Dungeons and Dragons' 2024 rules update has been going well, with the newPlayer’s Handbookbecoming the game’s fastest-selling book. However,D&D’s revisedDungeon Master’s Guide, arriving in November, will be the real deciding factor for this epoch of the TTRPG.
The 2014Dungeon Master’s Guidemay not be the worst-received book from fifth edition’s catalog, but it is the black sheep among its core trio. That edition of theDMGhas some great advice, but it’s burdened with some shoddy organization, an overreliance on its magic items, and some highly flawed monster-building advice. With how pervasive these issues are in the book, it’s no wonder that many fans flocked to third-party sources and YouTube foradvice on being aD&Ddungeon master.
D&D 2024’s Dungeon Master’s Guide Has The Toughest Job Out Of The New Core Rulebooks
Fortunately for fans, it seems that the designers at Wizards of the Coast recognize these flaws too. Now that the newPlayer’s Handbookhas been out for some time, WOTC has started up the promotional cycle forthe 2024Dungeon Master’s Guide. Through this, many of the 2014DMG’s issues have been acknowledged by top designers like Jeremy Crawford—chiefly its organization and its CR calculation method.
Features such as a better structure and an interesting bastion system, one that replaces the lackluster stronghold mechanics of 2014, have already been confirmed for the 2024 revision. On the other hand, though some of this content has already been revealed, there’s a lot that fans are still crossing their fingers for.
2024’s DMG Needs To Sort Out Monster Creation
During the 2023D&D Creator Summit, lead designer Jeremy Crawford confirmed that the CR calculation method in the 2014DMGdoesn’t match the one Wizards uses internally. Considering that the internal calculation may be gettingtweaked inD&D 2024’sMonster Manual, a matching calculation for monster Challenge Rating will be perfect for the newDMG. Moreover, the system could be further improved with a more straightforward, better-explained approach to monster creation (taking cues from Mike Shea’sForge of Foes).
In addition, the approach to creating unique classes for NPCs should be reconsidered. The 2014DMGhas a workshop section that gives DMs advice on creating homebrew races and subclasses. However, the section’s examples are strangely designed, not matching the language of other sourcebooks.
This is because the section advises the DM on how to create character options for both players and NPCs (hence why ‘evil’ subclass options are given as examples), but this perspective is somewhat flawed.Creation advice forD&Ddungeon mastersshould center on immediately useful stats; creating an entire subclass for a monster players might not even fight isn’t a good use of prep time. Rather, a statblock with simplified features should be encouraged.
Better Advice For New DMs Is Key
The 2024Player’s Handbookdoes a great job at layout, putting instructions for brand-new players right at the start. Though it’s confirmed that the updatedDungeon Master’s Guidewill be structured in a similar fashion, the specifics of that new DM advice are important. The book should ease DMs into a starting one-shot, giving them the tools to improvise rulings, resolve disputes, and inject their own creativity into existing material.
The 2024 DMG Needs To Empower DMs
For much of fifth edition’s life, there’s been a stigma against DMing—one where the DM does an incredible amount of work only to be undone by the wacky, disruptive antics of players. Though this can make for some fun jokes, being the dungeon master shouldn’t be something seen as a chore. The 2014DMGdoes a decent job of empowering the dungeon master in its opening text, but it offers little support in the face ofD&Dplayers' power creep. The new guide needs to emphasize the DM’s importance and highlight their role in solving rules disputes—which overrides the books themselves.
