So, I have been given a reason to read this in-depth, rather than simply use it to look things up as needed, and I've also recently been quietly reading the other Let's Reads going on/that have happened. As far as I can tell, the Dungeon Master's Guide doesn't usually get looked at too much - the only one I could find was the 1st edition one - so I figured I might as well combine the two. Take a good long look at this book, and write up my thoughts as we go along. Some bits might be short, and others will probably involve long, rambling tangents as they give me ideas.
Getting ideas is why this book was pushed at me, after all.
So, let's begin. 320 pages including the index, so a fair bit to work with. Frist, though, we get the Introduction section.
The Introduction is, for the most part, what you'd expect if you've played D&D for a while; a brief explanation of what a Dungeon Master is, how it involves varying levels of being an inventor, writer, storyteller, actor, improvisor and referee, and that the rules are meant to help the game, rather than put everything into tiny inflexible boxes. Basically, it says 'don't get hung up on the rules, just have fun.'
Then we get the description of the book itself and, although it's been a while, it's rather different than the previous DMGs I've read, which were mostly about rules. This one is split into three parts - the first about deciding what kind of adventure you want to run, the second helps you create the adventures, and the third is the part with the actual rules in it.
Or, as the book puts it;
Part 1: Master of Worlds. The setting is more than just a backdrop. It should be something the characters are part of, and that's part of the characters. Part 1 is about keeping it consistent and determining the details of the world, and how that world should interact with the players and vice versa.
Part 2: Master of Adventures. This is vaguely familiar to parts of the 3.5e DMG that I can remember, although in that book this stuff filled a chapter or two, rather than a third of the book, and was mostly focussed on the treasure and random encounter tables. Part 2 is about NPC creation, the basic elements of adventure creation, between-adventure stuff, magic items, treasure and rewards, and the differences between adventuring in the wilderness/underground/etc.
Part 3: Master of Rules. The bit actually about the rules, and how they don't cover everything and you should feel fine making stuff up to fit whatever weirdness your group thinks up on the fly, although a bunch of optional rules are included here, such as miniature use, chase scenes, madnessand the creation of new races, monsters and character backgrounds.
That last bit looks interesting - adapting settings to 5e, or creating new 5e settings would almost definitely need new, more setting-appropriate backgrounds.
The last part is something I consider pretty basic about D&D, although, admittedly, I tend to leave it for online stuff - Know Your Players. (Online, I pretty much have to go for 'Get to Know Your Players', which makes sense. The game is definitely better if the players and DM get along with each other and don't accidentally/deliberately offend each other all the time. This bit of the introduction basically boils down to advice on how to engage players who favour certain playstyles. Stuff like giving monsters clues for the more investigative-minded players to have fun with, including puzzles for problem-solving players, and providing quantifiable rewards to non-combat encounters for optimizing players.
So, the Introduction is, for a 6-page section, surprisingly dense with interesting things, although most of what I find interesting about it is how it seems to be presenting this book as a way to make/adjust you own setting and how to fudge the rules to fit your party. Something rather looser than what I remember the previous DMGs to be like, which I like. More of a shift to 'how to make this work for whatever craziness you come up with' rather than 'here's the extra rules and mentions of other products if you want non-generic settings'.
Next time, Part 1, Chapter 1: A World of Your Own.