"Do I need the DMG for D&D" Topic

I purchased the new PH and MM the other day. I don't want to dive too deeply into the D&D pool as I just want to play with my kids. I flipped thru the books at my FLGS and looked like I just needed the 2, but now I see ref to the DMG as I read.

Also, any online tutorials for play and combat?

Thanks, Xin

Well, you don't NEED the DMG, but there are some nifty stuff in there – including some rules that you may need, especially if you're not just following published scenarios.

It also has lots of good advice, in particular for a new DM.
There's also a rather good introductory scenario which might come in handy.

On Wizards page there is also a downloadable scenario (the first one they printed for 4e, actually before the rules were out).
Apart from the scenario itself there is a quick start guide and a lot of tips for newbie DMs. Could be worth a look.

Is this your first experience with D&D? If so, I'm afraid I would say that you DO, in all probability, need to get the Dungeons Masters Guide. It offers a lot of advice for running games, including more details on combat and other cool stuff that will enrich your gaming experience.

Here's some quick links to D&D tutorials that I've found:

This looks promising:
link

A bit older, but still some good advice:
link

Thanks for the replies. I played 1st edition many years ago for quite awhile. Since most of my friends wanted to play, I was the DM. I gave it up once I got into wargaming 20 years ago.

Cheers, Xin

It's a good idea to get it. Save yourself a little bit, get it on Amazon.

mmitchell, the first tutorial (with the videos) you linked is also a bit dated, I fear.
It refers to the 3rd ed, and not the 4th.

The editions are similar, but with enough differences for the videos to bring more confusion than aid.

The DMG's usefulness varies wildly by edition.

If you're used to playing 1e then you may want to try Labrynth Lord or Swords and Wizardry. Both are free online and are called Retro-clones. That means that they have taken advantage of the open gaming licence to effectively republish the now out of print 1e D&D and the original White Box D&D. They are very good and there is a great deal of support online for the games and a lot of it is free. I used Swords and Wizardry to start playing D&D and RPG's in general with my 10yr old boy and 7yr old girl.
Give them a try. I think it would be easier to teach to younger people.

I bought the set. I think there is enough information on how to build and run encounters as well as the shift in philosophy about running sessions and campaigns. 4e is starting to grow on me, especially as I adapt 3.5 modules to the new paradigm.

Well coming from 1e to 4e is quite a shock in the complication factor.

Maybe this deserves another thread, but what is 2e? I don't remember a big difference.

I had a real tough time playing 4e and not thinking it was an MMO. So did my group. We have since moved back to 3.5 and will now be using the Paizo Pathfinder rpg. It's being called 3.75e. We'll see how that goes.

Get the DM's guide for 4th. And I would stick with 4th edition if your kids are new to roleplaying.

As to 4th edition itself, at first I thought 4e was very much like a MMO then standard D&D. But now I'm not so sure. If MMO means a consistent and elegant set of rules, then I guess yes. If MMO means a glorified chat room with the ability to kill monsters, then no.

I have now played several games and I now think it is much better then 3.5. People tend to claim it is much more combat oriented then 3.5 and there is little potential for roleplay. Well, I would disagree. I have also argued that roleplaying has always been more a factor of the players. The nice thing about 4.0 is it really facilitates that roleplaying more so then previous editions. And from my experience, new roleplayers pick it up much faster then previous versions of D&D or other RPGs.

It's funny, in 1st ed I had a DMG but no Monster Manual. I didn't think I needed one because all the monster stats, minus pictures and descriptions, were in the back.

"What's a Demogorgon?"
"I don't know, but look at how much XP it's worth! Let's fight it!"

The 4e DMG is the best DMG ever, I think. It has the best advice for a new DM, and the best tools for an experienced DM that I've seen.

Maybe this deserves another thread, but what is 2e? I don't remember a big difference.

2nd ed AD&D came out in 1989 I think. It was mostly a repackaging and a supposed streamlining of the 1st ed rules. It didn't do this very well.

2nd ed AD&D came out in 1989 I think. It was mostly a repackaging and a supposed streamlining of the 1st ed rules. It didn't do this very well.

D&D has a long history of starting a new edition with grand ideas of unification and simplification, and ending each edition in worse shape than the last edition had been.

What this means for the future of 4th edition is mind-boggling, given the messes made of 2nd, 3.0, and 3.5.

"What's a Demogorgon?"
"I don't know, but look at how much XP it's worth! Let's fight it!"

LOL, sounds like me at 12 years old when I started playing.