What can WotC do in OneD&D to make the DM's Guide worth buying?

[Scott Christian]

Sure, but you already own it! If this version is compatible.....how could they make a DMG you'd want to buy again?

Personally, I think they add realms and rules associated with those realms. Conan-esque with two pages of specific alternate rules, Harry Potter with two pages of specific alternate rules, etc. Give it an extra sixty pages. It doesn't need to be balanced or even harbor D&D core values. Just alternate rules. Maybe one where no one ever gets above third level or another where the damage you take permanently reduces an attribute or another where if you're a wizard you have a chance of blowing up. Obviously a lot of those are hyperbolic, but you get my point.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Personally, I think they add realms and rules associated with those realms. Conan-esque with two pages of specific alternate rules, Harry Potter with two pages of specific alternate rules, etc. Give it an extra sixty pages.

Yes! Van Richten's guide is a good model for this in my opinion. Then I could tell my players I'm running a Conan-esque adventure, check page 125 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to see what that entails.

 

[SteveC]

I know this is unlikely, but I'd like any modules to be fully developed, not a shell that needs the DM to make them useful at the table. There are some ideas in the current DMG but they all need a lot of work to expand them. "Here are some ideas for you to design with..." is really not useful to me. Yes, that might mean fewer modules, but more that I'd actually use. And the only way I'd get the book is if it has something I want to use at my table.

 

[Scott Christian]

Yes! Van Richten's guide is a good model for this in my opinion. Then I could tell my players I'm running a Conan-esque adventure, check page 125 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to see what that entails.

Well, one thing I think you could do if it was taken seriously, is alter how players make their characters - which is a fun part of the game for many. So an alternate rule regarding rituals might make some players reconfigure their character, especially if it made them unique or stronger or even able to do the bizarre. An alternate rule on damage might make people more aware of AC. I have never really mapped any of this out in my head, but I do know anything that alters the mindset of character creation is a pretty strong influence.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Bring back the NPC classes! Let the Commoner class ride again!

 

[Weiley31]

Wasn't the 4E DMG liked by a lot of players? Like both books? Or am I getting mixed up with another thing?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Wasn't the 4E DMG liked by a lot of players? Like both books? Or am I getting mixed up with another thing?

Liked by a lot of 4e players, certainly.

 

[SteveC]

Wasn't the 4E DMG liked by a lot of players? Like both books? Or am I getting mixed up with another thing?

It was. Both it and the DMG2 had a lot of material that is useful even today. I think they were excellent books that still hold up.

 

[Beleriphon]

The DMG needs to operate like an actual teaching textbook does. Introduce concepts and ideas in measured doses so you build upon each idea from the previous one.

Chapter One really should be what is the game, how to start a game, and why different people play. This can include how to appeal to different ways to play, as well as why you want to DM. Advice on problems that can arise in a D&D game. Use WotC IP examples to keep that brand train rolling.

From there introduce the idea of what kind of game to play. This is where fun random generation tables can start being introduced. Once you have what kind of game you want further chapters about building adventures to whole settings. Include customer monster rules in either chapter.

Setting design chapter should go over general advice about world building, including cosmology with the Great Wheel used as the example to illustrate different ideas. Discussion can contrast how say Eberron and Forgotten Realms handle high level NPCs why both approaches are valid and how choosing one of them can affect the game and how you need to approach it as the DM.

From there move onto how to provide both the players and the characters rewards. This is where we get into magic items and what not.

Full random generation and crazy tables can be in appendices.

 

[kronovan]

If WotC's plan is to design it similar to the 5e DMG, then I'd prefer if essential things like magic items would also be available in a smaller/lower cost companion. IMO too much of what was in the DMG was novice and introductory and I have other publications that are reasonably system agnostic (i.e. PF1E GameMastery Guide) that do a better job covering it. While I made use of magic items, crafting, sub races, sub class and monster creation info in the 5e DMG, everything else was just filler. I needed it for encounter creation guidelines in the early days of 5e, but WotC eventually released the free 5e DMG PDF which included that. Not to mention others eventually published alternatives.

These days I much prefer PDFs to Hardcovers though, so I'm unlikely to migrate to OneD&D anyways.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

They could remove the notion that magic items are optional, and start giving them out like crazy, so more players would buy the DMG to see what their magic items do. [This would cause balance issues, but selling books and making money is good.]

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

They could remove the notion that magic items are optional, and start giving them out like crazy, so more players would buy the DMG to see what their magic items do. [This would cause balance issues, but selling books and making money is good.]

Hilarious...

 

[nevin]

It's a serious question. The "Big Three" books of D&D have always been the Player's Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide. The DM's Guide has always sounded like it is really important, but I don't think it has ever been an essential text in any version of D&D, aside from being where we hide the magic items (for some reason).

So what can actually make this book worth buying and reading, while remaining true to the basic 5e toolkit?

For everyone? nothing. There is absolutely no need for everyone to read that book. If they want to buy it and read it great, But anything that make's it more important doesn't change the fact if the DM has the necessary books no one else "needs" them. Over the years I'd say more than half of my players used my player's handbooks. Trying to force everyone to buy them all will work about as well as Microsoft trying to end piracy in Africa, India, and China.

 

[Irlo]

For everyone? nothing. There is absolutely no need for everyone to read that book. If they want to buy it and read it great, But anything that make's it more important doesn't change the fact if the DM has the necessary books no one else "needs" them. Over the years I'd say more than half of my players used my player's handbooks. Trying to force everyone to buy them all will work about as well as Microsoft trying to end piracy in Africa, India, and China.

“Force?”

 

[nevin]

They could remove the notion that magic items are optional, and start giving them out like crazy, so more players would buy the DMG to see what their magic items do. [This would cause balance issues, but selling books and making money is good.]

lol. That's what drove everyone crazy in 3rd edition even though the designers repeatedly said all content was optional and up to the DM.

Now they've tried to Control everything and limit rules bloat, which limits reasons to buy new content. I'd argue the first way is more profitable but you just have to ignore the screaming masses.

 

[nevin]

“Force?”

force, incentivize, whatever you want to call it. If you are putting content into the DMG to get players to read it then you are somewhere on a sliding scale between the two.

 

[Omand]

I may have missed it in this thread, but a huge thing that I think would help for the DMG (and the PHB and MM for that matter) is a much, much, much better index with proper cross-referencing.

Cheers

 

[Eyes of Nine]

If you are putting content into the DMG to get players to read it

I don't think the DMG is for players. It's in the title - Dungeon Master's Guide

 

[Clint_L]

For everyone? nothing. There is absolutely no need for everyone to read that book. If they want to buy it and read it great, But anything that make's it more important doesn't change the fact if the DM has the necessary books no one else "needs" them. Over the years I'd say more than half of my players used my player's handbooks. Trying to force everyone to buy them all will work about as well as Microsoft trying to end piracy in Africa, India, and China.

I don't understand you got from my question, "So what can actually make this book worth buying and reading, while remaining true to the basic 5e toolkit?" to your claim that I am proposing "trying to force everyone to buy" it. Please clarify.

 

[delericho]

Actually, I've just had a thought: many of the published adventures and settings to date have added various modules (the vehicle rules in Baldur's Gate, and the sailing rules in Saltmarsh come to mind). If WotC were to gather all of these together into their new DMG, that would make it a worthwhile purchase for me, even if it came at the cost of eliminating just about everything that's currently in the book.