D&D 5E (2014) In Search Of: The 5e Dungeon Master's Guide

[Imaro]

Does it need to be "either/or"?

Unless we have infinite page count... eventually something has to be loss for something gained.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Unless we have infinite page count... eventually something has to be loss for something gained.

See my post prior to that one. What is lost need not be anything vital.

 

[Micah Sweet]

See my post prior to that one. What is lost need not be anything vital.

Vital is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Cadence]

Vital is in the eye of the beholder.

My memory seems to mesh with @hawkeyefan that there is a lot of wordy fluff scattered throughout the DMG that could free up a few pages. In an emergency, even making some of the art smaller would free up space.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Vital is in the eye of the beholder.

Of course, but what I'm saying is that whatever actual content there is... the rules that you mentioned... can be kept in favor of making a lot of the text more brief. They can save pages just by cutting out repetitive phrasing and the like. Maybe sacrifice a bit of artwork, though I don't want to downplay the role of the art, and wouldn't want to cut back too much.

There's a lot that can be done without really losing any of the actual content.

 

[MGibster]

3. Conclusion.
It’s a classic … something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.

Now, you might want to argue with what this intrepid team has found! But you can't. Because .... no one reads the DMG. You might as well argue with my description of the mating habits of the sasquatch.

I read the 5th edition DMG in its entirety way back in 2014. Today, in 2022, I remember almost nothing of what was in it other than vague impressions that I hope I'm not mixing up with the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd edition DMGs. You're right, not only is it not a useful book, but I think it probably isn't helpful to a new DM. Heck, it isn't useful for someone who has been gaming for a while.

 

[Imaro]

Of course, but what I'm saying is that whatever actual content there is... the rules that you mentioned... can be kept in favor of making a lot of the text more brief. They can save pages just by cutting out repetitive phrasing and the like. Maybe sacrifice a bit of artwork, though I don't want to downplay the role of the art, and wouldn't want to cut back too much.

There's a lot that can be done without really losing any of the actual content.

One of the complaints that has popped up numerous times is that the DMG covers things to briefly without going in depth... this would exacerbate that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

My memory seems to mesh with @hawkeyefan that there is a lot of wordy fluff scattered throughout the DMG that could free up a few pages. In an emergency, even making some of the art smaller would free up space.

I support making the art smaller, certainly. A pass for efficiency couldn't hurt, I suppose.

 

[MGibster]

I've always been of the opinion that no game can be all things to all people. The DMG should probably be more narrowly focused rather than giving so many different options for how to play the game. It would be more useful to new DMs I think.

 

[hawkeyefan]

One of the complaints that has popped up numerous times is that the DMG covers things to briefly without going in depth... this would exacerbate that.

No, I don't think it would. Depth and verbose aren't synonyms.

However, If you don't think there are huge chunks of the DMG that could be removed without fundamentally altering any of its options or subjects, then I don't think I will convince you otherwise.