D&D 5E What Do You Not Like About The 2014 5E DMG?

[Parmandur]

Not knowing anything about the new Phandelver campaign or the corruption rules, is it fair to expect designers to create a rule for a book published in 2014 that then doesn’t get true use til 10 years later? Part of my issue with the DMG is that these optional rules can be half-baked and it’s the rules that come up as part of campaigns or books like Xanathar’s that really have the detail I’d want - which kind of points to the conclusion “why even have a DMG?”

Magic items are a good reason: no room for them in the PHB, and they require DM opt-in.

Making the DMG a "starter" Adve ture anthology and campaign Setting is also a good move to make a case for it for new DMs.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Another point.

If the DMG is so great why do we have to rely on modules for mechanics that should exist in the DMG?

Ship or vehicle combat? Ghosts of Saltmarsh has that. Mass combat? The Dragonlance module. Running a business? Dragonheist. I’m sure there are other examples.

These are all mechanics that should be in the DMG. In the past these were all in the DMG. But whenever we have a module that leans on some mechanic or other, it never references the DMG.

Yeah, I just...I don't really understand what the DMG is supposed to be doing. It doesn't really seem to provide more than inspiration? And it definitely expects people to be doing quite a bit of game design themselves.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yeah, I just...I don't really understand what the DMG is supposed to be doing. It doesn't really seem to provide more than inspiration? And it definitely expects people to be doing quite a bit of game design themselves.

Ah. This is how you get inspiration... I always forget about it...

 

[MichaelSomething]

Yeah, I just...I don't really understand what the DMG is supposed to be doing. It doesn't really seem to provide more than inspiration? And it definitely expects people to be doing quite a bit of game design themselves.

It's suppose to EMPOWER the DM! Any form of guidance is bound to be interpreted as one true wayism by someone. Therefore, by removing all guidance, DMs will be free to run the game the way they see fit!

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I found it dull to read and for most of the last 10 years, I found it very difficult to find anything. Less so recently, as I have gotten more uses to it, but I think it is a big issue.
Make stuff easy to find and also do not scatter rules over several sections.