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Dungeon Master's Guide II
DMG II is a deeper mirror of the first Dungeon Master's Guide. Each chapter in the first book is reflected in the sequel, providing more explanation and a deeper look at the subject matter showcased in the original. In addition to mechanics, which was the primary focus of the first Guide, the DMG II examines the process of running a Dungeons and Dragons game by breaking it into discrete elements.
The first few chapters of the second Guide are entirely devoted to the experience of the game from the Dungeon Master's side of the screen. Like another good book on the subject, Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering , DMG II goes into the psychology of the rules arbiter by laying out what will likely be required from you in your role as DM. The Guide also goes inside the heads of players to offer up to the reader possible motivations for a player coming to the gaming table.
From the broad scope of running a game, the book focuses in on the campaign and adventure specific levels. An examination of campaigns covers a large amount of terrain, starting with game styles and character creation suggestions, and ending up in a discussion of the medieval-renaissance flavor of the default Dungeons and Dragons setting. Adventures as discrete entities get something of a short shrift in the book, with heavy discussion of iconic adventure settings taking up most of that chapter. If you've ever wanted to run a battle in the sky, this tome has what you need. The adventure chapter does have a few worthwhile tips on incorporating material from outside sources into your own campaigns, making a Dungeon Magazine subscription more tempting than it might otherwise be.
Beyond the basics, the mission of the second DMG seems to be to allow DMs with a limited amount of time maximum flexibility. Where the original title had pre-generated NPC statistics to utilize, the second book has chapters on making NPCs more interesting, ways to integrate your players more fully into the campaign world, and an entire mapped out and catalogued city for you to insert into your game. The character chapter includes a system for allowing players to run their own businesses. It abstracts out a good number of factors, keeping the focus of the game on fun and adventure while allowing players to put down roots and make some money. While more realistic campaigns may not find it worthwhile, the average dungeon-crawl will benefit from a small business run using these rules. Similarly impressive is the canned city, Saltmarsh. Saltmarsh is a good-sized town, with plots aplenty and several interesting adventure opportunities spread throughout the different districts. Like the campaign chapter, the city of Saltmarsh gives a window into the standard setting that a first time DM might not otherwise have available.
For a veteran Dungeon Master, there are a few gems that stand out as making this book worthwhile. The sections on Saltmarsh, the business system, and the various tips on tweaking your gameworld (including suggestions for creating prestige classes) would all be handy to have at your fingertips. Newer Dungeon Masters should not miss the opportunity to take a look at this book. The chapters on pacing, performance, and campaign preparation are very well written and will provide some much needed advice for someone just cutting their teeth. Players need not apply. The information a Player would get from this book is simply not worth the money to pick up, unless you're planning on getting into the DM gig.
Wizards of the Coast has created a worthy successor to the original Dungeon Master's Guide. Providing a deeper examination of the original tome's content and a reflection on the performance art that is DMing, to new DMs the DMG II is definitely worth the price-tag.
You can purchase Dungeon Master's Guide II from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Running a tabletop role playing game easy enough. Just take your laptop, run "nethack", and it takes care of itself. That is, until you get a message like
"You fall into a pit! You land on a set of sharp iron spikes!--more--
The spikes were poisoned! The poison was deadly...--more--
Do you want your possessions identified?"
"99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
Okay, roll for geekdom :P
Get some.
I know what I'll be reading next Friday night.
One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
I wish I could cast a spell to kill all level 3+ /. trolls. But I don't have the karma points!
Red Bull gave me wings and I flew into the ceiling fan.
also so does every reply in this forum decrease one's chances of ever having sex?
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
If they were truly skilled at this would they be a dungeon master????
"Guide to Never Getting Laid. Ever."
You're no geek. Saying "too geeky for /." is clear proof that you had way too life a teen. You probably have sex on a regular basis, too.
Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
When I ordered it, I got a free copy of 101 Ways To Keep Your Virginity
OK, I cheated. That last one was professional acting rather than something from a D&D game.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
Tell your mommy you're not allowed to use the computer anymore.
No Longer a Menace to Society.
Alexandria Morrigan born 2/22/01 l. 20.5in wt. 7 lbs. 5 oz.
Me: I rolled a 1...
DM: A critical failure, you fumbled.
DM: "You dropped your linux mug full of coffee on yourself."
Me: Can I roll for a saving throw.
DM: No, coffee stains are irresistable, your charisma is 4 until 6pm.
So where do I get the official slashdot d20?
Let's listen in for a couple of minutes while the DM runs the game using Nethack for his source:
"Blue screen of death? I make a saving throw!"
"What do you mean, I am attacked by a Bonzi Buddy?" "Donno. It just appeared on the screen."
"This is interesting. Did you know that if you give this guy in Nigeria 13,000 gold pieces, he will pay you back 30,000,000 gold pieces and bump you up to a tenth-level character?"
"What do you mean, my sword's damage was not increased +20? I used C1ALiS on it!"
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Now I can proudly hold my Dungeon Master's Guide II as I drive my Segway while wearing my Kopin CyberDisplay video eyewear.
Look out chicks, here I come!
I'll tap 3 lands and play an instant, the "Moderation of Doom". All D&D nerds take -5/-5, immunity to blue, green and black.
the fool who deigns to comment on said fools. Or the fool who comments on the foolishness of the aforementioned fool. Or the fool who....STACK OVERFLOW
Jesus saves...everyone else takes 2d20 crushing damage
But really, the best rules were the totally incoherent 2nd edition rules for AD&D. Yes, I loved that it was a pain in ass and led to so many arguments. That was part of the game! Now everything is too sterile.
But the 2nd edition rules also pushed me and my friends into different game systems. Anybody remember "Fantasy Hero"? or "Danger International"? Probably not. We were some of the few that actually played that system on a regular basis. It was fun.
But nothing topped "Call of Cthulhu". Going back to AD&D after that was painful...so we rarely did.
"Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
Player: I hide in the shadows.
DM: [rolls dice] You think you're hidden.
Not all random numbers are created equally.
Give her a chocolate bar for each chapter she completes. She'll be playing in no time.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
dork = pointing out minute distinctions between 'geek' and 'nerd'
You had a ten-sided die? Luxury!
Why, when I was young we used to game sitting the swamp water up to our waists. If we needed to leave something to chance one of us would stand up, and we would count the leeches hanging off their legs. Less than 4 and you had made your saving throw.
Dice. Geez....
# (/.);;
- : float -> float -> float =
Wait. Coffee stains have a positive modifier on charisma!?!
Where the heck is my mug!
AD&D is the McDonalds of roleplaying games. Sorry, that's not fair to McDonalds. Let me rephrase that. AD&D is the Windows of roleplaying games. People play AD&D (or d20) for the same reason people eat Big Macs or browse with Internet Explorer: they either don't know there's something better, or they're too lazy to switch.
Yes, I know AD&D is popular. But so Windows and McDonalds. The only d20 games that are in any way worthwhile are those that managed to sneak in a decent campaign to go with the crappy rules. So it still baffles me after twenty five years why people still play AD&D. Why? I gave second edition another chance, but it wasn't much of an improvement. I have third edition yet another chance, but it still lacks a fundamental quality.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
Yeah total bullshit. How about you take out a woman and give her what she really wants, a stiff drink, two lines of blow and your dick up her ass.
Rar! Rar! Thump! Thump!
That's what a REAL man would do.
Sometimes my arms bend back.