Dungeon Master's Guide
| Dungeon Master's Guide | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type: | Core rulebook |
| Code/Abbr.: | DMG |
| Edition: | Fifth edition |
| Publishing info | |
| Publisher: | WotC |
| Publish date: | 2024 |
| Misc | |
| Pages: | 384 |
| ISBN: | 978-0-7869-6952-4 |
| Class: | Officially published content |
| Setting date: | 576 CY |
Third edition
[edit | edit source]The third edition DMG—in both the first printing and v3.5—includes statements calling Greyhawk the standard campaign from which D&D draws content. "The D&D game draws... source material from the Greyhawk™ setting."[1] and refers to "the Greyhawk® setting (the standard D&D campaign setting)."[2]
Because the World of Greyhawk™ is the "core world" of third edition[3] the DMG takes examples from Greyhawk, including references to the Free City itself,[4] as well as Dyvers,[5] Crystalmist Mountains[6][7], Rain of Colorless Fire, [8] Dumadan,[9] Duchy of Urnst,[10] and others in throughout the text of the DMG.
As with every edition, various Greyhawk magic items (like many artifacts) are included in the third edition DMG.
Fifth edition
[edit | edit source]The Dungeon Master's Guide (2024) is an official sourcebook for Greyhawk. "Chapter 5: Creating Campaigns" uses the World of Greyhawk as an example setting,[11] and includes three significant maps—the City of Greyhawk (the Baerald map), the Flanaess (the Schley map), and the Domain of Greyhawk, titled "City of Greyhawk and Environs" (the Schley Domain of Greyhawk map).[12]
Chapter 5: Creating Campaigns
[edit | edit source]The DMG 2024 includes a 29-page section detailing the World of Greyhawk™ as an example campaign and as an example for world building. It primarily focuses on the tone and themes of the setting, and on the City of Greyhawk, devoting 9 pages to the city. It gives a further 12 pages to the broader Flanaess, including tables with a brief (one-line) description of nations separated into five broad regions.[13]
It also includes a two-sided poster map, featuring two different maps, and one full-page interior map:
- Poster map of the Flanaess —the Schley map (art by Mike Schley)
- Poster map of the City of Greyhawk—the Baerald map (art by Francesca Baerald)
- Full-page map of the City of Greyhawk and Environs—the Schley Domain of Greyhawk map (art by Mike Schley).
The chapter describes each region's culture, political situation, themes, and possible adventures. The region-by-region breakdown of the Flanaess, describes these regions:
Each region includes section on the history, culture, relations with neighbors, and suggests types of adventures and themes which can be played there. Additionally, each has a table noting the ruler and a brief description of the nations there.
The Flanaess is presented in the DMG 2024 set in 576 CY.[14] The sourcebook notes that "the version presented here is largely based on 'The World of Greyhawk [Fantasy World Setting]' gazetteer published in 1980" (emphasis added). While it is predominantly the same material, there are minor changes in the newer content.
2024 differences
[edit | edit source]The Archbarony of Blackmoor is named the Archbarony of Arn, in honor of its creator, Dave Arneson. Previously, it was simply referred to by the name of its largest settlement. The DMG does not add other information about the settlement, but doesn't rescind any, either. Several other names are used which are pre-existing proper endonyms from the Folio used by people of those cultures, while other previous terms were exonyms used by others to refer to them. (For example, using Wegwiur instead of Wolf Nomads, or Plains of the Ulakandar instead of "paynims"). See also: Schley map for other geographical differences.
Almost no national leaders are named in the original 1980 World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (folio), but in the later 1983 World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (boxed set), most all are. Only when compared to the latter are there differences. Many names of NPCs are updated to reflect inclusion of more species and gender. Of the 61 nations in the WoG boxed set which have named leaders (only two of which are female rulers) many names or species are different. Some differences are minor—such as Bagru being Bagra, or Draske/Draika, Ehyeh/Ehliyeh, Ingemar/Ingrid, Olinstaad/Olynn, Ranold/Ronthal, and Zoltan/Zoltana (7); or being given a name to reflect different gender (9). Some are given whole new names (11), while some are given new species in combination with names (5). Others are not "different" at all but are simply given either first names or surnames where none existed before (3) or a new species where none were stated or were only presumed in the Folio (2).
Publication history
[edit | edit source]In September 2021, it was announced that a backward compatible "evolution" of 5th edition would be released in 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary of the game.[15][16][17] In August 2022, Wizards announced that the next phase of major changes for Dungeons & Dragons would occur under the One D&D initiative which included a public playtest of the next version of Dungeons & Dragons.[18][19][20][21] The first public playtest was released on D&D Beyond on August 18, 2022.[19][21][22] Samantha Nelson, for Polygon, commented that public playtest material should not be "considered final".[23] In October 2022, Dicebreaker reported that Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams[24] announced "that One D&D's playtest had seen more sign-ups since it launched on August 18 than D&D 5E's playtest saw during its entire two-year pre-release phase ahead of the game's release in 2014".[25]
During the April 2023 D&D Creator Summit, the lead rules designer clarified that "One D&D is not supposed to be a new edition or a new 'half edition' similar to the game's '3.5 edition'. Instead, One D&D are revisions to the existing 5th Edition rules while keeping the bulks of those rules intact".[26] Christian Hoffer, for ComicBook.com, wrote that the "backwards compatible" ruleset will include updated core rulebooks with "guidance on how rules from previous books line up with the new rules" and that older adventure modules will be compatible with the revised character creation rules.[26] A compiled sourcebook pulling together rules and other information from Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is also in development; this sourcebook will be in a similar style to Monsters of the Multiverse.[26] In May 2023, Wizards stated that One D&D was not the name used by the design team for the 2024 revision of 5th Edition,[27] and began to move away from the One D&D branding.[28][29]
Revised editions of the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual, had a staggered release in September 2024, December 2024, and February 2025.[30][31] Jody Macgregor of PC Gamer reported that "the Revised Player's Handbook will have 48 subclasses, with four for each of the 12 classes" and that each subclass and character background will receive an illustration.[32] In an August 2023 interview with ComicBook.com, lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford "pushed back on the idea that the 2024 Rules Revisions were just glorified errata, because of the amount of new content that will be appearing in the 2024 rules revisions".[33] Crawford stated that, "I think what people are going to experience when they get the new Core Rulebooks...it's definitely the game we've all been playing, but enhancements everywhere".[33] In August 2024, Lin Codega of Rascal explained that "Wizards of the Coast has been trying to avoid at all costs" an edition war by attempting to maintain the game as 5th Edition with marketing that focuses on how the changes will be a backwards compatible update and not a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons.[34] Codega commented that there's still the question on if "this is a new edition or it is errata. The books say it's the former; the digital tools [on D&D Beyond] say the latter" and opined "that even if the 2024 updates are minor, they are still updates. [...] Either they functionally matter (which would support the production and need for a new edition) or they functionally don’t (which means that there is no need for them to change at all)".[34]
References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.153, Chapter Six:World-building.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide v3.5 (2003), p.6.
- ↑ D&D Gazetteer (2000), p.2, "This is the core world for D&D game products … The D&D game setting is located on the sphere of Oerth, most specifically on the continent of Oerik, in its easternmost portion called the Flanaess.".
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.27, 97, 142, 143.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.44.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.97.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide v3.5 (2003), p.43.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.98.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.99.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2000), p.143.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p.143-172, Chapter 5: Creating Campaigns.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p.158.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p.143-171.
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p.143.
- ↑ Dungeons & Dragons Announces Next "Evolution" of Game Coming in 2024 (in en). ComicBook.com (September 26, 2021).
- ↑ D&D 5th Edition Rules Being Upgraded For 50th Anniversary (in en-US). Screen Rant (September 27, 2021).
- ↑ Hall, Charlie (January 18, 2022). The next version of D&D is coming, and Monsters of the Multiverse is your first taste (in en-US). Polygon.
- ↑ Parlock, Joe (August 18, 2022). Dungeons & Dragons Moves Beyond Editions With One D&D (in en-US). TheGamer.
- ↑ a b Johnson, Xavier (August 18, 2022). Dungeons and Dragons brings huge changes to fifth edition rules under One D&D initiative (in en-US). Dot Esports.
- ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: One D&D Reveal Trailer. IGN (August 18, 2022).
- ↑ a b Plante, Corey (August 18, 2022). One D&D is so much more than Dungeons & Dragons 6th Edition (in en). Inverse.
- ↑ Hoffer, Christian (August 18, 2022). Dungeons & Dragons Releases First Playtest for Revised Rules (in en). ComicBook.com.
- ↑ Nelson, Samantha (August 18, 2022). One D&D includes a new virtual tabletop and digital book bundles (in en-US). Polygon.
- ↑ Ratner, Carrie (February 2, 2022). Hasbro Appoints New Leadership for Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro.
- ↑ One D&D's playtest is already bigger than D&D 5E's (in en). Dicebreaker (October 4, 2022).
- ↑ a b c Dungeons & Dragons Explains Exactly What One D&D Is, Defines Backwards Compatibility (in en). ComicBook.com (April 4, 2023).
- ↑ Hall, Charlie (2023-05-23). D&D has a messaging problem that goes beyond the OGL controversy (in en-US). Polygon.
- ↑ Dungeons and Dragons is Giving Up the One D&D Name (in en). Game Rant (2023-04-05).
- ↑ Carter, Chase (2023-05-25). Dungeons & Dragons tosses out One D&D label but struggles to define next chapter. (in en). Dicebreaker.
- ↑ Randall, Harvey (February 12, 2024). D&D reveals September 2024 release date for the start of its big rules revamp, sheds light on two multiverse-hopping campaigns, and promises the launch of its shiny virtual tabletop (in en). PC Gamer.
- ↑ Hall, Charlie (February 12, 2024). D&D's 2024 revision of won't be finished until 2025 (in en-US). Polygon.
- ↑ Macgregor, Jody (December 9, 2023). D&D's Revised Player's Handbook 'will be the biggest Player's Handbook that D&D has ever had', and like all the Revised core books will be compatible with the current edition (in en). PC Gamer.
- ↑ a b Hoffer, Christian (August 17, 2023). Dungeons & Dragons' Designer Explains How Playtests Have Moved From Experimental to Focused (in en). ComicBook.com.
- ↑ a b Codega, Lin (August 26, 2024). Edition Wars have made a battleground of D&D Beyond (in en). Rascal News.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia: Dungeon Master's Guide (view authors). |
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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