Sell me on the DM's kit (or help justify my decision to ignore it)

[jeffh]

My brother-in-law and I were at a bookstore today and found ourselves looking at Essentials products while waiting for my sister, and I found myself wondering aloud if there was any real point to getting the DM's kit. For a new DM coming off the Red Box I can imagine there would be, but I don't see that it's worthwhile for someone like myself.

I imagine more than one other poster here is in a position similar to mine. Suppose that you:

• Are experienced at running RPGs in general, these may or may not include 4E in particular.
• Already own several 4E books, the DMG among them.
• Would kinda-sorta like to get the Rules Compendium regardless, if you don't already own it, and are particularly curious about how much that and the DM's Book overlap.

In this situation, what does the DM's Kit bring to the table? Obviously there's the adventure, tokens and maps, I suppose, but are those even close to worth the cost by themselves? And perhaps more importantly, is there anything else I'm overlooking that makes the DM's book worthwhile for someone in the above position?

 

[Aegeri]

If you don't want the tokens, adventures and maps absolutely nothing. It does have a list of the current rare items, but most of them are terrible so you can skip them easily without really feeling like anything is missing. The rules compendium IMO is a must buy, but from the sounds of things the DM's kit isn't going to be very useful for you. The adventure is actually okay though, the maps are a good addition and the tokens are pretty neat (especially combined with MV). But overall? I don't think this is a great purchase.

 

[OnlineDM]

Agreed. My situation is similar to yours. I'm becoming a big fan of the Essentials line. I don't use Dungeon Tiles, so I skipped those, but I've bought both Heroes books, the Rules Compendium and the Monster Vault. Those have all been fantastic purchases for me. However, I've really felt very little temptation to get the Dungeon Master's Kit. I've got everything I need between the DMG1 and DMG2, the Rules Compendium and the DDI Compendium.

 

[Retreater]

If you own DMG 1 ... absolutely no reason to purchase DM's kit unless you want the tokens/map/adventure/DM screen/etc.

Monster Vault would be a better purchase if you want tokens. DM screen will be coming out next year in a more sturdy format.

The book is not really that useful. Mostly a retread of DMG 1 material. There is some updated information on DCs ... but that is all present in the Rules Compendium.

I regret my purchase of the DM's Kit.

Retreater

 

[jeffh]

If you own DMG 1 ... absolutely no reason to purchase DM's kit unless you want the tokens/map/adventure/DM screen/etc.

Monster Vault would be a better purchase if you want tokens. DM screen will be coming out next year in a more sturdy format.

The book is not really that useful. Mostly a retread of DMG 1 material. There is some updated information on DCs ... but that is all present in the Rules Compendium.

I regret my purchase of the DM's Kit.

Retreater

This is pretty much the impression I had. The MV is my #1 most wanted D&D product at the moment and the only reason I haven't bought it already is the possibility that I might get it for Christmas; that sounds much better for tokens (granted, very few PC-suitable ones, but I've got my own much more customizable means of creating those) and more importantly, is packaged with a book chock full of stuff I will actually use. And if what you say about the book is true, i.e. that it's fully redundant if you've got the DMG1 and the RC, then the tokens become the main selling point, from my perspective.

 

[Aegeri]

I think Monster Vault is one of the best products that wizards has released to be honest. It's really good and filled with some nicely thought out monsters.

Edit: I am also convinced that the Owlbear is so vicious, it might stop your players from laughing at it for very long. If it gets two claw attack hits and then using an AP for its beak, it can deal 80 damage in a single round very easily (especially as a good chunk of that damage is from an auto hit :O).

 

[Ktulu]

The book is pointless. The tokens are pretty, but if you use minis are kinda meh.


However, the adventure was a FRIGGIN' BLAST! I ran the entire thing over the course of the last 5-8 sessions and the players LOVED IT. An extremely well-written and exciting romp. It was very easy to add into my ongoing campaign without changing much other than names.

The DM screen is nice, too, having all the updated tables. It's not as quality as the cardstock one, but i haven't had any troubles with it falling over or anything (though, you can wait until next month to pick up the nice new one).

So, other than the adventure and the dm screen, it's not overly worth it. But, those two are pretty damn nice, in their own right.

 

[Aegeri]

Not to mention the Red Box Adventure flows into the DMs Kit adventure and that goes into the Monster Vault Adventure. It actually works extremely nicely.

 

[sunrisekid]

Like the original post, I too have substantial DMing experience and own most of the books. My rational for purchasing the DM Kit was a little different.

I initially thought the Essentials line would be a rules-lite version of 4E, something akin to old-skool Basic vis a vis Advanced; the Essentials Rules Compendium quickly dispelled that notion; it is a very useful book that succinctly carries all of the 4E rules.

That said, the DM Kit book carries "some" of the rules but not all. In my case, I should have skipped the Rules Compendium in order to rely on what is in the DM Kit and the Player books. (My players are not interested in the game mechanics so much as the roleplaying, so there's less need for them in the game I run.)

The DM Kit was the last purchase after the rest of the Essentials products, given that the price point was seemingly beyond dividend returns. However, it was worth it because the extras that come with the box are fun, my players love the maps and tokens, and the adventure is the best I've read so far from Wizards (sorry if others disagree, WotC adventures are mediocre in my opinion - perhaps others can recommend adventures to me on par with the one from DM Kit).

If you're short on cash then skip the DM Kit. If, like me, you would like to dispose of your previous hardcover books then the DK Kit is a great replacement. It fits adequately with the rest of the Essentials line and the extras are fun. In my case, the Essentials line replaced previous 4E books, that is, the DM Kit concludes an upgrade cycle to my game.

 

[UnknownAtThisTime]

Opinion and all that, but .....

I would buy it without hesitation.

The DM book: You don't need it. But, how often do YOU consult the DMG during a session? If you feel compelled to have one around, it may as well be an updated, abridged, short form version. It holds no candle to the RC, but it has a place, IMO.

Tokens: If you don't like them, this is near worthless. However ... I love them. I use them. I think they are a great idea and it is a definite selling point for me.

The Screen: Yeah, it is flimsy compared to the original 4E screen. It is also updated. Totally worth it IMO. Glad I've got it. Unless we are playing outdoors (wind), the flimsiness is not relevant.

The Adventure and Maps: Love the adventure. They bill it as less railroady, but it id still pretty A to B. In any case, I liked it a lot. Sure the maps are tiley, but I don't care.

For what it is worth, I was on the fence about all the Essentials products. I have started to buy them all. The MV is fantastic, but one man's opinion is that the DMK is right up there too...