The next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition is here. Fans got their hands on the 2024 Player’s Handbook late this summer. Now, the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide has landed in game stores and bookshops all across the world.
In the past, Dungeon Master’s Guides have mostly been about fitting in vital rules for the game with some small guidance on how to actually use them. The developers have claimed this version has been redesigned from top to bottom to teach new Dungeon Masters how to run the game. Wizards of the Coast sent along copies of this book and the new Dungeon Master’s Screen to read for this article.
Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide Contents
2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide opens with a chapter called “The Basics” which focuses on setting expectations in play. It lays out what is generally expected of a Dungeon Master and also offers advice on how to set expectations with a potential D&D group. There are even discussions on what are common problems in the game such as overly cautious players or players that don’t respect the story the DM is trying to tell.
Open communication between players and a Dungeon Master can help fix so many of the problems of running the game before they begin. It’s okay to talk about D&D outside of game night to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. Dungeon Masters can make mistakes and should come to a compromise with the table when they do.
The next part focuses on running the game and how to handle the many different choices a Dungeon Master can make at their table. The section covers stylistic choices and in the moment rulings. There are also tips on the logistics of the campaign like how often you shuld play and some common problems from the real world that can affect the game.
For example, it offers different options on handling player absences which are bound to happen over a long enough timeline. There’s a section that compares miniatures combat versus “theater of the mind” visualization. These discussions offer advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
The third chapter is a DM’s toolbox full of suggestions on how to adjust the game to fit everyone’s style and comfort with the rules. It offers ways to chamge the rules for different genres as well as new rules that might become important for a particular type of story. For example, there are fear and mental stress rules for games focused on horror.
This leads into how to build adventures. In addition to advice on things like pacing a story and building encounters, there are several random charts here that can be used to inspire stories when the blank page is in command. There are also five short outlines that can be used as examples to copy or drop in stories on those game nights when the last week was super busy for the DM.
The next logical step is campaign advice. This section includes discussion on everything from different fantasy genres to how to balance plot heavy episodes with one off stories that relieve the tension of a big storyline. There’s even discussion of how and when to end a campaign which is something that should be talked about as early as possible.
The book begins talking about official D&D settings with a nearly 30 page look at Greyhawk. This was the first setting created for D&D by Gary Gygax. It’s offered up as a ready to run setting or as something that can be broken up and used in bits and pieces for a new Dungeon Master’s own creation.
Next comes a dive into the cosmology of Dungeons & Dragons. This has been the focus of the game as of late and lays out the structure of the different planes as well as the multiverse of D&D campaign worlds. This is the densest section but, admittedly, there’s fifty years of lore out there and new DMs have to start somewhere.
The Dungeon Master’s Guide is where all the loot is and this edition includes several magic items complete with illustrations. There’s also some guidelines on how to create and customize magic items for a campaign. The items include several classics as well as a few new to being included in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
The newest rules in the book focus on building a bastion, which is a place players can call home in between stories. Bastions can be anything from castles to wizard towers or even friendly local pubs. Players customize the building for game effects and can have the bastion take actions while they go off on their next adventure.
The book ends with a pair of appendices that will help out Dungeon Masters in a pinch. The first is a lore glossary that offers quick information on important people, places and things in the D&D cosmology. The second are a collection of dungeons, castles and other common maps that can be used when players wander off the expected adventure and find an unexpected one.
Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide Impressions
Much like 2024 Player’s Handbook, my favorite thing about the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide is the organization. This book is written in a way to help a new Dungeon Master build their game step by step. Both of these books recognize the massive flow of people into D&D and take steps to be friendly and encouraging to new players.
I’m also happy to see a book like this with so much advice even as someone that’s got a lot of experience with the game. A lot goes into being a Dungeon Master besides running the game itself. Encouraging Dungeon Masters to think ahead about these challenges makes them better prepared for things like a player moving away for a new job intrude on their storyline.
My main complaint about the book is that I wish there were more space for advice and examples. There are several pages in the book devoted to campaign builing worksheets. While I liked the concept, I wish they would have stayed as free downloads to print out from the website and that space in the book given to more useful advice.
Bastions also feel like a good start that might have thrived better in a different space. They could have easily been the basis of their own book with some in depth examples included to make it stand alone. Dungeon Masters interested in this style of play should check out the Campaign Builder series from Kobold Press or Strongholds & Followers from MCDM.
2024 Dungeon Masters Guide is a great choice for new Dungeon Masters and old hands should consider picking it up as a solid refresher course. The book is available through D&D Beyond, online retailers and Friendly Local Game Stores which offer a unique cover.
