D&D 5E What are people expecting to be in the DMG that is "needed to play the game"

[GMforPowergamers]

I would think rules for running the game... like build encounters, traps, xp....

 

[Will Doyle]

Definitely need to have sections on encounter design, adventure (and dungeon) design, campaign design and treasure awards.

A sample dungeon is also a classic. Also need that palette of common dungeon design symbols to encourage aspiring DMs to take up the graph paper and pen.

I loved the inclusion of Fallcrest in the 4E DMG, so it would be nice to see another "base town". It would be even better to see 6-12 pages dedicated to the most famous D&D settings: Greyhawk, FR, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, etc.

 

[howandwhy99]

The last few editions have stripped the game from the DMG and put it in the PHB. I'm hoping they do the opposite. The Player's Handbook should contain the very few rules everyone knows. Plus examples of play, lots of play advice and common strategies for players to otherwise try. Maybe some helpful aids too like a variety of player logs.

The DMG contains everything commonly thought of as the rules.

 

[Warunsun]

Just curious.

I doubt they would do this but I would love to see the default set of monsters in the Dungeon Master's Guide (like was summarized in the first edition DMG) but with full write-ups and magic items and other treasure. If they actually do include lots of optional modules that needs a big page count then I wouldn't mind them releasing a Monster Manual and a Treasure Guide (so four books!).

 

[Paraxis]

What should be in the DMG, IMHO.

• Wealth by level, treasure parcels
• Encounter building rules for balanced encounters
• Traps, all balanced no save or die crap
• Special terrain that gives benifits or penalties
• Special zones that let you do special actions like Iron Heroes
• Bunch of NPC humaniods that dont use the same rules as PC's

Essentially things that let the DM build encounters that are fun and balanced.

 

[Rabbitbait]

I want secrets. Lot's of secrets that can confound player expectations. And magic items. And weird modules.

In short, I want all the stuff that can change the game.

 

[Li Shenron]

The current playtest "DM's Guidelines" is maybe only 20 pages (although with no artwork). "Magic Items" is less than that, but honestly the number of items presented is a lot lower than in 3e.

However, the 3e DMG had a lot of general "how to run encounters", "how to run a campaign, "how to build a fantasy world" information, something like more than 100 pages only for those guidelines! This is probably something they don't want to skip in 5e, because even if a lot of experience DMs won't need it (and let's face it, they might even end up reprinting whole chapters from previous editions' DMGs...), having such guidelines well-written yields a more solid opinion on a new edition's core game. Normally, it is said that it's important to have such guidelines for new DMs, however if 5e is going to put a lot of stakes on the Basic product, it's possible that such information is moved there (not if the current "leaked" price is true tho).

What the 5e DMG can really save in terms of space compared to 3e, is (a) the parts about detailed environmental rules, conditions and such, which are simpler in 5e (unless they actually want to include a whole "module" for detailed rules in the first DMG of course), and (b) character material. There is a least ~40 pages in the 3e DMG about prestige classes (presumably 5e subclasses will all be in the PHB) and NPC classes, both of these are really unneeded in 5e.

They might just decide to put in the DMG all that is optional, but it's not that obvious. For example, Feats and multiclassing rules are technically optional, but I don't think players would expect not to find them in the PHB!

 

[delericho]

NEED:

Encounter generation
Traps
Magic Items
Experience Points
Misc Rules (poison, disease, conditions)

This.

Also, since the DMG is for DMs of all levels of experience, it also needs to include what we would consider "the basics" - the nuts and bolts of running the game, making judgement calls, adjudicating disputes; building encounters, adventures, campaigns; and so on. That may not be stuff you need to run the game at the table, but it is stuff that a new DM will need.

Remember that every edition is someone's first edition.

 

[Iosue]

Mearls and Co. have been extremely closed-lipped regarding possible products. However, there are these two tweets from Mearls:

John Proudfoot ‏@GX_Sigma 9 Mar 2013
@mikemearls What do you think are the most important things the 5e "DMG" needs to include, besides rules modules? (eg. worldbuilding advice)

Mike Mearls @mikemearls
‏@GX_Sigma we were just talking about this today; will likely include little DM advice, assume you are an expert DM.

Thomas F. Johnson ‏@tbok1992 Apr 20
@mikemearls Also, Healing Surges and non-clerical healing are sorely missed in Next.

Mike Mearls @mikemearls
@tbok1992 DMG will let DMs define hit points for campaign, alter regain rate

That first one in particular suggests to me that the DMG will be completely optional. It will be the book that holds the various campaign level modules for really changing up the core game. That's why it will assume you are an expert DM. It's going to assume you've played before, you have a sense of what you want D&D to do for you, and you'll be ready to try the various modules and dials in the DMG.

 

[Remathilis]

This.

Also, since the DMG is for DMs of all levels of experience, it also needs to include what we would consider "the basics" - the nuts and bolts of running the game, making judgement calls, adjudicating disputes; building encounters, adventures, campaigns; and so on. That may not be stuff you need to run the game at the table, but it is stuff that a new DM will need.

Remember that every edition is someone's first edition.

True. If the latter stuff (magic items, traps, etc) is in that $50 PHB, then the DMG becomes a useful but unneeded book. I'm fine with that; Pathfinder works just fine holding the SRD's worth of classes, spells, magic items, rules, and even prestige classes. Their Gamemastery Guide is full of good supplemental rules; NPCs, optional rules, advice, etc. I bring the Core book to game for reference, the GMG I read at home when creating adventures.