It's a shame, really. There's some good stuff in there, but it's almost drowned out by the not-so good. Having taken a look at the DMG and the MM,
I can say that while the former is rather good at explaining how to be a DM, the latter ... well. Having gotten used to the easily tweakable monsters of the
last edition, it's a real let-down.
If the speculation that's been going around that this was an attempt to bring the online RPG experience to the table-top is correct, then I think the
designers are in for a very unpleasant surprise. There've been previous attempts at that, and they didn't work out nearly as well as those involved
hoped ...
I can say that while the former is rather good at explaining how to be a DM, the latter ... well. Having gotten used to the easily tweakable monsters of the
last edition, it's a real let-down.
If the speculation that's been going around that this was an attempt to bring the online RPG experience to the table-top is correct, then I think the
designers are in for a very unpleasant surprise. There've been previous attempts at that, and they didn't work out nearly as well as those involved
hoped ...