Let's Talk About WotC DM Supplements.

[Riley]

Personally, I'd arrange my 4e DM supplements, from best-at-top to worst-at-bottom (with ties on the same line), about like this...

That's a pretty good list.

I don't think the quality has been exclusively improving, but the ratio of good-to-bad (in my case, mostly measured by the quality of inspirational fluff) seems to be improving over time. I'd rank the best-to-worst DM supplements/adventures this way:

The best:
MM3
Vor Rukoth
Tomb of Horrors
Slaying Stone

The very-good-to-good, in descending order:
Dark Sun x2
Eberron x2
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Open Grave
Dungeon Master' Guide
Monster Manual 2
Manual of the Planes
The Plane Below
Draconomicon I

And then there's...
Adventurer's Vault
Monster Manual
Revenge of the Giants
Most of the H-P-E adventures, as well as the recent HS2 and Dark Sun adventures

 

[malraux]

Compare the 3e Manual of the Planes to the 4e. Both are good, and have cool ideas, but the 3e MotP is absolutely bursting with adventure and campaign ideas, one after another.

I personally had the opposite impression. The 3e MotP felt encyclopedic, while the 4e MotP felt more like a guide for building good campaigns.

 

[RodneyThompson]

What is a DM? A miserable little pile of sourcebooks.

But enough talk; have at you!

(I don't care how bad Richter's voice acting is, I LOVE that little speech).

 

[Riastlin]

Also, there are a number of DM books I don't own (AV2, Drac2, etc).

To be honest, I thought that AV2 was pretty bad. Whenever I start to pick items to drop as treasure I'll start flipping through the AV2 and invariably end up taking something from AV1 or PHB. That of course is just me and YMMV.

As for Revenge of the Giants, I actually enjoyed it for the most part. Sure there are some things that I would change, but I almost always feel that way when I read somebody else's module.

I can't really comment on the Draconomicons because I couldn't get past the $40 price point. To me, I just didn't think I would be able to justify spending that much on a dragon book since even in a dragon-heavy campaign, actual dragons won't be brought out all that often.

 

[Zaran]

To be honest, I thought that AV2 was pretty bad. Whenever I start to pick items to drop as treasure I'll start flipping through the AV2 and invariably end up taking something from AV1 or PHB. That of course is just me and YMMV.

I think AV2 had the problem of not having the staple magic items that the AV and PHB had. AV2 might have had better quality items but GMs tend to go for the the things that they are used to. If AV2 would have revisited some of those staple items and made them with more shine then I think it would have been a better sourcebook. Would have been a better use of the space than the temporary terrain baubles, in my opinion.

*pulls out a glowing ball* Scary Skull terrain! I choose you!

 

[Vicar In A Tutu]

What I want from DM-books, is inspiration. Although the choice of which book is the best will depend partly on the individual DM's preferences, I can say which ones I liked and which ones that didn't inspire me. Let's start with the dull and pedestrian.

The adventurer's vault was incredibly boring. Magic items are not my favorite part of 4E, and the endless wall of "1d6+Int damage, slide 1, etc." just made me fall asleep. Now, I'm not saying that these items are boring ingame, but it sure is boring to read them. Much of 4E is like that, which is why I think the DM-books are important. Adventurer's Vault 2 was slightly better in this regard, but I still didn't like it. I hope Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium (or whatever, can't quite remember the title, I'm thinking of the new magic item book in 2011) will improve magic items.

The three books, discounting campaign settings, that have really grabbed me, are Underdark, Demonomicon and MM3. The Underdark book has awesome fluff, and I really like how Torog sort of binds the book together thematically, without making him overshadow all the other threats and dangers. The art is very nice, I especially like the pictures on page 79 and 80, under the heading "Sunless Seas". Those fantastic landscapes are great. They make me dream of distant worlds. The opening illustration for chapter 4 is awesome. Another thing I like about the book, is the weirdness of it all. I especially liked the mushroom fortress that moved around the Underdark, forever heading to some unknown destination. It's a shame that the monsters in Underdark don't have the MM3 treatment, with the improved math and all.

I also love the Demonomicon, though I just got it and want to read more before I make up my mind. It's great how the monsters, especially the demon lords, get a lot of flavour text. The MM3 also has some nice flavour.

 

[Riastlin]

I think AV2 had the problem of not having the staple magic items that the AV and PHB had. AV2 might have had better quality items but GMs tend to go for the the things that they are used to. If AV2 would have revisited some of those staple items and made them with more shine then I think it would have been a better sourcebook. Would have been a better use of the space than the temporary terrain baubles, in my opinion.

*pulls out a glowing ball* Scary Skull terrain! I choose you!

I do have to admit, that the concept of lair items was pretty neat. The only problem with them is that my players have never expressed a desire to actually obtain a lair/home base, much less spend valuable coin and/or treasure parcels on upgrading said lair. One day though, maybe my players will want a place to call their own.

 

[Joshua Randall]

The 3e MotP felt encyclopedic

Yep, like an encyclopedia full of pure awesome.

But don't get me wrong: both MotP books are very good, and I'm happy to own and use the 4e version.

 

[malraux]

Aren't the AV books players books, not DM books?

 

[AngryMojo]

Aren't the AV books players books, not DM books?

That was my impression as well.