Wizards of the Coast has offered a first look at the upcoming updated version of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, which is set to launch in 2024, alongside revised versions of the Player’s Handbook and the Monster Manual. These books aren’t intended to replace the current D&D 5E core rulebooks, as they will still be compatible with the old material but will offer updated versions of their content.
2024 will mark the 50th anniversary of D&D, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the franchise. D&D 5E has been, far and away, the most successful edition of the game ever released, with millions of players worldwide taking up the dice and going on adventures with their friends, while the first-ever good D&D movie has finally hit theaters. To celebrate this anniversary, new versions of the core rulebooks will be released, with One D&D already offering playtest material for updated iterations of different D&D races and classes, showing a more refined ruleset, which players can use in their games and offer feedback based on their experiences.
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D&D’s Next Dungeon Master’s Guide Will Feature Some Badly-Needed Reorganization
A new video on the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel has offered a first glimpse at the upcoming Dungeon Master’s Guide, which will include new content and changes to existing material. This will include a significant shuffling of the chapters to bring the introductory content forward and push the more complicated material further back to prioritize stuff that new DMs will need.
The new Dungeon Master’s Guide will include material from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything that the developers feel should have been in the original book, including content regarding Session Zero. There will be more help regarding the creation of adventures and campaigns, as well as a slew of new pieces of advice that can be put to practical use, such as dealing with spontaneity among players and incorporating their actions into the narrative. The book also includes more common magic items for DMs to use, as there was a lack of them in the original Dungeon Master’s Guide.
There will also be material regarding the history and multiverse of D&D, with an in-depth look at the lore surrounding certain characters and locations that new players might not be familiar with, such as the Temple of Elemental Evil from Oerth. There will also be a mysterious surprise chapter in the book and a poster map, so there will be some brand-new things for the established DMs in the audience.
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The Dungeon Master’s Guide is the most overlooked of the three core rulebooks in D&D 5e, as the Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual are used in almost every session. By comparison, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is usually only referred to in-game whenever magic items crop up in the campaign. This is a shame, as the book offers helpful advice to new and established DMs, and those wishing to tackle a D&D campaign should read it at least once. Hopefully, this new version of the Dungeon Master’s Guide will be even more helpful to the D&D players of the future once it launches in 2024.
