D&D 5E (2024) Not enough DMs / new edition

[Ry]

So is this new edition going to be the one that finally makes things a bit easier for the Dungeon Masters out there?

 

[Krachek]

I follow the play tests and see nothing in this direction.

 

[Reynard]

So is this new edition going to be the one that finally makes things a bit easier for the Dungeon Masters out there?

I don't see how it could get any easier. there are 3 or 4 different introductory sets (depending on how you classify R&M and ST) as well as a tsunami of How To GM videos, both official and unofficial. And it isn't that hard to begin with.

 

[Ry]

I don't see how it could get any easier. there are 3 or 4 different introductory sets (depending on how you classify R&M and ST) as well as a tsunami of How To GM videos, both official and unofficial. And it isn't that hard to begin with.

Do campaigns not fall apart when DMs get overwhelmed by prep anymore?

 

[KYRON45]

Do campaigns not fall apart when DMs get overwhelmed by prep anymore?

Campaigns fall apart for many reasons.
What is it about prep that you feel that needs to be addressed?

 

[Clint_L]

I think DnDBeyond and the Virtual Tabletop are more oriented towards helping with this issue, but I don't know if they'll make a huge difference. Certainly DDB reduces my prep significantly.

 

[DEFCON 1]

It's not difficulty that makes people not want to DM (or GM)... it's that most people would rather just play. It's easier and you can put all your focus on just one thing rather than everything.

It's no different than wondering why there are so many actors out in the world but not as many directors. Because directing is more work and you are responsible for more things. You have to really want to do it to go through the effort. Same way with DMing.

It doesn't matter how easy DMing is... it will never be easier than playing. So if you are looking for something easy, playing is the route you are going to take.

 

[Yaarel]

Discontinue the esoteric technical jargon of "challenge ratings".

Instead use "levels" for both monsters and player characters, whose meaning is obvious.

In principle, it should be easy to create a monster of a specific level on the fly, using a chart. A DM can customize it with normal player character rules, plus a hit point boost and heavy damage for several rounds.

Establish a reliable sense of what level a monster needs to be for "medium difficulty" for the players to encounter.

Relatedly, establish how many lower level monsters approximate a certain level monster.

Xanathars has some useful approaches but I am unsure if its numbers pass the test of time. There seems to be different schools of thought among D&D commentators.


Making encounter building simple to understand and do, helps make DMing a joy.

 

[overgeeked]

[Deleted].

 

[overgeeked]

It doesn't matter how easy DMing is... it will never easier than playing. So if you are looking for something easy, playing is the route you are going to take.

Maybe I'm just weird (it's probably the ADHD), but I find refereeing to be wildly easier than playing. As a player, I'm often bored out of my mind. As a referee, I'm always busy. Being bored is way harder to deal with than being busy.