I disagree on both points. Firstly, magic items do not need to be in the PHB, as evidenced by previous editions. Secondly, you do not need the DMG to adjudicate the game, although it certainly helps. This is because it is intended to be a guide to running the game, not a book of game rules.Magic items definatly need to be in the PHB - one of my favourite changes - and you certainly need the DMG is you are going to adujicate a 4e game. These rules are in the DMG becuase they are too powerful for a general all in one mechanic and need to be used on a case by case basis, but they are part of the 4e toolset.
If you have only the PHB then you only have a third of the game, the DMG and MM are all required to play 4e as you cannot play as just a character in a void.
Roughly, the PHB should include rules. The DMG should be a guide to running the game, and the MM contains lots of monsters you can use in your game if you want to.
If you only have the PHB, you have all you require to play the game. The reason I posted earlier is that someone was implying that players should all have the DMG in order to have all the rules for the game. This is not so. The 'rules' presented in the DMG are not for general use by the players.
The MM is, and always has been entirely optional. You can stick to NPCs in your games, or you can create your own monsters.
It was a joke, I was merely pointing out the discrepancy in the title and the content of the books.Don't be so literal. DMs play the game too. And D&D by default has a DM at the table, so he needs to know how to be a DM. Pretty simple really. Previous editions' PHBs did no more to explain "how to play" than the 4E PHB.
How about, because it's hard enough keeping munchkin players focussed on the story without giving them hundreds of items to peruse? Or more importantly, because I liked having all the fancy items hidden from player knowledge because it made handing them out so much more special. Or because I'd like that extra space in the PHB used for something more productive (and for preference the DMG would then have been longer).Why? The only reason I can see that you expect magic items to be in the DMG is because they have been there is previous editions.
Exactly. I prefer to run low-fantasy settings. With magic items being rare, and non-complex. That is, most of them are just straight +X items, and only a few items get handed out that have special abilities tied to them. Putting all that info in the PHB gives players the expectation of finding fancy items, which I have no intention of handing out. But that's okay, because there are so many other reasons for me not to DM in 4E, that it makes no difference any more.I do find it just a little ironic, that one of the features in this game is the ability to make a less magic item dependant campaign ( mostly DM's perogative) yet the magic items are in the PHB and it's even suggested that players give the DM a list of items they want <snip>But then again, you just asked for a reason why magic items should be in the DMG as opposed to the PHB...Space considerations and campaign control.