Here's the link to the Google Doc reading list: bit.ly/new-dm-reading-list

@coreyl6221

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this doc. Was scrambling to find post it notes while watching until I saw this😂

@charles-oliviermaltais6014

3 жыл бұрын

Love your videos guys ! the concept of this one is particularly nice

@gabrielperez9729

3 жыл бұрын

I've learned so much from you guys and Critical Role. Can't wait to finally run my own game.

@Starbuckanear2012

3 жыл бұрын

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!

@Franimus

2 ай бұрын

This doc is what I REALLY want on a DM screen!!😂

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.

@evilsquirrel0573

3 жыл бұрын

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

@iakan6937

3 жыл бұрын

And if you don't like it or can't do something, change it!

@Franimus

2 ай бұрын

I like to read cover to cover first so I don't miss anything, then use the index to find the blurb I vaguely remember

This is such perfect timing. I am planning to dm for the first time after winter break.

@scottwagner2566

3 жыл бұрын

Same! Good luck, my fellow first-timer!

@Mil3o

3 жыл бұрын

I see we all needed this rn, gonna DM (for the first time) a campaign soon too

@cdnamy8832

3 жыл бұрын

Im 5 sessions in, and fuck its fun

@scottsammons3928

3 жыл бұрын

Wow same here. My group has been together for awhile but I'm taking iver as DM after we finish our current campaign

@billthebard805

3 жыл бұрын

I’m right there with you brother.

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.

@logancuster8035

3 жыл бұрын

Loooooove their work. Breathes extraordinary life into running monsters.

@TheFleahost

3 жыл бұрын

Was blessed to get this for Christmas. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

@robofthewest

3 жыл бұрын

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.

@AM-hf9kk

3 жыл бұрын

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.

@samw5924

3 жыл бұрын

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....?)

( @04:30 ) PHB "Introduction" - Pgs 5-8; ( @05:00 ) PHB "Using Ability Scores" {Ch 7} - Pgs 171-179 {DCs for Abilitiy Checks - Bookmark 174}; ( @05:50 ) PHB "Adventuring" {Ch 8} - Pgs 181-186; ( @06:10 ) PHB "Combat" {Ch 9} - Pgs 189-198 {Actions in Combat - Bookmark 192}; ( @07:20 ) PHB "Spellcasting" {Ch 10} - Pgs 201-205 {Concentration & Casting Times - Bookmark Pg 202}; ( @08:50 ) PHB "Conditions" {Apx-A} - Pgs 290-292; ( @11:05 ) DMG "Introduction" - Pg 6; ( @11:20 ) DMG "Running the Game" {Ch 8} - Pgs 233-260 {Bookmark Pg 245 - Conversation DCs} {Bookmark Pg 246 - Object ACs & Hit Points} {Bookmark Pg 249 - Improvising Damage & damage per level}; ( @13:50 ) Warning!!! DMG "Creating Encounters" should be replaced with XoGE "Encounter Building" - Pg 88-91; ( @14:20 ) DMG "Magic Items" {Ch 7, sec 3} - Pgs 135-227 should be used with... ( @14:50 ) XoGE "Magic Items" - Pg 135; ( @15:30 ) DMG "The Big Picture" {Ch 1, sec 1} - Pg 9; ( @16:05 ) TCoE "Session 0" - Pg 139; ( @17:00 ) Monster Manual - overview; ( @18:15 ) MM "Introduction" - Pgs 4-11 {Bookmark Pg 342 - NPCs}.

@adampric2hard

3 жыл бұрын

look at you! so prestigious, Dudes here is employee of the month.

@kellyryan3342

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome. Thank you for this!

@Boombox69in

2 ай бұрын

You rock

One advice I have is You can check almost everything online to save time on 5e wikidot , Roll 20 and DND beyond .

@escapeartist205

3 жыл бұрын

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

@malcolmrowe9003

3 жыл бұрын

Don't know about 5e wikidot but on d&d beyond and roll 20 you do have to buy resources to go much beyond the basic rules.

@Shakiahjprod

3 жыл бұрын

@@malcolmrowe9003 wikidot is free and super simple to search through. Now rulebooks you'd need to download

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! ❤️

Aside from watching KZread videos, I found much of the information I needed in the rule book that came with the Starter Kit.

There is also a really interesting book called “the monsters know what they are doing”. It is really useful for monsters strategy

@richardhealy

3 жыл бұрын

Highly recommended reading for understanding how creatures behave given their stat bloc.

@OakenTome

3 жыл бұрын

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.✌️

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.

@DungeonDudes

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

i would bookmark the equipment section of the phb for all the buying of stuff

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

3 жыл бұрын

where can you get those books?

@josephskiles

3 жыл бұрын

@@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

@danboud8135

3 жыл бұрын

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.

@josephskiles

3 жыл бұрын

@@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!

@josephskiles

3 жыл бұрын

@@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

I absolutely love that you guys broke this down so many people ask this question and it’s difficult to break it down as you did here. Bravo

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!

@markfarnsworth3340

3 жыл бұрын

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.

This is honestly the best advice you can get as a Dungeon Master. I wish I had similar advice when I started 5 months ago....

When I got into 5th edition, not playing since 1st, I DM’ed for a year with only the PHB & XGtE. Listened to KZreadrs 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.

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.

@rosascreativeworks5403

2 жыл бұрын

Now there's a good idea...

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.

You’re videos are so polished and fun to watch now. Kudos on leveling up 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.

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!

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.

- I really appreciate how you guys break it all down in a clear, concise way. Terrific information. Keep up the great work.

You don't need to know the stats of an Astral Dreadnought to run a campaign from level 1 to 10.

As a first time dnd player and DM i found reading the corebooks incredibly exciting and really brought out my creativity.

I'm a seasoned DM that periodically reviews the material because my party is CONSTANTLY doing the unexpected and this video is a life-saver!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

@tinkerer3399

3 жыл бұрын

They tend to be pretty helpful in the description, I wish more KZread channels used it as well.

I'm that wierdo that loves the textbook rules, and gleefully read the PHB and DMG cover to cover. but I by no means memorized everything!

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.

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.

You don’t need to read all of the rules but you get to read all of the rules. I love it.

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!

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!

Thank you! I literally just started my first campaign yesterday with my friends. You guys are great!

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.

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

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!

Thank you for these. I've been DMing for abt a year and I couldn't have done it without your videos!!

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!

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

Perfect timing!!! I'm just now starting my DM journey! Had my first game Tuesday following tips you guys have already posted!

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 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!

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.

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.

After so many years this video is still up to date and providing us masters with incredible value. Thanks. Great job.

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.

I really miss the sword slashing cut to open the video.

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.

More important than reading the rulebooks, is familiarizing yourself with them, so that you can find the rule you want quickly if you need to.

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!!!

Thank yal for having this. It helped me so much as being a new DM/ player, and running my first campain with 6 new plavers.

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

Very helpful, as a person who is trying to return to the game this makes things much easier. Thank you

I wanted to start dming, the timing is just on spot! Great video, many thanks 😁

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.

In the past there was one section I really found useful. Xanathar’s Ch. 2 page 92-112 random encounters.

I'd also recommend 143-149 of the equipment section, just to be familiar with the common weapons and armor and how they work.

Thank you Dudes!! You made this DM (Who is teaching an even newer DM) very happy. Those Page numbers are clutch!!

Christmas came early, I'm just starting in the world of d&d as a DM and didn't know where to start thank you Dungeon Dudes

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😁👍

You guys are amazing! You have helped me so much, both as a player and DM. So, I just joined your Patreon. Keep the great content coming!

FINALLY A VIDEO THATS STRAIGHT FORWARD!!! Thank you so much ❤

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).

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. :)

Hi. You released this guide ~2 days before my first time as DM. Perfect timing! Thanks, merry xmas and happy new year.

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.

You guys are amazing, I was reading cover to cover and this helped me so much.

Merry holidays boys and from the bottom of my heart thank you for being the most consistent and quality content creators in my feed🥳🎄🐉

@skiitswitch

3 жыл бұрын

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!

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

@DungeonDudes

3 жыл бұрын

This video might help you out a bit! kzread.info/dash/bejne/mJeerZqoiKjeZaw.html Also yes, we do hope to do more videos for newer players and DMs

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 🙏

Guides like this is why I love and always recommend your channel.

Merry Xmas to one of my favorite recently found pair of creators.

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! :)

Well, found this video the morning after my first session as a DM. XD I’ll definitely be using this in the future. Much appreciated!

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.

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.

13:54 Kelly, you can make a career in modelling for sales adverts or game shows xD

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

Hey dudes, another great video. One thing I would like to suggest for the brand spanking new DM (on a shoe string budget) is just to read the free Basic Rules pdf on the WOTC website. It covers the same material as the PHB but with less complexity (only 4 races/classes), has enough magical items and monster stats to get started. For more options, the free Basic Rules on D&D Beyond seems to cover most of the core rules minus feats and the sub classes. And for a few dollars a session the DMs Guild may have some beginning adventures that include magical items & monster stats. I have noticed that the "AL approved adventures" seem to have all the required stats without need of DMG or MM (guessing AL material has the license to). And lastly the D&D Starter Set which is the best 20 bucks one can spend to get started on D&D as a player or DM.

@tony9238

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like you can make a whole new video for essential reading for the new DM on a budget ;)

Thanks for these highlights... first game I’m running next week. Will review based on your suggestions

"It's better to know where to find rules rather than having them perfectly memorised" This is very true in general life especially if you have a technical job. There's too much information to just know. It's always funny to me when someone asks me a question, I give them my magic staff to hold while I dig into the scrolls I have tucked into my pockets.

A DM screen can help a ton. Then, add another page of your own quick reference notes.

i feel personally attacked cause i enjoy sitting down and reading the books cover to cover and even if i don't have 100% of it memorized i often only need a little nudge to remember and recall the information.

Very helpful for first-time Dungeon Masters. Nicely done. Thanks, guys.

Perfect. I’m trying to get my own game up and going at the beginning of the new year

Going into Dm role in a month, really appreciate this little guide cheers guys =)

Read through the Players handbook. cannot recommend that enough. the DM's guide is a good reference to skim.

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 😊

Myself and some friends have just started playing and I said I'd DM. None of us have a clue really, we haven't played since 3.5, so our first session was about getting the mechanics right. After that session 2 of the others said they would like to DM as well so this will help us all out. A LOT! I'll have a greater understanding of what to do for our 2nd session when the group enters the Cragmaw Hideout from LMoP