D&D 5E What Do You Not Like About The 2014 5E DMG?

[Reynard]

Who knew?

ugh

 

[Minigiant]

It's heavily geared to experienced DMs. The little advice and help to new DMs are so poorly organized and referenced that a new DMs' eyes will glaze over in confusion if they search for it

An experienced DM can sticky note what they know they might need. A new DM...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

People mention how bad the 2014 DMG is (and then often reveal they have not actually read it) and I am curious why you, individually, don't like it.

I am a fan. I think it does its job pretty well, and I refer to it regularly when running 5E.

As a corollary, whatever your issues may be, what would you like to see the 2024 5E DMG to do to directly address those issues.

Incredibly poorly organized, which makes it difficult to find the material one needs (the generic one, not anyone about to angrily hit "Post reply") and it goes over advanced concepts before getting to the basics needed to understand them.

It lacks useful -- arguably required -- information like how to create spells. Its monster creation and CR guidelines don't match what's in the 2014 Monster Manual.

Not enough pictures of gnomes.

 

[Retreater]

• Encounter generation and budgets that work.
• Magic item economy.
• More traps and how to create them.
• Monster creation rules.
• Class creation rules.
• Race/ancestry creation rules.
• Don't care about your high-minded "creating a campaign cosmology" stuff when you can't do the basics.

 

[Aldarc]

Not enough pictures of gnomes.

It's true. There should be more pictures in the DMG of gnomes: i.e., dying in traps, being raised by liches into skeletal minions, being burned to death by dragons, etc.

 

[Reynard]

• Encounter generation and budgets that work.
• Magic item economy.
• More traps and how to create them.
• Monster creation rules.
• Class creation rules.
• Race/ancestry creation rules.

Those are all 5E rules problems, not DMG problems.

 

[CleverNickName]

What do I not like about it? The biggest thing?
That I haven't even seen it yet. The fact that it isn't on my bookshelf at this very moment.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What do I not like about it? The biggest thing?
That I haven't even seen it yet. The fact that it isn't on my bookshelf at this very moment.

This is what WotC gets for binding the 2014 DMG in the skin of a Schroedinger's cat.

 

[Reynard]

What do I not like about it? The biggest thing?
That I haven't even seen it yet. The fact that it isn't on my bookshelf at this very moment.

You have had 10 years. That's on you.

 

[Retreater]

Those are all 5E rules problems, not DMG problems.

But since the DMG is a core rulebook, maybe that could've been addressed?