The revised core books forDungeons & Dragonshave been a mixed bag, but the newDungeon Master’s Guideis certainly more useful for DMs who are learning the craft, as itfocuses more on creating homebrew campaigns instead of campaign worlds. In 2014 theDMGput far too much focus on world-building. This preoccupation was harmful to newcomers, as starting DMs look to theDMGas what it purports to be: a guide on how to run the game ofD&D. New DMs should absolutely be creating bespoke campaigns, butnot original worlds for them to take place in.
Whereas the2024Player’s Handbookruined martial charactersand embraced the bigotry of classism with its Background system, 2024’sDMGis wholly an improvement over its predecessor. Both give some nods to different styles of campaigns, but 2014’s approach presented aDMGthat wascloser to aManual of the Planesand a world-building guide than a useful toolfor those learning to DM for the first time. It gave the strong suggestion that starting DMs should be creating original fantasy worlds to go with their original campaigns, when this isterrible guidance, even for more experienced Dungeon Masters.
While entirelynewDnDDMs try starter adventuresto grow comfortable with the role, thegoal for nearly every DM is to create their own campaigns. Most new tabletop RPG hobbyists who are drawn to the role want to act as more than a referee and narrator for someone else’s creative vision, and premade adventures are inherently limited in their scope and flexibility. Teaching new DMs to construct the kinds of narratives that work well withDnD’s unique style of collaborative storytelling is obviously a goal for anyDMG. 2014’sDMGdevoted more pages to making worlds than preparing campaigns.
If the player is constantly asking questions about the DM’s homebrew world, they have a hard time conceptualizing a character that is truly a product of that world and calls it their home.
The challenge ofcreating a homebrewDnDcampaign worldis considerable, and best reserved for experienced DMs. It is not a simple matter to create a rich fantasy world with a plausible history, politics, religion, cosmology, threats, and factions, to support a campaign.
In 2014’sDMG,chapters on world-building preceded any guidance on running a campaign, which was a truly baffling decision.Greyhawkis provided as a usable campaign world in 2024’sDMG, with enough information to run a starter adventure in the storied setting. This is a smarter approach, asDMs absolutely need to learn to understand premade worlds.
There are somefascinating atypical tabletop RPG campaign settingsthat eschew theD&Dnorms ofGreyhawk, but DMs should learn the baseline of what a world is before they begin dabbling in the more experimental and unconventional settings. There islittle value in a new DM creating an original setting, as that time would be better spent learning the history and lore of an established world and focusing on making the best campaign they can in that setting. World-building is an entirely different skill set fromcrafting an engaging story, interesting NPCs, and appropriate challengesfor the player characters.
Using A Premade D&D Setting Helps DMs & Players
Character Immersion Is Easier With A Published Setting Book
It is debatable whichD&DandPathfindersettings are best, but longtime TTPRG fans knowpremade settings almost always yield the best results for the players and the DM. The DM and players have access to the same book containing a world’s history and lore and can enter a campaign with a shared sense of the tone of the world and what norms to expect within it. Even if a DM shares a document regarding their homebrew campaign setting, there aretoo many questions players may have that the DM does properly address, leaving them unclear about the game’s world.
D&D: How DMs Can Avoid The Biggest RPG Mistakes In Their Own Campaigns
There is a place for filler sessions in some Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, but a low-stakes session at the wrong time can eradicate dramatic momentum.
AD&Dplayer needs proper character immersion, butthat requires context, as the characters have grown up living in the campaign’s fictitious world. If the player is constantly asking questions about the DM’s homebrew world, they have a hard time conceptualizing a character that istruly a product of that world and calls it their home.
When the DM runs a game inEberron’s Sharn, players can read about the city and the nation of Breland and have a good idea what a childhood there was like. They know the pantheon that is commonly worshipped, and the impact of war.
Learning to craft original campaigns with unique stories is a key part of the role of theDnDDM, and a well-writtenDMGcan help them graduate from pre-written adventures as soon as possible. Creating original worlds is of dubious value, however.
Communication is key, but new DMs may have different ideas from their players, adding to the downsides of bespoke worlds. There aretabletop RPGs about bleak, doomed worlds, but if a DM describes their setting in such terms,without adequate information, players might misread their intended vibe.
One might assume the DM’s apocalyptic world will carry a humorously nihilistic tone likeZombieland, while another might approach it as a somber, tragic setting, likeThe Last Of Us.Prewritten settings avoid such ambiguity by clearly laying out the facts of a world, and its tone, getting everyone on the same page.
Established D&D Worlds Have Downsides
DMs Need As Much Setting Knowledge As The Players
There are some downsides to adopting a prewritten campaign setting, though aSession Zero can preemptively address problems, in most cases. Someplayers might be more familiar with the setting than the DM, particularly if they have followed a world likeForgotten Realmssince earlier editions, where the books were far denser with lore compared to the current edition, or if the players read the setting’s novels. Even when using a premade setting, it is always the DM’s “version” of that world, and Session Zero is a good time to discuss if the DM is comfortable being corrected on lore.
Some of the best third-party 5eD&Dcampaign worlds for new and experienced DMs alike includeCloudsea,Midnight,Iron Kingdoms,Rokugan,Primeval Thule,Retia,Soulmist,Nightfell, andCrystalpunk.
Learning to craft original campaigns with unique stories is a key part of the role of theDnDDM, and awell-writtenDMGcan help them graduate from pre-written adventures as soon as possible. Creating original worlds is of dubious value, however.
While this can be an entertaining experiment,pre-written worlds offer the most advantages, leading to immersive roleplaying and more coherent gaming experiences. TheDungeons & Dragons2024Dungeon Master’s Guidewas right to prioritize the skill of campaign creation over world-building, since homebrew campaigns offer unparalleled experiences, while a new DM’s homebrew setting rarely adds anything but frustration.
