The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is Chris Perkins' Last Book as Product Lead

Chris Perkins has said that the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is the last official D&D product he'll be working on as a product lead. Yesterday, a number of sites (including EN World!) posted previews and reviews of the upcoming 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. Interestingly, Polygon's coverage of the 2024 DMG contained an extra quote from Chris Perkins, stating that the book was his last as a product lead.

“Although I made substantial contributions to the Monster Manual (2025) and the next D&D starter set, the Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) is the last official D&D book in which I’m credited as a product lead,” Perkins said to Polygon. “Knowing that, I tried to stuff as much of my DM brain into [...] that book as would fit. Whether that’s a gift to the community or not, I’ll let the users decide.”

Perkins is currently a Game Architect for Dungeons & Dragons and helps manage the design team for the game. He's also served as a lead story designer for several campaign-focused adventures. He's also been a long-time face of Dungeons & Dragons, appearing at conventions, Actual Play shows, and marketing videos as an authority on the game and its past, present, and future.

EN World has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for additional context about Perkins' comment and his role with the company. We'll note that Perkins is a part of the marketing cycle for the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, so he doesn't appear to have left the company.

 

[Zardnaar]

Considering how long Chris has been at WOTC and TSR, anyone have any thoughts on how he has manage to stay on with WOTC considering how much other talent has either left or been laid off from WOTC?

He wasn't the lead or one pushing changes in 3E and 4E combined with being really good at his job. To good to fire, not in the position to take the fall.

They fired the ones who pushed for 4E, 3E was scaled down after launch.

Pure speculation we don't know the behind the scenes details.

 

[Parmandur]

Considering how long Chris has been at WOTC and TSR, anyone have any thoughts on how he has manage to stay on with WOTC considering how much other talent has either left or been laid off from WOTC?

Skill, perseverance, spunk, absolute and complete dedication to D&D itself, luck, divine aid?

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Considering how long Chris has been at WOTC and TSR, anyone have any thoughts on how he has manage to stay on with WOTC considering how much other talent has either left or been laid off from WOTC?

Stayed out of management, be my guess. I suspect that he was pretty happy where he was and did not want to manage but now got an offer he could not refuse.

 

[Parmandur]

Stayed out of management, be my guess. I suspect that he was pretty happy where he was and did not want to manage but now got an offer he could not refuse.

And less flippant on my part...navigating staying employed at many an organization can be a whole skillset of its own.

Worth noting that several Magic designers have been with WotC juat as long, though.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

And less flippant on my part...navigating staying employed at many an organization can be a whole skillset of its own.

Worth noting that several Magic designers have been with WotC juat as long, though.

Not if you count his freelance work at dungeon magazine back in the 80s.

 

[Parmandur]

Not if you count his freelance work at dungeon magazine back in the 80s.

Well, sure, but thst isn't a fair comparison, lol. He became a full employee of TSR just as they moved the offices to Renton, so his fulltime on D&D tenure is identical to his tenute at WotC. It is impressive, and I reckon his love of working on tabletop D&D played a significant role in his sticking it out.

 

[BigZebra]

Congrats to Chris. I really like a lot of what he has worked on. Some of the adventures he did back in 3.5 was amazing. And of course CoS is top notch.

I remember before Covid hit it was planned that he should DM a new actual play podcast as a replacement for DCA!. Unfortunately that got pushed back when Covid hit, and then later just cancelled. I think he lost interest in being in the spotlight. Understandably.
Also I just don't understand people feeling the need to throwing slurs at both Chris and JC on Reddit and Twitter. I mean fine don't like the rules or game, but don't be a jerk. The only result is that those people have no interest in engaging with the community.

 

[Uta-napishti]

I compares it to Theros, Eberron and Exandria vs older material. Those are the gold standard 5E settings imho. Unless you're the world's biggest half vampire fan (and the other one what ever it was) there's not much in VRGtR for players.

Hey, I agree Eberron is the gold standard! Wildemount and Theros I have't read deeply enough to have an opinion. Still I would put the Ravenloft book up there almost with Eberron in terms of sheer amount of play it opens up and feeds. I guess we are pretty off topic for a Chris Perkins thread tho'

 

[agrayday]

Skill, perseverance, spunk, absolute and complete dedication to D&D itself, luck, divine aid?

i think its more than that. I know people (some people here in this forum know people) that worked there, and they were smart, brilliant, and for sure dedicated to D&D but were let go, or had to quit.

 

[Parmandur]

i think its more than that. I know people (some people here in this forum know people) that worked there, and they were smart, brilliant, and for sure dedicated to D&D but were let go, or had to quit.

Hence why I pointed to luck and divine aid as potential explanations.

That was not a knock against anyone not at WotC anymore: many fine designers have been laid off, and many have left for greener pastures of their own according. He has been lucky enough to avoid the former, and I don't think there is any pasture away from D&D green enough for Perkins.