DM's kit preview

[UngeheuerLich]

Here is the link:

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Dungeon Master's Kit)

And here the most important change:

I do regret that this concise answer to life, the universe, and everything no longer appears on page 42 of the book. (“Using Checks” starts on page 101, and the DC table is on page 107.) Instead, on page 42 of the book in the new Dungeon Master's Kit, you’ll find the definitions of the evil and chaotic evil alignments. Make of that what you will.

Page 42 is now presented, not as a stopgap, but as a 3 step method to run the whole game. Sounds like an improvement overall.

In the DM kit, most task DC´s will be based on the easy/moderate/hard table. You don´t need to get there by adding modfiers.
The latter approach will however be presented as an alternative in the Rules Compendium, which sounds like a good idea.

A big critique point of 4e was the presentation of the non combat rules/non power-related rules. Maybe this will change now. Hopefully we see a similar change to ritual presentation.

Maybe a second quote which will make some of us happy (those of us who have not bought any DMG and those of us, who have):

If you already have the Dungeon Master's Guide and Dungeon Master's Guide 2, you won’t find so much new material in the Dungeon Master's Kit that it becomes a “must have.” Perhaps more than any other Essentials product except the Starter Set, the Dungeon Master's Kit is squarely aimed at new Dungeon Masters.
However, I think you’ll want to take a look at Reavers of Harkenwold. You’ll also find the latest information about skill challenges and check DCs (supported by careful mathematical analysis!) in the pages of the Dungeon Master’s Book. There's a quick summary of a lot of updated rules all in one place; a method for random generation of treasure, including some changes to the way we think about magic items; updated traps and terrain; poster maps and tokens that will provide a lot of repeat use; and so on .

 

[TerraDave]

That 2nd quote is what has driven my crazy about this whole thing. "Don't worry, use your old books....but this stuff is better":

the latest information about skill challenges and check DCs...a quick summary of a lot of updated rules all in one place; a method for random generation of treasure, including some changes to the way we think about magic items; updated traps and terrain; poster maps and tokens that will provide a lot of repeat use

 

[TerraDave]

As for the 1st quote and what JW also says:

You don’t need to carefully apply precise modifiers to determine the DC to climb a wall. You can just look at the table of DCs by level, decide whether it should be easy, hard, or in between, and go...Armed with these tables, the DM is in control of the game and is empowered to make decisions on the fly without getting bogged down in detail.

This and has been my prefered approach.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Wow. I'm really curious to see the skill challenge New Math. (Cue Tom Lehrer song....)

And curse Wizards for spreading out the cool maps and tokens among multiple products, deviously enticing me to buy them all! *shakes fist*

 

[Scribble]

I was hoping we'd ge the magic item preview mentioned in the last countdown article. Grrrr curse them for making me wait!

I'm on the fence about this one and whether or not I'll buy it...

(Although I was on the fence leaning towards won't, now I'm starting to lean back towards will... DRAT! More money earmarked for WoTC stuff... )

 

[fanboy2000]

That 2nd quote is what has driven my crazy about this whole thing. "Don't worry, use your old books....but this stuff is better"

The schizophrenic marketing probably comes from the fact that while most other companies can put out newly updated products frequently with minimum complaints, Wizards can't do that with D&D. Ford can do it. Games Workshop can do it. Wizards can do it with Magic. When Wizards bought TSR, they had already put out five editions of Magic.

Thus, every time Wizards tries to change the game in response to customer (and potential customer) complaints, they have to be careful to say that all the stuff you like is still available.

I'm on the fence about this one and whether or not I'll buy it...

(Although I was on the fence leaning towards won't, now I'm starting to lean back towards will... DRAT! More money earmarked for WoTC stuff... )

Interesting, this and the RC have been on my buy list ever since I first heard about it. The reasons are 1) I collect adventures and this comes with one, 2) I want and updated DM screen, 3) I would love a book with easy to reference DM material (now that I know it's going to be a "greatest hits" of the DMGs 1 & 2, I'm even more excited), and 4) I collect poster maps.

 

[josha]

I'm lovin' it.
Although I wish it had 2 unique adventures instead of one big one.

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

Yeah, I wasn't planning on buying many of the Essentials products, but I'm liking what I see too much.

 

[Vael]

I'm waffling on this. I'm a sucker for good poster maps, but I'm planning on getting the deluxe DM screen next year anyway, and I've got both DMGs ... not sure yet.

 

[Scribble]

Interesting, this and the RC have been on my buy list ever since I first heard about it. The reasons are 1) I collect adventures and this comes with one, 2) I want and updated DM screen, 3) I would love a book with easy to reference DM material (now that I know it's going to be a "greatest hits" of the DMGs 1 & 2, I'm even more excited), and 4) I collect poster maps.

Well... I don't really collect adventures, so eh...

The DM screen in this is the old kind, and not the deluxe super hardback kind (that's the deluxe one...) so eh (I've been spoiled!)

The description of how the rules are described sounds interesting, tokens are cool, and poster maps are cool...

So all told like I said it IS making me lean more towards buying it... But if my budget is limited (The next few months are filled up with Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversary, and then the Holidays...) it might not be my first buy that month.

There are too many other RPG products that I also want.