsides and downsides at least.

See, I like how they did it. It wasn't useful to me, but were I new, I'd just want suggestions of various ways to do things and then tinker with it myself. If they put in reasons to go with the various options, including upsides and downsides, it would push me in directions and I would miss out on trying some things that I might really enjoy.

I see what you mean, and there are upsides to it, but there are also downsides

It would be a bonus if the various optional "rules" were better thought out. That might just be crazy-talk.

Here I agree with you. The modularity promised when they were making 5e is sorely lacking. The few optional rules they've made are mostly not done well.

 

[Imaro]

Yeah, I read what you were replying to.

I don’t think that reading the books in their entirety… especially all 900 pages… is required.

But I don’t disagree with the idea of being as prepared as possible. For some people, that may mean reading as much of the books as possible. For others that may not.

uhm... ok

 

[Aldarc]

Here are some of the messages that I am getting about the 5e DMG from this thread. The DMG should be for Intermediates, but I'm also being told that Intermediates aren't reading the DMG because "no one reads the DMG" and that these DMs are learning primarily through lessons from the "school of hard knocks." So why do we have a DMG at all for Intermediates or otherwise if no one is reading it? Who is the DMG being written and printed for?

 

[Azzy]

The DM booklets for BECMI had material for teaching new DMs, why can't a new DMG?

 

[delericho]

Who is the DMG being written and printed for?

Tradition.

And the treasure and magic item lists.

 

[Aldarc]

And the treasure and magic item lists.

If no one is using the DMG for other things or even reading the DMG for magic items, why not put those in the PHB where they will be read by someone?

 

[delericho]

If no one is using the DMG for other things or even reading the DMG for magic items, why not put those in the PHB where they will be read by someone?

The rather unpleasant, but still truthful, answer is that 4e did that, and since the internet was so vociferous in rejecting 4e anything and everything that it did must never be tried again - even things that are a good idea.

But, yes, there's a strong argument for moving the treasure tables and magic items to the PHB, moving the monster lists from their appendix to the MM (where they should have been all along), and just getting rid of the DMG entirely. Ever since 2nd Edition, it has been struggling for relevance anyway.

 

[jasper]

What's to know?

Table talk? Nope! Didn't need the DMG to tell me how to handle it.
Die rolling? Nope! Been doing that for years. Didn't need the DMG to tell me about it.
Rolling attacks and damage at the same time? Such a brilliant idea that nobody ever thou... I can't even say that seriously. People have been doing that since 1e(probably earlier, but that's when I started).
Rules discussions? I didn't need the DMG to tell me how to handle that either.

Same with metagaming, missing players, house rules, and on and on and on.

There's literally nothing in the running the game section that I needed in order to run 5e that isn't either some non-rule suggestions that I've known for decades or isn't covered sufficiently in the PHB.

YOU KNOWN FOR DECADES. What about Ned Newby and Sister Swag who were given the PHB, MM, DMG, and 2 sets of dice from their crazy fun uncle Jasper after he took them to Chris Pratt's D&D movie? With the movie being their only taste of D&D?

 

[FrogReaver]

Yeah, I read what you were replying to.

I don’t think that reading the books in their entirety… especially all 900 pages… is required.

But I don’t disagree with the idea of being as prepared as possible. For some people, that may mean reading as much of the books as possible. For others that may not.

I think there’s a difference between being sufficiently prepared and being as prepared as possible. This post seems to be confounding the two.

 

[pointofyou]

I think there’s a difference between being sufficiently prepared and being as prepared as possible. This post seems to be confounding the two.

There is a difference between being prepared to run a session and being prepared to run a campaign. How necessary it will be to read all the rules for the former will vary widely but for one's first campaign in a given game it seems like a good idea.