Customer Reviews

Dungeon Master For Dummies (for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Part of the fun of playing Dungeons and Dragons is being the story teller aka referee aka Dungeon Master. The idea is that other PC (Player Characters) are exploring your world and learning to overcome challenges that you create for them. The book is a good place to begin if you've never DM'd before since the authors are all skilled DM's and write from their own experiences.

You're given game etiquette and how to host a game session advice as well as PC styles of play whether it's the Rules Lawyer who invokes the rules at every opportunity or the Power Gamer who builds his character for ultimate power, you're given ideas on how to deal with these types of mind sets which has proved helpful to me.

I've DM'd in both 1st & 2nd edition of D&D and really felt lost in the new 3.0/3.5 editions. I have a lot of the rule books and supplements for 3.0 and I was kind of disappointed this was not covered in this book. I mean what does one do if they have a substantial investment in 3.0 edition books and all of a sudden, they're outdated?!?!?!?! I feel the authors could have discusses this a bit and given some ideas and ways around that setback.

For a Novice DM, the sample town given in the book is a great place to use as a backdrop for your first games. The book does a nice job of dichotomizing a campaign based series of adventures versus the single module type of ones and even mentioned that you can interconnect these modules to create an ongoing campaign. (FYI: A campaign is where the PC's use the same characters from start to finish whereas a module based style of play means the PC's can roll up new characters to play)

The Tens lists are helpful and many of the modules I'd never heard of before. (Used my own world primarily for 1st edition and Forgotten Realms for 2nd edition) Some of the modules I'm going to go out and get. In fact, Wizards of the Coast have graciously allowed many old 1st & 2nd edition modules & supplements to be downloaded free at their website.

Overall I think the book rates 4.5 stars but I was quite disappointed at no mention for how to reconcile 3.0 & 3.5 core rulebooks & supplements!

I picked this up based on reviews I've read about an earlier edition. As a relatively new dungeon master who is about to launch my own 4th Edition campaign I thought this book could be helpful.

To be positive, the book was helpful in a lot of places. However there were a number of places, such as the section where the book discusses creating adventures, where I felt the book could have gone into more detail.

However what turned me off this book was the constant advertising spam the authors inserted for other WOTC D&D products. This annoyed me for three reasons. Firstly, a lot of the promotions were out of context with regards the material being discussed. Secondly, at times they interrupted the flow of the topic the authors were writing about and lastly they pushed the same product over and over again.

All in all the book contains some good advice, but it is overshadowed by a large amount of unnecessary advertising.

As much as I hated the other book in this set, this one was wonderful. It provided a solid layout of what a DM might run into and what he'd have to handle. It gives detailed examples for not just adventures, but interplayer problems that often crop up as well. I've been DMing for years, but I've got my copy of this well tagged with sticky notes. Sure I technically have most of the info in my other books, but this one is far easier to referance when players are waiting for an answer. Anyone that wants to run a game would do well to buy this helpful book.

I bought this book, hoping it would go farther than getting into the "front door" of DMing. I kept reading, telling myself, no it is going to go into depth, it is going to hit on some substance, but it never did.

It spends too much of its time, focusing on the "dummy" concept. It repeats itself over and over again, stating "you are the DM, you are the one that runs the game". Yes I know that, now get on with the book, I kept saying!

If you are a totally new DM, then this book will be helpful. If you have run a game, a couple of times, then you have probably already figured out all of the concepts mentioned here.

Although this book is written with the D20 system in mind, it applies to second edition as well. I enjoy all the "dummies" books and this one is no exception. It gives you plenty of tools to keep in your DM arsenal.
Our games are now much more organized, flow better, and has made DMing a much more enjoyable part of the hobby as opposed to a chore you get stuck with.
A great tool for experienced AND new DMs alike. This book would have gained an extra star if a little less time was spent on the social skills to finding games and players. I feel this is space that could have been used more on fantasy cartography, and more inspirations.
Even still, this was a book that improved our gaming greatly.

Some of the lower scores for this book crack me up! In case you're not aware, the "for Dummies" line is marketed towards those who are inexperciened, NOT for those who have already mastered the subject. With that idea in mind, I feel this is one of the most valuable books for beginning Dungeon Masters (DMs) ever written.

I've been gaming for almost 20 years now, most of which has been Dungeons & Dragons, and I have to say almost all the basic, most essential lessons and tricks I've learned over the years are found in these pages. Written by some of the most creative game designers on earth, even us ol' timers can pick up an idea or two.

Please, for the Amazon price tag give this book a shot. Even if you really are as awesome of a DM as you think you are, it will be satisfying to see there are still people over at Wizards of the Coast who understand what this game is all about.

First, please understand that this guide is written and intended for people who are new to being a DM or people that have very little experience as a DM. That being said, ignore the reviews with a poor rating because they bought the book without researching it first.

I am new to being a DM after only participating as a PC for the last 20 years. I found the book very well written and it shed quite a bit of light on issues that I was having a hard time grasping because the actual DM Guide itself can be a little difficult to understand since there are several different types of writing styles used throughout the guide.

This book is a good reference to have until you are comfortable running a game as a DM with just the DM guide. Please remember this: This book is written and intended for people who are new to being a DM or people that have very little experience as a DM.

This book is for new Dungeon Masters to the game. If you have played for awhile then you probably already know most if not all this book has to offer. Good book for beginners though.

helped me to undertstand 4.0 better. Made 4.0 easier to undertsand. Sorry for taking so long to respond

Dungeons & Dragons is a story tellng game at its core. The problem is that it is overloaded with rules & as a DM you need to know how to look them up & then more importantly facilitate them to your players (the other gamers). The other reason this book is great is because it explains how to build adventures and how to string them into campaigns which lead to building your 'own' world. My favorite part of the book? 'The Part of Tens' hands down has a TON of great ideas for running your own adventures & scenarios. Have fun & enjoy! Five stars for completeness & ease of understanding otherwise complex material.