RPG Review: D&D 2e PHB, DMG & MM

Player’s Handbook

I finally got a chance to read over the 2nd Edition rules, diving into the Player’s Handbook.

The book opens with an extensive table of contents, as well as a table of tables. This is highly detailed, breaking down not only the chapters, but the subsections within it; this is something that is sorely missing in modern RPGs, and it’s greatly appreciated here. A brief introduction leads right into how to play D&D, with a full page of an example of play. There’s also a glossary, which gives terminology for almost everything in the book. While this is very helpful for the chapters to come, I worry that a player who decided to dive into RPGs with this book would be overwhelmed with the sheer number of terms here.

The book is really well laid out, with a lot of tables, clear chapters and multiple appendixes to cover spells.

One thing I noticed as I read over the rules is how similar it is to both 1e and 3e. The rules feel like a hybrid of the two. You can see a lot of 1e within the rules, and plenty of elements for what eventually became 3e. This surprised me because, for some reason, I had assumed that 3e was a big departure from previous editions. Instead, much of 2e is like 3e, except for the refinement of non-combat proficiencies into skills, and the elimination of THAC0.

Let’s talk THAC0. I read over the rules, and it actually made a lot of sense. Sure, sure, you aim low rather than high, as you do for every other roll. Also, I prepped to understand the rules by reading this article right here.

I really enjoyed the extensive equipment section (including 18 different types of polearms!) which has a really large set of non-combat related equipment.

The art throughout the book is top notch, much better than I was expecting. There are some fantastic paintings, any of them full-page works. They feel evocative and make me want to play.

The back of the book features a set of tables which remind me of the player’s version of a DM’s Screen for players. As a player you could run much of the game straight out of the back tables (there’s a table for calculating THAC0s as well).

The book has an index which is immense and covers nearly everything you could possibly need to find. I expect to see the back of my book getting worn out really quick.

The book was edited with errata by Wizards of the Coast. Having not read previous versions of 2e, I can’t tell what were changed and what were kept, but I imagine it’s fairly minor in order to maintain accuracy to the original version. I found a few minor typos in my reading, something I was surprised to find, since the book has been around in 20 years now.

This is a great book, and makes me really want to sit down and give 2nd edition a try. If you’re new to D&D or to 2nd edition, I definitely advise picking it up. If you’re an old 2nd edition player, this is worth picking up to have a fresh copy on your shelf with brand new errata,

Dungeon Master’s Guide

“To make your job easier, the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide have parallel organization. Chapters appear in the same order in both books. That means if you know where to find something in the Players’ Handbook, you also know where to find it in this book.”

Never have sweeter words been spoken. The Dungeon Master’s Guide is laid out in order to help Dungeon Masters perfectly keep up with their players. It helps answer questions about players with multiple characters, dissatisfied players and overpowered characters. There is a fantastic table in chapter two which shows how high in level a character can rise based on race, which should have been in the Player’s Handbook.

Interestingly, the Player’s Handbook has no explanation for how much experience a player needs to advance. Instead, these rules are found within the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

As I said in my Player’s Handbook review, you can definitely see the threads of 3e forming in 2e. There are a lot of things in the DMG that differ from the 1e DMG. The 1e DMG had a ton of tables, covering everything you’ll ever need to roll up. The 2e doesn’t have this, but instead has detailed information about things such as the history of commerce,what equipment would appear in specific time periods, alternative rules to combat and magical items.

Speaking of magical items, these rules are kept firmly within the DMG, just like 1e and 3e. 4e diverged wildly by allowing players to have control over the magical items in their possession.

The encounters chapter is extensive and has great ideas for battles and non-combat encounters. The chapter explains what an encounter is:

First, and encounter must involve a thing, an event, NPCs, […] or a DM-controlled player character. […] Second, an encounter must present the possibility of a meaningful change in a player character’s abilities, possessions or knowledge…

I think that in a lot of modern games, encounter simply means combat. Older editions emphasized that combat was only one kind of encounter. Any interaction that challenges the player is an encounter.

The book has a chapter entitled “A DM’s Miscellany”, which covers lycanthropy, the planes of existence and more.

The appendixes have extensive tables for magical items and treasures. A detailed index wraps up the book.

The art is great in the DMG, but lacks some of the beauty of the player’s handbook. Here, there is more pencil artwork and fewer full-page pieces. However, the art is still good, and less of it leaves more room for tables and text.

This is a great book, and supplements the Player’s Handbook perfectly. If you’re a Dungeon Master, even if you don’t play 2e, it’s worth checking out.

Monstrous Manual

The 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual brings a wealth of monsters to the THAC0-infused world of 2nd Edition D&D.

One of the first things I noticed right off the bat is that the art is almost entirely pencils and inks rather than the paintings you find throughout the other books. I immediately noticed the gorgeous art of Tony DiTerlizzi, who does fantastic work.

The book is packed full of tons of monsters of every type. Many of the creatures are ones specific to Dark Sun, Planescape and other settings. In their description, it explains which setting they are originally from, and how they can appear in other settings as well.

The book features not only metallic and chromatic dragons, but gem, cloud, mist, shadow and other dragons. The massive amount of dragons in this book is fantastic, with a ton of variety.

The book has a ton of flavor text for every creature, explaining their history, their abilities, their culture and their combat tactics. I always thought that 3e had a lot of flavor text, but this is even more extensive.

The book mixes in normal animals, such as horses, elephants and dolphins in among hydras, elementals and grimlocks. There are also a lot of bizarre and strange races such as the Giff, a race of bipedal space hippopotamuses from the Spelljammer setting, or the leucrotta, a monster that looks like a cow with a cougar head. There’s also the Seawolf, a human who can transform into a seal with a wolf head. It’s really fantastic to see these bizarre creatures.

There are a lot of monsters who look quite different from later editions, such as the roper, the cloaked, the owlbear and more. It’s interesting to see how they have evolved over time.

This book is packed full of all kinds of great stuff, and I’ll definitely be pulling from it for future games for any edition.

If you’re interested in seeing a wide variety of monsters from every skill level, the Monstrous Manual is definitely worth looking at and picking up. I had a great time reading this, and it strengthens my desire to actually sit down and play 2e.

Wizards of the Coast sent Dice Monkey a copy of these books for review.