D&D 5E What are people expecting to be in the DMG that is "needed to play the game"

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Just curious.

 

[Wulfgar76]

You don't need the DMG to play the game. The most necessary DM content to play I guess would be magic items - and you can just make up your own.

 

[Mistwell]

I think the DMG will be full of optional rules, advice, challenges, and treasure.

You don't need any of those three to play the game, but they are all helpful.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I think it will be full of all of those. Honestly, the only thing you will need to play the game is the Starter Set. Not the PHB, not the MM, not the DMG. But those of us who plan to buy the latter three books are probably wanting to play the Standard, rather than Basic game. For that a whole lot of us would like the magic items, random tables for treasure, events, and whatever other tables they throw in.

I've also found that some of the less crunchy materials can actually be quite useful. Whenever I sit down and read through the 3.5 DMG (for instance), I find that there is a lot of good campaign guidance in there, as well as "hidden crunch" that most of us never knew/forgot existed. (The combat effects of crowds of commoners--there's a rule for that!)

 

[Ichneumon]

Rumor has it that the DMG will be a game-enhancer rather than a game requirement. It will be needed to play the game in certain ways; e.g. there's a lot of groups who won't view the tactical module as 'optional'.

 

[Umbran]

Depends on what you call needed.

I hope the magic items are saved for the DMG, much as I want monsters to be in a separate book, so players get more feeling of exploration.

I hope campaign, adventure, encounter design, and some knobs and switches for controlling rewards and advancement will appear in the DMG. They may not be "needed", but they're so darned useful.

 

[Remathilis]

NEED:

Encounter generation
Traps
Magic Items
Experience Points
Misc Rules (poison, disease, conditions)

If these things can be crammed in the $50 PHB, then the DMG is unneeded except as a reference guide. Everything else (worldbuilding, variant rules, DM advice, etc) is supplemental.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Treasure placement & details
The combat system
How to develop a campaign
Rules for exploration/travel

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

IMO, the DMG should be two things:

- A Rules Compedium, with all the rules a DM might need from various sources all easily referenced for at-the-table use, and

- Guidance and material for DMs to create well-designed and balanced encounters, adventures, and campaigns.

 

[gweinel]

In case that this is not in the ph:

a traditional vancian spell caster (with no cantrips),
a caster with a "pure" skill point system like 2nd edition spells & magic,
a way to create a more gritty (healing/rest rules) and more low magic kind of game
a guide to make your own subclasses and races

If at least the first 3 are covered in the PH or DMG then I ll buy the game.