D&D 5E So…..is the Dungeon Master’s Guide strictly necessary?

[Xodis]

Short answer: No, its not necessary, the creators posted that before even the Basic version was released.

Opinionated answer: Not if you dont want to enjoy all the information to be jammed in there. Magic items alone are good enough for me, the possibilities of certain "Evil" character types (BlackGuard Class, Death Domain, etc..) sounds wonderful. Tons of ideas on how to build encounters/campaigns, sure I've DM'd enough that I can do without but you never know what kind of new ideas might be within. Then we have alternative "House Rules" that should be an interesting read with Firearms, explosives, and alien weapons as Icing on the cake.

 

[TerraDave]

Everything 'strictly necessary' in the DMG will be placed in he Basic rules, so no you don't have to have the DMG.

Of course, that also true of the other two books.

Given that, it may not be that much more optional. The stuff in the PHB is player options, MM is monster options, DMG is campaign options. You "only" need it if you want the additional magic items and the additional rules guidance and modules (including on things like tracking, diseases, probably poison, probably example DCs and challenges, expanded down time rules...), a large of which you may use over the course of a few decent campaigns.

But sure, its "optional".

 

[Mercurius]

Necessary? No, except for, perhaps, bathroom reading. Awesomely fun? Yes.

The great thing about RPGs is that very little is "necessary" - for most you only the core rule book and whatever means of resolution (e.g. dice). After that, everything is optional.

WotC has taken a different tact from previous editions, or at least 4E where "everything was core." Many mistook this to mean that "everything is necessary" when in truth what it really meant was "everything can be used in any game, regardless of setting." In a way 5E is the same, but now it is "everything is optional." You could even play the game with nothing but the free Basic Rules and dice, so the cost to play is <$10 per person (and that doesn't include sharing dice). Of course very few people, except for the most casual gamers, will only own dice, but I think the key is that Wizards is trying to sell product on the merits of the product, not on some half-truth proposition of "coreness" or the sense of necessity.

 

[Jack99]

Short answer: No, its not necessary, the creators posted that before even the Basic version was released.

Opinionated answer: Not if you dont want to enjoy all the information to be jammed in there. Magic items alone are good enough for me, the possibilities of certain "Evil" character types (BlackGuard Class, Death Domain, etc..) sounds wonderful. Tons of ideas on how to build encounters/campaigns, sure I've DM'd enough that I can do without but you never know what kind of new ideas might be within. Then we have alternative "House Rules" that should be an interesting read with Firearms, explosives, and alien weapons as Icing on the cake.

I would say that rules for creating new monsters is very important, for me anyway.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Not necessary but will be useful.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Necessary? No. All you really need is the PHB (or Basic/Starter), as that book contains the core mechanics. What dice do, how to make attacks, how skills work, etc. The other books are optional.

Personally, I hardly ever reference the DMG. I started with 1st edition ("Basic" and "Expert" D&D back in early 80s), though. I grew up coming up with monsters and traps that just seemed right.

Nowadays, the game is much more elegant and cohesive. Those numbers (for trap DCs and damage, and such) are more carefully calibrated. Players expect a more sophisticated experience; they want robust systems for things like downtime and exploration. So maybe the DMG is more useful than before.

But necessary? Nah. As demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of us who've been playing 5E since the PHB came out.

 

[aramis erak]

The PHB doesn't tell you how much XP to award. That's the key element of the DMG that makes it "properly necessary" even if not strictly so, and that's the primary rules element in the DM's Basic Rules at present.

 

[Xodis]

I would say that rules for creating new monsters is very important, for me anyway.

Good point, I forgot about those hehe.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would say that rules for creating new monsters is very important, for me anyway.

I think it also comes down to how much it has changed from the last two editions. We may find out, very little is different.

 

[GX.Sigma]

You can run a game without the DMG, but I'm finding it almost impossible to create a campaign without it.