It's honestly just silly how consistent the quality of this channels videos are. I get so much out of each upload, even with the stuff I thought I was already rather well-versed in. Hoping to see more longer videos like this one in the future! The both of you seem to put so much love and care into every detail of the script, editing and lighting, and it really pays off - I'll sometimes throw on one of your vids as background noise while I'm doing stuff around the house, only to find myself drawn back to the screen to watch intently. Keep it up, gang!
All of your videos are so useful to new GMs and I love how you find that important, thank you very, very much. An excellent quality video like all the others!
I was once involved in a discussion on a ttrpg forum where a few people actually argued, that you only have to read about 20% of the rules, because the rest never comes up anyway. But how are you supposed to know before hand which 20% will be relevant for you? You don't have to memorize it all, but read the whole thing for crying out loud!
The bit that got me baffled was this poster's readiness to search for tips and tools online, including to read. Just as long as it WASN'T the rules! I don't know where to start! - Daði
@@Mystic-Arts-DM as a GM of 15 years, I read through every book to steal ideas for my own party's homebrew that matches our needs. Part of the reason for this is; literally ONLY 1 person out of ~70 of us(excluding me), has actually read the phb and dmg. Another 2 have read about half of the phb. Everyone else couldn't even be bothered to read through the whole character creation or even their class abilities 🙄 most of them just grab a random UA-cam video or tiktok short and ask the GM to help them "make this." One of my players told me they came to game, not to read, which left me bewildered because how were they supposed to know how to game if they hadn't even an inkling of the rules? 😅
This can't possibly be your first youtube channel, right? Nobody comes out the gate swinging this hard and hits every single mark flawlessly every time. Great audio & video quality. Confident and well-paced cadence, volume, and tone of voice. Frequent uploads of videos with consistently high quality. When I subscribed, I was shocked at how new the channel was. Keep up the great work!
He has also said he gets help from his girlfriend. Every now and then her hand even makes it on camera! But I suspect she has at least as much to do with it as he does. That's a true partner right there! A proper team.
I manditorily gush on every video for the algorithm but I really can’t help but be blown away by how consistently useful and professional every one of your videos have been so far. Keep up the excellent work!
I appreciate how often you stress in your videos that just because something might be bad in a 'general purpose' way, doesn't mean it can't work perfectly well in the right situation or with the right group. So much sensationalist content out there, it's refreshing to hear nuanced takes that encourage people to think outside the box and do what works for them.
I honestly can’t believe your channel is so new! The quality of content is incredible, and somehow it feels like your videos have been on my “need to rewatch this again later” list of DM videos for years. Not sure how I DMed before these 😂
Great video! You mention you use your own hex crawl system and will stick to using that over the journey stages approach introduced in the 2024 DMG. Curious what your system looks like.
I came a Long way watchin thousands of d&d youtubers and beeing bored of the same advices over and over again.. you‘re on a whole nother level! Every 10 seconds comes an advice thats worth of pure gold! Thank you for your cozy & lovely Videos!♥️
I LOVE "So you want to be a Game Master" by Justin Alexander!!! I guffawed when you held that up at the end. But tbh, if WotC didn't release Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, I never would have come across him as early as I did. Justin is a great mentor for DMs who want well-defined tools for running games! Really love your channel and I look forward to seeing more content from y'all! Peace!
I thought that was hilarious, too. I just finished reading that book about a month ago - cover to cover - and I'm not surprised Dadi gave it a shout-out. I have the new PHB and DMG, too, and am just finishing reading the PHB. I'll be starting the DMG within the next few days, I imagine. Great video as always!!
love you Dadi and Anna!!! you two make amazing content. I'm always stoked to see when you post another video!!! I'm a newish DM (Been running my first campaign about a year now) and ive been considering getting the 2014 dmg a while but i kept hearing how messy it was and now that ive seen your review of the 2024 book im totally sold. getting it for myself as a christmas gift.
Holy shit, even when you don't supply direct advice (like with complaints about Chases), I find myself lost in my imagination, inspired and brainstorming. Another brilliant video to watch 3-4 times
More players mentioned!! This video has a longer runtime than the others but the care put into the pacing was excellent. You guys are doing excellent work!
To the note on chases, I recommend looking into the one featured in "The Fiend of Hollow Mine" adventure in Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel (A horribly underrated adventure anthology in 5e that has one of the coolest worlds i've seen)! That was the one that made them click for me and I have enjoyed running them in my games. Edit: The lack of homebrew rules is troubling for me, esp as someone who experienced the OGL crisis firsthand. I won't go too deep into what that is (there are plenty of vids out there that do), but I have a feeling that these methodologies were taken out so that another Pathfinder situation (where DnD creates its own competition) is less likely to happen.
My 2 cents: • Great review and thank you for the timestamps. It makes it easier to go back and watch sections I want to see again. • If you playing another fantasy system, the DMG is still a fantastic resource of ideas. Worth reading even if you're playing Pathfinder, Dungeon Crawl, 13th Age, etc.
> "I cannot believe I have to say this but you have to read the rules" I think the big problem here is that 5e (and this .24 version) seperates out these rules into another expensive book. Which effectively paywalls this sort of guidance in a way that pretty much every other RPG product *doesnt*. So I'm not surprised people don't read what they don't have immediate access to. When the engine the game runs on isn't accessible by default, should you be surprised by the lack of a modding community for that game? It may seem obvious to just "read the rules", but this extra hurdle is clearly enough to encourage players who wish to transition into GMing to actively seek out advice and guides online - rather than go folk over more money for a confusing and generally unhelpful book (ymmv with this new DM guide, from what you say, but I've not read it myself so can't comment). When folks are looking for answers elsewhere, that should tell you that the means in which you're dispensing that information currently isn't adequate enough. I'm surprised (well, im not, because *profit*) that they're even still keeping this 3 core book format for this "new edition" when they could've taken the oppotunity to consolidate all the core elements into one user friendly book.
For me, it's the second best DMG, and the best for new DMs. I love the original AD&D DMG (not the one you brought up but the previous edition from 1979) but it certainly wasn't accessible. In my own experience I found that I'm using the 2024DMG more than the 2014 one, but sticking primarily to the 2014 edition for the PHB. I think that's something we're going to see a lot of going forward--people mixing and matching the two revisions. In many ways 2024 D&D reminds me of 2E, in that it's a more family-friendly revision with the edge taken out of the game. It's good that it's not offensive, but sometimes it comes across as too bland.
The home constructed spreadsheets spoke to my heart. We're currently playing Pathfinder, and I was *still* thoroughly absorbed by your review of the new DMG. Thanks for continuing to do these videos. As many others have commented, super high signal(high) to noise (nonexistent) ratio. Also glad that Iceland has more than EVE developers (as much as I love that game).
Since Dadi called it out: people in the comments, tell me your favorite non fantasy systems and why, please!! I'm trying to tknow more about other games than just my usual D&D 5E and similars
I've got too many recommendations to list, but here are a few: Monster of the Week (a monster hunting game in the Powered by the Apocalypse tradition) is great fun for one-shots, and it's simple enough that after an introduction to the game it's a great opportunity for non-DMs to try out GMing too. I also love Paranoia (which is roughly like if 1984 was played for laughs) for one-shots, although it requires a little more buy-in from the group and a bit of mutual trust and respect so that people don't get mad when their "teammates" laser them in the face for committing treason. For something longer, Lancer is incredible, it's a sci-fi mech game with a lot of tactical depth and character customizability. It's a lot to learn, admittedly, but there's an excellent official (and free!) character creation software called COMP/CON that really aids the process. I'd also be remiss not to mention Wildsea, which is technically fantasy by definition but completely distinct from the elves and dwarves, swords and magic type fantasy one would expect. Instead, you're sailing chainsaw-powered ships across a sea of swiftly growing trees, with playable ancestries including cactus people and a hive mind spider swarm inhabiting a single body. For full disclosure, I haven't played this one yet, my group's trying it out for the first time on New Year's Eve, but I've heard great reviews and just reading the book has been such an enjoyable experience with the imagination that went into it!
Best campaign I ever played in was a three year Star Wars campaign using FFG's Age of Rebellion/Edge of the Empire system. It uses custom dice that take a bit to get used to, but the system works quite well overall. Lots of incremental character build options, tons of gear/vehicle/ship customization. In the hands of a DM who really knows the setting, it feels just like being in a Star Wars movie. I played as a heavy weapons droid who carried around a giant turret that was supposed to take two people to use, it was great. I made life hard on the DM by being too damn strong and beefy, but he gave me that turret, so this was his own fault. 😂
Secondary shoutout to Exalted, which was originally a White Wolf system. The mechanics are sorta finicky, but the Asian-inspired setting is really cool. Very flashy, over-the-top abilities with a totally non-Tolkien-esque lore and flavor.
It depends what you are looking for but if you are wanting something nothing like DnD (TTRPGs that are not tied to a fantasy setting) I recommend the following: - Monster of the Week (MotW) is a system based around investigating paranormal happenings a la X Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or even Scooby Doo. It works on a 2d6 system, and is less mechanically dense compared to 5e. Overall, the game is way more focused on its narrative and how characters interact with each other and a rules light system really goes a long way to support that. - The Walking Dead Universe TTRPG (TWD) is based on the TV show/comic of the same name but you don't have to run games in its universe. All in all, it's a solid zombie apocalypse system that aims to capture the humanity of survivors and test the content of their character. There's a stress mechanic, and the margin for error is big enough to be a constant threat always hanging over the players. Despite this, roleplay and character connections are incredibly important too (the anchor mechanic my beloved). I highly recommend this system, and it also has a whole section on solo play so if you want to try it out for yourself you can no GM required. Now I have played both of these systems so I feel pretty confident in recommending them, but i'll also throw out some names of systems that I like but just haven't played: - Utopia TTRPG - Blades in the Dark - Candela Obscura - Shadowdark - Liminal Horror RPG Cheers, and I look forward to hearing about any other systems from other commenters!
Is it better then 2014. yes. But also to all dnd players. I urge you to try other ttrpgs. Especially the ttrpgs who have free rules online. Takes 1 session to learn the basics and make characters in World of darkness. And it does things dnd can't, hyper story based modern day environment. Dnd is good, but one of my main mistakes was trying to crack the system into doing something it's not designed to do. Pathfinder might seem complex. It kinda is, but lv 1 it's equal to dnd, but the all the ruels are open source, free online and supported by the developers. , so you can just try it and decide if you like it or not.
@11:35. I like the idea of renown- but would like a video on how to make it more engaging for your players; how we can bring them it’s something exciting and fun for them.
@12:50. I run chase scenes as mini skill challenges. making contested rolls like Dexterity(Stealth) fleer to avoid detection vs Wisdom(Survival) chaser to track; Charisma(Deception) fleer to evade vs Wisdom(Insight) for chaser anticipate the next move; Dexterity(Acrobatics) parkour for fleer vs Constitution for chaser to keep up; etc
Nice review. I've been leaning away from 5E in favor of simpler systems as a DM personally. However, it's good to know that the new DMG is worthwhile. The girlfriend high five was a definite upgrade from the waving hand.
You know what's better? The intro section is also part of Beyond's free rules. You can just show it to your friends with any worry (maybe except when they can't read English).
I don't really comment that often but I have to say since your channel popped up I watched almost all of your videos. Just wanted to say you're doing an amazing job reaaaally consistently. 😁
This is in response to like two sentences from the video but "beach episodes" are usually my favourite sessions in a D&D campaign. I'm willing to accept that big dramatic main plots are an important game draw for the other players at the table but I'm far more interested in lower stakes stories, relationship building within and around the party, and moments of characterisation. Big scary plots feel very restrictive and time-sensitive to me, while an short, low-stakes adventure gets you the satisfaction of getting it done nice and fast instead of drawing it out over months or years, and gives you more wiggle room to bugger around for fun. On top of that, even in like TV and stuff it's really important for me to see the characters hanging out and having a good time sometimes for me to feel invested in them. It actually shows what they're fighting for instead of just assuming the audience, or in this case the players, trust that something good is there. For the same reason, showing the consequences of pc actions on the world (and having well-meaning actions turn out positively more often than not) is important to my enjoyment of a campaign.
Oh totally! That latter West Wing episode we clipped has them all throwing a basketball around the campaign headquarters, I just love that sort of vibe. I gotta get better at those sessions! - Daði
Love your videos. I'm glad you only did this video now, cos right now is when i am deciding if i should buy this, and you have convinced me. I still hate HAsbro and WotC for the evils they commit, but like you said, this book ain't that. And i just realised the picture on the cover is Venger! The villain from the old D&D cartoon!
I wasn't planning on buying any of the 2024 books, but this video changed my mind about the 2024 DMG. It's true, the 2014 DMG is pretty much a big wall of text that is mostly useful for inspiration, magic items, and tables. With your review or sounds like the "guide" aspect of it is massively improved, and I'll probably pick it up.
It's great to hear that the new book is more effective at teaching and conveying the rules. Layout and organization are such an underappreciated part of game design. You can have the greatest game in the world, but it all goes to waste if no one can parse how the game is meant to be played and how to get the most fun out of the mechanics. Also, that story about the adventure for the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords was hilarious. The more tidbits you share about your own games, the more interested I am in hearing more about the setting and adventures.
I have a copy of the 2024 DM’s Guide sitting next to me right now. It’s great, I love it. You mention the multiverse chapter from the 2014 edition, and I will say that when I need to look up info on the planes of existence, I still go back to 2014 5e for its much more detailed content. But it should have been an appendix, not freaking Chapter 2!
I got the combo set (PHB, MM, DMG) when starting out and your analysis of the issues is spot on. I started and dumped it within minutes. I only used it for magic items and missed all the great tools in it. (I ran Lost Mines, so just kind of went with what was in that)
20:03 Three to five levels? That seems an exceptionally long time to go without a "break" session. I recently ran a 10 month long campaign that ran from level 1-6 with 5 or so "break" sessions.
I'd be surprised if the major D&D channels aren't reaching out to you for collabs. Thumbs up to your future - hope you keep sharing LEARNED good tips, love it.
I'm very interested to hear a comparison between this new DM guide and the two DM guides published for 4th edition, which were some of the best books ever made addressing the DM role among all the game systems I know or have played. If you haven't read them already, I strongly suggest it.
DM for me please? ☺️ BTW, I know a good voice is not necessary to DM but it does make a difference, and I really like Dadi's voice. Reason why I love the sections of videos in which he "pretends to be DMing". I haven't read the whole DMG yet, but I like the parts I read. One thing I miss is a guideline for creatures including proficiency, hit die etc. that is expected for each CR. I know the calculations in 2014 were terrible but a table to compare against is good. Now the advice is "pick an existing one and reskin it" which works for some things, but not for others. I'm a long time player but a new DM, and I'm still learning a few things. Oh and you're videos won't be obsolete, don't worry. You always bring an interesting insight.
Since I started running games back in 3rd edition. I've always approached DM'ing like an open book exam. Read and understand the reference material (The Manuals) so that when you take the test (Play the Game) and you don't know the answer off the top of your head, you have an understanding of the reference materials so you can quickly find the information you need in the moment.
Ok my friend you sold me. I've been DMing since 1984, started playing in 1979, This is the one DM's guide I wasn't going to buy. I enjoy your channel, you and your girlfriend are doing an excellent job, I consider you and your approach to the game a good successor to Matthew Colville.
I agree that 5e is the best system for "experienced" storytellers because it doesn't tell you how it wants to be played. I'm glad that they seem to be leaning into that strength while also specifically catering much more to new DMs
@@laef5642 this is one of the things I personally love about 5e. Compared to earlier editions, especially 1e and 2e, the framework is streamlined and simplified in a way that really seems to unburden the game. Rather than leaning into the technicalities of rules, the current system is designed with a lot of spaciousness that allows stories to run more smoothly.
5e tells you how it wants to be played in so many distinct ways, from levelling, to how HP works, to how rolls are structured, and in general what the system wants you to do. In that way it is no different from the overwhelming majority of RPGs, you'd be as well saying that Traveller doesn't tell you how it wants to be played.
@@finlaygilfillan7963 (tl;dr I didn't define well what I meant by "tells you how it wants to be played" to me it's about the intended experience and how malleable that is) I think you're arguing against a point I didn't intend to make. I meant to say that 5e doesn't as specific of an intended experience as, say Blades in the Dark, which says "you will have non-heist scenes, they will look like this, and then you will have heists which act this way" in a way that's so much more specifically structured. I would consider this significantly different than 5e where some people say you should structure an adventure as scenes with three clues that connect them to other scenes, other people say you should prep only the situation and let yourself improvise where the scenes are in front of the players, and some parties like a specifically on rails adventure. It's this fundamental versatility that I find makes me more and more fond of 5e as I accumulate DM experience but had me fully lost in what exactly I was supposed to be doing outside of combat when I started. Your comment does make me think that it is much more of a spectrum then I was thinking of it as, ranging from a blank page where any structure must be imposed by you to a boardgame where every action you can take is predefined.
I’m a 5e refugee that left D&D for PF2e - and we likely wont go back. But like a commenter above, I too think I might pick this up because of this video - even though I’ll very likely never DM a 5E.2024 game. Thank you. Re: chase mechanics, I remember that the Dungeon Coach made a video about a system that seemed to make a lot of sense. Never got to use it before we made the jump though.
I would definitely like to hear more about building kingdoms, warfare, and running mass combat. Curious to know which books you use, homebrew you did, etc.
Just in case it takes a while, check out 2nd edition of D&D. 🤔 There are about three different books that might fit your needs, I sorta remember two, ¿Castles and keeps? And I think the other one is ¿Bloodlines? Or something like that, it has you roleplaying kingdoms rather than groups of adventurers.
I keep watching these videos to try to get into dnd. Even spent a bit to get the books before the dnd remaster. It's sooo hard esp after starting with pf2e.
Thanks for making all these videos, you're a gem. Your world sounds great, do you have a lore video planned? And if not, would you be open to doing one?
Thank you for this. Ive been debating for a while on if i should get this or not, and my DM friend convinced me i didn't need it (based on when he bought the 2014 edition) Im gonna go get the new DMG because all of the pros seem very much directed toward players like myself.
I've had to hold off on buying it because I asked for it for my birthday/Christmas, so I have to wait and see if any of my relatives buy it for me, but if it's not under that tree on Wednesday, I'm buying the first copy I see for sale. Chase rules are something I want to see a game focus on the way 5E focuses on combat. Like, I don't know, a Speed Racer-inspired game where the whole setting is focused around racing to an absurd degree. That's the only way I can see a rule set for chases feeling more necessary and interesting than just "Whatever rules you already use for scenes that can't be resolved by just one or two die rolls." Advice on note-taking is something I was begging for when I first started running D&D. I'm so psyched that it's something they put in the books. It may not be necessary for me now that I've adapted my own approach to it, but for anyone who's new in the way I once was, I'm glad it's there.
Here is my homebrew for chases. .... Everyone starts by rolling against a specific DC such as DC13. Each character tracks a separate DC. So, when someone succeeds a skill check vs the DC, their own DC drops by -1. That character now rolls vs their adjusted DC. So, if your DC drops, you increase your chances of succeeding. If a player rolls less than the DC minus 6, they add +1 to their DC. When the DCs of a pursuer and quarry are 3 apart, the one with the higher DC loses the chase. Either the quarry is captured or escapes. ... The best part of this homebrew is that it is fast with lots of roleplay describing the skill checks. The worst part is tracking separate DCs. If you want a longer chase, instead of reaching a difference of 3, simply make it 4 or 5.... A nice story element is that the separate DCs begin to chase each other which mirrors the chase.
Would you do videos on the 2024 PHB and Monster Manual? I really like your ego-less presentation of your opionions and I would love to see your thoughts on those books as well.
Would love to see a vid on your traveling rules/thought process. I’ve tried hexcrawl, but never found a good way on how to implement it. The one time I tried it, it was too long, unrewarding, and eventually I decided to just make hotspot hexes which are the only ones that mattered.
2024 is getting a lot of needless flak for Company decisions, I'm loving the changes to the PHB and the DMG, the new additions and rule changes are all really nice QoL changes. The people actually working on the books are doing a fantastic job, its a shame that people have turned hobby this into a witch hunt. Don't get me wrong theres a lot of shade from WOTC and Hasbro, but people have been taking it way too far. From certain artists being labled as AI Art (The Dwarf) to people being upset that there is a single page dedicated to an optional rule about what topics you don't want to see covered and making it a safe space. (Im someone who hates using that stuff but i'm glad its there for those who want it.) And as someone with ADHD aswell, I 100% agree this book is a godsend, they've simplified it and made it so easy to read.
Big agree. Throwing so much shade/hate if anything sends the wrong message to the underinformed - that we are at the whims of the company that makes this game (no we aren't).
The idea behind bastions is great, but it ended up being severly undercooked. However, the tiniest bit of homebrewing can make them fantastic, and that's honestly something I'd like your opinion on (even though you already said you had your own super complex system already). The main issue with the system, to me at least, is how impossible it is for a bastion to be attacked, and how minimal the consequences when that finally happens.
I agree with this review a lot. The new edition incites inspiration. 5e never inspired me to make the game system my own in a way that 5.5e did. I enjoy taking the ideas given and expanding them, altough i will admit that they could have done that themselves and just created 6e. But i think the pressure was to much to stick to the "running system" A lot of players would have been even more displeased to see something like metamagic adept in origin feats. But i love it.
One thing I prefer about the 2014 DMG is all the tables, even the old treasure hoard rules. I'll keep using those when I need them, no one's forcing me to burn the old book, but I do wish it had brought them through. I still use the random dungeon tables and treasure tables and NPC and adventure tables and it's really nice; but it really is better as more of an "advanced DM" guide, where the new one is a better first time DM guide.
There are a few improvements to layout, with some new tips and mechanics for mobs, fear, AC/HP for doors, etc. The magic item award tables are better, and of course they added bastions which seem cool. However, it took me forever to find the currency award tables, which are not in the Treasure section but are at the end of the Adventure chapter (p120-120). Make it make sense. The Settlements section is a few small paragraphs and a page of mediocre tables. What!? No world building help there. In fact, most of the book is fluff. If the '24 DMG had a section on trees, it would read: "Trees are a vital part of any adventure. They can be big if it suits your world, or they can be small. They could be short, or if it fits better into your campaign, they can be tall. Invite your players into a wooded area and describe the bark as being smooth, or perhaps rough. Maybe the leaves are thick and green, or dead and dried." End. Nothing of any real value, and it just fills the page. Maybe a table for rolling the color of the local foliage. Come on! Cram that thing full of world building tables and huge pools of ideas. Every section starts to feel this way. Just fast-food, all oil and grease and no substance. The more I read the more it feels phoned in. I don't want expansion books, modules, or 6-7 volumes across my bed so I have some real DM resources at my fingertips. I already do this and most of the books are off brand. It's supposed to be the damn DMG! All in all, it is an improvement on the '14, but other than a few bookmarks, this will still be a book for magic items. Massively disappointed.
I think 3/3.5e was a lot easier to DM for as it provided much more scaffolding and guidance on things like magic items, prices, encounter design, monster and NPC design, custom classes. It was much easier to homebrew because the designers showed you how their monsters, magic items, encounters and classes were designed. It is a very transparent and consistent system. I do like the simllifications that Star Wars Saga and Fifth edition made to yhe initial d20 system. But DM support is a lot worse. Ans I’ve bern playing and DMing since 1995.
GENESYS MENTIONED it isn't a fantasy game out the box, but its most commonly used as one. i highly highly recommend it for anybody looking for something that gives players more mechanical agency than 5e. would love to see you cover it sometime here! the star wars version of the system is a good way to get a one shot for a dnd table in with a new system
Seriously I‘m really considering buying the new DMG after this video to get into DnD as a DM instead of just being a player. Why is there no affiliate link yet? 😂 Really appreciate your encouraging channel!
Amazing content I need some help on telegraphing options. When giving players agenci, should I present the avaliable options clearly? Or just describe the scene and let them came up with everything? For instance, should I say: "villagers are nearby, panicking. Do you rellay them to help, or focus on the task yourself?" Or shuld I just say: "villagers are nearby"
I think that the OSR community has a lot of toxic players who think that the old rules are better. I played DnD b/x when it was new. I had some great times with it but I am not obtuse enough to think that it had superior rules. It was clunky and hard to use and people have made OSR rules systems that actually work and feel fun.
new(ish) DM here--and somewhat experienced player. loved the video! as per! systematic, sensitive. all the attributes a DM should encourage in themselves and their table too! One q, tho (for a possible future video? ha!) but I find the 2014 book a little stubborn on how to track Initiative and in-game battle info. I find myself....wobbly....on keeping initiative order, stat block specs, character actions, terrain, timing, and fairness on a reasonable--and visible--grid. It's mostly theatre of the mind for me, still. But do have any recommendations!
Great review … might pick it up after all. 4e DMG 2 is the best DMG from an actual advice perspective (I know heresy from someone playing in since 1978)
Play Degenesis: Rebirth! Look it up, it's the most underrated RPG of all of the times ever of all time. (Not sponsored, not AI, I just love this game and I want it to be more popular.)
Do you think that it is worth it if my group and me are still playing 2014 5e and are likely not to change that? The structured text is really persuading me to buy it, but I dont want any confusion in my games when I accidentally use some new rules and other stuff.
im curious what encouraged you to switch from Pathfinder to DnD5e (unless you were running Kingmaker as a DnD campaign?). Pathfinder people seem pretty commited
The splatbook bloat, floating modifiers, feat chains, and other things endemic of 3.X systems wore us all out. 5e was brand new, fresh, and dead simple comparatively. We hopped and haven't looked back once. Like you said, loads of folks seem to love Pathfinder, and honestly, it makes me happy to see it since Paizo seems to be so beautifully supportive of their fans, but the game isn't for me. - Daði
I feel like as a community we whould start referring to these new printings as a patch so we dont have to debate what to call it, according to WOTZ it's still 5e. If this was a video game it would be considered a patch.
It's honestly just silly how consistent the quality of this channels videos are. I get so much out of each upload, even with the stuff I thought I was already rather well-versed in.
Hoping to see more longer videos like this one in the future! The both of you seem to put so much love and care into every detail of the script, editing and lighting, and it really pays off - I'll sometimes throw on one of your vids as background noise while I'm doing stuff around the house, only to find myself drawn back to the screen to watch intently.
Keep it up, gang!
🥹 You got it!
P.S. The little hand cameos from behind the camera during the outro of each video always makes me chuckle 🤭
All of your videos are so useful to new GMs and I love how you find that important, thank you very, very much. An excellent quality video like all the others!
"You have to read the rules." an extremely controversial opinion, good luck with being cancelled! /s
One of these days, they'll come for me and my opinions... - Daði
@@samfowler2073 🤣
I was once involved in a discussion on a ttrpg forum where a few people actually argued, that you only have to read about 20% of the rules, because the rest never comes up anyway. But how are you supposed to know before hand which 20% will be relevant for you? You don't have to memorize it all, but read the whole thing for crying out loud!
The bit that got me baffled was this poster's readiness to search for tips and tools online, including to read. Just as long as it WASN'T the rules! I don't know where to start! - Daði
@@Mystic-Arts-DM as a GM of 15 years, I read through every book to steal ideas for my own party's homebrew that matches our needs. Part of the reason for this is; literally ONLY 1 person out of ~70 of us(excluding me), has actually read the phb and dmg. Another 2 have read about half of the phb. Everyone else couldn't even be bothered to read through the whole character creation or even their class abilities 🙄 most of them just grab a random UA-cam video or tiktok short and ask the GM to help them "make this." One of my players told me they came to game, not to read, which left me bewildered because how were they supposed to know how to game if they hadn't even an inkling of the rules? 😅
I love that you are so positive compared to so many DnD streamers thank you!
@@KentHarkey agree!
This can't possibly be your first youtube channel, right? Nobody comes out the gate swinging this hard and hits every single mark flawlessly every time. Great audio & video quality. Confident and well-paced cadence, volume, and tone of voice. Frequent uploads of videos with consistently high quality. When I subscribed, I was shocked at how new the channel was. Keep up the great work!
Like Triple H used to say (and as Dadi should say) " I AM THAT DAMN GOOD! " That should be his catch phrase,
He said he's a director. Experience in video, actual video not just recording, sets someone up really well.
He has also said he gets help from his girlfriend. Every now and then her hand even makes it on camera! But I suspect she has at least as much to do with it as he does. That's a true partner right there! A proper team.
I manditorily gush on every video for the algorithm but I really can’t help but be blown away by how consistently useful and professional every one of your videos have been so far. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks! We're trying our best!
I am also here to feed the algo!!! Nom nom nom
engagement? ENGAGEMENT!
@@laef5642 I engaged twice!
I appreciate how often you stress in your videos that just because something might be bad in a 'general purpose' way, doesn't mean it can't work perfectly well in the right situation or with the right group. So much sensationalist content out there, it's refreshing to hear nuanced takes that encourage people to think outside the box and do what works for them.
Your channel is so incredible. It may blend in with all the others I send to my friends who don't watch a single one of them, but you stand out.
Your insight is fantastic, and your videos are well-presented! Plus, you have a soothing voice XD
Glad to see your channel getting lots of attention!
I honestly can’t believe your channel is so new! The quality of content is incredible, and somehow it feels like your videos have been on my “need to rewatch this again later” list of DM videos for years. Not sure how I DMed before these 😂
Great video! You mention you use your own hex crawl system and will stick to using that over the journey stages approach introduced in the 2024 DMG. Curious what your system looks like.
I came a Long way watchin thousands of d&d youtubers and beeing bored of the same advices over and over again.. you‘re on a whole nother level! Every 10 seconds comes an advice thats worth of pure gold!
Thank you for your cozy & lovely Videos!♥️
I LOVE "So you want to be a Game Master" by Justin Alexander!!! I guffawed when you held that up at the end. But tbh, if WotC didn't release Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, I never would have come across him as early as I did. Justin is a great mentor for DMs who want well-defined tools for running games! Really love your channel and I look forward to seeing more content from y'all! Peace!
The Alexandrian might be my biggest influence, tbh. - Daði
I thought that was hilarious, too. I just finished reading that book about a month ago - cover to cover - and I'm not surprised Dadi gave it a shout-out. I have the new PHB and DMG, too, and am just finishing reading the PHB. I'll be starting the DMG within the next few days, I imagine. Great video as always!!
Really wonderful review and work on these videos. Looking forward to seeing what else y'all decide to tackle!
love you Dadi and Anna!!! you two make amazing content. I'm always stoked to see when you post another video!!! I'm a newish DM (Been running my first campaign about a year now) and ive been considering getting the 2014 dmg a while but i kept hearing how messy it was and now that ive seen your review of the 2024 book im totally sold. getting it for myself as a christmas gift.
Holy shit, even when you don't supply direct advice (like with complaints about Chases), I find myself lost in my imagination, inspired and brainstorming.
Another brilliant video to watch 3-4 times
More players mentioned!! This video has a longer runtime than the others but the care put into the pacing was excellent. You guys are doing excellent work!
As someone who regularly makes spreadsheets for fun... Id love a peek at your domain rules
Hah! You might be the market audience for the Worst Domain System - Daði
@@Mystic-Arts-DM ah yes the WDS
The goat blesses us again
To the note on chases, I recommend looking into the one featured in "The Fiend of Hollow Mine" adventure in Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel (A horribly underrated adventure anthology in 5e that has one of the coolest worlds i've seen)! That was the one that made them click for me and I have enjoyed running them in my games.
Edit: The lack of homebrew rules is troubling for me, esp as someone who experienced the OGL crisis firsthand. I won't go too deep into what that is (there are plenty of vids out there that do), but I have a feeling that these methodologies were taken out so that another Pathfinder situation (where DnD creates its own competition) is less likely to happen.
I'll have to check out this book, bought my DMG many years ago. Cheers for the heads up!
Best DM/GM voice of all time!!!
My 2 cents:
• Great review and thank you for the timestamps. It makes it easier to go back and watch sections I want to see again.
• If you playing another fantasy system, the DMG is still a fantastic resource of ideas. Worth reading even if you're playing Pathfinder, Dungeon Crawl, 13th Age, etc.
> "I cannot believe I have to say this but you have to read the rules"
I think the big problem here is that 5e (and this .24 version) seperates out these rules into another expensive book. Which effectively paywalls this sort of guidance in a way that pretty much every other RPG product *doesnt*. So I'm not surprised people don't read what they don't have immediate access to.
When the engine the game runs on isn't accessible by default, should you be surprised by the lack of a modding community for that game? It may seem obvious to just "read the rules", but this extra hurdle is clearly enough to encourage players who wish to transition into GMing to actively seek out advice and guides online - rather than go folk over more money for a confusing and generally unhelpful book (ymmv with this new DM guide, from what you say, but I've not read it myself so can't comment).
When folks are looking for answers elsewhere, that should tell you that the means in which you're dispensing that information currently isn't adequate enough. I'm surprised (well, im not, because *profit*) that they're even still keeping this 3 core book format for this "new edition" when they could've taken the oppotunity to consolidate all the core elements into one user friendly book.
All fair and good, except all the relevant rules are free online in the Free Rules. - Daði
Another great video
I live the timed high five at the end when aknowlging your GF.
Great work you two! Always look forward to your uploads.
Another great video. I definitely appreciate your honesty about this book. I really dig your vids. Keep em' up!
Had to subscribe, great video!
For me, it's the second best DMG, and the best for new DMs. I love the original AD&D DMG (not the one you brought up but the previous edition from 1979) but it certainly wasn't accessible. In my own experience I found that I'm using the 2024DMG more than the 2014 one, but sticking primarily to the 2014 edition for the PHB. I think that's something we're going to see a lot of going forward--people mixing and matching the two revisions. In many ways 2024 D&D reminds me of 2E, in that it's a more family-friendly revision with the edge taken out of the game. It's good that it's not offensive, but sometimes it comes across as too bland.
The home constructed spreadsheets spoke to my heart. We're currently playing Pathfinder, and I was *still* thoroughly absorbed by your review of the new DMG. Thanks for continuing to do these videos. As many others have commented, super high signal(high) to noise (nonexistent) ratio. Also glad that Iceland has more than EVE developers (as much as I love that game).
Since Dadi called it out: people in the comments, tell me your favorite non fantasy systems and why, please!! I'm trying to tknow more about other games than just my usual D&D 5E and similars
I've got too many recommendations to list, but here are a few:
Monster of the Week (a monster hunting game in the Powered by the Apocalypse tradition) is great fun for one-shots, and it's simple enough that after an introduction to the game it's a great opportunity for non-DMs to try out GMing too.
I also love Paranoia (which is roughly like if 1984 was played for laughs) for one-shots, although it requires a little more buy-in from the group and a bit of mutual trust and respect so that people don't get mad when their "teammates" laser them in the face for committing treason.
For something longer, Lancer is incredible, it's a sci-fi mech game with a lot of tactical depth and character customizability. It's a lot to learn, admittedly, but there's an excellent official (and free!) character creation software called COMP/CON that really aids the process.
I'd also be remiss not to mention Wildsea, which is technically fantasy by definition but completely distinct from the elves and dwarves, swords and magic type fantasy one would expect. Instead, you're sailing chainsaw-powered ships across a sea of swiftly growing trees, with playable ancestries including cactus people and a hive mind spider swarm inhabiting a single body. For full disclosure, I haven't played this one yet, my group's trying it out for the first time on New Year's Eve, but I've heard great reviews and just reading the book has been such an enjoyable experience with the imagination that went into it!
I've had loads of fun in Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars from Fantasy Flight, and Paranoia myself!
Best campaign I ever played in was a three year Star Wars campaign using FFG's Age of Rebellion/Edge of the Empire system. It uses custom dice that take a bit to get used to, but the system works quite well overall. Lots of incremental character build options, tons of gear/vehicle/ship customization. In the hands of a DM who really knows the setting, it feels just like being in a Star Wars movie.
I played as a heavy weapons droid who carried around a giant turret that was supposed to take two people to use, it was great. I made life hard on the DM by being too damn strong and beefy, but he gave me that turret, so this was his own fault. 😂
Secondary shoutout to Exalted, which was originally a White Wolf system. The mechanics are sorta finicky, but the Asian-inspired setting is really cool. Very flashy, over-the-top abilities with a totally non-Tolkien-esque lore and flavor.
It depends what you are looking for but if you are wanting something nothing like DnD (TTRPGs that are not tied to a fantasy setting) I recommend the following:
- Monster of the Week (MotW) is a system based around investigating paranormal happenings a la X Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or even Scooby Doo. It works on a 2d6 system, and is less mechanically dense compared to 5e. Overall, the game is way more focused on its narrative and how characters interact with each other and a rules light system really goes a long way to support that.
- The Walking Dead Universe TTRPG (TWD) is based on the TV show/comic of the same name but you don't have to run games in its universe. All in all, it's a solid zombie apocalypse system that aims to capture the humanity of survivors and test the content of their character. There's a stress mechanic, and the margin for error is big enough to be a constant threat always hanging over the players. Despite this, roleplay and character connections are incredibly important too (the anchor mechanic my beloved). I highly recommend this system, and it also has a whole section on solo play so if you want to try it out for yourself you can no GM required.
Now I have played both of these systems so I feel pretty confident in recommending them, but i'll also throw out some names of systems that I like but just haven't played:
- Utopia TTRPG
- Blades in the Dark
- Candela Obscura
- Shadowdark
- Liminal Horror RPG
Cheers, and I look forward to hearing about any other systems from other commenters!
Is it better then 2014. yes. But also to all dnd players. I urge you to try other ttrpgs. Especially the ttrpgs who have free rules online. Takes 1 session to learn the basics and make characters in World of darkness. And it does things dnd can't, hyper story based modern day environment.
Dnd is good, but one of my main mistakes was trying to crack the system into doing something it's not designed to do.
Pathfinder might seem complex. It kinda is, but lv 1 it's equal to dnd, but the all the ruels are open source, free online and supported by the developers. , so you can just try it and decide if you like it or not.
gawd damn that high five made me subscribe!
@11:35. I like the idea of renown- but would like a video on how to make it more engaging for your players; how we can bring them it’s something exciting and fun for them.
@12:50. I run chase scenes as mini skill challenges. making contested rolls like Dexterity(Stealth) fleer to avoid detection vs Wisdom(Survival) chaser to track; Charisma(Deception) fleer to evade vs Wisdom(Insight) for chaser anticipate the next move; Dexterity(Acrobatics) parkour for fleer vs Constitution for chaser to keep up; etc
Nice review. I've been leaning away from 5E in favor of simpler systems as a DM personally. However, it's good to know that the new DMG is worthwhile. The girlfriend high five was a definite upgrade from the waving hand.
I'm still partial to the Flurry of Blows from a previous video, myself. - Daði
More high value content. You are killing it guys.
You know what's better? The intro section is also part of Beyond's free rules. You can just show it to your friends with any worry (maybe except when they can't read English).
I don't really comment that often but I have to say since your channel popped up I watched almost all of your videos. Just wanted to say you're doing an amazing job reaaaally consistently. 😁
This is in response to like two sentences from the video but "beach episodes" are usually my favourite sessions in a D&D campaign. I'm willing to accept that big dramatic main plots are an important game draw for the other players at the table but I'm far more interested in lower stakes stories, relationship building within and around the party, and moments of characterisation. Big scary plots feel very restrictive and time-sensitive to me, while an short, low-stakes adventure gets you the satisfaction of getting it done nice and fast instead of drawing it out over months or years, and gives you more wiggle room to bugger around for fun.
On top of that, even in like TV and stuff it's really important for me to see the characters hanging out and having a good time sometimes for me to feel invested in them. It actually shows what they're fighting for instead of just assuming the audience, or in this case the players, trust that something good is there. For the same reason, showing the consequences of pc actions on the world (and having well-meaning actions turn out positively more often than not) is important to my enjoyment of a campaign.
Oh totally! That latter West Wing episode we clipped has them all throwing a basketball around the campaign headquarters, I just love that sort of vibe. I gotta get better at those sessions! - Daði
Thanks for sharing your opinion on this!! I'll consider picking it up actually
Love your videos. I'm glad you only did this video now, cos right now is when i am deciding if i should buy this, and you have convinced me. I still hate HAsbro and WotC for the evils they commit, but like you said, this book ain't that. And i just realised the picture on the cover is Venger! The villain from the old D&D cartoon!
I wasn't planning on buying any of the 2024 books, but this video changed my mind about the 2024 DMG. It's true, the 2014 DMG is pretty much a big wall of text that is mostly useful for inspiration, magic items, and tables. With your review or sounds like the "guide" aspect of it is massively improved, and I'll probably pick it up.
It's great to hear that the new book is more effective at teaching and conveying the rules. Layout and organization are such an underappreciated part of game design. You can have the greatest game in the world, but it all goes to waste if no one can parse how the game is meant to be played and how to get the most fun out of the mechanics.
Also, that story about the adventure for the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords was hilarious. The more tidbits you share about your own games, the more interested I am in hearing more about the setting and adventures.
Im running Kingmaker and oh boy, I would love to get a hold of your more complex Kingdom Rules!
Id be down to pay for it honestly :>
I have a copy of the 2024 DM’s Guide sitting next to me right now. It’s great, I love it.
You mention the multiverse chapter from the 2014 edition, and I will say that when I need to look up info on the planes of existence, I still go back to 2014 5e for its much more detailed content. But it should have been an appendix, not freaking Chapter 2!
Great video ! Big fan, keep it comin’ !
You’re doing the gods’ work
I got the combo set (PHB, MM, DMG) when starting out and your analysis of the issues is spot on. I started and dumped it within minutes. I only used it for magic items and missed all the great tools in it. (I ran Lost Mines, so just kind of went with what was in that)
26:15 I bought the 2024 DMG just for the Bastion system. Been a forever-gm since 1991. Just saying, your analysis seems spot on. 🥳
20:03 Three to five levels? That seems an exceptionally long time to go without a "break" session. I recently ran a 10 month long campaign that ran from level 1-6 with 5 or so "break" sessions.
I'd be surprised if the major D&D channels aren't reaching out to you for collabs. Thumbs up to your future - hope you keep sharing LEARNED good tips, love it.
You and your wife continue to produce excellent content. Thank you.
I'm very interested to hear a comparison between this new DM guide and the two DM guides published for 4th edition, which were some of the best books ever made addressing the DM role among all the game systems I know or have played.
If you haven't read them already, I strongly suggest it.
This pairs well with Mike Shea’s recent Lazy RPG Talk Show
DM for me please? ☺️ BTW, I know a good voice is not necessary to DM but it does make a difference, and I really like Dadi's voice. Reason why I love the sections of videos in which he "pretends to be DMing".
I haven't read the whole DMG yet, but I like the parts I read.
One thing I miss is a guideline for creatures including proficiency, hit die etc. that is expected for each CR. I know the calculations in 2014 were terrible but a table to compare against is good. Now the advice is "pick an existing one and reskin it" which works for some things, but not for others. I'm a long time player but a new DM, and I'm still learning a few things.
Oh and you're videos won't be obsolete, don't worry. You always bring an interesting insight.
I’ve been using 5u instead of 5e to clarify that it’s the official update edition
Since I started running games back in 3rd edition. I've always approached DM'ing like an open book exam. Read and understand the reference material (The Manuals) so that when you take the test (Play the Game) and you don't know the answer off the top of your head, you have an understanding of the reference materials so you can quickly find the information you need in the moment.
Ok my friend you sold me. I've been DMing since 1984, started playing in 1979, This is the one DM's guide I wasn't going to buy. I enjoy your channel, you and your girlfriend are doing an excellent job, I consider you and your approach to the game a good successor to Matthew Colville.
I agree that 5e is the best system for "experienced" storytellers because it doesn't tell you how it wants to be played. I'm glad that they seem to be leaning into that strength while also specifically catering much more to new DMs
@@laef5642 this is one of the things I personally love about 5e. Compared to earlier editions, especially 1e and 2e, the framework is streamlined and simplified in a way that really seems to unburden the game. Rather than leaning into the technicalities of rules, the current system is designed with a lot of spaciousness that allows stories to run more smoothly.
5e tells you how it wants to be played in so many distinct ways, from levelling, to how HP works, to how rolls are structured, and in general what the system wants you to do. In that way it is no different from the overwhelming majority of RPGs, you'd be as well saying that Traveller doesn't tell you how it wants to be played.
@@finlaygilfillan7963
(tl;dr I didn't define well what I meant by "tells you how it wants to be played" to me it's about the intended experience and how malleable that is)
I think you're arguing against a point I didn't intend to make. I meant to say that 5e doesn't as specific of an intended experience as, say Blades in the Dark, which says "you will have non-heist scenes, they will look like this, and then you will have heists which act this way" in a way that's so much more specifically structured. I would consider this significantly different than 5e where some people say you should structure an adventure as scenes with three clues that connect them to other scenes, other people say you should prep only the situation and let yourself improvise where the scenes are in front of the players, and some parties like a specifically on rails adventure. It's this fundamental versatility that I find makes me more and more fond of 5e as I accumulate DM experience but had me fully lost in what exactly I was supposed to be doing outside of combat when I started. Your comment does make me think that it is much more of a spectrum then I was thinking of it as, ranging from a blank page where any structure must be imposed by you to a boardgame where every action you can take is predefined.
great video
I’m a 5e refugee that left D&D for PF2e - and we likely wont go back. But like a commenter above, I too think I might pick this up because of this video - even though I’ll very likely never DM a 5E.2024 game. Thank you.
Re: chase mechanics, I remember that the Dungeon Coach made a video about a system that seemed to make a lot of sense. Never got to use it before we made the jump though.
I am very excited to learn what changes you made to the Kingdoms and Warfare rules. I've only used them for a few sessions
I would definitely like to hear more about building kingdoms, warfare, and running mass combat. Curious to know which books you use, homebrew you did, etc.
Just in case it takes a while, check out 2nd edition of D&D. 🤔 There are about three different books that might fit your needs, I sorta remember two, ¿Castles and keeps? And I think the other one is ¿Bloodlines? Or something like that, it has you roleplaying kingdoms rather than groups of adventurers.
Birthright!
I keep watching these videos to try to get into dnd. Even spent a bit to get the books before the dnd remaster. It's sooo hard esp after starting with pf2e.
Thanks for making all these videos, you're a gem.
Your world sounds great, do you have a lore video planned? And if not, would you be open to doing one?
Thank you for this. Ive been debating for a while on if i should get this or not, and my DM friend convinced me i didn't need it (based on when he bought the 2014 edition)
Im gonna go get the new DMG because all of the pros seem very much directed toward players like myself.
I've had to hold off on buying it because I asked for it for my birthday/Christmas, so I have to wait and see if any of my relatives buy it for me, but if it's not under that tree on Wednesday, I'm buying the first copy I see for sale.
Chase rules are something I want to see a game focus on the way 5E focuses on combat. Like, I don't know, a Speed Racer-inspired game where the whole setting is focused around racing to an absurd degree. That's the only way I can see a rule set for chases feeling more necessary and interesting than just "Whatever rules you already use for scenes that can't be resolved by just one or two die rolls."
Advice on note-taking is something I was begging for when I first started running D&D. I'm so psyched that it's something they put in the books. It may not be necessary for me now that I've adapted my own approach to it, but for anyone who's new in the way I once was, I'm glad it's there.
Here is my homebrew for chases. .... Everyone starts by rolling against a specific DC such as DC13. Each character tracks a separate DC. So, when someone succeeds a skill check vs the DC, their own DC drops by -1. That character now rolls vs their adjusted DC. So, if your DC drops, you increase your chances of succeeding. If a player rolls less than the DC minus 6, they add +1 to their DC. When the DCs of a pursuer and quarry are 3 apart, the one with the higher DC loses the chase. Either the quarry is captured or escapes. ... The best part of this homebrew is that it is fast with lots of roleplay describing the skill checks. The worst part is tracking separate DCs. If you want a longer chase, instead of reaching a difference of 3, simply make it 4 or 5.... A nice story element is that the separate DCs begin to chase each other which mirrors the chase.
Would you do videos on the 2024 PHB and Monster Manual? I really like your ego-less presentation of your opionions and I would love to see your thoughts on those books as well.
Would love to see a vid on your traveling rules/thought process. I’ve tried hexcrawl, but never found a good way on how to implement it. The one time I tried it, it was too long, unrewarding, and eventually I decided to just make hotspot hexes which are the only ones that mattered.
Promise we'll make a video on exactly that!
I tend to agree with most of your assessment. A better book.
2024 is getting a lot of needless flak for Company decisions, I'm loving the changes to the PHB and the DMG, the new additions and rule changes are all really nice QoL changes. The people actually working on the books are doing a fantastic job, its a shame that people have turned hobby this into a witch hunt. Don't get me wrong theres a lot of shade from WOTC and Hasbro, but people have been taking it way too far. From certain artists being labled as AI Art (The Dwarf) to people being upset that there is a single page dedicated to an optional rule about what topics you don't want to see covered and making it a safe space. (Im someone who hates using that stuff but i'm glad its there for those who want it.)
And as someone with ADHD aswell, I 100% agree this book is a godsend, they've simplified it and made it so easy to read.
Big agree. Throwing so much shade/hate if anything sends the wrong message to the underinformed - that we are at the whims of the company that makes this game (no we aren't).
The idea behind bastions is great, but it ended up being severly undercooked. However, the tiniest bit of homebrewing can make them fantastic, and that's honestly something I'd like your opinion on (even though you already said you had your own super complex system already). The main issue with the system, to me at least, is how impossible it is for a bastion to be attacked, and how minimal the consequences when that finally happens.
I agree with this review a lot. The new edition incites inspiration.
5e never inspired me to make the game system my own in a way that 5.5e did. I enjoy taking the ideas given and expanding them, altough i will admit that they could have done that themselves and just created 6e. But i think the pressure was to much to stick to the "running system" A lot of players would have been even more displeased to see something like metamagic adept in origin feats. But i love it.
One thing I prefer about the 2014 DMG is all the tables, even the old treasure hoard rules. I'll keep using those when I need them, no one's forcing me to burn the old book, but I do wish it had brought them through. I still use the random dungeon tables and treasure tables and NPC and adventure tables and it's really nice; but it really is better as more of an "advanced DM" guide, where the new one is a better first time DM guide.
I would love a video or two on how you do Hexcrawls!
As someone who hates 5/5.5:
This is a seriously good video! I put a hold on the new DMG at my library to take a closer look!
There are a few improvements to layout, with some new tips and mechanics for mobs, fear, AC/HP for doors, etc. The magic item award tables are better, and of course they added bastions which seem cool. However, it took me forever to find the currency award tables, which are not in the Treasure section but are at the end of the Adventure chapter (p120-120). Make it make sense. The Settlements section is a few small paragraphs and a page of mediocre tables. What!? No world building help there. In fact, most of the book is fluff. If the '24 DMG had a section on trees, it would read: "Trees are a vital part of any adventure. They can be big if it suits your world, or they can be small. They could be short, or if it fits better into your campaign, they can be tall. Invite your players into a wooded area and describe the bark as being smooth, or perhaps rough. Maybe the leaves are thick and green, or dead and dried." End. Nothing of any real value, and it just fills the page. Maybe a table for rolling the color of the local foliage. Come on! Cram that thing full of world building tables and huge pools of ideas. Every section starts to feel this way. Just fast-food, all oil and grease and no substance. The more I read the more it feels phoned in. I don't want expansion books, modules, or 6-7 volumes across my bed so I have some real DM resources at my fingertips. I already do this and most of the books are off brand. It's supposed to be the damn DMG! All in all, it is an improvement on the '14, but other than a few bookmarks, this will still be a book for magic items. Massively disappointed.
I think 3/3.5e was a lot easier to DM for as it provided much more scaffolding and guidance on things like magic items, prices, encounter design, monster and NPC design, custom classes. It was much easier to homebrew because the designers showed you how their monsters, magic items, encounters and classes were designed. It is a very transparent and consistent system.
I do like the simllifications that Star Wars Saga and Fifth edition made to yhe initial d20 system. But DM support is a lot worse. Ans I’ve bern playing and DMing since 1995.
26:42 I would love to have a video to explain massive combat rules for huge battles
Could you share your hexcrawl rules somewhere?
We'll talk about them in a future video, I promise! I've got too much to say! - Daði
GENESYS MENTIONED
it isn't a fantasy game out the box, but its most commonly used as one. i highly highly recommend it for anybody looking for something that gives players more mechanical agency than 5e.
would love to see you cover it sometime here! the star wars version of the system is a good way to get a one shot for a dnd table in with a new system
17:11 as the rare 2014-5E Challenge Rating defender, I take pride in having used Easy encounters! hahaha
I was planning on not buying the new dmg, but you totally changed my mind. I feel I need this book now
Heck Yeah West Wing! My favorite TV show ever made.... at least, the first four seasons are....
You want to make out with me right now, don't you?
@@Mystic-Arts-DM Well, when don’t I?
The Screaming Mass appreciates the new rules
Seriously I‘m really considering buying the new DMG after this video to get into DnD as a DM instead of just being a player.
Why is there no affiliate link yet? 😂
Really appreciate your encouraging channel!
Yeah, nice review. I must say I tend to rely more on system mechanics to support the narrative otherwise I can't see value on a core RULEbook.
would LOVE a mass combat video!
Amazing content
I need some help on telegraphing options.
When giving players agenci, should I present the avaliable options clearly? Or just describe the scene and let them came up with everything? For instance, should I say: "villagers are nearby, panicking. Do you rellay them to help, or focus on the task yourself?"
Or shuld I just say: "villagers are nearby"
I think that the OSR community has a lot of toxic players who think that the old rules are better. I played DnD b/x when it was new. I had some great times with it but I am not obtuse enough to think that it had superior rules. It was clunky and hard to use and people have made OSR rules systems that actually work and feel fun.
new(ish) DM here--and somewhat experienced player. loved the video! as per! systematic, sensitive. all the attributes a DM should encourage in themselves and their table too!
One q, tho (for a possible future video? ha!) but I find the 2014 book a little stubborn on how to track Initiative and in-game battle info. I find myself....wobbly....on keeping initiative order, stat block specs, character actions, terrain, timing, and fairness on a reasonable--and visible--grid. It's mostly theatre of the mind for me, still. But do have any recommendations!
Great review … might pick it up after all. 4e DMG 2 is the best DMG from an actual advice perspective
(I know heresy from someone playing in since 1978)
Play Degenesis: Rebirth! Look it up, it's the most underrated RPG of all of the times ever of all time. (Not sponsored, not AI, I just love this game and I want it to be more popular.)
I’d love a video about your hex crawl exploration system
Oh, we'll totally do a big deep dive on that one day! - Daði
@ thanks I’ll look forward to it
Do you think that it is worth it if my group and me are still playing 2014 5e and are likely not to change that? The structured text is really persuading me to buy it, but I dont want any confusion in my games when I accidentally use some new rules and other stuff.
im curious what encouraged you to switch from Pathfinder to DnD5e (unless you were running Kingmaker as a DnD campaign?). Pathfinder people seem pretty commited
The splatbook bloat, floating modifiers, feat chains, and other things endemic of 3.X systems wore us all out. 5e was brand new, fresh, and dead simple comparatively. We hopped and haven't looked back once. Like you said, loads of folks seem to love Pathfinder, and honestly, it makes me happy to see it since Paizo seems to be so beautifully supportive of their fans, but the game isn't for me. - Daði
I feel like as a community we whould start referring to these new printings as a patch so we dont have to debate what to call it, according to WOTZ it's still 5e. If this was a video game it would be considered a patch.
Big fan of subwoofers...
My favorites are kicker solo X
Actual subwoofer advice, love to see it.