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However, if you do choose to use this book (as I have), you will find your game enriched by its good advice and ideas. The approach to DMing laid down in DMG1 is continued in DMG2: this time, more space is given for advice and options to improve the D&D gaming experience.
In a way, DMG2 reminds me of Unearthed Arcana, another book I adore. There is no one unifying theme to the book beyond DM advice. Each chapter has several sections of varying tone and usefulness. An in-depth review of every aspect of this book would be as large as the book itself. So I will touch upon each part of the book I felt was useful, and point out which parts I felt were less useful.
At the end of the review, I have a Top 5 Most Favourite parts of DMG2, and a Top 5 Least Favourite parts of DMG2.
CHAPTER 1: GROUP STORYTELLING
The anchor for this chapter is the concept of co-operative campaigns, where players have a greater impact on the world and themes of the campaign. Players have the gift of having greater input on incorporating what they want into the campaign, as well as the responsibility of making it workable.
In a co-operative campaign, DMG2 suggests that each PC should have a motivation to adventure, as well as a reason to be with at least one other PC. It also suggests that the players make recurring characters that are vital to the PC, as well as give the DM a preferred story arc for their PC. This in itself is not ground-breaking: I'm sure that most DMs do this to some degree. However, it is the groundwork from which a co-operative campaign flowers.
The contrast between the average campaign and the co-operative campaign is that the co-operative campaign suggests two-way input between DMs and PCs between and during each session. The book encourages DMs to elicit player-designed campaign fluff about him or herself, or even of other people, places, and things. As long as it does not negate previous information, the DM should allow the players to have their input be incorporated in some manner. Good advice for DMs to handle input that is surprising and/or especially generous to the player giving the input is presented. You can tell that the author of this section has used this approach in real life. The use and abuse of it by the players seems authentic, and his response seems fair for both sides.
I have used this approach in my pre-existing campaign, and have found it to be engaging for the players. The DM (me) retains the control of the campaign, but the players are encouraged to tell the DM in clear terms what they want from the campaign, something that is often maddening to ascertain.
A section on Role-playing hooks follows, which builds upon the importance of getting motivation from the players, and routinely following up on hooks.
The chapter starts by talking about story structure. Only one page, it talks about making a D&D session resemble the structure of novels, plays, and movies. Not a lot here, but the idea is continued in Chapter 2.
The concept of branching is a very interesting take on how DMs should prepare for PC failure. If the PCs fail, the story should not end. Rather than a binary succeed or fail, there should be a chance to succeed again under different circumstances. Several examples are given.
I like this, even as I think to myself there are certain times where I would unequivocally use succeed or fail. At the end of a campaign, against a powerful bad guy, or in a situation where utter failure would be the only sensible result of losing, I would use it. But what the author reminds me is that, when fighting the 2nd of 6 Kobold scout parties, a loss to them should not mean a TPK. A frantic retreat, or imprisonment with hope of escape, would be a far more satisfying result without negating the PCs' loss.
The chapter becomes artsy when it talks about using vignettes and giving drama rewards. I like the paragraphs on Drama Rewards, because my group gets lost in role-playing so much that they often miss out on battles and precious XP. This book gives advice on when to give XP for roleplaying, and how much,
The vignettes are roleplaying scenes that occur outside of the campaign's current time, and with few (or none) of the current characters. Thinks of the flashbacks on "Lost." Advice on how (and why) you would run them is given. I am hesitant to use vignettes in my game because of its tight focus. Vignettes should have a pre-determined outcome before it starts, with the outcome fitting into the timeline.
To many players, this is a pointless exercise. "Tell us what happens, and move on." More awkward is that a vignette encourages players whose PCs are not present to roleplay a NPC. A player who loves roleplaying and is capable of doing many different roles will love this, but a player who plays the same character concept whenever he can will either want a NPC like his favourite character or choose not to participate at all. A useful tool, but not for everybody.
Rounding out the chapter are Companion Characters and "Making Things Level." The later is quick and dirty advice for rapidly levelling or de-leveling a PC to fit into the rest of the party. Very useful advice.
The former is how to introduce a reoccurring NPC who fights alongside the PCs. Essentially, the Companions work out to be Mounts, whether or not they are humanoid. They are simplified versions of monsters, either altered from the Monster Manual, or created from scratch. I've used it to make a NPC bard, and it was very easy for the players to manage it.
Nestled within the "Making Things Level" section is a useful sidebar on allowing multiple characters per player. It suggests as alternatives a more lethal campaign, easy rotation of characters, or switching between parallel groups in different regions. As someone whose group is currently clamouring for this, I hope my DM will heed this advice. ;)
CHAPTER 2: ADVANCED ENCOUNTERS
Even if you feel that your DMing needs no help, this section is an excellent bounty of tools. The traps and terrains presented here are excellent. I've used several of them and found them to liven up the encounters, and made PCs do things I did not expect them to do. There are some innovative ideas here. Minion and Solo traps are presented, which should give you an idea for your own design purposes. Some terrain effects are framed as powers: cutting a chandelier or pushing a boulder has a one-time effect, but leaves a mark. Advice on building traps is given in a manner similar to the Monster builder in DMG1. Why this was not included in DMG1 is beyond me. Space restraints?
Tied to the issue of terrain is the section on "Creating Movement". 3ed D&D was notorious for being very static in movement, and this section tries to negate that in 4ed. Advice on monster placement, attractive terrain, and clearer pathways have worked well in my encounters.
A big theme in this chapter is giving encounters objectives other than killing monsters. Protecting something while fighting, recovering an object while fighting, and more. Playing with powergamers, I have found this to be an excellent way to challenge players by making them think of the encounter as more than a game.
Player Motivations, talked about briefly in DMG1, is expanded upon here. Advice on what kind of encounters and monsters to use, and how to retain their interest both in-game and out-of-game, are given. From my experience before using them and after, this section is full of sound advice.
Two pages are devoted to running encounters for smaller and larger groups, both the out-of-game running of it, as well as the composition of the encounter. Warnings about what monsters are too tough for a large group ring true to me. I have fallen to the trap of throwing a High level Elite at a party when a Solo closer to the party's level would have been less frustrating. Without diminishing the good advice given for smaller groups, the best advice is ways to find new players (a great boon for the isolated RPG newbie).
The theme of making encounters more closely tied to story is expanded here. Advice is given on controlling the flow of encounters to suit the mood of your story, as well as enticing players to follow that flow.
The chapter wraps up with a very interesting sample encounter that ties together encouraging movement, use of terrain and encounter objectives into a very fun encounter.
CHAPTER 3: SKILL CHALLENGES
Depending on your view of skill challenges, this may be the most necessary part of the book. In short, skill challenges are now designed to have easier DCs to succeed on, but have less chances to fail at than the DMG1 version. Personally, I see the value of both and use whichever one I feel better suits the encounter. The DMG1 version has more potential grind to it, but can challenge PCs with high relevant skills. The DMG2 version can fall apart quickly with a few bad rolls, but is more consistent.
Whichever version you prefer, this chapter is an excellent reference point for making and adjudicating skill challenges. The first thing I picked up on was using Skill Challenges to replace one or two monsters in an encounter. A skill challenge with Complexity 1 (4 successes before 3 failures) is worth as much XP as a monster of equal level. I really like this, the ability to use a skill challenge with a combat encounter. Given that it takes at least 4 standard actions to complete this, it is roughly equivalent to the time it would take finishing off a monster.
Advice on crafting skill challenges is extensive. What I liked was the break-down on what skills are most available to PCs. Skills like Thievery and Streetwise don't show up on many class skill lists, so the book recommends avoiding them. Of course, your group may vary, and yes, I do build my skill challenges to be beatable by my players. However, this information turned out to be useful when I was DMing a pick-up game with strangers.
The chapter differentiates between different progressions of skill challenges. Some challenges progress, with new options appearing once certain skills or goals have been done. Other challenges branch, with the group's direction in beating the challenge determines what skills can be used.
More than any other section, this chapter is packed full of examples taken from published WotC material done by a variety of authors. Nine different skill challenges show the gamut of possibilities inherent in the system. The most ambitious is "Moving through Suderham", which has its own DC table of eight different skills and four different quarters of the city. Each skill will be more or less successful in different quarters, and failures increase the DC.
This section had some useful information on running better skill challenges (getting everyone involved, when to be transparent on doing a skill challenge, etc.). Given how much of an art building them is, I would highly recommend DMs re-read this on a regular basis.
CHAPTER 4: CUSTOMIZING MONSTERS
Alongside traps and terrains, the monster and class templates given here are excellent for any pedigree of DM. There is some errata-like advice on making solos from scratch and from templates, as well as minions making (it differs from what the DMG1 says). But the meat of this section is monster-building advice.
I prefer the DMG2 templates to the ones in DMG1. More of them are available to Heroic-level monsters, and the crunch really brings out the implied flavour of the template. Beast of Demogorgon, Mad Alchemist, Champion of Bane: they fit the theme, and they are useful to boot!
The Monster Themes section of this chapter is the most challenging section to my aesthetics as a DM. I like that the book promotes ways to reskin pre-existing monsters just enough to make them look different in game. Almost every power here is taken from a Monster Manual entry of the monster theme. The "Feywild Denizen" options include powers taken from Eladrin, Gnomes, Hags, and creatures that use Charm and Illusion powers. It is a nifty tool that allows more variety of monsters in a theme adventure. Individually, I like each power, aura, or inherent bonus they give; as respective groups, I think they work to make, say, non-goblin monsters more goblin-like.
The method of altering the monsters, however, worries me. Without a bump in XP, any monster can be given an extra attack power and an extra utility power. There are limitations on minions and suggestions on which powers work best with which roles. And I recognize that, with the economy of actions, an extra power is not an extra attack on a turn. And all of this is done under the proviso that the monsters are given these powers to make them more recognizable and memorable to the players.
However, I think it sets a bad precedent for making monsters just strictly better. Some of these powers allow monsters to shape-shift. Or get an action point. Or change into another monster. 4ed monsters require a lot of balance between "artful interpretation of monsters" and "level-appropriate threat". I have been on the bad side of 4ed DMs that have been too flavourful (re: created monsters that are too powerful for our level) and it was not fun. As it stands, the example Human Rabble altered by "Those Who Hear" is significantly better than the MM1 version.
What I fear will happen is that it will encourage DMs to tinker with monsters outside of the recommendations of the rules before they are wise enough to know when things get broken. From a warped point of view, a DM could cherry-pick an attack from "Lolth's Chosen" and a utility from "Orcus Blood Cultist", stick it on a creature that gets significantly better with them, and after that, come up with a flavour reason why the monster has those powers. If used carefully, however, this section is harmless inspiration.
CHAPTER 5: ADVENTURES
This chapter felt like it could be two separate chapters. To start with, we have "Alternate Rewards", several methods to work outside the expected system of physical treasure, as well as Artifacts. The second half is discussion on Campaign Arcs and using Organizations in your campaign. This chapter is indicative of the piecemeal nature of the book: lots of good stuff with no meaningful sorting.
There are three kinds of Alternative Rewards shown: Divine Boons, Legendary Boons, and Grandmaster Training. Each of them have their different feels to them (as evidenced in their names), but the book makes explicit that pre-existing items can be turned into Alternative Rewards. Whenever a PC pleases a deity, does something legendary, or trains under a great trainer, the DM can choose to bestow an item-like boon on the PC. The given boons do feel like powers and abilities a PC would have after doing these things, so it's a win for the fluff. And yes, they are as useful as regular items.
The DMG2 gives suggestions on how to incorporate these boons into the treasure parcel system. Much of the advice hinges on making it similar to normal treasure in how it is found, used, and discarded. The book suggests that Ritualists replace Enchant Magic Item with Rituals that invoke these boons from the deities, grandmasters, or what have you. The DM manufactures a reason for the boon to fade away after about five levels, to keep pace with the system's expectation of PC upgrading to better items. It recommends reskinning pre-existing magic items and turn them into boons. In my campaign, I gave a PC access to a miniature demiplane capable of storing 250 lbs.: a reskinned Bag of Holding!
A very useful page-long sidebar is a system to do away with +1 weapons/armours/neck items and give PCs those bonuses regardless of items. In theory, I like this system. I feel it could work if I was brave enough and could find the right group. For now, I am happy to insert the boons whenever it feels right.
One thing I have yet to try, but plan to, are "Item Components", which is dealt with too briefly here. Instead of giving the party a magic item in one treasure parcel, the materials to make a magic item are spread out in three other treasure parcels. Once the components are gathered, the PCs are able to put it together through the help of a NPC or a Ritual Caster. Under this system, you need not find actual components, but find three rare items that a NPC will trade for the item.
I like this idea, if only that I do not like to have PCs find magical treasure lying around as often as the average D&D game suggests. Another nice touch was the suggestion that, if you require the PCs to make a Skill Challenge to forge the item, do not make the cost of failure equal the loss of the item. Instead, have them complete it, but be forced to pay a bit more or fight monsters summoned by a curse placed on the components. Good tie-back to the first chapter.
Rounding out the item section are artifacts. As a source of inspiration for creating your own artifacts, it cannot be beat. Not only is it double the number in DMG1, each artifact has an unique quirk to it.
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Adamantine Horse of Xarn is a Mount with a statblock that improves as your concordance rises.
Amulet of Passage attunes to all members of the party, and allows them all to use its activated power.
Cup of Al'Akbar and Talisman of Al'Akbar are two separate artifacts that work better if you have them both together (The Eye and Hand of Vecna will raise each other concordance, but the Al'Akbar Cup's healing power will triple if the Talisman is near).
Emblem of Ossandrya can be transfered to an ally within 5 squares as a minor action.
Rash and Reckless are a pair of shoes whose concordance can be raised through acts of "panache" (as adjudicated by the DM).
Rod of Seven Parts are seven +1 Rods that, when attached to one another, combine their enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +7.
Standard of Eternal Battle severely punishes groups who did not acquire it through battle or those who fail in their battles.
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This list really inspires me to think outside the box for Artifact design, which is exactly where you should be when artifacts are involved. The four artifacts from DMG1 helped me understand what a standard artifact looks like, but this list makes me wonder in what directions I can push artifact design.
Following artifacts is a section on organizations. Nothing ground-breaking here. Good advice for new or uncreative DMs for using organizations to help or hinder the PCs.
The chapter finishes off with campaign advice. Start small with campaigns and build them out, instead of start big and squeeze the PCs in. Advice on taking ideas and creating a rough guideline for a 30 level campaign. Sample Campaign arcs are given. Most of the sample campaign arcs look good on paper, but would require the PCs to be highly invested in the kind of stories the campaign is offering. Rather than be taken as gospel truth, I think the advice given here should be used as an example of how one would forge a campaign, and make adjustments to suit themselves.
CHAPTER 6: PARAGON CAMPAIGNS
In my campaigns, the planes are something that PCs encounter at all levels. I have sent heroic tier PCs to the Shadowfell and Feywild for extended periods. Demons have bedeviled Paragon level groups, and there have been occasionally forays into the Elemental Chaos or in the abandoned spaces in the Astral Sea. I say this because I am not opposed to using the planes in the Paragon Tier. However, this chapter suggests (rather strongly) that the planes are a place that PCs level 11-20 can go to frequently. It starts off by suggesting that at level 11, themes of world-hopping, alternate realities, and time travel are within the ability of the PCs to handle. To boot, the Paragon Tier town presented in this chapter is Sigil, the center of multiverse.
Yes, Ritualists can travel to other worlds and there are plenty of extraplanar monsters to fight at this Tier. But I feel that these great themes would work better for Epic Tier PCs. I mean, when you travel through time and space at level 20, how the heck will you top that at level 21?
My rant aside, this chapter does a good job of showing DMs how to progress themes into Paragon Tier and out of it. Dungeon crawling is acceptable, provided that it takes place in the Underdark or a region where the PCs cannot easily rest or find assistance. Political themes are discussed, including discussions on what different kinds of governments exist, as well as how PCs could rule a barony without being forced to retire. War themes, with advice for running large and complex battles, are a favourite of mine (proud owner of Heroes of Battle!), and I am pleased with the brief discussion of it. Even the dreaded alternate reality/time travel themes are okay, if you are not prejudiced against it like I am. ;)
While I have not based a brand-new campaign around these ideas, I find that their advice works well in my pre-existing campaign. It is reflective of what the PCs are capable of doing, and not of some simulationist worldview of what mush happen. Most of these themes were displayed in the previous chapter's sample campaign arcs. It is useful to have examples, but it is systematic of this book's odd organization and condensed nature. Good ideas are spread around and not expanded on as much as I would like.
The book rounds out with a look at Sigil and the adventures found within. I am no Todd Stewart: I have no special affinity for or against the planes and Planescape-inspired locales. My gut tells me that Sigil would be an excellent Epic Tier town, while a metropolitan city on the natural world (Greyhawk or Waterdeep) would be far better suited to Paragon Tier adventures. If WotC is using Sigil for Paragon Tier, what will they use for Epic? Hestavar? All I am saying is that politics, war, and what have you can occur on the natural world, where Epic Tier themes would be almost planar exclusive.
As as source for information on Sigil, I think the authors did an excellent job on making Sigil useful as a homebase for adventuring elsewhere or as a centre of intrigue. I was never a fan of Planescape, so I cannot tell you how "faithful" it is to previous supplements. Elemental archons, the Feywild, and Dragonborn are mentioned to be in Sigil, but as far as I know, their inclusion does not invalidate previously established information. As a DM in need of a planar town, Sigil would be excellent, something I would turn to one day. Its unique flavour is just off-kilter enough to be memorable, without being too off-kilter for PCs to get the essentials for adventuring.
We are given NPCs, factions, statblocks, two random encounters (one for the streets and one for the sewers), as well as a small adventure for Level 11 PCs. As an extra bonus, a list of gatetowns (towns that connect to different planes) are given to aid DMs in getting PCs to other planes.
CONCLUSION
There are parts of this book that I do not think were done well, or that I question their inclusion at all. However, the great majority of the material presented here is pure gold. The Dungeon Master's Guide series for 4th Edition is hands-down my favourite because it is so useful to me as a DM. Last year, the DMG1 really made me think about what a DM had to do, should, and did not need to do. I got several "Eureka!" moments where I found the solution to a problem I had faced in previous campaigns; or that a problem with the game was not the players' fault, but was the result of how I played the game.
DMG2 gave me at least one "Eureka!" moment on Page 57":
"One common DM mistake that can ruin an encounter can happen in the first round of combat. When the characters break down the door, they see a room full of monsters, interesting, terrain features, and awe-inspiring wall carvings. The DM calls for initiative checks, and the players roll low. The monsters go first, and the problem begins. Each monster moves up to the PCs on its turn and attacks. None of the interesting terrain comes into play, and little movement occurs because the monsters and characters are stuck fighting in the doorway."
Every time this happened, I got frustrated and blamed the PCs for being too cowardly to take the opportunity attacks to get inside. But as I read this, I realized that I controlled the flow of battle more than the players ever could, and if I wanted them to be in the center of the action, I would have to make them want to be there.
This kind of advice is useful no matter the RPG system you are using. I have read a lot of advice on running games that are nowhere near as elegant or perspective-changing as what is inside the DMG series of books.
So, despite the odd organization and briefness of great topics, I would highly recommend this book to Dungeon Masters. After the first three books, buy DMG2. It is that good.
TOP 5 FAVOURITE PARTS
5) Trap Design
4) Skill Challenges
3) Artifacts
2) Terrain
1) Boons (Divine, Legendary, and Grandmaster Training)
TOP 5 LEAST FAVOURITE PARTS
5) Sigil (as a Paragon Tier town)
4) Campaign Arcs
3) Vignettes
2) Monster Customizing
1) Organizations
