At Last, It's Here...
Written: Sep 14 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Handsome artwork, streamlined rules, easy to use
Cons: Poorly organized, can become confusing
The Bottom Line: The best version ever created of the D&D game, every GM who plays this game should have a copy.
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| BlackBear's Full Review: Dungeon Master Guide 2ND Edition :Ad&D Books |
In the early 70's, TSR games released a bold new type of game that swept over the youth of the world in a way that was unprecedented. This game was the first of many Role Playing Games that would hit the market during the following years. It allowed a player to take on the role of person who lived in a world of magic and danger, one of those rare people from the times when Gods walked the world and demons tormented mankind freely. A time when fantastic creatures, both good and evil, still held sway and mankind was still young and shared the world with the elves, dwarves and other intelligent bipedal creatures. It was a time of great magic and fantastic adventures and it is those adventurers who are the focus of this game. The Players become these men and women, beggars, thieves, holy men, warriors, and men of magic, all once normal beings who followed the call of their hearts to take up the fight against the creatures that torment them and strive to protect those who are unable to do so for themselves.
Before we go any further...
Just what is a Role Playing Game (RPG)? An RPG is any game, any game, where the player pretends to be something else. That something could be a millionaire (Monopoly), a family man (Life), a dictator (Risk), anything! The major difference between Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and all those others is that there isn't a game board, game pieces, set in stone rules, or any of the other things that conventional games come with. The game board is in your head, the random events are controlled by the means of dice and the rules are constantly expanding to encompass more areas of the fictional worlds that D&D takes place in. But the largest difference is due to the fact that the players themselves are allowed to create new adventures and areas for the game that has the potent ional to become a part of the actual rules as published by the company. RPGs are played with paper, dice, pencils and imagination. And, of course, the various rules books.
So why do you need this book?
This book is one of the three core rules books needed for any D&D game. Now you are asking, "Why couldn't all the rules be published at a single time?" The answer to that one is quite simple. First of all, there are certain rules for players to use that they will need to refer to from time to time. Then you have the rules for the Game Master or DM for this game, the person who oversees the game session and arbitrates the rules. There is a book (this one) with specific rules and guidelines for his use. Then there is the third part of the core rules, the book that details the various creatures in the game, strengths and weaknesses, abilities (such as how much weight a horse can carry and how fast it can run). In the previous two books, there are rules that the players don't really need to know about. After all, do you know exactly how much a certain type of horse can carry and how fast it will be able to move when fully loaded? I doubt that you do. I work with the animals on a daily basis and I have to learn the capabilities of each type through experience. The Player Characters (PCs) are the same way. Thus the need for the three volumes of rules. There are a great number of rules that are not for the PCs to have direct access to unless the character learns of the rule through experience.
Now, what exactly will you find in this volume?
A bunch of stuff. Before any GM attempts to run a game, it would be wise for him/her to sit down and spend a few days getting familiar with this book. Why? Because this update of the game makes many things different from the previous versions. There are eight chapters in this book, each one focuses on a different aspect of the game. The opening chapter does its best to teach the GM the little tricks behind keeping track of the game. However, the finer points can only be mastered by playing the game itself. Of course, having played RPGs of any other kind for any length of time will help. After all, the basic principles are the same.
That is followed up with a large chapter on the characters in the game. This section gives the GM all the info he/she will ever need about the PCs that are in the game. There are various sub races, subclasses, Elite classes, Non Player Characters (NPCs), random generation of NPCs, social structures, etc. Much of this area of the book is little more than a streamlined Player's Handbook, but there are some rules that the player will learn about as his/her character becomes more powerful.
Just about everything else in the book is for the GM alone. Granted, the players learn about it as time progresses and they play the game more, but that is only natural. Most, if not all, of the rules are open to interpretations, subject to change and conform to the type of game that is being played at the time. Chapter three focuses on running the game itself. Little things like how certain skills work, what kind of ability checks have to be made, resolution of combat, spells, movement, natural forces (landslides, weather, etc), as well as many other things.
Then there is a chapter that talks about adventures. Now this chapter is talking about the one-time adventures. An adventure that is most commonly referred to as a side adventure. That is something that is thrown into the game to distract the players from the real goal. These are very handy, because they give the GM the time he/she needs to complete the next part of the campaign. This chapter gives the GM all the charts and tables he needs create the adventure. An adventure can be something as simple as a trap or ambush, or as complicated as a small town or city that isn't on the map. It is here that the GM will find all that is needed to create such things. Plus there are tons of ideas for side adventures.
Now the main thing behind the game is the campaign. This is the main adventure that has all the smaller adventures that the PCs are working through. Most of the time, the PCs are hardly aware of the "big picture", just like real life. PCs tend to stumble into things as they travel around the world. For example: A group of characters wander into a small town for the express purpose of resupplying their travel food and water before moving on. However, during the night, that particular town is attacked by a roaming group of bandits. The PCs spring into action to defend the innocents who live in the town, they win, the town is grateful and give them the supplies that they need without cost. Now, what has this attack got to do with the "big picture"? That's what this chapter is all about. Perhaps one of the bandits used to work for the main villain or knows a little something about him. Perhaps a small, but valuable clue is obtained during the attack or maybe there is even something in the town that is needed to defeat the major opponent who is hiding in the wings directing all the other villains that the players are running into. That's the true magic of the RPG.
Now, every game has a world and most GMs like to create their own world to play in. The next chapter covers the finer points of building the game world. Don't dismay, you don't have to do it all at once. In fact, it often takes years of playing in order to create a single country, much less an entire world. Most game worlds are built as the game itself progresses, and that is only natural. This chapter helps make the process easier and faster.
The last two chapters of the volume deals with the rewards that are to be gained during the course of adventuring. These rewards fall into two categories, the material and immaterial gains.
Let's talk about the latter first.
That is the experience gained, in essence the score. As the PCs gain experience, they grow stronger, smarter, and more powerful, much like real life. So in this part of the book, you will find what is called the exp tables. In the previous versions of the game, each monster had a set exp value. Now I always considered this to be a silly idea. After all, it is the difficulty of the encounter (that is what a conflict is, after all, be it a trap, puzzle or monster), that determines what the value is. So (and I am referring to another member's review on this product here), in the old system a kobold was worth 15 points, always, no matter how easy or difficult it was to defeat it. But in this new version, the difficulty of the encounter is taken into account. So, if a group of five first level PCs runs into a group of ten kobolds, then the exp gained for winning would be great, in fact a group of five first level characters should be overpowered by that large a number of kobolds, and should run away. Now, say the same five characters find an equal amount of kobolds weeks later. Now the characters are sixth level and they are able to defeat the kobolds without working up a sweat. This time around, the encounter is worth a mere 150 points, whereas before winning the fight at first level would have been worth around 10,000 points (divided among the PCs). Of all the sections of the book, this is the only part that is poorly organized and 90% of the confusion that exists in the game is from this single chapter.
Now for the material gains.
This is treasure. Treasure comes in many forms. It could be a rare book, a magic weapon or armor, a new spell, a potion or even jewelry and cash. All of these things are important to the PCs, after all, they have needs and wants that can only be satisfied by gaining assets. In a fantasy setting, the adventurers will need to purchase more and more powerful items as they encounter more and more difficult situations. The last chapter of the volume covers all aspects of that.
Now, I have told you a great deal about this book, but even with my vast knowledge of RPGs in general and D&D in particular, I still have not been able to tell you everything about this game. I can't even give you a good reason to try the game. It is a great game, the best ever released of all the D&D versions to date. However, the game requires one thing that doesn’t come with the rules books. It requires people with the spirit and imagination and quick wits and the ability to think on their feet. These people are the players. They have the quality to "think outside of the box" and see things that are not always apparent. They are the problem solvers and each person has his/her own way of dealing with problems that arise in life. They are your players, and the game means nothing at all without at least five of them. This game is people driven, it is a social game. And it is a great deal of fun.
Recommended:
Yes
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BlackBear
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Member: Joseph Black Bear
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
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About Me:
Just a guy who loves reading, videos, RPGs and collects various toys.
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