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I have the Dungeon Master's Kit, and have just finished my first reading of the DMB it includes. I think it's a good book, though some things are missing, rituals being the one I recall now (besides small references. I'd have liked to know at least some generalities about rituals, if those belong in DM books).

I have read many good things about the DMG 2, and its advice for creating adventures. Is there a significant difference, or has most of that good content been included in the Essentials DM Book?

EDIT I'd really like a proper comparison between the two books, not a "DMG2 is an awesome book". The question is not exactly about how great the DMG2 is, but about its content compared to the DM Book.

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4 Answers

up vote 9 down vote accepted

The full answer is likely to rest on what you consider 'good content'.

From my perspective the DMG2 has some really great stuff in it. The main themes are Group Story Telling; Advanced Encounters; Skill challenges; Customizing Monsters; Adventures; Paragon Campaigns; a solid description of a location (Sigil) and a decent 11th level adventure.

I have read a number of reviews that say that this book is a really great way to take your DM'ing skill up a level or two. I fully agree with this assessment. Many of the concepts in it can be applied to other systems, so for my money it was a no-brainer.

Most of the details on rituals and their usage are found in the player books. This is so that players have access to the rules for them instead of burying all the relevant stuff in the DMGs.

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Ah, I thougth so about rituals. Still, since they don't appear in the Heroes of Adjective Noun books either (AFAICT)... – Adriano Varoli Piazza Jan 24 '11 at 18:19
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They are mainly in the first 3 PHBs. With PHBs I would recommend getting the first if you haven't, as it will fill in the blanks on rituals for you. The 2nd and 3rd would be optional after that, depending on the classes and races in them and whether you want to include those as options in our campaigns. – Acedrummer_CLB Jan 24 '11 at 18:22
I see from your answer that several things included in the DMG aren't included in the DMB (group storytelling, advanced encounters, customizing monsters, paragon campaigns). Plus, Sigil. Plus, an adventure. Sounds really nice. Do you know of a good comparison between this book (or both DMGs) and the DM kit? – Adriano Varoli Piazza Jan 24 '11 at 18:31
Not sure what to compare. The DMG 1 is very similar to he DM kit book. There are a few differences but not as many so as to make it a must have if you have the DM kit. if funds are tight don't bother, but if you can there might be something in it you could use. – Acedrummer_CLB Jan 24 '11 at 22:00
up vote 4 down vote

I would say so, but it really depends on your play style. I'm really big into story gaming and player-authored content, of which there is a significant portion in the DMG2. I found that not only did the book give great advice regarding some subjects, it provided a form of "validation" for some of the less-story-gamey people I play with to begin to think about those techniques.

I think the DMG2 can diversify anyone's D&D game, and provide advice for looking at the structure of a D&D game as being a bit more malleable than most tend to describe.

If you have the money I would say its worth it, even if just for added perspective.

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It is not actually clear if you're comparing the DMG2 and the DMB, or if you're talking about the merits of the DMG2 alone. My question is about the former. – Adriano Varoli Piazza Feb 9 '11 at 14:08
up vote 0 down vote

I'd personally say that the 4e DMG2 is one of the best DMGs I've ever read, and I've heard other people say the same. There's definitely lots in there that could improve your game.

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The DMG or DMG2? And exactly why? Please expand, otherwise, this will end as a list of "Me too"s – Adriano Varoli Piazza Jan 25 '11 at 10:42
Again, exactly how is it better than the DMB? – Adriano Varoli Piazza Feb 9 '11 at 12:05
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Well, we have just finished translating this book into Brazilian Portuguese here. For the last two weeks, I read this book all over the place. One good reminder is that there is no such thing as "enough content". Surely you can come up with you own material, and also put it to good use, and create worthy-to-remember sessions, but I can say that I liked the extra materiais from this book. I will recommend it to anyone. maybe it is the geek in me.

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Which book is it? And what about the comparison with the other one? – Adriano Varoli Piazza Feb 11 '11 at 13:14

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