@@BobWorldBuilderGreat video, HOWEVER I DISLIKE EVERYTHING IN THE NEW 2024 5.5E SYSTEM SO I REFUSE TO EVER PLAY WITH IT!!! Which is a big part of why I won't ever buy anything for it.
Speaking as someone who's watched the first 30 seconds before hot-taking, clearly Mr Builder just hates books. How can you provide deep compelling content about a book you haven't even got! Plus, I looked into it, your drive-thruRPG page is full of really well-made, accessible, affordable PDFs to buy and download! Sounds kind of like a book to me big dog, ain't fooling no one! The hypocrisy doesn't stop with this guy! I hope he continues making this slop so I can continue to ironically enjoy it.
Interesting. Sadly, I kinda' DO like having GM-specific stuff in a separate book. But I'm a grognard who was playing in the 80s (mostly BECMI but I had all the 1e books, too) and am probably just used to always having a separate book. You make some great points that really do have me thinking, though, like the part about bastions really belonging in the PHB. Yeah: why IS that in the DMG? And I definitely agree that The Starter Sets (I'm looking at you Lost Mine of Phandelver) have been much better and accessible for newbies. Having said that, I'm still getting the physical copy of the DMG. Despite all my use of digital tools, I still prefer randomly paging through books to find interesting things. I've never been able to digitally replicate just opening up a book and being surprised by what's on the page I've opened to. That, and maybe I'm just stupid that way.
To answer your (and Bob's) question about Bastions in the DMG, the reason it's there is because it's OPTIONAL content. If they put it in the PHB, then players would expect it at ANY table (the devs mentioned this in the highlight video about Bastions). Whether or not that's a good argument is up to each person. It's kind of a dumb argument when you think about OPTIONAL feats being in the old PHB, but personally, I prefer that optional stuff and DM facing stuff be in a separate book so that players don't have to shill out an extra $20+ for a bigger book that has content they don't need. The Bastion system is mostly player facing, but there are definitely rules in there that I wouldn't show to a player.
It seems to me that there is so little actually "new" in this new DMG that the Bastion Rules are there in an attempt to make the book seem worthwhile. It's an idea most players will be interested in while the majority of the book is just a reskin.
I really appreciate this review. I saw ginny di's first and was very hyped about it and honesty, this review confirmed to me that i'm smack bang in the target audience for this book. I'm a new dm, running out of the box set, i find the current dmg disorganised and all the advice on the internet helpful, but overwhelming. Having all the info compiled neatly into a better organised book would be great for me. Definitely going on the wishlist for when i have some disposable income 👍
I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate and enjoy all your videos. I don’t post often because I watch TH-cam on my Fire tv and can’t do it from there. But I just wanted you to know you are appreciated. Thanks!
In the end, I've always (for 50 years) run games the way it felt right to me and my players. I use great ideas when I find them, but don't let "official rules" get in the way.
Yeah the DM content should totally be in the Player Guide because *the DM is a player too*. Plus we need to be telling players that they should (and totally can!) try out DMing too.
I love all videos that Bob World Builder does! I am hoping the new DM guide is worth getting. I can't wait for it to be available to look at. Still waiting another year for a starter set/box seems silly and not well thought out. I guess if you lay off too many people that work on these products that is what happens. Just hoping the quality does not suffer and it is not just a cash grab. Wondering if you have any thoughts on JP Coovert and his products. Thanks for all your videos. The work you do to make these are obvious.
I admit I also love the low levels! I think they should publish more short adventures like in a magazine format, with recommended levels and such, so we could create our own campaign by mixing and matching these modular adventures. I even thought of a name: "Adventure modules". But alas, people just want the big expensive books that look nice on the shelf 🤷🏻♂️
I haven't tried 5.5e, so it's hard to say. But my experience with 5e is basically this: lower levels are more fun because the game is much better balanced and designed. The higher you go, the weirder it gets and usually, not exactly for the better. On a sidenote, there IS a mountains of content for short adventures from 5e if you look around a bit. I know Kobold Press has done a lot of that. I am personally enjoying a lot Tales from the Margreve, which is a bunch of short adventures tied to one zone / theme. Borderland Provinces also have I think 4 whole books of short adventures. The Lazy DM has 1 or 2 books of Fantastic Locations. I absolutely adore all that is short adventures with great themes and maps. It feels really helpful to add it into my games.
1) You know me, and you know I'm a crazy book collector, but I do agree with you on the point of learning by doing, and just "running" the game and making sure everyone is having fun. I don't read every page, and I have tons of books on my shelves I haven't even cracked open.... yet. Do my players call out things that I don't "know" because I didn't read every page of all the books? Sure, and we deal with it and move on. But that doesn't happen very often. 2) I love my hoard of maps from czepeku. 3) Most of my physical books, I generally just casually read while listening to music etc.... and when I need to refer to something, I default to just looking it up on D&D Beyond.
3:09 I don’t have a copy yet. But from what I’ve heard from Ginny Di, even though there isn’t “new” stuff, it still shows a bunch of stuff you wouldn’t know. Because the 5e DMG was annoying to read, and some of the useful things were buried in the text, and the new one is better organized.
I often find myself thinking "why so books?" as well... But seriously great video. I love that you pointed out the fact that much of this info is out there for free. Keep these great videos coming!
Here's the thing I'm not going to be a hater like I once was but it is interesting to see a different view of DMing and overall play style, again not hating but it is just so different to the way I play and my viewpoint on dnd books in general. Overall really good well made video.
Hey Bob, great vid. I usually get caught on the hype. You are absolutely right, I don't need this book. I appreciate your grounded response to all this. (Might still buy the book at some point because it's so pretty) 😅
It's so funny how I see eye to eye with you on your gaming philosophy. I personally believe that the rules for D&D should be in one book. And that is why I had been running 5E with just the PHB and the pdf section of the DM's section of the free 2014 rules. I'm not saying the other books would not be helpful, but I just feel for me and my group that it's just too many damn rules! That being said, I would have taken those DMGs (lol) Hey, they're free! BTW, thank you for going through the PHB, and the free one on D&D Beyond in that comparison. I recently volunteered to run D&D for a teens library club, and I don't actually have the new PHB... but now I can just read through that one on the app and I'm pretty sure I'll know way more than the kids I'm running it for. They will have the new book(s) there, but I personally don't have the budge to buy one unless my wife's group wants to have the group continue D&D (so I can justify buying the new book... see how that works? lol). Thank you for this video! And thank you to the Patrons that helped bring this stuff about!
For what it’s worth, as a retailer I always try to discourage customers who want to get into D&D from buying the core books before they’ve tried the starter set. I don’t always succeed! Sometimes the lure of these chunky tomes is too great.
The bastion rules are for the DM to introduce to their campaign as they see it. Just like magic items. Its not default rules for a player to know, hence why its in the DMG. For examlple in one of my campaigns, its sandbox so I'll use the bastions, but my story based campaign it will feel very out of place
Solid point. I guess it just feels like weapon mastery to me then, which I suppose would also be good if the GM got to decide whether or not to add it in.
@@BobWorldBuilder except that weapon mastery is a core class feature for some classes now. DM’s shouldn’t be excluding it ever because the classes are balanced to it and the players can’t make reasonable choices about what they play if the DM has exclusive access to the weapon mastery rules. Come on, bob…
@BobWorldBuilder like @omalligan said. Weapon mastery is a core feature of classes. Bastions and making magic items are up to DM fiat and are not core components of the game.
You make a good point that the bastion/homebase rules should be considered optional/by DM approval. However it is worth considering the original 5e PHB has the multi-classing rules in, and it explicitly states there that they are optional/by DM approval, so I'm not convinced it's a good argument to put them in the DMG.
@nathanasaurusrex71 it's arguable that multiclassing has been a core staple of D&D in its legacy for the PHB while the bastions are not from the original PHB content
I can sympathize with the desire for minimalism…except for books! I have shelves of books I’ve never read and they bring me both shame and joy, but then I’m a librarian. Of course I’m also living on a librarian salary so I doubt I’ll get the DMG just yet.
Way back when I was 12, I downloaded PDFs of the 3.0 starter set and core 3. And homebrewed the heck out of it. Even using 4d6 I had a general "easy to hard" DC check. Bought the Dragon of Ice Spire peak and used a ton of your ideas and from Phandelver. Led it into half of baldurs gate and finished our campaign at level 10. I have my own misc useful DM'S 10 pages. Thanks to you.
Yes, thank you! I haven't bought into 2024 D&D, but I know full well I'll be picking up the starter set. (Which weirdly comes out after all the other core is released. More like follower set, amirite? Bad joke interlude over.) It's virtually guaranteed to produce a decent D&D experience, probably quite a good one, without investing heavily up front. I also understand the impulse not to buy books in general. If I don't think I'll get it to the table, I don't buy it these days. If I'm really interested, I buy the PDF. It costs less and takes up less physical space. Though I probably would have taken a free book, because the price is so hard to beat.
There's also some nuance to having more and more rules. As you add more rules, rather than making things easier, you end up having more and more edge cases. Just take a look at what happens with the hiding rules. Hiding is an extremely simple concept to understand, but after so many iterations on the rules, it's still confusing, unrealistic and with dozens of edge cases. When you start adding rules for everything you stop actually having control on the game, and it requires the DM to memorize more and more rules to the point where it becomes more of a burden. The best DMG would be a book that teaches DMs how to rule rather than adding more and more rules to keep track off and, if you don't get them right, your players complain because they expect something else. If you learn how to rule fairly and consistently, you have the knowledge of 1000 books. You can rule bastions, you can rule flying ships, you can rule crafting and you can rule everything you need in your campaign on the snap of a finger. Gary Gygax was completely right.
I think it's a little more complicated than that. There's a spectrum of rules to rulings and everyone's perfect point will fall in a different place on it. Not everyone has the time or desire to homebrew a crafting system or bastion system. Having something available out of the box is nice.
Yeah, this is wrong… more rules don’t equal more Edge cases. More rules just mean that edge cases are just that “Edge cases.” In a rules light system, Everything is an Edge case that the DM has to adjudicate on the fly, by definition. Comprehensive class rules and combat rules make it so that everyone has similar expectations about what the player can and cannot do. The alternative is the player try some thing and has to besiege the DM to allow them to do it because it’s not clear to either the player or the DM whether their character or the rules allow for it. And I don’t think D&D has to be about the player exclusively, asking the DM for permission to push a monster off a balcony. Either they have the capacity to do it in the rules or the dont. the player should be allowed to win in the counter without feeling like the DM allowed them some sort of grace
@@jedrzejkraszpulski442 It's more complicated, certainly. But the whole point of learning how to rule is precisely to not have to invest time on it. Learning to rule is not about designing your own systems. It's about to be able to answer in real time how to proceed. The idea is that you need no system to do whatever. You don't need a bastion system to rule what happens when your player says "I want to be the lord of this castle". If you know how to answer that question, you don't need to either purchase a rule book, nor invest your time on designing it yourself. If you know how to rule, you won't spend time on crafting or reading any system.
Great video. I disagree on part of your premise though. If someone is a new/aspiring DM- I greatly disagree that they need to wait a year for the beginner box set. The 2014 DMG is still a good resource. When I was managing a game store (and now when offering advice) I recommend new/aspiring DMs first read the PHB, then chapters (in order) 8, 9, 5, 6, 7, 3, 4- then chapters 1, 2, and Appendix A if they are wanting to dip their toes into world building. Telling them to hold off about a year or so waste valuable time in gaining experience. It is 100% worth it for a new/aspiring DM to even pick up the 2014 PHB/DMG/MM, starter sets and other books to begin building their knowledge base.
Yeah. Asking for 1 year off any guidance is basically telling a music student: wait one year just playing the guitar by yourself before getting a teacher to teach you the basics. By that point, a guitarist will likely have learned all that he needed to have learned from the first course AND will likely have developed bad habits. The DMG really helped me get a much better idea of what a DM is, what can be involved in a campaign (including the planes, some optional mechanics, the items that are allowed). Now, I'm scrapping it all, personally, but it was a really good trampoline to help me jump into a game with more clarity.
A couple other times in the video I recommend just playing the game and learning as you go. I'm not saying "do not play until you have the starter set"
@@BobWorldBuilder I never said you did. You said to not buy the 2024 DMG and wait for a year for the next starter set. I 100% disagree with that statement and have said why (and consider waiting a year horrible advice). If someone is that worried about cost, you can pick up a 2014 DMG for less than $20 if you look around a bit and you can pick up the 2 current starter sets for $13-$18 each or cheaper. The sooner someone can start DMing generally the better. Your commentary is "wait a year for the starter set, then decided if you want to buy the 2024 DMG" and that's it. Nothing about the current DMG or starter sets that are good and available now for them to start learning from. And unless I am misremembering something, your talking about playing and learning was in reference to yourself.
@@Woodthorn another 100% disagree. That makes no sense. The DMG is also reference book. Not everyone going to need every part of it. Your commentary is just plain wrong.
I am so grateful for you and Ginny and Pointy. I genuinely like having a positive video to watch, and knowing that it might be glossing over some problems sure but you do still hit several. I've decided I'm okay with where you three come from in regards to this game, and it's so much nicer than "DND IS AWFUL AND SUCKS AND ANYONE WHO PLAYS IT IS A SHILL FOR WOTC AND DESERVES GAME OVERS"
Always good to hear your perspective Bob. My take away so far is that there isn't much actually _new_ to D&D, just that a lot of this used to be in third party content and WotC are catching up and giving their new players the rules the game was previously missing. (A cynic might say they're trying to reduce the number of players purchasing third party content...but let's be honest, there will always be a desire for that, no matter what they do).
Re.why so many books: I'm playing a d20 brazilian rpg that all the world building, dm tips, tables etc are in the core book, it manages to be smaller and more complete than dnd
I am currently selling off my collection of excess RPG books and board games because if I don't - I'll probably lose my wife. Fair enough, living in a cluttered toyshop is not fun. She's a minimalist - less is more. So looks like I'll be selling off my Shadows of Brimstone expansions (you need a warehouse to store that game) and my D&D4e collection. All I'll have left in the way of RPGs in DCC, Shadowdark. Pathfinder Remaster (just the core books there) and in the way of board games: Fantasyflight's Arkham Horror (Card) game.
If she's a minimalist, you probably won't be able to use this one, but before emptying the bookcase, check wardrobe distribution. Maybe you deserve some shelf compensation Thank Crom for digital content, though
@@drillerdev4624 Yeah I dated a “minimalist” for a couple of years. She had very little…except a closet full of around 200 pairs of shoes (fr). She was always nagging me about my book collection and my vinyl. But now she’s gone, and I have my things! I win.
Fun Video Idea: Shelf Tour! Just like it is fun to peruse your buddy's game shelf or investigate library shelves, it would be super fun to see what you've got on yours.
Bob, question. First, I’m a huge advocate for your page and your channel. You’re not only an inspiration, but an *aspiration.* thank you for having started this whole journey. You say just wait for Fall 2025 for the Starter Set. What’s the logic there, because I feel we could get $50 worth of value from the book over the course of *a year.*
I think you can have more valuable experiences but just running the game with whatever resources you have already (a solid chunk of 2024 is already free on D&D Beyond) before spending any money on the hobby.
Ngl, for most D&D-like games, you usually dont actually need more than 1 DMG or equivalent book I have 2 technically, i have the Pathfinder 1e GMG and the GM Core for 2e But like- most of the tips and tools are universal I recall reading a review for the Parhfinder GM Core that described it as what the 5e DMG "wants to be when it grows up" Bit even regardless, you really need only 1 of these books (Also on seperating the books, I am fine with seperating the books if, for example, putting the books together would make them so thicc that the binding would break, which did happen to my pf1e core rulebook, lol
Btw this isn't me shilling or saying "Pathfinder is better" or whatever That's just the one I happen to have so it's the one I'm using as an example I started TTRPGs with PF1e when 4e was still the newest edition of D&D, I did play D&D 5e, and do own the 5e DMG too, but if I want tips I'm gonna use the PF2 one regardless of what game I'm playing simply cuz it's the only one I have in pocket size lol, most of the tips are universal and if they're not, I probably know them already or that info is in my notes anyway Play whatever system you want, but u only really need 1 GMG/DMG/GMC
I think this book (hopefully) may be able to actually fulfill its function, which is especially important right now with the DM "drought" that we have. Yeah, for Veteran DM there is probably little in this book, for new DMs who never DMed before the Starter Sets are obviously the best starting point. But what the new DMs guide hopefully adresses is the big and daunting step after the first one or two published adventures. You want to create your own adventures, you maybe want to change some things to suite your players style and taste etc? I think having all those tools and guidelines in one book hopefully makes Dming less daunting for newer DMs, as they fell they have good guidance on how to do it.
It could possibly be useful for that, but the intermediate GM who wants to learn more and has the time to read a 400 page book also has thousands of free resources (like this very channel) they could learn from.
The biggest issue isn't finding a DM, the issue is finding people to play with:( A few years ago I was going to be a Gamemaster for D&D at my local library, but no one signed up... Ideally, I would like to be a player but similarly can't find a suitable group to play with.
Commenting before I even watch the video. Bob, I really appreciate how you approach a lot of this D&D stuff with a level head and avoid all of the sensationalist nonsense. I haven't played D&D for almost a year now(switched to PF2e) but I still watch your videos, and probably will for a long while.
It feels like the DMG has become the magic item catalog with some advice. Even if better organized, this version sounds like the updated magic item catalog with advice and oh, look, bastions. Because I don't have about five third party supplements covering bases and strongholds.
The magic items has actually barely been updated. It has a few new ones and slight changes to old ones, but otherwise everything else around the magic items is different and sounds great. There’s way more than just the magic item section
Then you clearly only watched this video about it. Bob is a thoroughly experienced DM and that is why he doesn't think that the new book is worth it to him. Instead of watching someone give reasons why not buy it you should watch someone actually go in depth on what is in it.
Bro... Everything you said makes sense, but also doesn't. You're Bob! You should be looking at any rulebook you can, especially what will (likely) be the most popular one. Liked your video. Subscribed to your channel. Agree with what you say, BUT read the DMG man.
If you're already a GM and story structure is your main nemesis I can recommend Save the cat! It's mainly aimed at screen writers but it applies to D&D and other media just as much. If you're a new GM you can get more real advice that is useful from books likes "So you want to be a game master" by Justin Alexander.
I really love your style and effectiveness in presentation. All great reasons, with the best saved for last. Also the impromptu 80s montage cracked me up. Great stuff, thanks Bob.
Thanks so much! Yeah I was like "man I wish I had some footage of me game mastering... or I could use this footage of Chris Perkins wearing an afro!!" haha
If you have the weirdos on both sides of an argument calling you nasty things it means you're being honest with how you present the issue, keep on rocking dude.
Hey Bob, I’m running a DCC RPG campaign for the first time, and I’m struggling to gauge monster difficulty. How can I tell if a creature is too deadly or too easy for my party's level? Thanks in advance!
Number of attacks is the main indicator of deadliness in my opinion, then probably HD. But never forget Morale in DCC- monsters just flee sometimes! And that should be a lesson to players as well: retreat is always an option.
The channel Power Word Spill (pretty positive that's the name, look for a guy with a mustache named Kelly on the thumbnails) has several new videos about tools like that
5:25 hey @BobWorldBuilder I just picked up your Bases and Businesses and it's great. I'm going to blend it with my MCDM book and let the players have their own little Age of Empires
Hello beautiful people of the internet. If you are new with D&D 5e ruleset and you don't have it would you buy better de 5e 2024 or 5e 2014? (I have a starter set and I want to expand my possibilities with D&D)
One of my favorite of your videos well done hope to see you and meet you at DaveCon! I still love how you physically proved out several of the game rules in real life!
Great review and advice on this one Bob! I have the exact opposite thing going with gaming books and want to have all of them but my own library of books is well bursting at the seams. That being said the whole reason I continue to buy new ones is specifically to read new rules and different ideas and expand my own knowledge and concepts in the gaming sphere. I always urge others to do the same.
Yeah now those review copy can go to someone else. PS: This month at a convention I gave away ~$3000 of RPG books sent to me. A lot of it was 5e, and I felt bad that I was just handing out 5e stuff at a booth, when indie designers are there trying to sell their original work. So I don't want to collect a ton of new 5e stuff just to give away again.
Great video! D&D starter sets rock. My first was D&D Basic back in 1981. I think the best since then was the D&D Essentials box getting you all the way up to level 6 which is about as far as you need to go.
Starter rules are best rules for everyone but the most hardcore grognards. A majority of people would be better off with fewer rules! But, thats not how capitalism works.
Unfortunately, I work for a similar type of company. The player build a base being in the dm guide is very likely for the reason we all think. It goes from 1 out of 6 players buying that one book to 6 out 6 possible players buying it instead. A decision likely made by hasbro or hirer ups.
Hexkit is a great choice when you have space limitations. You can always books digitally. Much harder to lay out random hexes digitally in a tactile, pleasing manner.
This is the only OneD&D book that has the potential to be good. This is written by Perkins, and might not have the stink-aura that hovers over the rest of current-era WotC design.
@@BobWorldBuilder allegedly, the new DMG will vastly increase the number of common and uncommon items. I'm curious how many of the new items will become available for free.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
💥 Czepeku: www.patreon.com/czepeku
🆓 ...and they made the best DMG stuff free! www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/free-rules
Their maps are great. They're vibrant and fantastic where a lot of other battle maps are gritty and dirty looking.
Great vid... It baffles me that people still call you a shill, or hater. Clearly they don't watch your stuff.
Thank you! The comments are a LOT less frequent these days and most of them are auto-hidden by TH-cam fortunately :)
Okay I lied, there's a few good hater comments at the bottom here lol
If you read between the lines, it's obvious the haters are paying him. He's a SHILL for the HATERS!
/s
@@BobWorldBuilderGreat video, HOWEVER I DISLIKE EVERYTHING IN THE NEW 2024 5.5E SYSTEM SO I REFUSE TO EVER PLAY WITH IT!!! Which is a big part of why I won't ever buy anything for it.
Speaking as someone who's watched the first 30 seconds before hot-taking, clearly Mr Builder just hates books. How can you provide deep compelling content about a book you haven't even got! Plus, I looked into it, your drive-thruRPG page is full of really well-made, accessible, affordable PDFs to buy and download! Sounds kind of like a book to me big dog, ain't fooling no one! The hypocrisy doesn't stop with this guy!
I hope he continues making this slop so I can continue to ironically enjoy it.
My man Bob giving the most important D&D advice -- how to play without going into debt!
I love the message, the tone and the nuance. Keep up the good work, my man. 💎
Love your videos, my dude.
Thanks very much, Dave! Same to you.
Interesting. Sadly, I kinda' DO like having GM-specific stuff in a separate book. But I'm a grognard who was playing in the 80s (mostly BECMI but I had all the 1e books, too) and am probably just used to always having a separate book. You make some great points that really do have me thinking, though, like the part about bastions really belonging in the PHB. Yeah: why IS that in the DMG? And I definitely agree that The Starter Sets (I'm looking at you Lost Mine of Phandelver) have been much better and accessible for newbies.
Having said that, I'm still getting the physical copy of the DMG. Despite all my use of digital tools, I still prefer randomly paging through books to find interesting things. I've never been able to digitally replicate just opening up a book and being surprised by what's on the page I've opened to. That, and maybe I'm just stupid that way.
Really appreciate this comment. It's too rare for folks to disagree with parts of a video AND be nice about it :)
Totally agree. As much as i use and enjoy vtt, i still end up printing a lot of my books out. I just prefer flipping through a page.
To answer your (and Bob's) question about Bastions in the DMG, the reason it's there is because it's OPTIONAL content. If they put it in the PHB, then players would expect it at ANY table (the devs mentioned this in the highlight video about Bastions). Whether or not that's a good argument is up to each person. It's kind of a dumb argument when you think about OPTIONAL feats being in the old PHB, but personally, I prefer that optional stuff and DM facing stuff be in a separate book so that players don't have to shill out an extra $20+ for a bigger book that has content they don't need. The Bastion system is mostly player facing, but there are definitely rules in there that I wouldn't show to a player.
It seems to me that there is so little actually "new" in this new DMG that the Bastion Rules are there in an attempt to make the book seem worthwhile. It's an idea most players will be interested in while the majority of the book is just a reskin.
I think minimalism in the hobby space isn't talked about nowhere near enough
On the other hand, anytime someone mentions theater of the mind, that's talking about minimalism.
If people accuse you of being a shill AND a hater of the same thing, then you're doing something right!
In a world of very black or white online discourses, I really appreciate your nuanced takes on all things ttrpg, Bob.
I really appreciate this review. I saw ginny di's first and was very hyped about it and honesty, this review confirmed to me that i'm smack bang in the target audience for this book. I'm a new dm, running out of the box set, i find the current dmg disorganised and all the advice on the internet helpful, but overwhelming. Having all the info compiled neatly into a better organised book would be great for me. Definitely going on the wishlist for when i have some disposable income 👍
SO based.
I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate and enjoy all your videos. I don’t post often because I watch TH-cam on my Fire tv and can’t do it from there. But I just wanted you to know you are appreciated. Thanks!
❤❤❤ I love the quote by Gygax. Really sums up how I feel about being a dm. Keep building Bob! ❤❤❤
Super logical and well thought out reasoning that aligns with your values. 🤘🏻
In the end, I've always (for 50 years) run games the way it felt right to me and my players. I use great ideas when I find them, but don't let "official rules" get in the way.
The Essentials Kit box set was the best thing WOTC did with 5e in my opinion. Perfect. That’s all you really need imo.
this is my favorite edditing so far. cheers Roberto!
I didn't know that I needed a non-review video 😁
Superb video as usual.
That musical bit stitched in with talking about letting your world feel real was perfect.
Yeah the DM content should totally be in the Player Guide because *the DM is a player too*. Plus we need to be telling players that they should (and totally can!) try out DMing too.
great video as always Bob
I always like your recommendations. They are simply good. Thank you
I have to agree that D&D needs a one-volume core book. I can see why the Rules Cyclopedia still gets so much love …
I had an opposite idea the other day. The core rules are a separate booklet for each class plus a GM's guide all in a box that opens into a GM screen.
Yup. When that book came out I was already fully committed to 2E ( and still am...) but man, I wanted a single volume book like that...
I love all videos that Bob World Builder does! I am hoping the new DM guide is worth getting. I can't wait for it to be available to look at.
Still waiting another year for a starter set/box seems silly and not well thought out. I guess if you lay off too many people that work on these products that is what happens. Just hoping the quality does not suffer and it is not just a cash grab. Wondering if you have any thoughts on JP Coovert and his products.
Thanks for all your videos. The work you do to make these are obvious.
I love all Bob World Builder videos!
Nice video! I love your tone and logic and how you really stick to your ideas!
I admit I also love the low levels! I think they should publish more short adventures like in a magazine format, with recommended levels and such, so we could create our own campaign by mixing and matching these modular adventures. I even thought of a name: "Adventure modules". But alas, people just want the big expensive books that look nice on the shelf 🤷🏻♂️
I haven't tried 5.5e, so it's hard to say. But my experience with 5e is basically this: lower levels are more fun because the game is much better balanced and designed. The higher you go, the weirder it gets and usually, not exactly for the better.
On a sidenote, there IS a mountains of content for short adventures from 5e if you look around a bit. I know Kobold Press has done a lot of that. I am personally enjoying a lot Tales from the Margreve, which is a bunch of short adventures tied to one zone / theme. Borderland Provinces also have I think 4 whole books of short adventures. The Lazy DM has 1 or 2 books of Fantastic Locations. I absolutely adore all that is short adventures with great themes and maps. It feels really helpful to add it into my games.
1) You know me, and you know I'm a crazy book collector, but I do agree with you on the point of learning by doing, and just "running" the game and making sure everyone is having fun. I don't read every page, and I have tons of books on my shelves I haven't even cracked open.... yet. Do my players call out things that I don't "know" because I didn't read every page of all the books? Sure, and we deal with it and move on. But that doesn't happen very often.
2) I love my hoard of maps from czepeku.
3) Most of my physical books, I generally just casually read while listening to music etc.... and when I need to refer to something, I default to just looking it up on D&D Beyond.
This is actually a great review. I don't usually like your style of DM'ing but this review was very good for me
3:09 I don’t have a copy yet. But from what I’ve heard from Ginny Di, even though there isn’t “new” stuff, it still shows a bunch of stuff you wouldn’t know. Because the 5e DMG was annoying to read, and some of the useful things were buried in the text, and the new one is better organized.
I often find myself thinking "why so books?" as well... But seriously great video. I love that you pointed out the fact that much of this info is out there for free. Keep these great videos coming!
Thank.
Here's the thing I'm not going to be a hater like I once was but it is interesting to see a different view of DMing and overall play style, again not hating but it is just so different to the way I play and my viewpoint on dnd books in general. Overall really good well made video.
Bob has zero chill. Loving the energy.
I didn't think it was possible to like Bob more than I already do!
Good point about the starter set!
Bob speaking straight facts every time bro
Hey Bob, great vid. I usually get caught on the hype. You are absolutely right, I don't need this book. I appreciate your grounded response to all this. (Might still buy the book at some point because it's so pretty) 😅
I love ALL Bob World Builder videos!
Thanks Bob. Good to see some One Ring on that bookcase
That's why I like Shadowdark and 5torchesdeep. One book is enough for endless fun.
Bob contains multitudes: somehow simultaneously a wotc dnd shill and a hater 😅
Keep up the good work man! 💪
I am so on board with reason 1. I don’t live in a mansion! Space is so valuable. I only keep what I will use.
Great video, nice points!
Only ONE bookcase full of RPG books?! I guess that's why he's not Bob the Bookcase Builder. Also I LOVE ALL Bob World Builder videos!
It's so funny how I see eye to eye with you on your gaming philosophy. I personally believe that the rules for D&D should be in one book. And that is why I had been running 5E with just the PHB and the pdf section of the DM's section of the free 2014 rules. I'm not saying the other books would not be helpful, but I just feel for me and my group that it's just too many damn rules!
That being said, I would have taken those DMGs (lol) Hey, they're free!
BTW, thank you for going through the PHB, and the free one on D&D Beyond in that comparison. I recently volunteered to run D&D for a teens library club, and I don't actually have the new PHB... but now I can just read through that one on the app and I'm pretty sure I'll know way more than the kids I'm running it for. They will have the new book(s) there, but I personally don't have the budge to buy one unless my wife's group wants to have the group continue D&D (so I can justify buying the new book... see how that works? lol).
Thank you for this video! And thank you to the Patrons that helped bring this stuff about!
I love these takes
For what it’s worth, as a retailer I always try to discourage customers who want to get into D&D from buying the core books before they’ve tried the starter set. I don’t always succeed! Sometimes the lure of these chunky tomes is too great.
The bastion rules are for the DM to introduce to their campaign as they see it. Just like magic items. Its not default rules for a player to know, hence why its in the DMG. For examlple in one of my campaigns, its sandbox so I'll use the bastions, but my story based campaign it will feel very out of place
Solid point. I guess it just feels like weapon mastery to me then, which I suppose would also be good if the GM got to decide whether or not to add it in.
@@BobWorldBuilder except that weapon mastery is a core class feature for some classes now. DM’s shouldn’t be excluding it ever because the classes are balanced to it and the players can’t make reasonable choices about what they play if the DM has exclusive access to the weapon mastery rules.
Come on, bob…
@BobWorldBuilder like @omalligan said. Weapon mastery is a core feature of classes. Bastions and making magic items are up to DM fiat and are not core components of the game.
You make a good point that the bastion/homebase rules should be considered optional/by DM approval. However it is worth considering the original 5e PHB has the multi-classing rules in, and it explicitly states there that they are optional/by DM approval, so I'm not convinced it's a good argument to put them in the DMG.
@nathanasaurusrex71 it's arguable that multiclassing has been a core staple of D&D in its legacy for the PHB while the bastions are not from the original PHB content
I can sympathize with the desire for minimalism…except for books! I have shelves of books I’ve never read and they bring me both shame and joy, but then I’m a librarian. Of course I’m also living on a librarian salary so I doubt I’ll get the DMG just yet.
Thanks you Patreons and Thank you Bob
Way back when I was 12, I downloaded PDFs of the 3.0 starter set and core 3. And homebrewed the heck out of it. Even using 4d6 I had a general "easy to hard" DC check.
Bought the Dragon of Ice Spire peak and used a ton of your ideas and from Phandelver. Led it into half of baldurs gate and finished our campaign at level 10. I have my own misc useful DM'S 10 pages.
Thanks to you.
Yes, thank you! I haven't bought into 2024 D&D, but I know full well I'll be picking up the starter set. (Which weirdly comes out after all the other core is released. More like follower set, amirite? Bad joke interlude over.) It's virtually guaranteed to produce a decent D&D experience, probably quite a good one, without investing heavily up front.
I also understand the impulse not to buy books in general. If I don't think I'll get it to the table, I don't buy it these days. If I'm really interested, I buy the PDF. It costs less and takes up less physical space. Though I probably would have taken a free book, because the price is so hard to beat.
There's also some nuance to having more and more rules. As you add more rules, rather than making things easier, you end up having more and more edge cases. Just take a look at what happens with the hiding rules. Hiding is an extremely simple concept to understand, but after so many iterations on the rules, it's still confusing, unrealistic and with dozens of edge cases. When you start adding rules for everything you stop actually having control on the game, and it requires the DM to memorize more and more rules to the point where it becomes more of a burden.
The best DMG would be a book that teaches DMs how to rule rather than adding more and more rules to keep track off and, if you don't get them right, your players complain because they expect something else. If you learn how to rule fairly and consistently, you have the knowledge of 1000 books. You can rule bastions, you can rule flying ships, you can rule crafting and you can rule everything you need in your campaign on the snap of a finger. Gary Gygax was completely right.
Great points!
I think it's a little more complicated than that. There's a spectrum of rules to rulings and everyone's perfect point will fall in a different place on it. Not everyone has the time or desire to homebrew a crafting system or bastion system. Having something available out of the box is nice.
Yeah, this is wrong… more rules don’t equal more Edge cases. More rules just mean that edge cases are just that “Edge cases.” In a rules light system, Everything is an Edge case that the DM has to adjudicate on the fly, by definition. Comprehensive class rules and combat rules make it so that everyone has similar expectations about what the player can and cannot do. The alternative is the player try some thing and has to besiege the DM to allow them to do it because it’s not clear to either the player or the DM whether their character or the rules allow for it. And I don’t think D&D has to be about the player exclusively, asking the DM for permission to push a monster off a balcony. Either they have the capacity to do it in the rules or the dont. the player should be allowed to win in the counter without feeling like the DM allowed them some sort of grace
@@jedrzejkraszpulski442 It's more complicated, certainly. But the whole point of learning how to rule is precisely to not have to invest time on it. Learning to rule is not about designing your own systems. It's about to be able to answer in real time how to proceed. The idea is that you need no system to do whatever. You don't need a bastion system to rule what happens when your player says "I want to be the lord of this castle". If you know how to answer that question, you don't need to either purchase a rule book, nor invest your time on designing it yourself.
If you know how to rule, you won't spend time on crafting or reading any system.
Great video. I disagree on part of your premise though. If someone is a new/aspiring DM- I greatly disagree that they need to wait a year for the beginner box set. The 2014 DMG is still a good resource. When I was managing a game store (and now when offering advice) I recommend new/aspiring DMs first read the PHB, then chapters (in order) 8, 9, 5, 6, 7, 3, 4- then chapters 1, 2, and Appendix A if they are wanting to dip their toes into world building.
Telling them to hold off about a year or so waste valuable time in gaining experience. It is 100% worth it for a new/aspiring DM to even pick up the 2014 PHB/DMG/MM, starter sets and other books to begin building their knowledge base.
Yeah. Asking for 1 year off any guidance is basically telling a music student: wait one year just playing the guitar by yourself before getting a teacher to teach you the basics. By that point, a guitarist will likely have learned all that he needed to have learned from the first course AND will likely have developed bad habits. The DMG really helped me get a much better idea of what a DM is, what can be involved in a campaign (including the planes, some optional mechanics, the items that are allowed). Now, I'm scrapping it all, personally, but it was a really good trampoline to help me jump into a game with more clarity.
A couple other times in the video I recommend just playing the game and learning as you go. I'm not saying "do not play until you have the starter set"
@@BobWorldBuilder I never said you did. You said to not buy the 2024 DMG and wait for a year for the next starter set. I 100% disagree with that statement and have said why (and consider waiting a year horrible advice). If someone is that worried about cost, you can pick up a 2014 DMG for less than $20 if you look around a bit and you can pick up the 2 current starter sets for $13-$18 each or cheaper. The sooner someone can start DMing generally the better. Your commentary is "wait a year for the starter set, then decided if you want to buy the 2024 DMG" and that's it. Nothing about the current DMG or starter sets that are good and available now for them to start learning from.
And unless I am misremembering something, your talking about playing and learning was in reference to yourself.
To me, if a book requires reading out of order to get the most out of it, it is not a good book.
@@Woodthorn another 100% disagree. That makes no sense. The DMG is also reference book. Not everyone going to need every part of it. Your commentary is just plain wrong.
I am so grateful for you and Ginny and Pointy. I genuinely like having a positive video to watch, and knowing that it might be glossing over some problems sure but you do still hit several. I've decided I'm okay with where you three come from in regards to this game, and it's so much nicer than "DND IS AWFUL AND SUCKS AND ANYONE WHO PLAYS IT IS A SHILL FOR WOTC AND DESERVES GAME OVERS"
Thank you
Always good to hear your perspective Bob.
My take away so far is that there isn't much actually _new_ to D&D, just that a lot of this used to be in third party content and WotC are catching up and giving their new players the rules the game was previously missing.
(A cynic might say they're trying to reduce the number of players purchasing third party content...but let's be honest, there will always be a desire for that, no matter what they do).
Thank you! Yeah I think what they're adding is just overdue and they put some of it in weird places haha
Very helpful and fair overview that nicely counter balances all the other overly excited videos. Thanks for staying real man!
Re.why so many books: I'm playing a d20 brazilian rpg that all the world building, dm tips, tables etc are in the core book, it manages to be smaller and more complete than dnd
What's it called? Just curious
@@deadsparrow13 it's probably Tormenta 20, basically the Brazilian DnD.
If only the authors could agree on how their own rules work though.
Tormenta or old dragon?
I am currently selling off my collection of excess RPG books and board games because if I don't - I'll probably lose my wife. Fair enough, living in a cluttered toyshop is not fun. She's a minimalist - less is more. So looks like I'll be selling off my Shadows of Brimstone expansions (you need a warehouse to store that game) and my D&D4e collection. All I'll have left in the way of RPGs in DCC, Shadowdark. Pathfinder Remaster (just the core books there) and in the way of board games: Fantasyflight's Arkham Horror (Card) game.
It's tough to let go of things sometimes! It helps me to remember that a new owner may use them more often
If she's a minimalist, you probably won't be able to use this one, but before emptying the bookcase, check wardrobe distribution. Maybe you deserve some shelf compensation
Thank Crom for digital content, though
@@drillerdev4624 Yeah I dated a “minimalist” for a couple of years. She had very little…except a closet full of around 200 pairs of shoes (fr). She was always nagging me about my book collection and my vinyl. But now she’s gone, and I have my things! I win.
Bob world builder is the Boss Ross of dnd
Fun Video Idea: Shelf Tour! Just like it is fun to peruse your buddy's game shelf or investigate library shelves, it would be super fun to see what you've got on yours.
That probably is a good idea. We recently reorganized, and when I tweeted a pic, it got way more attention than most of my posts there haha
Bob, question. First, I’m a huge advocate for your page and your channel. You’re not only an inspiration, but an *aspiration.* thank you for having started this whole journey.
You say just wait for Fall 2025 for the Starter Set. What’s the logic there, because I feel we could get $50 worth of value from the book over the course of *a year.*
I think you can have more valuable experiences but just running the game with whatever resources you have already (a solid chunk of 2024 is already free on D&D Beyond) before spending any money on the hobby.
Ngl, for most D&D-like games, you usually dont actually need more than 1 DMG or equivalent book
I have 2 technically, i have the Pathfinder 1e GMG and the GM Core for 2e
But like- most of the tips and tools are universal
I recall reading a review for the Parhfinder GM Core that described it as what the 5e DMG "wants to be when it grows up"
Bit even regardless, you really need only 1 of these books
(Also on seperating the books, I am fine with seperating the books if, for example, putting the books together would make them so thicc that the binding would break, which did happen to my pf1e core rulebook, lol
Btw this isn't me shilling or saying "Pathfinder is better" or whatever
That's just the one I happen to have so it's the one I'm using as an example
I started TTRPGs with PF1e when 4e was still the newest edition of D&D, I did play D&D 5e, and do own the 5e DMG too, but if I want tips I'm gonna use the PF2 one regardless of what game I'm playing simply cuz it's the only one I have in pocket size lol, most of the tips are universal and if they're not, I probably know them already or that info is in my notes anyway
Play whatever system you want, but u only really need 1 GMG/DMG/GMC
For session ZERO, I would direct new GMs to the Dungeon Dudes video on the subject. Good shit.
Appreciate you going through your reasons here, and very excited to see you try Tales of the Valiant
I think this book (hopefully) may be able to actually fulfill its function, which is especially important right now with the DM "drought" that we have. Yeah, for Veteran DM there is probably little in this book, for new DMs who never DMed before the Starter Sets are obviously the best starting point. But what the new DMs guide hopefully adresses is the big and daunting step after the first one or two published adventures. You want to create your own adventures, you maybe want to change some things to suite your players style and taste etc? I think having all those tools and guidelines in one book hopefully makes Dming less daunting for newer DMs, as they fell they have good guidance on how to do it.
Yeah I agree that the DMG is for that intermediate GM hungry for more.
It could possibly be useful for that, but the intermediate GM who wants to learn more and has the time to read a 400 page book also has thousands of free resources (like this very channel) they could learn from.
The biggest issue isn't finding a DM, the issue is finding people to play with:(
A few years ago I was going to be a Gamemaster for D&D at my local library, but no one signed up...
Ideally, I would like to be a player but similarly can't find a suitable group to play with.
Bob. You are so so cool.
Commenting before I even watch the video. Bob, I really appreciate how you approach a lot of this D&D stuff with a level head and avoid all of the sensationalist nonsense. I haven't played D&D for almost a year now(switched to PF2e) but I still watch your videos, and probably will for a long while.
ive been dming for nearly a decade and I still don't own a DMG
The module Waterdeep dragon heist has great rules on owning a tavern.
True!
The whole Bastion thing sounds like someone flipped through Redbox D&D and wanted to bring the idea of PC bases without as much number crunching.
It feels like the DMG has become the magic item catalog with some advice. Even if better organized, this version sounds like the updated magic item catalog with advice and oh, look, bastions.
Because I don't have about five third party supplements covering bases and strongholds.
then it's clearly not targeted towards you ?
The magic items has actually barely been updated. It has a few new ones and slight changes to old ones, but otherwise everything else around the magic items is different and sounds great.
There’s way more than just the magic item section
Then you clearly only watched this video about it. Bob is a thoroughly experienced DM and that is why he doesn't think that the new book is worth it to him. Instead of watching someone give reasons why not buy it you should watch someone actually go in depth on what is in it.
@@bittermixin That may well be true. I've been playing for about 45 years.
Bro... Everything you said makes sense, but also doesn't. You're Bob! You should be looking at any rulebook you can, especially what will (likely) be the most popular one. Liked your video. Subscribed to your channel. Agree with what you say, BUT read the DMG man.
Respect
Dude has the wisdom and temperament 80 year-old farmer.
+1 for Wulfwald on your physical shelf. Paolo does amazing work!
If you're already a GM and story structure is your main nemesis I can recommend Save the cat! It's mainly aimed at screen writers but it applies to D&D and other media just as much. If you're a new GM you can get more real advice that is useful from books likes "So you want to be a game master" by Justin Alexander.
I really love your style and effectiveness in presentation. All great reasons, with the best saved for last. Also the impromptu 80s montage cracked me up. Great stuff, thanks Bob.
Thanks so much! Yeah I was like "man I wish I had some footage of me game mastering... or I could use this footage of Chris Perkins wearing an afro!!" haha
Weird that you didn't mention the Greyhawk Campaign setting in the bit about what's actually new in the book.
Bob is making sense. He is a witch!
You plants need some love man
You're always polite and diplomatic. I'm sure WotC has never been told to get stuffed in such a nice way. 😀
Excelent video!!!!! 🤩
If you have the weirdos on both sides of an argument calling you nasty things it means you're being honest with how you present the issue, keep on rocking dude.
Hey Bob, I’m running a DCC RPG campaign for the first time, and I’m struggling to gauge monster difficulty. How can I tell if a creature is too deadly or too easy for my party's level? Thanks in advance!
Number of attacks is the main indicator of deadliness in my opinion, then probably HD. But never forget Morale in DCC- monsters just flee sometimes! And that should be a lesson to players as well: retreat is always an option.
Do you have a video showcasing some websites/tools that DMs can use for their sessions?
Like best VTT, maps, audio, rules, etc?
The channel Power Word Spill (pretty positive that's the name, look for a guy with a mustache named Kelly on the thumbnails) has several new videos about tools like that
@@BobWorldBuilder thanks!
i like the gary g. quote the best
5:25 hey @BobWorldBuilder I just picked up your Bases and Businesses and it's great. I'm going to blend it with my MCDM book and let the players have their own little Age of Empires
Hello beautiful people of the internet. If you are new with D&D 5e ruleset and you don't have it would you buy better de 5e 2024 or 5e 2014? (I have a starter set and I want to expand my possibilities with D&D)
Check out the free 2024 content on D&D Beyond first, and if you like it, get those books!
@@BobWorldBuilder okey thank you
One of my favorite of your videos well done hope to see you and meet you at DaveCon! I still love how you physically proved out several of the game rules in real life!
To turn down free books for a promo is pretty bold for a content creator, so kudos to you Bob.
Great review and advice on this one Bob! I have the exact opposite thing going with gaming books and want to have all of them but my own library of books is well bursting at the seams. That being said the whole reason I continue to buy new ones is specifically to read new rules and different ideas and expand my own knowledge and concepts in the gaming sphere. I always urge others to do the same.
Jeez Bob free is free. You could have got and then decided it wasn't for you and given it away to a new DM... 😂
Yeah now those review copy can go to someone else. PS: This month at a convention I gave away ~$3000 of RPG books sent to me. A lot of it was 5e, and I felt bad that I was just handing out 5e stuff at a booth, when indie designers are there trying to sell their original work. So I don't want to collect a ton of new 5e stuff just to give away again.
@@BobWorldBuilder Nicely done! I'm sure the other people at the con don't begrudge you helping people.
Great video! D&D starter sets rock. My first was D&D Basic back in 1981. I think the best since then was the D&D Essentials box getting you all the way up to level 6 which is about as far as you need to go.
Bingo!
Starter rules are best rules for everyone but the most hardcore grognards.
A majority of people would be better off with fewer rules! But, thats not how capitalism works.
Yeah I think it depends on how much you like homebrewing rules vs mastering the rules
@@BobWorldBuilder 4th edition was designed for this minority of people who love encounter balance and the smell of red herring.
Comment for the algorithm
Unfortunately, I work for a similar type of company. The player build a base being in the dm guide is very likely for the reason we all think. It goes from 1 out of 6 players buying that one book to 6 out 6 possible players buying it instead. A decision likely made by hasbro or hirer ups.
What a great video with a lot of really good points, especially about the starter sets. you are the TH-camr I strive to be good sir
Hexkit is a great choice when you have space limitations. You can always books digitally. Much harder to lay out random hexes digitally in a tactile, pleasing manner.
This is the only OneD&D book that has the potential to be good. This is written by Perkins, and might not have the stink-aura that hovers over the rest of current-era WotC design.
Rule #2 is important for me also, the onlything I take away from the DMG is magic items but even those could be homebrewed im just lazy.
Haha totally fair, but those magic items are mostly* (like over half of them I think) free on D&D beyond if you don't mind digital.
@@BobWorldBuilder allegedly, the new DMG will vastly increase the number of common and uncommon items. I'm curious how many of the new items will become available for free.