On the release of the original core books, opinions were divided on 4th Edition and whether the game was an improvement on previous versions of D&D. For those that have stuck with it they have seen Wizards of the Coast address many of the problems seen with their initial release schedule and have been rewarded with an excellent combat simulation game. Whether it remains a roleplaying game in its truest form or has devolved into a series of encounters similar to the HeroQuest or Descent board games is an issue commonly raised by critics of the game.

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The original Dungeon Masters Guides for 4th edition is one of the most praised books in the set of original core books for the advice it gives on running adventures, campaigns and creating encounters. It is also criticised for a general lack of content for the experienced role-player, to whom this content is nothing new, and information commonly found on the internet.

With the Dungeon Masters Guide 2, Wizards will be hoping to answer some of their critics and put together a book with useful advice for all of their players. There are now a number of excerpts they have released from their new product.

Group Storytelling

This chapter looks like more of the same, covering similar material to that found in the DMG. It looks at dream sequences and flashbacks with a look at working with your players to craft a background for their characters and the world.

For many players they want to create a character fast and get playing. A character background is a chore rather than a delight. This chapter will either be loved by your players as they find motivation to invest in their characters, or will be a part of the DMG2 that you never look at.

Companion Characters

This chapter looks at bringing one of the creatures in the adventure into the party as a side-kick. Throughout D&D’s history there have been companions of some sort available and they have never worked very well for the game. Either they were too powerful or so weak that you daren’t let them come within 50 yards of you. Here Wizards of the Coast really have their work cut out to make this viable but not overpowering from your group. Otherwise you just have another figure to put on the map and remove as soon as a dragon deems to breathe fire over you all.  Adding complication for the players and a difficult balancing act for the DM, this is something a lot of groups will ignore.

Advanced Encounters

Here Wizards of the Coast tell the D&D Dungeon Master how to craft a more advanced encounter. Judging from the preview this could be a misleading title, with WotC using the word ‘encounter’ to refer to anything that happens in the game. The chapter, as previewed, seems to focus more on the role playing side of the game, negotiating with NPCs or finding clues in some mystery. If it’s done well it might be quite interesting but there is a danger this will read as a means to bring your players to the next combat.

Terrain

The terrain section is one of the real draws of the DMG2. While the previous three sections don’t really seem to play to the strengths of 4th Edition, new terrains and rules here really do. Dungeons and Dragons in its current version is a combat game, and that’s where its strengths lie. This will let you build more interesting combats and design more varied and challenging battles for your players. This is what the D&D Dungeon Master needs.

Skill Challenges

The Skill Challenges section in the original DMG is a huge disappointment and a confusing mess of rules which give even players well skilled for a challenge a hard time. The rules are often now run using a combination of errata and house rules. A new section on Skill Challenges is very much required from the DMG2 and this might give a solution to the flaws in this game mechanic. If it does, this will be a useful feature in the game.

Customizing Monsters

Here we find more rules to create the monster you want with the skills you want it to have. With more Monster Manuals being released, do we really need a section on customizing them? Even if you want to create a Goblin Rager riding a wild boar that’s particularly adept at squirting lemon juice into its enemy’s eyes, you can just create it without too many problems. This section seems somewhat redundant, especially since similar rules are already found in the first DMG.

Adventures and Rewards

There is an Adventures and Rewards section in the first DMG covering what rewards to give out, depending on the level of your party and the experience gains they are earning. This section then covers similar ground. Does your Dungeons and Dragons game need more information on how to give out rewards? There is relatively little of real interest that this section can bring for most games and this is probably another part of the book which will be referred to little, if at all.

Paragon Campaigns

It is interesting that WotC should deem to need a section specifically aimed at Paragon level campaigns. This must surely focus on the feel of the campaign, emphasising that the players should be facing more daunting tasks and more impressive enemies than they saw in the heroic tier. Ultimately the combat in the game at Paragon level is not so different from the Heroic levels, so there is little that needs to be covered here.

So is the DMG2 an exciting new release for 4th Edition D&D? That, of course, depends on what you are looking for and how you play D&D. With a focus on encounter and campaign design, it seems to offer little to anyone playing the published 4th edition campaigns, focusing on Dungeon Masters running homebrew games instead.

To a large degree it appears to be a very similar book to the 4th Edition DMG. If you felt the DMG lacked substantial rules content, the same is likely to be true of the DMG2. The content covering new rules for the game is likely to be only the terrain and skill challenge sections. Conversely those that loved the DMG for its advice on running a homebrew game and managing a group of players will probably also love the DMG2. It seems to follow a similar path to aid your encounter and campaign design and focus on helping you to run a Dungeons and Dragons game your players will enjoy.