I would also suggest Volo's p. 209 for additional NPC stat blocks. Just as an addition to the list in the Monster Manual. All of this is amazing. Thank you!
I've always thought of these books like cookbooks, you don't read them cover to cover. Scan or check the index first, then use bits and pieces as you need them.
Then, after you do that enough times, just read all of it because there’s probably some obscure rule you needed that you couldn’t find in the index, happens to me a bunch
I would highly recommend *The Monsters Know What They're Doing* by Keith Ammann. While it's definitely not required reading for a beginner, it is a VERY good reference material for intermediate level dungeon masters running monsters in Dungeons and Dragons 5e.
What a great book. It breathes life into these creatures. Gives you a fresh set of eyes when looking at the stat blocks. And gave me so much inspiration.
Agreed. Goblins are a lot scarier when they drop an ambush and make a fighting retreat instead of appearing in the open and getting mowed down en masse by the barbarian.
I've read it through once and it was a lot to take in but very well-written and I'm keeping it around basically tied to my monster manual for reference to play basically any combat encounter. I'm planning a game for new players though, might have to take it a little easy the first few sessions (unless....?)
I got a coupon with the essentials kit and got the players guide for like 15 bucks on dnd beyond and it has helped a lot being able to search and everything
You guys are absolute treasures! I'm getting ready to start my 14 y/o daughter and her friends on their first adventure (phandelver) and I've been trying to brush up on my DMing. Thank you for everything you do, and I can't wait to get my hands on Drakkenheim! Please never stop doing what you do! ❤️
The essential kit booklet or the starter kit one has enough about DMing to make running a game rudimentarily for a great price. DMG is mostly rules on building a setting, a dungeon, a homebrew rule. PH is about actually playing the game. adventuring, combat, travel, spells.
This is so useful, because even after running games for a number of years, I always find the most helpful thing is to revisit the materials for information and inspiration.
It’s also based on a blog that’s completely free to read, both of which are written by Keith Amann. I haven’t read any of his paid books myself, but I’ve found his blog to be very inspiring and insightful.
My daughter who has played for a couple years is now the DM. So of course she doesn’t know many spells and abilities players get when they level up. It’s great though because she loves the game so much that she is genuinely excited when anyone does something new. She always says”Oh what does that do?” I think the players are even more responsible for how their spells and actions work. Great video as always.✌️
There is one set of books that completely shaped me into the DM I am today and they are the VanRichten guides to monsters ( the created above all else), they showed me how to craft truly memorable villains that were anything but cookie cutter and from the villains my imagination could quickly craft stories around them. I highly advise even seasoned DM's give them a shot you can thank me later!
@@infamoussky22 I got several of them originally back in 2nd ed them the rest when they reprinted them as a collection. I think drivethrurpg has them if you don't wanna spend a fortune for them on ebay
Seconded! But then again the majority of supplements from 2nd eds Ravenloft we're really good, in spite of the mad glut of products TSR kept pumping out at the time. Castles Forlorn remains one of my favourite modules of all time.
@@danboud8135 castles Forlorn was an amazing byox set, I couldn't agree more my friend. I can't understand why it along with many others have not gotten the Curse of Strahd update treatment you would think it'd be like printing money for them!
@@danboud8135 IMHO what drove players and DM's from the setting was when they started screwing with the time lines of various domains . It became a problem when one land was midevil horror fantasy then it's direct neighbor had gunpowder and that doesn't even include the victorian era shenanigans later books adapted to rip off EAP stories, although the grand conjunction brought some cool new darklords and lands into the setting it kinda killed any consistency
Thank y’all so much! You were already my favorite DND/RPG channel, but as I was “nominated” to run a campaign starting 1/9, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I am running a one shot 12/26 and will definitely run a zero on 1/2, so I’ll actually jump into Tasha’s and Xanathar’s to make sure my encounters are good to go! I’ll then work my way through the rest! Thanks again Dudes!
Good luck, you’ll do great! Just remember that you’ve got a lot going on as the DM so don’t stress when small things fall through the cracks. If you’re having fun and the PC’s are having fun then that’s YOUR D&D game.
Another good thing to do when starting out DMing, is literally just sitting and watching some of the less homebrew streams of the game. (ie games that follow mostly the core rules) - there's a lot to learn from people who have walked the path before us.
When I got into 5th edition, not playing since 1st, I DM’ed for a year with only the PHB & XGtE. Listened to RU-vidrs like Dungeon Dudes etc., watched about dozen Critical Role episodes and would Google the monsters for current stats….there is a ton of information in the PHB. With that and the MM you can do a lot.
THANK YOU- I've been playing and DM'ing for around 40 years, but I never thought of how I could bring this up to new and perspective DM's. The intimidation factor for the volumes of rules is a big reason more people don't TRY to DM. Being able to point out the sections that are NEEDED vs what you can skim/look over the Table of Contents to get a quick idea of is HUGE. I'm going to be pointing the members of my parties who have expressed some interest in playing but haven't worked up the courage to this.
This is incredibly helpful. I tend to be an overachiever who feels like if I don't read things cover to cover, I'm slacking, but as I prep for my first full campaign as a DM (The Wild Beyond the Witchlight -- can. not. wait!), I've been trying to be realistic about how to prep. This helped break down the essentials and gave me a great prep plan for the next few weeks until the adventure's release. Thanks, guys!
Honestly if your brand new to DMing and you are not building a world from scratch don't worry about the DMG and MM too much just learn how the game works from the PHB. Also if your brand new I highly recommend a premade to start because it will help you understand how an adventure is supposed to work. Good luck to all the new DMs out there and try not to get frustrated when players foil your plans too easily just have fun.
The DM's Guide is also a great reference for players too. It touches up & even clarifies some things that are a little vague in the PHB. So don't count out the PHB as "players only" & the DMG as "DM's only". They have incredibly useful things to both kinds of people in your group!
The most vital reading I did to improve the combats in my games was to look up the monsters I had in store for my players on The Monsters Know What They're Doing. Unless combat is like a tertiary part of your game, I think reading that will make your encounters with monsters both more challenging and much more immersive. Really vital supplement to the Monster Manual flavor text and stat blocks.
As someone who played 1st ed with rules all over the place and NO INDEX, dnd 5th ed is blissful. Books are somewhat structured and you can find what you're looking for. The concept of action, bonus action and reaction is good to get a grip of.
This channel is just pure gold. So nice to hear, professional, so straight to the point, and the nice dynamic between the two of them. Thank you so much for your hard work. Its helping me a lot on how to DM in 5e.
Here I was taking screenshots of each section and bookmark, when you had it all neatly at the end and in the description. Running my first campaign in a month and I’m looking forward to it! Thank you!
I love that you’re making a module of the Dungeons of Drakkenhiem. I started watching it about a month ago and I’m loving it so far! I’ve been playing for about a year and I’m going to be dm for my teen age kids starting next week. This video was perfectly timed for me.
This should be essential for everyone to watch. I already showed this video to my entire crew. By far the most "new player/dm friendly" youtube video ever .. this 11/10 for content! AMAZING WORK!
I am always excited to see the detailed breakdowns. I watch and constantly rewatch all these videos. Each time I pick up a new idea or am reminded of a mechanic I forgot or neglect. Great job. Thanks.
Currently binging the videos on your channel. I really appreciate the thought and care you put into your focused scripts. As a new player and aspiring DM, these are great resources.
This is an outstanding video. Truly a worthwhile topic. As a DM who has read through the books and experienced a ton of trial and error, the pages mentioned do cut right to the heart of what you need to know. Bravo!
I started my first campaign as a DM about a year ago, so I think of myself as a newbie still. And you are listing basically exactly what I needed when starting.
I'm DMing for the first time this week and I'm excited by how much of this game has been opened up to me by getting to play this role. Thanks for the video guys.
As someone who is currently reading through these 3 books, and is also planning to DM for the first time to a table of newbies, this video is super helpful. Fortunately I actually LOVE reading through sourcebooks like these.
Great content, Dudes. I have a nephew recently introduced to D&D who is chomping at the bit to DM. I always point him to youtube and all the great content available. This video will go a long way in getting him to DM without becoming overwhelmed (even I found useful and reassuring). Kudos!
Love it! I requested this on the Discord, great to see it and it’s perfect how you pulled out the best sections. I read the DMG cover to cover and it was absurd.
Guys this is going to help me SO MUCH, thank you 😍 I always get confused by the amount of stuff I need to remember, but now I feel more confident I can actually master my sessions
I started playing D&D a few months ago with some friends virtually and I am HOOKED. My mind immediately started coming up with all kinds of fun adventures and campaigns that I'd love to DM. But thanks to another video of yours, I decided to run Phandelver first with my D&D veteran brother and other members of the family so I can get a feel for how it's supposed to be before I dive into homebrews. Thanks for all your excellent information and advice, it's extremely helpful so far!
This is a Real Good video. I've been DMing 5e for over 2 years, and running games for about 2 decades, but still haven't read through all of the DMG. It's really nice to have the sections I may be missing highlighted!
This is an excellent summary of the essentials. Well done dudes! Even as a seasoned player and GM I still learn and find tons of inspiration from you guys. You are awesome!
17:35 FACT. I picked up Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, skimmed through it. Came across the Moonstone Dragon who is generally peaceful and inspires poets. Gears started turning. Now I'm building out a homebrew campaign called Legacy of the Moonstone Dragon that involves dreams and madness. :D
I am so going to use these pagenumbers!! I have been DM-ing Lost mines of Phandelver twice now after taking over from our DM after just 4 /5 playing sessions prior to that. I have been going up and down through my PHB and the startersets booklets for hours prior to the sessions and even soem while eacht time during. Mostly because i could remember a rule, but had no specific idea on where to search for it :P So THANK you very much for providing these bookmarks!!! It will enhance my enjoyment big time.
Super useful guys, I have DnD Beyond only so I had to spend some time making bookmarks on my browser, but these suggestions are perfect because we usually end up trying to find these exact things almost every session and I usually forget to make the bookmarks
I just want to say thank very much. I am a fairly new DM and was very unsure of where to start and how. Everyone just kept telling me to read the books, without guidance of what to read. As someone who is just planning to play with my kids, this gives me a better understanding on what to read. Thank you very much.
I'm an infrequent DM, first time (not final time though) run was a 2+ year exploratory mission that was as much about the mostly newish players exploring as it was for me. Can confirm benefits after starting too! Great timing Dudes.
Perfect timing for some _very_ useful advice - I'm planning to start a campaign or two in the new year (different groups but a shared setting so I can share some prep work).
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant -- as always. Thanks for all these awesome insight and taking the time to share in such a simple, quick format! LOVE THE DUNGEON DUDES!!!
Great guide on esstinal areas to read up on and am not surpised by how much of the suggested sections had a table or footnote for the dm screen...those are so hopeful for quick reference. The only thing i would have liked to see you recap in this video would have been the quick look up and we wil rule this way for now hints you have given before. For any not familiar with this they are a set of guidelines that help keep the pace of your game going well. With about 10-20 seconds to find the rule if you cannot make a one time ruling and advise we will do this now but i will check and/or revise later. So useful when you can't find that rule that you remeber you read somewhere without losing the rythem of your game.
I stumbled upon this channel 6 months back, it inspired me to pickup the core rule books. Your reading list is exactly the first things I reviewed before I began planning my campaign. Great work as always Dudes Too bad bad my campaign will go on hold once your book drops. Ah first world problems. :)
What an awesome video!! I wish I had this just over a year ago when I started. I've noticed on my own some of the things you've been talking about - For example, I started out thinking that the DMG was uber-important to read full through, then noticed during play that the really important info came from the PHB.
So useful! Thank you guys. I’ve added some handy post-it book separators to the pages you’ve suggested + others useful for the POTA campaign I’m about to run 🙏
Guys i found your Chanel last week, it's very helpfull for me. Saved time i can now use to work on my first homebrew campain. Luckily the Page numbers are nearly the same in the german versions. Realy enjoying your Videos😁👍
There is ONE thing that experienced GM's don't know, and that is the history of the Forgotten Realm (assuming it takes place there). General timeline knowledge and so forth. It's like not knowing Einstein, the Vietnam conflict and local and major world politicians. It's something every GM really should work on reading through between games.
Preparing my first campain and this is gonna help a lot. You can look at the index but sometimes with all the material available its confusing sometime. Thanks for the content.
I am just getting into dnd. Hope to see more videos like this. Thanks for not forgetting new players and dms. Idk if you have a video already but I got rime of the frostmaiden and had to delay the game because its harder to run than I thought I have no clue what I need to take notes on or memorize or whats ok to wing it on....if you haven't already a very detailed eli5 video on running premade adventures would be greatly appreciated. This video helps a lot though...thanks guys
This video might help you out a bit! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fcjK8oXEx5I.html Also yes, we do hope to do more videos for newer players and DMs
Thanks so much for this easily explained video. It has helped skim off alot of stuff for beginner games I'm about to start up. Keep up the great work on the amazing videos of super quality needed info. Very appreciated. Roll on! :)
Yeah when I was starting all the rules were confusing and there were so many. Luckily there was a dnd channel that explains everything in a better way. Thanks guys
It’s like you guys read my mind. I’m planning to DM for my first campaign in about a month or 2 and seeing this video couldn’t have come at more opportune time.
Excellent video! I'm looking to run my second campaign next month and hoping to do better. I'm sure this list of essential reading will help me run a smoother game 😊
I love this video! I always recommend your videos to people asking for references and love how easy you guys make it is to understand even complex topics
Seriously. Even on Thanksgiving Day it was such a relief to sit down and count on the Dudes to take me away a little bit. I am so excited to see some of the new play test locations after the new year!
