Thanks brother for the video! Come out with Eberron as the core setting and rules/spells that really showcase that setting… I’d be interested 😊 Currently our Eberron is in Monte Cooks Invisible Sun - our version of Shadow… …gives a more realistic reason for potentially getting drawn back in (A game mechanic)
I wouldn't say that. That system still works with currently available Monster books, especially since all it does is drop the multipliers for the number of creatures.
TLDR. Nice beginner chapters. Some parts lean toward the player than the DM. Great for a brand new dm. But occasionally light on details. DMS will have to go to third party to get greater detail. If you have more than three years as DM, get it when it been discounted. Some art has the problem of one color and many shades making the pictures look muddy. Other art work is great. 4.5 Stars for new DMS.
I like the AD&D DMG, mainly because of the Tools it has. I think that the 2014 DMG is very close to the AD&D DMG in spirit, superior in execution, lacking in content. For example, we get no procedures for Hexploration. How would you say that the 2024 DMG compares to the AD&D DMG from that perspective? I am more of the idea of wantinf to learn how to fish, not to be given a fish. Aside from that, it is great to see you revewing D&D material again! Cheers!
IMO it's a better guide, but a worse toolbox. The content is good, and the organization is way better, however the tools and tables to get you back at using it as you prepare sessions and adventures are worse. Dungeons. Appendix A: Random Dungeons of 2014's DMG that iterated on the AD&D one was removed, leaving their dungeon creation advice as "Look at existing maps online, in the appendix, or in adventures for inspiration". The dungeon chapter of the toolbox also suffers for not having the dungeon themes and chamber purpose by theme tables. NPCS and Adventures. They also removed random tables used to give some detail, flavor, and motivations in NPC creation, albeit their name generator is useful. They basically point you to the player's handbook ability score and alignment personality tables instead, which while sufficient, is kind of a pain in the butt and lacks detail on motivation. They removed tables to inspire adventures with the location-based and event-based distinction with details on locations and modular villain schemes they had on 2014, instead they have small non-modular tables of scenarios based on tier of play. Treasure. The treasure hoard table was also massively simplified with a recommendation that gives way too much gold and magic items per session, removing a lot of the usability in favor of pointing you to their themed treasures tables, they removed minor/consumables and major magic items distinctions of the old lettered tables, which while the themes are flavorful and the study it makes the dials of magic power less granular. Bastions. The Bastion system is also deeply flawed, it doesn't do what they say they want you to do, have an outlet to spend gold on. Most expenditure of money on it is cosmetic while special facilities that generate money are given to players for free, making the above problem worse. This can be easily adjusted by making one spend money for special facilities and getting a bastion too, but it feels conflicting to do so when the designers tell you "This is off the DM's hands, this is for the players" in an interview. The whole idea of defenders and sieges is also super undercooked, with little reason to bother when events only happen when the party is gone with a miniscule chance for an attack. That can also be adjusted, but it gives you the same conflict that I mentioned above. There is a good foundation there and some of the special facilities are really cool, but it's bad execution when looking at the big picture. Downtime. The downtime options from Xanathar's Guide and DMG are gone or weren't ported, only crafting made the cut. Cool downtime activities like carousing, crime, research, are implied to be replaced by the Bastion system, which is unavailable for tier 1 and would be better as a supplement to downtime instead of a replacement. The variant rule of training downtime to level up made it unchanged from 2014, but the cost scaling is laughably cheap and lacks awareness of how much the new dmg showers the players with gold that they can only meaningfully spend on magic items. Again easily adjusted, but it gives you a feeling that some of the choices made in one chapter were made without awareness of the other chapters. I am only talking about the negatives right now, but there are also a lot of new improvements and good content elsewhere, like the advice to new DM's, the organization, some of the tracker sheets, particularly the player character tracker and the expectations one, a distinct and streamlined approach to travel, the provided campaign example, the cosmology chapter being better written, bastions as an idea even if it's flawed, more details to hazards, traps, curses, and doors, and the improvements to encounters and magic items. In general it's worse random tables, better everything else. If you didn't use tables as a toolbox it's an improvement, but from an AD&D perspective I imagine you did. That said, the old tables can easily be adjusted to the new content, I am already working on revising Appendix A of 2014 with the new hazards, traps, themed treasure, encounter guidelines, and door details.
@@JazzyBassy I use the Random Tables a lot, that's true, but if they improved in the other areas, then it might be a good complement to the 2014 DMG. Thanks for the lengthy response! :D. Cheers!
Gotta say I personally love the store exclusive cover. I love the symbolism with the spider weaving the Web and the gm weaving the tale.
I hadn't looked at it that way, but that is a good comparison
I have always loved Venger!
The only one of the 3 books I'm getting. Is the dungeon master game store exclusive since. It's the only cover I do like. Love me a spider women.
3e
There's always other options than just fighting. They can run or parley.
The Deck of Many Things
I do love the Deck of Many Things!
Thanks brother for the video!
Come out with Eberron as the core setting and rules/spells that really showcase that setting… I’d be interested 😊
Currently our Eberron is in Monte Cooks Invisible Sun - our version of Shadow…
…gives a more realistic reason for potentially getting drawn back in (A game mechanic)
The new challenge system is more useless than tights on a mermaid without...The monsters!
I wouldn't say that. That system still works with currently available Monster books, especially since all it does is drop the multipliers for the number of creatures.
Good advice: keeping campaign close to the bastion
TLDR. Nice beginner chapters. Some parts lean toward the player than the DM. Great for a brand new dm. But occasionally light on details. DMS will have to go to third party to get greater detail. If you have more than three years as DM, get it when it been discounted.
Some art has the problem of one color and many shades making the pictures look muddy. Other art work is great.
4.5 Stars for new DMS.
Im kinda sold now. Dodnt think id get yet another DM guide
I like the AD&D DMG, mainly because of the Tools it has. I think that the 2014 DMG is very close to the AD&D DMG in spirit, superior in execution, lacking in content. For example, we get no procedures for Hexploration.
How would you say that the 2024 DMG compares to the AD&D DMG from that perspective?
I am more of the idea of wantinf to learn how to fish, not to be given a fish.
Aside from that, it is great to see you revewing D&D material again!
Cheers!
IMO it's a better guide, but a worse toolbox. The content is good, and the organization is way better, however the tools and tables to get you back at using it as you prepare sessions and adventures are worse.
Dungeons. Appendix A: Random Dungeons of 2014's DMG that iterated on the AD&D one was removed, leaving their dungeon creation advice as "Look at existing maps online, in the appendix, or in adventures for inspiration". The dungeon chapter of the toolbox also suffers for not having the dungeon themes and chamber purpose by theme tables.
NPCS and Adventures. They also removed random tables used to give some detail, flavor, and motivations in NPC creation, albeit their name generator is useful. They basically point you to the player's handbook ability score and alignment personality tables instead, which while sufficient, is kind of a pain in the butt and lacks detail on motivation. They removed tables to inspire adventures with the location-based and event-based distinction with details on locations and modular villain schemes they had on 2014, instead they have small non-modular tables of scenarios based on tier of play.
Treasure. The treasure hoard table was also massively simplified with a recommendation that gives way too much gold and magic items per session, removing a lot of the usability in favor of pointing you to their themed treasures tables, they removed minor/consumables and major magic items distinctions of the old lettered tables, which while the themes are flavorful and the study it makes the dials of magic power less granular.
Bastions. The Bastion system is also deeply flawed, it doesn't do what they say they want you to do, have an outlet to spend gold on. Most expenditure of money on it is cosmetic while special facilities that generate money are given to players for free, making the above problem worse. This can be easily adjusted by making one spend money for special facilities and getting a bastion too, but it feels conflicting to do so when the designers tell you "This is off the DM's hands, this is for the players" in an interview. The whole idea of defenders and sieges is also super undercooked, with little reason to bother when events only happen when the party is gone with a miniscule chance for an attack. That can also be adjusted, but it gives you the same conflict that I mentioned above. There is a good foundation there and some of the special facilities are really cool, but it's bad execution when looking at the big picture.
Downtime. The downtime options from Xanathar's Guide and DMG are gone or weren't ported, only crafting made the cut. Cool downtime activities like carousing, crime, research, are implied to be replaced by the Bastion system, which is unavailable for tier 1 and would be better as a supplement to downtime instead of a replacement. The variant rule of training downtime to level up made it unchanged from 2014, but the cost scaling is laughably cheap and lacks awareness of how much the new dmg showers the players with gold that they can only meaningfully spend on magic items. Again easily adjusted, but it gives you a feeling that some of the choices made in one chapter were made without awareness of the other chapters.
I am only talking about the negatives right now, but there are also a lot of new improvements and good content elsewhere, like the advice to new DM's, the organization, some of the tracker sheets, particularly the player character tracker and the expectations one, a distinct and streamlined approach to travel, the provided campaign example, the cosmology chapter being better written, bastions as an idea even if it's flawed, more details to hazards, traps, curses, and doors, and the improvements to encounters and magic items.
In general it's worse random tables, better everything else. If you didn't use tables as a toolbox it's an improvement, but from an AD&D perspective I imagine you did. That said, the old tables can easily be adjusted to the new content, I am already working on revising Appendix A of 2014 with the new hazards, traps, themed treasure, encounter guidelines, and door details.
@@JazzyBassy I use the Random Tables a lot, that's true, but if they improved in the other areas, then it might be a good complement to the 2014 DMG.
Thanks for the lengthy response! :D.
Cheers!