Dungeon Master’s Guide 2
The Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 is a supplement for Dungeon & Dragons 4th Edition and as the name implies, is aimed at Dungeon Masters both old and new. It includes advice for running a game regardless of game system, as well as crunchy rules for this incarnation of D&D such as traps, monster templates, and artifacts.
This is easily one of the best books released to date, and any Game Master should get it. If the Dungeon Master’s Guide covered the basics and was, in certain ways, a rehash of some gaming advice books out there (such as Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering), Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 doesn’t hold back. It discusses topics like cooperative world building or creating recurring villains. It also provides new rules for the game such as monster themes and alternate rewards, so there’s something new whether you’re looking for role-playing tips or new in-game toys to play with.
In many ways, this is a true sequel. For example, what seemed to be lacking in the first book was rules for creating traps. This book includes an entire section detailing that particular process, as well as giving additional examples. DMG 2 also provides rules for creating themed monsters and templates for classes in the Player’s Handbook 2. On the other hand, this book is also a venue for Wizards of the Coast to backtrack on previous inadequacies. There’s an extensive chapter on Skill Challenges, providing lots of variation and concrete examples. If you’re critical of the company, you might wonder why this wasn’t included in the original Dungeon Master’s Guide. And then there are areas that, while I gladly welcome them, could easily fall under errata, such as revised formulas for calculating the defenses of Solos and Elites.
The book does break new ground. There’s advice on how to cater to the specific needs of the various gamer-types (i.e. the actor, the explorer), terrain powers, and rewards that aren’t magic-items. This is further supplemented by the book’s more efficient formatting, whether it’s sidebars that provide useful information (i.e. Top Ten Traps to Avoid), to examples at the end that put into practice what’s been discussed. And since there are new monsters in the book, there’s also a handy index and listing at the back.
DMG 2 is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is titled “Group Storytelling” and is focused on establishing the narrative of the game (and how to avoid halting the plot in the middle of a game just because the players “failed”). A lot of the advice here is generic enough that it could apply to any RPG, not just D&D. And yet, this is also probably the most controversial part of the book. It introduces concepts usually found in storytelling and independent RPGs, such as letting the players describe the scene. There are also useful tools such as employing the use of flashbacks, which doesn’t immediately come to mind when you think of the linearity of adventures.
The second chapter is “Advanced Encounters” and features a mix of universal GM advice and rules specific to the game. For example, the book presents ways to defeat the enemy beyond the “kill them all” approach and suitable outcomes. There’s even a section that takes into account the seating placement of players, and how this can be utilized to engage them into the game. This is also the place where you find the rules for traps, or creating interesting terrain such as a swinging rope.
The third chapter is devoted entirely to skill challenges and includes reprints from various sources. As far as this topic is concerned, the chapter pushes the envelope, providing both basic and creative approaches to running skill challenges. If anything, this proves that the game goes beyond rolling a d20 in your highest skill, rinse, and repeat. The breakthrough in my opinion is combining the various bits of advice and tailoring it specifically for your game. One must wonder though why this wasn’t presented sooner.
Chapter four is on “Customizing Monsters” and contains a lot of the book’s crunch. There are tons of examples here and various options for GMs to use. For example, a Demogorgon cultist could have either a dominating glare or lashing tentacles (or both!), and this minute change in a monster is enough to alter its flavor. This is not to be confused with templates, also included in the book, which follow the rules presented in the original DMG.
Chapter five is “Adventures”, a section that seems misnamed. This chapter can be divided into two parts. One focuses on loot of all sorts, whether distributing it to players or providing other options for them (such as Boons which work like magic items but aren’t tied to a physical item). This is also where artifacts (hello Rod of Seven Parts!) come in. The other half feels more like storytelling advice, which could have been placed in the first chapter. This section also discusses organizations and how they fit into the campaign, as well as campaign arcs, providing examples for each tier.
The last chapter is “Paragon Campaigns” which is probably the weakest section. It includes the long-awaited write-up of Sigil although it’s lackluster. The piece is competently written and is a workable city to play in, but those coming with the expectations of Planescape will find a lot of elements missing. As it is, Sigil feels a bit too generic. There’s other advice in this section, but it feels like a disorganized mishmash here, and could have been re-assigned to other chapters. Again, there’s a decent set of hooks and challenges, but nothing that really stands out.
Overall however, the pros more than outweigh the cons, and it’s great to see a refreshing product such as Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 actually live up to its name.
January 12th, 2010 at 01:39
[...] I always appreciate a finely crafted review. Such is the case this Game Cryer’s review of the 4E Dungeon Master’s Guide 2: In many ways, this is a true sequel. For example, what seemed to be lacking in the first book was [...]