D&D (2024) Take A Closer Look At The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide

Wizards of the Coast has just shared a video delving into the upcoming One D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide, due for release in 2024.

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Scroll down to post #4, below, for a more detailed text summary!

• Chapter 1 -- basic concepts
• Chapter 2 -- Advice, common issues
• Chapter 3 -- Rules cyclopedia
• Chapter 4 -- Adventure building
• Chapter 5 -- Campaign building
• Chapter 6 -- Cosmology
• Chapter 7 -- Magic items
• Chapter 8 -- 'A surprise'
• Appendices -- maps, lore glossary

 

[Reef]

I wonder how many DMs take so time off once every week to play a 4 hours game with a bunch of hostile strangers unable to communicate. I guess there's always the rare chance of getting ''That Guy'' at an AL open table, but its not like the game forces you to put up with the equivalent of psychological torture: its a game, its supposed to be fun.

I have to say, I've been wondering that myself. A lot of potential issues that are brought up leave me wondering, who the heck are you all playing with? And why? Not just this issue, but the concerns over "what do I do when someone shows up with a 2014 druid in my 2024 game?" and the like. Do people not talk about this stuff? Is my group the only one that are friends outside of the game?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

You mean like the massive marketing push for One D&D which oddly stopped soon as Hasbeen got caught with their pants down over the OGL and they needed to distance themselves from a disaster of PR?

Anyway….evidence? Am I on trial? Lol, we are talking about a make believe game about pixies and strange talking mushrooms.

Enjoy your day, I was only joining in this discussion whilst waiting for a delivery and it arrived so I’m out of here

Last I checked they are still doing marketing for it.

If you didn’t come by to engage you probably shouldn’t have posted period if you didn’t want replies.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I have to say, I've been wondering that myself. A lot of potential issues that are brought up leave me wondering, who the heck are you all playing with? And why? Not just this issue, but the concerns over "what do I do when someone shows up with a 2014 druid in my 2024 game?" and the like. Do people not talk about this stuff? Is my group the only one that are friends outside of the game?

I don't get it either. When it comes to character options and preferences, historically my groups just evolved with the times. That said, my recent efforts to call out that I would allow 2014 subclasses is not because I am faced with that going forward, rather I'm "Session 0'ing" my ruling that it won't be a problem so there is no confusion or argument.

Based on the way Jeremy Crawford has been breaking down the survey results and how he and the team are iterating their design based on that, I am confident that my group will be happy with the 2024 options. But some people don't like that direction. It doesn't mean that the sky is falling. It's about how we choose to view it.

 

[dave2008]

You mean like the massive marketing push for One D&D which oddly stopped soon as Hasbeen got caught with their pants down over the OGL and they needed to distance themselves from a disaster of PR?

It paused during the OGL fiasco, but it is back now and bigger and better than it was before the OGL fiasco.

 

[dave2008]

The GM can talk to their players till the end of time but it doesn't matter if it's a conversation those players aren't ready & willing to engage in at an active or reasonable level.

And vice versa of course. DMs have a history of being unreasonable too (maybe even more than players). Now I, as a forever DM, am completely reasonable. No really, I am!

 

[tetrasodium]

And vice versa of course. DMs have a history of being unreasonable too (maybe even more than players). Now I, as a forever DM, am completely reasonable. No really, I am!

It seems like there's a strong undercurrent of "The TCoE section is perfect & nothing more is needed because all players are perfect and every GM is a monste. I'm not talking about needing a solution to problem players, just GM assistance in the form of text intended to help players learn to be good players capable of constructively participating in session zero. Going outside of a "reasonable level" does not require hostility or bad intentions. Simple reasons like anxiety, poorly set expectations, basic misunderstandings, & regular every day bad assumptions. We've all seen players walk in with a novel of a "backstory" that they were excited about at some point. Brennen Lee Mulligan Matt Mercer & Aabria Iyengar have a great exchange with examples of how things can go wrong even with good intentions from the player

Spoiler: here

Video set to start of relevant timestamp in a much longer video

the guy from xp to level 3 also has a pretty good segment that touches on things like social anxiety & inexperience

Spoiler: here

Spoiler: and many others

Plus parody, more parody, and still more parody.

These kinds of videos wouldn't exist if the player directed text was sufficient to justify not doing better with player facing text written towards a player instead of only the one written towards the newest of new gms like the TCoE section.

 

[Iamoutofhere]

Last I checked they are still doing marketing for it.

If you didn’t come by to engage you probably shouldn’t have posted period if you didn’t want replies.

I’ll do what I want thanks. I did engage and some liked what I wrote and others didn’t. I’m fine with that. Have a good day.

 

[mamba]

I'm not talking about needing a solution to problem players, just GM assistance in the form of text intended to help players learn to be good players capable of constructively participating in session zero.

If you are not, I doubt you will be in session 1... this is really just the basics of communication we need here

These kinds of videos wouldn't exist if the player directed text was sufficient to justify not doing better with player facing text written towards a player instead of only the one written towards the newest of new gms like the TCoE section.

TCoE is first and foremost a player facing book

I have no problem with it being in the PHB instead, but most of the criticisms of this not being sufficient sounds an awful lot like you need / want complete handholding because you do not trust your players to not be complete jerks unless a book tells them not to and then shows them how. In my experience a complete jerk continues to be that, no matter what a book says.

 

[tetrasodium]

TCoE is first and foremost a player facing book

I linked up the TCoE Session Zero section to avoid this misunderstanding. The text within that section is not written towards players. It is unquestionably written almost exclusively to the GM to the point where it switches from you to they when talking about things players should do.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Why exactly is it so abhorrent that there should be a player facing equivalent that helps new or experienced GMs get players involved without needing to make them personally teach their players individually or as a group the basics of how to session zero?

Nah, that part of your posts is perfectly reasonable. I don't think anyone has been arguing that they DON'T WANT there to be a well-written Session Zero section in the new books that explains to players (as well as DMs) how to Place Nice with Others.

I think that you're finding pushback due to your repeated characterization of players that makes them sound like incredibly self-absorbed lunatics that can't possibly communicate and the utterly powerless DM.

I can dig through your posts to find that I agree with your core premise, but it's not easy! You've been setting a tone that's been getting people to argue with you far more than they should, if your ultimate goal is to communicate that "The current Session Zero write-ups aren't good (IMO) and they need to do more, in particular when it comes to player-facing instruction within player-facing books."

I don't think you'd find too many people who would argue with that (other than perhaps to say "Nah. I think the current Session Zero write-up is fine.") To THOSE people, I would simply respond: Just because something is fine does not mean that it can never be better. Shouldn't we always desire better? Can't everything be improved upon?

I think so.