Editing Dungeon Master's Guide

{{Short description|Role-playing game rulebook}}
{{Infobox book 
|name      =Dungeon Master's Guide (1979)
|author   =[[Gary Gygax]]
|genre     =[[Role-playing game]]
|publisher =[[TSR (company)|TSR]]
|subject   = ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Edition
|isbn      =0-935696-02-4
|image     =Image:DungeonMasterGuide4Cover.jpg
|image_size=200px
|pages     =238
|pub_date  =1979
|cover_artist=[[David C. Sutherland III]]
}}
The '''''Dungeon Master's Guide''''' ('''''DMG'''''<ref name="D&Dfaq">{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp |title=''Dungeons & Dragons'' FAQ |access-date=October 3, 2008 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514204427/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp |archive-date=May 14, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> or '''''DM's Guide'''''; in some printings, the '''''Dungeon Masters Guide''''' or '''''Dungeon Master Guide''''') is a book of rules for the fantasy [[role-playing game]] ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' contains rules concerning the arbitration and administration of a game, and is intended for use by the game's [[Dungeon Master]].<ref name="WD16"/>

The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' is a companion book to the ''[[Player's Handbook]]'', which contains all of the basic rules of gameplay, and the ''[[Monster Manual]]'', which is a reference book of [[statistics]] for various [[animal]]s and [[monster]]s. The ''[[Player's Handbook]]'', ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', and ''[[Monster Manual]]'' are collectively referred to as the "core rules" of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game.<ref>{{cite journal |last =Livingstone |first =Ian |title =White Dwarf Interviews Gary Gygax |type=Interview |journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |issue=14 |pages =23–24 |publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=August–September 1979 }}</ref> Both the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' and the ''Player's Handbook'' give advice, tips, and suggestions for various styles of play.<ref>{{cite journal |last =Pulsipher |first =Lewis |title =An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, Part II |type=Overview |journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |issue=24 |pages =10–11 |publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=April–May 1981 }}</ref>

While all players, including the Dungeon Master, are expected to have at their disposal a copy of the ''Player's Handbook'', only the Dungeon Master is expected to refer to the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' or ''Monster Manual'' during gameplay.<ref>{{cite journal |last =Pulsipher |first =Lewis |title =An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons |type=Overview |journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |issue=23 |pages =8–9 |publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=February–March 1981 }}</ref>

==''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''==
The original AD&D ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' (sic) was published by [[TSR (company)|TSR]] in 1979.<ref name="HW"/><ref name="history">{{cite web| url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp| title=The History of TSR| publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]| access-date=2005-08-20| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924195557/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp| archive-date=2008-09-24| url-status=dead}}</ref> It was written by [[Gary Gygax]] and published as a 232-page hardcover with a cover by [[David C. Sutherland III]].<ref name="HW">{{cite book|last=Schick |first=Lawrence|title=Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games|publisher=Prometheus Books |year=1991|isbn=0-87975-653-5 |page=85}}</ref> The book was intended to provide [[Dungeon Master]]s all the information and rules necessary to run a campaign for the ''D&D'' game.<ref name="D&Dfaq"/> The 1983 printing featured a new cover by [[Jeff Easley]].<ref name="HW"/>

Like other volumes of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' handbooks, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' has gone through several versions through the years. The original edition was written by [[Gary Gygax]] and edited by [[Mike Carr (game designer)|Mike Carr]], who also wrote the foreword. The original cover art was by [[David C. Sutherland III]], and interior illustrations were provided by Sutherland, [[David A. Trampier|D. A. Trampier]], [[Darlene Pekul]], [[Will McLean (artist)|Will McLean]], [[David S. LaForce]], and [[Erol Otus]].

The first edition ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' covered the essential game rules for the [[Dungeon Master]]: creating and managing both [[player character]]s and [[non-player character]]s, directing combat, and handling adventures and [[Campaign (role-playing games)|campaigns]] that last multiple sessions.<ref name="HW"/> The book also included game statistics for [[Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)|magic items]] and treasure, details how to use random monster encounters, and provides statistics for some of the basic monsters and creatures of the game.<ref name="HW"/> New magic items were introduced.

The ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' contains scores of tables and charts for figuring damage and resolving encounters in a typical adventure, tables and rules for creating characters, and lists of the various abilities of the different classes of characters.

One supplement to the ''Guide'' was the ''[[Dungeon Masters Screen]]'': two heavy-duty tri-fold boards with the most frequently used tables printed on them for easy reference. The 1979 second edition of the screen describes its purpose as "useful for shielding maps and other game materials from the players when placed upright, and also provide[s] instant reference to the charts and tables most commonly used during play." The ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Second Edition screen came packaged with a brief [[adventure (role-playing games)|adventure]]; later editions of that screen, and screens produced for later editions, have instead included [[character sheet]]s and general reference [[book]]lets.

A feature of the first edition ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' was the random dungeon generator. The generator allowed the Dungeon Master, by the rolling of [[dice]], to generate a dungeon adventure "on the fly". A dungeon complete with [[passage (architecture)|passageways]], [[room (architecture)|rooms]], [[treasure]], monsters, and other [[Random encounter|encounters]] could easily and randomly be constructed as the player progressed. It could be used with several people or a single player. The generator was not included in subsequent editions of the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' but made a re-appearance in the fifth edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide''.

In 1999, a [[paperback]] reprint of the first edition was released.<ref name="Fogens">{{cite magazine|title=Classic ''AD&D'' books are back|last=Fogens|first=M.|issue=52|magazine=[[InQuest Gamer]]|page=20|publisher=[[Wizard Entertainment]]|date=August 1999}}</ref>

The first edition ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' was reproduced as a premium reprint on July 17, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/02390000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122120442/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/02390000 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 22, 2012 |title=Dungeon Master's Guide |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2012/08/28/art-of-the-genre-the-old-school-renaissance/ | title=Art of the Genre: The Old School Renaissance – Black Gate | date=28 August 2012 }}</ref>

===Reception===
The original ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' was reviewed by [[Don Turnbull (game designer)|Don Turnbull]] in issue #16 of the magazine ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' (December 1979/January 1980). Turnbull commented mostly on the size of the book, "I would say that only the most severe critic could point at a minor omission, let alone a serious one."<ref name="WD16">{{cite journal |last =Turnbull |first =Don |title =Open Box |type=review |journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |issue=16 |pages =15 |publisher =[[Games Workshop]] |date=December 1979 – January 1980 }}</ref>

Scott Taylor for ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'' in 2014 listed both the 1st edition ''AD&D'' ''DMG'' re-cover and the 2nd Edition ''AD&D'' ''DMG'' both by [[Jeff Easley]] as #10 in The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2014/09/17/art-of-the-genre-the-top-10-tsr-cover-paintings-of-all-time/ | title=Art of the Genre: The Top 10 TSR Cover Paintings of All Time – Black Gate | date=17 September 2014 }}</ref>

Scott Taylor of ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'' listed the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' as #2 on the list of "Top 10 'Orange Spine' ''AD&D'' Hardcovers By Jeff Easley, saying "Not taking anything away from EVERYTHING THAT THE DM IS and how well Jeff represents it here, but I still believe when many folks think about an 'orange spine', they are going to remember #1 first, because at the end of the day, this [is] a re-cover, and half the folks out there are going to be about the Sutherland III edition."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2016/09/14/art-of-the-genre-top-10-orange-spine-add-hardcovers-by-jeff-easley/ | title=Art of the Genre: Top 10 'Orange Spine' AD&D Hardcovers by Jeff Easley – Black Gate | date=14 September 2016 }}</ref>

In his 2023 book ''Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground'', RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' is strange and deeply idiosyncratic. Without a doubt, I believe it's also a masterpiece. Gygax expresses in it a singular vision that feels ''true'' in a way few other RPG books can ever hope to equal — it is an accidental portrait of the man's brain circa 1978."<ref name=mahg>{{cite book| last = Horvath| first = Stu| title = Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground| publisher = MIT Press| date = 2023| location = Cambridge, Massachusetts| pages = 58 | isbn =9780262048224 }}</ref>

==''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition==
{{Infobox book 
|name         = Dungeon Master's Guide (1989)
|author       = [[David Cook (game designer)|David "Zeb" Cook]]
|genre        = [[Role-playing game]]
|publisher    = [[TSR (company)|TSR]]
|subject   = ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition
|isbn         = 0-88038-729-7
|pages        = 192
|pub_date     = 1989
|cover_artist = [[Jeff Easley]]
}}

The AD&D 2nd Edition ''Dungeon Master Guide'' was released in 1989.<ref name="history"/> This 192-page hardcover book was designed by [[David Cook (game designer)|David "Zeb" Cook]], with cover art by [[Jeff Easley]].<ref name="HW"/> The book featured interior illustrations by Easley, [[Clyde Caldwell]], [[John and Laura Lakey]], [[Dave Dorman|David Dorman]], [[Douglas Chaffee]], and Jean E. Martin.

This ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' featured revised second edition rules, reorganized and streamlined for the Dungeon Master.<ref name="HW"/> The book detailed options for character creation, handling the [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment]] rules, new rules for money and equipment, treasure and magical items, encounters, time and movement, and managing non-player characters.<ref name="HW"/> The book is indexed, and contains numerous full-page color illustrations.<ref name="HW"/>

The second edition ''Dungeon Master Guide'' is an ORIGINS and Gamer's Choice award-winner.<ref name="HW"/> In his 1991 book ''Heroic Worlds'', [[Lawrence Schick]] commented that this book contained "lots of excellent new advice on how to run ''AD&D''".<ref name="HW"/> A new version of the ''Dungeon Master Guide'', with new art and layout but the same text, was released in 1995, as part of TSR's 25th anniversary.<ref name="history"/>

{{Infobox book 
|name         = Dungeon Master's Guide (1995)
|author       = [[David Cook (game designer)|David "Zeb" Cook]], [[Steve Winter]]
|genre        = [[Role-playing game]]
|publisher    = [[TSR (company)|TSR]]
|subject      = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition, Revised
|isbn         = 0-7869-0328-7
|pages        = 256
|pub_date     = 1995
|cover_artist = [[Jeff Easley]]
}}

The 2nd edition ''Dungeon Master Guide'' was reproduced as a premium reprint on May 21, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/35760000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124132416/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/35760000 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |title=Dungeon Master Guide |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/05/29/add2/ | title=My Youth Was Delivered Yesterday: AD&D 2nd Edition Re-Released – Black Gate | date=29 May 2013 }}</ref>

===Reception===
[[Steve Wieck|Stephan Wieck]] reviewed the 2nd Edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #17 (1989) and stated that "There are no great changes to the DMG, except that it has become as much a guide of advice for Dungeon Masters as a manual of specific information."<ref name="WW17">{{Cite magazine |last=Wieck|first=Stephan |authorlink=Steve Wieck |date=1989 |title= Overview: AD&D 2nd Edition Rules |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=17 |page= 16-17 |url=https://imgur.com/a/HTFPJ1o}}</ref>

==''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition==
{{Infobox book 
|name         = Dungeon Master's Guide (2000)
|author       = [[Monte Cook]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], [[Skip Williams]]
|genre        = [[Role-playing game]]
|publisher    = [[Wizards of the Coast]]
|subject      = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd Edition
|isbn         = 0-7869-1551-X
|pages        = 224
|pub_date     = 2000
|cover_artist = [[Henry Higginbotham]]
}}
The 3rd edition D&D ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' was published in September 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/catalog/product.asp?TSR11551 |title=WotC Product Library: Dungeon Master's Guide |publisher=wizards.com |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020606224607/http://www.wizards.com/catalog/product.asp?TSR11551 |archive-date=June 6, 2002 }}</ref>

[[Monte Cook]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], and [[Skip Williams]] all contributed to the 3rd edition ''[[Player's Handbook]]'', ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', and ''[[Monster Manual]]'', and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions.<ref name="Dragon #275">{{cite journal|title=Profiles: Monte Cook| journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| issue=#275| pages=10, 12, 14| publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]| location=[[Renton, Washington]]|date=September 2000}}</ref> Cook is credited with the book's design. Cover art is by [[Henry Higginbotham]], with interior art by [[Lars Grant-West]], [[Scott Fischer (artist)|Scott Fischer]], [[Jon Foster (artist)|John Foster]], [[Todd Lockwood]], [[David L. Martin|David Martin]], [[Arnie Swekel]], [[Kev Walker|Kevin Walker]], [[Sam Wood (artist)|Sam Wood]], and [[Wayne Reynolds]]. ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' was republished in 2001 as a slightly revised edition, correcting a few errors in the first edition.

{{Infobox book 
|name         = Dungeon Master's Guide (2003)
|author       = [[David Noonan (game designer)|David Noonan]] and Rich Redman
|genre        = [[Role-playing game]]
|publisher    = Wizards of the Coast
|release_date = July 2003
|media_type   = Print ([[Hardback]])
|pages        = 320
|subject      = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' v3.5
|isbn         = 0-7869-2889-1
|congress     = GV1469.62.D84 D836 2000
|oclc         = 52691405
|cover_artist = [[Henry Higginbotham]]
|followed_by  = [[Dungeon Master's Guide II]]
}}

In 2003, the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' was revised for the 3.5 edition. [[David Noonan (game designer)|David Noonan]] and Rich Redman are credited for the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' 3.5 revision. Cover art is by [[Henry Higginbotham]], with interior art by [[Matt Cavotta]], [[Ed Cox (artist)|Ed Cox]], [[Lars Grant-West]], [[Scott Fischer (artist)|Scott Fischer]], [[Jon Foster (artist)|John Foster]], [[Jeremy Jarvis]], [[John and Laura Lakey]], [[Todd Lockwood]], [[David L. Martin|David Martin]], [[Raven Mimura]], [[Wayne Reynolds]], [[Scott Roller]], [[Brian Snoddy]], [[Arnie Swekel]], and [[Sam Wood (artist)|Sam Wood]].

When asked about the changes from the previous ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', Rich Redman said:<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20030704a| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030811195738/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20030704a| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 11, 2003| title=Product Spotlight: D&D 3.5 |date=July 4, 2003| publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]| access-date=August 11, 2013| last=Ryan| first=Michael}}</ref>{{Blockquote|I think the most immediate, obvious, and dramatic change is the reorganization. When the 3rd Edition books came out, the adventure game was supposed to teach you about ''D&D'' (including both playing and DMing) and the adventure path modules were supposed to help you learn more about DMing. That meant that the ''DMG'' could be, more or less, a catalogue or encyclopedia of rules information, a reference book for DMs. With the demise of the adventure game (which had stopped printing long before we started on 3.5), we needed to focus the 3.5 books much more on introducing the game to players. That meant reorganizing the ''DMG'' in particular. Several years of published books that referred to pages and chapters in the ''DMG'' meant we could only reorganize so much, but the copies I've seen stayed pretty close to the way I reorganized it.}}

The D&D ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (v3.5) was reproduced as a premium reprint on September 18, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/02440000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830161010/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/02440000 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |title=3.5 Edition Premium Dungeon Master's Guide |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref>

==''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition==
{{Infobox book
| name              = Dungeon Master's Guide (2008)
| genre             = [[Role-playing game]]
| publisher         = Wizards of the Coast
| release_date      = June 2008
| media_type        = Print ([[Hardback]])
| pages             = 224
|subject            = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th Edition
| isbn              = 978-0-7869-4880-2
| congress          = 
| oclc              = 
| author            = [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]], Wizards RPG Team
| cover_artist      = [[Wayne Reynolds]]
| followed_by       = [[Dungeon Master's Guide 2]]
}}

The 4th edition D&D ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' was released on June 6, 2008, at the same time as its companion volumes. It is a 224-page hardcover written by [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. The front cover illustration was by [[Wayne Reynolds]] and the back cover illustration is by [[Brian Hagan]], with interior illustrations by Rob Alexander, [[Steve Argyle]], [[Wayne England]], [[Jason Engle]], [[David Griffith (artist)|David Griffith]], Espen Grundetjern, Brian Hagan, [[Ralph Horsley]], [[Howard Lyon]], [[Lee Moyer]], [[William O'Connor (artist)|William O'Connor]], [[Wayne Reynolds]], Dan Scott, Ron Spears, Chris Stevens, [[Anne Stokes]], and [[Eva Widermann]]. In addition to a comprehensive look at how to DM a 4th Edition campaign or adventure, it contains information on building encounters, aquatic and mounted combat, skill challenges, traps and hazards, rewards, NPC creation, artifacts, monster creation, and template, along with a sample town and short adventure so that DMs can start running their first 4th Edition adventure right away. Although it does contain artifacts, it is the first ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' not to contain standard magic items, which were moved into the ''Player's Handbook'' for 4th Edition.

[[Shannon Appelcline]], author of ''Designers & Dragons'', highlighted that the book introduced mechanical changes such as a "new style for adventure encounters" and a "skill challenge system" which were part of the key design philosophies of 4th edition. Appelcline wrote "besides revamping philosophies ''and'' rules, D&D 4e also revamped the game's standard world model and its cosmology" and "Wizards also introduced a new world setting that has become most popularly known as 'Nentir Vale' (though that just designates a small part of the world)".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Appelcline|first=Shannon|title=Dungeon Master's Guide (4e) - Product History|url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/56694/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-4e|access-date=2020-06-20|website=DriveThruRPG|language=en}}</ref>

In September 2009, the ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide 2]]'' was released. It was written by James Wyatt, with [[Bill Slavicsek]], [[Mike Mearls]], and [[Robin D. Laws]]. Appelcline wrote "the original Dungeon Master's Guide had covered heroic adventuring (levels 1-10), so now the Dungeon Master's Guide 2 detailed paragon adventuring (levels 11-20). However, there is much more in the book too, including storytelling advice, skill challenge and monster customization, and the return of one of D&D's most beloved settings". The "fan-favorite setting of Sigil" was last revisited in depth in the ''[[Planescape Campaign Setting]]'' (1994) for the 2nd edition.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Appelcline|first=Shannon|title=Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (4e) - Product History|url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/144108/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-2-4e|access-date=2020-06-20|website=DriveThruRPG|language=en}}</ref>

As part of the ''Essentials'' line of products, which were intended as an easy entry point for new players, Wizards of the Coast released a ''[[Dungeon Master's Kit]]'' (2010) that included a digest-sized book for the Dungeon Master containing much of the same material as the 4th edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' along with a two-part adventure module and a set of cardboard tokens for monsters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kulp|first=Kevin|title=Dungeon Master's Kit (4e) - Product History|url=https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/121978/Dungeon-Masters-Kit-4e|access-date=2020-06-20|website=DriveThruRPG|language=en}}</ref>

==''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition==
{{Infobox book
| name              = Dungeon Master's Guide (2014)
| genre             = [[Role-playing game]]
| publisher         = Wizards of the Coast
| release_date      = December 9, 2014
| media_type        = Print ([[Hardback]])
| pages             = 320
|subject            = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th Edition, 2014 version
| isbn              = 978-0-7869-6562-5
| congress          = 
| oclc              = 
| author            = [[Mike Mearls]], [[Jeremy Crawford]], [[Chris Perkins (game designer)|Christopher Perkins]], [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]
}}

The 5th edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' was released in 2014 as the last of three core rulebooks for the new edition. On the staggered release schedule, [[Jeremy Crawford]] wrote "our small team couldn’t finish the books at the same time and also ensure their high quality. [...] We could either stagger their releases, or we could sit on the books until all three were finished".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2014-12-08|title=D&D's last core book is your comprehensive guide to breaking the rules|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/8/7353743/d-and-d-dungeon-masters-guide-5th-edition|access-date=2020-06-20|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref> Crawford and [[Mike Mearls]] co-lead design for the [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|Fifth Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'']]. ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' reported that the book "is by far the densest of the rulebooks yet released, but shares the same cover price — $50 in the US".<ref name=":0" />

In an interview with ''[[Escapist Magazine]]'', Mearls said:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bolding|first=Jonathan|date=2 June 2014|title=Inside the Launch of the New Dungeons & Dragons With Designer Mike Mearls|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/11554-Inside-the-Launch-of-the-New-Dungeons-Dragons-With-Designer-Mike.4|access-date=2020-06-20|website=Escapist Magazine (v1)|language=en|archive-date=2020-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621125404/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/11554-Inside-the-Launch-of-the-New-Dungeons-Dragons-With-Designer-Mike.4|url-status=dead}}</ref><blockquote>''Basic D&D'' hits core fantasy, it's stereotypical fantasy adventuring. If you're the DM and you want to do something more exotic, you say "I want to add technology to my game" or "I want to have more detailed rules for a grim and grittier game, more of a horror game." That's where the ''DMG'' comes in, it's for really fine-tuning your campaign, and creating a different type of experience than your standard fantasy campaign. It's also for expanding the scope of the game. [...] The ''DMG'' also has a lot of utilities in it, like for dungeon creation, adventure creation, creating monsters, creating spells, even if you wanted to create a character class. [...] So it's really for getting under the hood of how the system works and building up your campaign.</blockquote>

{{Infobox book
| name              = Dungeon Master's Guide (2024)
| genre             = [[Role-playing game]]
| publisher         = Wizards of the Coast
| release_date      = November 12, 2024
| media_type        = Print ([[Hardback]])
| pages             = 
|subject            = Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, 2024 version
| isbn              = 
| author            = 
}}

=== Reception ===
The book won the 2015 [[ENnie Awards|ENnie]] "Best Supplement" Gold award and the 2015 [[Origins Award|Origins]] "Best Role-Playing Game Supplement" and "Fan Favorite" awards.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-08-12|title=2015 ENnie Award Winners|url=http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/about-us/2014-ennie-awards-nominees/2015-ennie-award-winners/|access-date=2020-06-20|website=ENNIE Awards|language=en|archive-date=2019-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308125829/http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/about-us/2014-ennie-awards-nominees/2015-ennie-award-winners/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=2015 Origins Award Winners|url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/31740/2015-origins-award-winners|access-date=2020-06-20|website=icv2.com|language=en}}</ref>

Henry Glasheen, for ''[[SLUG Magazine]]'', wrote "Fifth Edition, to my eyes, is the new gold standard for D20-based tabletop RPGs. It strips away the tedium of systems and statistics and replaces them with the true substance of role playing—deep, immersive stories. I’ve often found that the Dungeon Master’s Guide was the most vestigial of all the D&D manuals, but Fifth Edition has elevated this previously tertiary book into something far more important and useful".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Glasheen|first=Henry|date=2015-02-26|title=D&D Fifth Edition: Dungeon Master's Guide Review|url=https://www.slugmag.com/lifestyle/reviews/game-reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-dungeon-masters-guide-review/|access-date=2020-06-20|website=SLUG Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>

Jonathan Bolding, for ''Escapist Magazine'', wrote "however, on finishing the book it's clear that while many critics - myself included - thought that this system would hinge on the ''DMG'', the DMG just confirmed what we already knew ''D&D'' 5th Edition to be. This is a living history of ''D&D'', a collection of what the game has been so far. Perfection, not innovation. Options, not prescriptions".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bolding|first=Jonathan|date=12 January 2015|title=D&D Dungeon Master's Guide Review - A Toolbox, But is it Useful?|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/reviews/12849-D-D-Dungeon-Master-s-Guide-Review-A-Toolbox-But-is-it-Useful|access-date=2020-06-20|website=Escapist Magazine (v1)|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074535/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/reviews/12849-D-D-Dungeon-Master-s-Guide-Review-A-Toolbox-But-is-it-Useful|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chuck Francisco of mania.com commented: "Miles of treasure tables escort a wealth of random adventure tables to the ball, where they're resplendent in all of their easy session crafting majesty. The versatility of this tome is nowhere more obvious than amongst the flavor filled side panels, which further detail the lower magical level of the main setting, before explaining all of the variable options a DM has in bringing to life a world of their own."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mania.com/dungeons-dragons-dungeon-masters-guide-review_article_141111.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316020109/http://www.mania.com/dungeons-dragons-dungeon-masters-guide-review_article_141111.html|archive-date=March 16, 2015|date=January 5, 2015|title=Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide Review}}</ref>

In a review of ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' in ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'', Scott Taylor said "The 5E ''DMG'' devotes the first 127 pages to teaching a novice player how to [be] a Dungeon Master in this system. Where Gygax made the assumption that an aspiring DM needed to sit at a table as a player and learn the system from another, become inspired, and then extrapolate on what they'd learned firsthand, the folks [at] Wizards of the Coast have gone in the opposite direction and believe anyone buying this book has never really played ''D&D'' before and needs instruction on how to DM the game."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2014/12/07/art-of-the-genre-playing-dd-5e-and-an-in-depth-look-at-the-new-dmg/ | title=Art of the Genre: Playing D&D 5E and an In-Depth Look at the new DMG – Black Gate | date=7 December 2014 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31 Full list of contents for the ''AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide'']
*[http://www.acaeum.com/library/errata_dmg.html Errata]
*[http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12836.phtml Review of the ''AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide''] from RPG.net

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