Pyramid Review
Dungeon Master for Dummies
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Written by Bill Slavicsek & Richard Baker
Edited by Jean Rogers, Virginia Sanders, Christopher Perkins, Laura Albert, Jessica Kramer, & Tammy Todd Art, graphics by Rich Tennant, Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Lauren Goddard, Denny Hager, Wayne England, David Griffith, Doug Kovacs, Chuck Lukacs, Chad Sergesketter, Arnie Swekel, Andrew & Trabbold
408-page b&w softcover with DM cardstock reference insert; $21.99
A successful product doesn't keep you in business for long if you don't learn how to market it. A rather open-ended Dungeons & Dragons for Dummies book covered that game in general for the new roleplayers among us, but Dungeon Master for Dummies offers more specific advice for the put-upon referee specifically.
The best news is that this book is a more worthwhile reference than the previous gaming . . . for Dummies volumes, at least to its target audience. Aimed at those who know the game and want to take their turn behind the screen but haven't the experience, it focuses on the topics most important to the fledgling Dungeon Master: how to start a world, expand it, and make it real; keeping character rewards and challenges on an even keel; and creating memorable adventures.
Of course, what it does first and foremost is explain what a DM is and what he does while lurking behind that shield. If all this sounds rather pedestrian, you're probably not the consumer they're . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: April 27, 2007
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