I'm about to finalize my review for the D&D "Essentials" DM Kit. I gave the free review copy to a friend who might enjoy it. I don't. The adventure is pretty decent, if a straight rip off of Star Wars episodes iv-vi (join the rebel alliance, defeat your own HQ [Hoth] then take on enemy HQ to free princess/baron from oppressors).
What makes me rate the product extremely low is that the DM Book claims to contain "all the rules" you ever need as a DM (p.4). Well, that's woefully incorrect. The chapter on combat is woefully incomplete, and the section on skill challenges doesn't explain the skill system (nor does the rest of the book). Rituals are gone. I don't think a newbie DM can run the game out of the DM box.
And, oh, the "random loot" system is a joke. You're still supposed to adhere to wishlists, except to be a bit more flexible with respect to the level of the item the player desires. So if he wants a flaming sword, and there's flaming swords at level 15 and 19 (in 4E items have "levels"), you roll to see which one he gets.
Also, as reported in an earlier thread of mine, the "DM Book" in the box does not contain rules for making your own monsters or traps. Ok. But it actually doesn't contain a section on how to build a dungeon either. A freaking dungeon! (Rather, the book moves from creating encounters to creating "adventures" and campaigns - the trend Settembrini saw coming in 2007.)
The word "dungeon" does not even appear in the index. In fact, the only time dungeons get mentioned at all is three sentences in the section "encounter theme: underworld".
I'm serious. This is the first DM book which doesn't think creating dungeons is "essential" for Dungeon Mastering.
Adventures and Ankhegs?
Wow. What a collossal fuckup.
Doubly so when you consider that 4e's DMG and DMG 2 are good solid books for beginner DMs and experienced ones.
As I've told friends with kids, I wouldn't buy Essentials and just get them the new GW boxed set. It's a superior product.
From what I've seen from Essentials, I'd much rather see GW's casual gonzo creativity be the direction for D&D 5e.
The whole "you only need this or that to run the game" is basically bullshit throughout Essentials. You really need Heroes + Rules Compendium + DM Kit + Monster Vault to have all the rules at your disposition. In that sense, the components of the game do fail, in my opinion, though someone with a Heroes book coming at a table where the DM already has all this stuff can conceivably just put a character together with that one book and play right away.
As for the dungeon stuff, I had not noticed, simply because I haven't read through the DM Kit's book yet. Makes me want to have a look right now, as a matter of fact.
Oh my. It seems that the decision I made to skip essentials following the mess of the redbox is turning out to be the right one for me.