It’s that day out of most months where I take time out to express my disdain for corporate shenanigans.

Sometimes I take a poke at the regular corporate stupidity, but this month I want to rant a bit about the TableTop RolePlaying Game Industry, specifically Wizards of the Coast. They’re the company that makes the world’s most famous roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons.

The “information embargo” on the new 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide has been lifted and the “reviewers” on YouTube are going wild. Everytime I see a “DungeonTuber” or “D&DTuber” as I like to call them, going on about this book like it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, I fight back equal amounts of laughter, tears, and vomit. If I thought the Player’s Handbook hype was obnoxious, the DMG is actually worse. I would truly like to meet the corporate brain trust that thought this style of promotion was a good plan.

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As I get older, my tolerance for nonsense declines.

I’ve heard a lot about the 2024 DMG on YouTube from both official D&D Beyond and various D&DTubers now that their truth embargo (or whatever it’s called) has been lifted. I’m hearing a few things I’m very excited about and make me want to actually read the thing bare minimum. I’ve also heard a handful of things that make me want to throw my phone out the window and go into full rant mode. Were the promotion of the book itself less frustrating to listen to, I might be more forgiving of the book’s content choices. So far this book sounds like it could be a mixed blessing for not only 2024 D&D, but many other games as well.

The real non-controversial nonsense to me is the way the PHB and DMG are being promoted. The rest of the regular public, the preorder crowd, and the FLGS that ordered it don’t even have the thing in hand yet, but the D&DTubers, well they’re special. It’s this kind of elitist treatment that not only makes me want to barf, but it really turns me off of anything they’d have to say because nobody else even has it in hand yet. WtF, Wizards? Review copies are one thing, but this is excessive and stupid.

Hey, remember when reviewers had to buy copies of the stuff they wanted to review? I know I’m not on YouTube yet and my social media following is meager but awesome, but for cryin out loud- WotC won’t even send me an email telling me to “Go get stuffed.” Leaps and bounds of logic aside, if I want to review the DMG, I’d have to buy the m🦆🦆r 🦆🦆er!

All this early “review’ nonsense is doing, besides making utter fools out of some D&DTubers, is creating unnecessary FoMO and bad public relations for the book. Any good that could come from all the early “super-duper totally not-paid-for” reviews is offset by once again putting the social media influencers above the rest of  the fans. No offense to anyone but screw that noise.

Luckily for me there is a game company out there kind enough to send me digital copies of their games for review after they’ve been released to the public. I love them dearly for it. I have so many good things to say about them and one game in particular. WotC could cash in on my goodwill and kindness, but it would require them to talk to us lowly peasants on occasion.

Some select parts of the 2024 DMG sound great and make up for the 2014 version.

This is all based on hearsay as I haven’t had a copy of the 2024 DMG in front of me yet. From what I can tell, the book accomplishes at least three things we in the TTRPG community wanted to see it do. It’s got a solid set of tools for a wide variety of game situations. It’s specifically got an encounter building tool that is closer to what the game designers use in house. Finally, there seems to be a solid bit of help for new Dungeon Masters specifically, which I’m a huge champion for that.

The shiny new bits of random tables, NPCs, and adventures included are cool for picking up adventures on the fly and running with them. I think this is again awesomeness for new DMs. I also hear there are plenty of dungeon maps to go around, something from decades past that was helpful.

Then for the bits that have almost caused my having to replace my phone.

I hear there are some new features in the 2024 DMG that just make me cringe out loud. We knew the Bastion System was coming which in and of itself isn’t a big shock. There are new magic item creation rules that seem more player-facing and probably belong in the PHB, not the DMG. There’s a very old lack of trust that we’re somehow not supposed to turn players loose with that information, I guess. Then there’s the elephant in the room- Greyhawk.

WtF is wrong with Wizards of the Coast that they can’t come up with a new campaign setting to call their own?!? I’m pretty sure Gygax is spinning in his grave at 1,000 RPM now. What? Was WotC afraid of letting their Trademark rights lapse on a property they weren’t using anyway? Is it that hard for the brAIn trust at WotC to cook up a new campaign setting?

I can forgive a lot of WotC sins. 2023 in general and most of their shenanigans since could be forgotten (minus the Great D&D Open Game License Debacle of 2023. Ain’t letting that one go any time soon.) But pulling Greyhawk in as a canon setting for 2024 D&D? I feel it’s a terrible idea, from the guy (me) who just used the Greyhawk map with all the serial numbers filed off with names and places changed.

I wish  someone at Wizards of the Coast would have the vision and foresight enough to let go of the past! If they want to change the D&D game to be a more progressive, heroic, inclusive, diverse, enlightened game experience, that’s great. (Yes, my honest opinion. I want to see D&D go this way.) Why can’t WotC move into the future with their own 2024 DMG?

How in the heck do the writers expect to accomplish that by clinging to a 50 year old campaign setting that they themselves have admitted to hating the aesthetic, hating the designers, and hating most of the cultures represented in the setting? How do they justify this sh🦆t? I’m serious.

Are the writers and Paizo freelancers at WotC lacking in creativity?

What happened to, “The World’s Greatest Role Playing Game?” How is it that the brAIn trust at WotC hasn’t released a new official D&D campaign setting in over 15 years? (*Where was the new 4E setting? There wasn’t one afaik.) I think Eberron was the last hurrah when it came to new official D&D settings.

I’m sorry, TTRPG family. There are so many ways the writers could have gone with the 2024 DMG that doesn’t include Greyhawk. They could have included an extensive world building section. There could have been a generic fantasy world tone to the adventures, etc. The writers could have built their own world full of their political and moral values that were so obvious in the PHB.

There are any number of reasons they’re dropping Greyhawk into the DMG beyond a general lack of sanity or creativity. A. They don’t think DMs are capable of building their own game world. B. WotC wants to dig up another piece of history just to ruin it like they have so many other great gaming books. C. They want to push their new AI driven online walled garden down all of our throats. D. Coming up with their own world would require human staff writers that know what they’re doing, E. All the above.

One last point before we go.

When it comes to advice for DM/GMs, there really isn’t a whole lot new under the sun. Some of these YouTube personalities who give DM/player advice with a pretty smile and two years of gaming experience under their belt are regurgitating the same words us old codgers were using 30+ years ago. There are entire books written just on the subject of being a better fantasy Game Master, and honey- ya ain’t come up with anything I haven’t already heard a half dozen times.

Sure the packaging has changed. Now we have these very attractive young ladies on YouTube giving all the loving DM advice because it sounds better coming from them than some 52 year old bald Grognard with 40+ years of game experience. I get WotC wanting to put several fresh, young, beautiful faces on their product. Yes, social media presence impacts everything now, including TTRPG promotions. It doesn’t matter who it’s coming from. It’s all the same information.

However, the product needs to match the fresh younger generation of roleplayers who follow D&D now. Greyhawk is not going to get the job done. These kids don’t want any semblance historical accuracy. They want sandal wearing dwarves with matching tattoos who bake cookies in the great forge of their ancestors.

Is there a market for DM/GM advice?

After this week, I’m having my doubts. I was planning a whole series of columns on GM advice here on the blog and YouTube. Now I’m not so sure I want to go that route. Lord only knows I have plenty of resources just in back issues of Polyhedron and Dragon Magazine alone. It’s not that I can’t do it.

This new DMG and the crowd of well-meaning social media influencers pushing it seem to have the subject pretty well covered. My heart goes out to new DMs/GMs just starting out. Back in those early days, I would have loved some good advice. But, does the world need to hear another voice from the dark dishing out DM advice? I just don’t know right now.

Buy the new 2024 DMG or don’t.

Do what you think is best. In the grand scheme of things, I prefer people use their own discernment when it comes to picking up new TTRPG products of any kind. Please don’t just go off the words of some old guy on the Internet or some fresh face on YouTube. I refuse to blindly shill any product just because a large corporation sent me a shiny free copy a full month or more before the actual release. Then again, don’t fall for some bitter old Grognard who was never going to look at the thing anyway telling you not to buy a book before you’ve gotten a chance to see for yourself.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.