New Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master Guide is here

The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is the second Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook to be released… (+) 2024.Wizards of the Coast, LLC The next version of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is here. Fans got their hands on the 2024 Player's Handbook later this summer. The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is now available in game stores and bookstores around the world. In the past, Dungeon Master's Guides have mostly adapted important rules of the game with small bits of guidance on how to use them in practice. The developer claims that this version has been redesigned from top to bottom to teach new Dungeon Masters how to run the game. Wizards of the Coast sent me a copy of this book and a new Dungeon Masters screen to read for this article. Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master Guide Table of Contents The 2024 Dungeon Master Guide begins with a chapter called “Basics” that focuses on setting expectations in play. It explains what is generally expected of a Dungeon Master and also provides advice on how to set expectations for potential D&D groups. There's also discussion of common problems in the game, such as players who are too cautious or players who don't respect the story the DM is trying to tell. Open communication between the players and the Dungeon Master will help resolve many problems in running the game before it even begins. It's okay to talk about D&D outside of game night to make sure everyone is having fun. Dungeon Masters can make mistakes, and if they do, they must compromise with the table. The next part will focus on running the game and how it handles the various choices the Dungeon Master can make at the table. This section describes stylistic choices and current decisions. You'll also find tips for planning your campaign, including how often you should play and common real-world issues that can affect your game. For example, it provides various options for handling player absences that always occur over a sufficiently long timeline. There is a section comparing miniature combat and “theatre of the mind” visualization. These discussions show the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The third chapter is a DM's toolbox full of suggestions on how to tailor the game to comfortably suit everyone's style and rules. It provides ways to change the rules for different genres, as well as new rules that may be important for certain types of stories. For example, a horror-focused game has rules for fear and mental stress. This leads to how you build your adventure. In addition to advice on things like pacing your story and structuring encounters, there are some random charts you can use to inspire your story when the blank page is in charge. We also have 5 short summaries that you can use as examples to copy or drop stories on match nights when DMs were super busy last week. The next logical step is campaign advice. This section includes discussions of everything from different fantasy genres to how to balance plot-heavy episodes with one-shot stories that relieve the tension of larger storylines. How and when to end the campaign is also being discussed and should be discussed as soon as possible. The book begins with nearly 30 pages of Greyhawk's discussion of the official setting of D&D. This was the first setting created for D&D by Gary Gygax. It comes as a ready-to-run setup or as something that can be broken down and used for new Dungeon Masters' own creations. Next, we'll dive into the cosmology of Dungeons & Dragons. This has been the focus of recent games, laying out the various dimensional structures and multiverses of the D&D campaign world. This is the densest section, but there's certainly 50 years of lore in there and new DMs have to start somewhere. The Dungeon Master's Guide has all the loot, and this edition includes several illustrated magic items. There are also some guidelines on how to create and customize magic items for your campaign. The items include some classics as well as some new ones featured in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The newest rules in the book focus on building fortresses, places players can call home between stories. The fortress has everything from castles to magician's towers and even friendly local pubs. Players can customize their buildings to suit game effects and make their fortress take action while setting off on their next adventure. At the end of the book are two appendices to help Dungeon Masters in a pinch. The first is a lore glossary that provides quick information about important people, places, and things in the D&D cosmology. The second is a collection of dungeons, castles, and other common maps that players can use when they stray from the expected adventure and find themselves in an unexpected adventure. Thoughts on the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide Similar to the 2024 Player's Handbook, my favorite thing about the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is its organization. This book is written to help new Dungeon Masters build their game step by step. Both of these books recognize the large flow of people into D&D and take steps to be friendly and encouraging to new players. Also, even as someone with a lot of gaming experience, I'm glad to find a book like this with so much advice. Becoming a Dungeon Master involves a lot more than just running the game itself. By encouraging Dungeon Masters to think about these challenges ahead of time, they'll be better prepared for things like players moving for new jobs and breaking into the storyline. My main complaint about this book is that I wish there was more space for advice and examples. This book has several pages dedicated to campaign building worksheets. I liked the concept, but I wish they had made it available for free download and print from their website, and that they had given more space in the book to include more useful advice. Bastion also feels like a good start that could have grown better in a different space. These could be the basis for its own book, with some detailed examples included to make it independent. Dungeon Masters interested in this play style should check out Kobold Press' Campaign Builder series and MCDM's Strongholds & Followers. The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide is a great choice for new Dungeon Masters, and experienced players should consider purchasing it for a solid refresher course. The book is available through D&D Beyond, which offers a unique cover, online retailers, and Friendly Local Game Stores.