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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 10:36AM
#1
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Hi,
I heard that a "DM's book" exists, and was wondering what that was about. I have heard of Deluxe versions, but this one is simply called "DM's book". I thought it could be a 3.5 relic, but apparently, it was published in 2010, which makes it 4e (I guess).
Can anyone shed some light on this? What's the difference between the two manuals, if any?
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 10:56AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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Hi,
I heard that a "DM's book" exists, and was wondering what that was about. I have heard of Deluxe versions, but this one is simply called "DM's book". I thought it could be a 3.5 relic, but apparently, it was published in 2010, which makes it 4e (I guess).
Can anyone shed some light on this? What's the difference between the two manuals, if any?
That's not a lot to go on.
There's nothing called "DM's book," but there are lots of books for DMs on various topics. The DMG2 was very popular and it's full of advice on running scenes and adventures, along with some (questionable) advice on skill challenges, more traps, and the like.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 11:00AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Dec 10, 2008
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The Dungeon Master's Guide is the hardcover Core book from back in 2008.
The Dungeon Master's Book is the smaller, softcover book that came with the Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit boxed set, along with some monster and PC tokens, some maps and an adventure. This smaller book actually has a larger page count and is more up to date with the later rules changes though it has fewer chapters. It covers a lot of the basic game rules not really touched on in the Heroes Of books, gives good advice on running games and designing campaigns, lists a lot of magic items, etc. In other words, it's the somewhat streamlined and updated version of the DMG. It's really meant to be used along with the Heroes Of books and the Rules Compendium, the other Essentials products.
If you already have the Dungeon Master's Guide and can access the latest rules updates online, you probably don't really need the Dungeon Master's Book. Of all the Essentials books, it's probably the one I open least often. But it's quality.
OD&D, 1E and 2E challenged the player.
3E challenged the character, not the player.
Now 4E takes it a step further by challenging a GROUP OF PLAYERS to work together as a TEAM.
That's why I love 4E.
"Your ability to summon a horde of celestial superbeings at will is making my ... BMX skills look a bit redundant."
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 11:07AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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I stand corrected.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 12:12PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Oct 24, 2001
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I stand corrected.
I suspect you were sitting when you wrote that. 
Here are the PHB essentia, in my opinion: - Three Basic Rules (p 11)
- Power Types and Usage (p 54)
- Skills (p178-179)
- Feats (p 192)
- Rest and Recovery (p 263)
- All of Chapter 9 [Combat] (p 264-295)
A player needs to read the sections for building his or her character -- race, class, powers, feats, equipment, etc. But those are PC-specific. The above list is for everyone, regardless of the race or class or build or concept they are playing.
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 12:41PM
#6
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Thanks for clearing that up. Why would they call the guide a "book" after such a long line of DM Guides - it's bound to be confusing, and since noone wants to miss out on an entire DM Book, people might get mighty dissappointed (even if the quality is tht much better,....) So thanks again, I was about to look for a copy of the book, but it isn't really needed...You saved me a fistfull of dollars there! 
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 1:08PM
#7
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The DM's Kit is actually a pretty decent product, especially if you're a new DM and you can make use of the tokens that it comes with. The DM's Book itself is not as good as DMG1 though IMO. Not including the basic monster maths (hp/dmg/defenses etc per level) being one of the more important omissions.
Everything about the 4e product line seems designed to utterly confuse new/returning players...
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1 year ago ::
May 17, 2012 - 5:51PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Mar 10, 2011
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Hi,
I heard that a "DM's book" exists, and was wondering what that was about. I have heard of Deluxe versions, but this one is simply called "DM's book". I thought it could be a 3.5 relic, but apparently, it was published in 2010, which makes it 4e (I guess).
Can anyone shed some light on this? What's the difference between the two manuals, if any?
I can't speak for where you might have heard it, but I have used the term "DM's book" (lower-case 'b') as a catch-all term for the Dungeon Master's Guide up to the Essentials line, and the Dungeon Master's Book (capital 'B', the book of rules bundled with the Essentials Dungeon Master's Kit) and Rules Compendium from the Essentials.
"A new DM will want to get a DM's book" is my way of saying "a newbie DM probably shouldn't try to wing it without owning and being able to refer to a proper rulebook".
As for the differences between the Essentials book and the DM's Guide, the practical differences will be a matter of time, perspective, and rules updates (the Dungeon Master's Book is newer, more up-to-date than the older hardback guide). The paperback Dungeon Master's Book seems to be more of a quick-reference for the rules compared to the old Guides that contained a lot of additional information about designing campaign settings and building adventures and that sort of thing, so the newer book seems more like a good table reference for looking up the rules you need at the table.
Aside from those minor differences, though, in reality the 4th Edition Guide, Book, and Compendium seem to be a matter of taste or convenience for which one to use - from what I've seen or heard, any of the three will get the job done for being a good rules reference.
New DM Tips
Show
- Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
- Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
- Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
- "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
- "Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
- Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
- Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
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