Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Paperback

I bought this book on a whim, based largely on the nice cover art and its good reputation. For what is essentially a self-published book the physical quality is first rate - large format, easy to read layout, clean fonts, clear diagrams, no typos (that I spotted anyway) and an unfussy prose style. Furthermore, the art is plentiful and better than you'd find in most gaming books. There are two artists involved, one is decent, the other properly good - his is the picture on the cover.The content of the book is another matter. All the author is really saying is - just prep your story hook, NPC's and locations with a few bullet points to remind you of the crucial bits. But since the players will probably do something you didn't expect, be ready to bin it all and improvise.And that's pretty much it. At the end of each chapter is a paragraph which tells the reader to just go with what works best for them. Yep, I couldn't have thought of that one myself. There is also a chapter on what the book calls the DM's Toolkit of essentials to have to hand during play. This includes a notebook so that you can, y'know, take some notes. Also, the reader is informed, you'll want to have the actual rulebook of the game you're playing, presumably so that you don't have to memorise the whole thing first which is what most people must have been doing. If you are running a published adventure, you should have it to hand. If you use miniatures in your game, then make sure you have some miniatures. So you can use them.It does seem a bit mean spirited to mock Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master like this; it is a nicely put together book and the author is clearly sincere in what he's trying to do, but I cannot imagine a DM of any experience not already doing all of what's in this book and more (or less, as the case may be). If you are a total neophyte and have zero experience, or possibly if you're going to run a convention game with a limited time slot and players you don't know, then there might be something of value here. For anyone else it's inessential.

The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master is a real gem of a book. Fantasy Roleplaying is a huge market these days, and there are countless titles out there to choose from, by both long-established companies and small independents.Where on Earth do you start? Well, no matter what game system you’re playing, the Lazy DM is an absolute godsend.It’s ostensibly written for D&D 5E, but the advice within its 90-odd pages is universal. It’s also written specifically for DMs, though there’s plenty in there to give players food for thought, too.In essence, it’s a slim tome of wise counsel. Fledgling DMs need to hear it, as do the long-established and certainly the set-in-their-ways. This book isn’t just a time saver; it will boost the enjoyment and enthusiasm of both you and your players a thousandfold.Michael E Shea gets to the crux of what’s important both in terms of preparing and running a session. Instead of wasting hours planning elaborate encounters your players will probably bypass and never see, or, even worse, be forced into kicking and screaming as you impose your precious set piece upon them, Shea’s advice is to only prep the things that really make a difference. Relax. Trust. Enjoy.Tailor the adventure to your player characters’ motives and strengths, he exhorts. Create a strong start, identify secrets and clues, outline a few great locations and invent some compelling but loosely sketched NPCs, monsters & rewards.The author rightly emphasises the need for an improvised approach that sees DM and players working together, rather than against each other, to tell extraordinary stories.If you follow these tips and tricks, I guarantee that your game will be transformed for the better.The only other book that comes close is the more lengthy and less colourful “Gamemastering” by Brian Jamison, which contains much of the same advice, only with much more detail. It’s no coincidence that these two books extol the same principles of economy of preparation, organic improv and character-based storytelling. Each author has come to the same conclusions from their own extensive experience of running RPGs. The results will speak for themselves if you apply them.Both books will save you from falling into the many traps that ensnare the unwary DM. The Lazy DM is a quicker read and has better production values than Gamemastering, and contains enough info to get you off to a really good start. If it’s working, consider getting Jamison’s book, too, which at 300-or-so pages is absolutely stuffed with great ideas and advice. Taken together, they really are the Holy Duo of good DMing! It’s a pity really that this sort of wisdom isn’t to be found in the core books - and it’s not just D&D that’s guilty of this omission.The Sly Flourish series of which the Lazy DM is a part also comprises Fantastic Locations and Fantastic Adventures. Both are great resources for ideas, but if you’re going to get only one, choose this one. You won’t look back.In fact, your whole library of modules and adventure paths will instantly turn from slavish follow-throughs that never quite work into a rich source of ideas that you and your players can riff on to your hearts’ content.All hail the Lazy DM! Truly, it’s the best D&D supplement out there. Don’t take my word for it. Buy it, read it, absorb its ideas, apply them and watch with delight as your jaded players’ faces are prized upward from their mobile phone screens and light up with glee before your very eyes!

Unfortunately, the book had been misprinted. The inside is both upside-down and the bottom of the page (which is actually the top because-upside-down) has been cut off. It's a shame because if it was just internally upside-down I would flip it, but combined with the missing bottom I have to give up!

I liked all of it and I found every chapter helpful. I particularly enjoyed the chapters that showed me how to create my own campaign. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time but I always got bogged down and lost. This book lives up to its name and shows a lazy way of doing it but one that works. Don't know if Sly Flourish intends a third book, but I will be first in the queue if he does.

This is a great book for any DM. But especially good for those DM's who (like me) totally over prepare, stress and get writers cramp. The book is a philosophy in how to take less time to prepare, save paper, have more fun and relax. It is better than any official DM's guide.