The Lazy Dungeon Master
Hello fans of the Lazy Dungeon Master! The spiritual successor to this book, Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, is now available! This new book updates the ideas of the original with the experiences of thousands of GMs to help us focus on how we prepare our games, how we run our games, and how we think about our games.
This new book does not make the original Lazy Dungeon Master obsolete. The original book is still a perfectly useful way to get more out of your fantasy roleplaying game by preparing less. If you haven't purchased either, consider starting with the updated Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master.
I have also released the entire text of the original Lazy Dungeon Master into a Creative Commons license. You can read the whole book for free, download it, or share it with your friends.
You love Dungeons & Dragons. As an experienced dungeon master you've run dozens, if not hundreds of games. You put a lot of work into making your games great. What if there's another way to look at how you prepare your game? What if it turned out you could spend less time, less energy, and have a better game as a result?
It's time to unleash the Lazy Dungeon Master.
Written in the style of Sly Flourish's Dungeon Master Tips and Running Epic Tier D&D Games, The Lazy Dungeon Master shows a new approach to game preparation, one that takes less time and gives your game the freedom to grow at the table. This book will help dungeon master prepare awesome games for any version of D&D.
Based on the real-world experiences of hundreds of dungeon masters and dozens of professional game designers, the Lazy Dungeon Master includes interviews with veteran D&D DMs and a complete toolkit to help you improvise an entire game.
Whether you play 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Pathfinder, or the D&D Next playtest; The Lazy Dungeon Master has tips, techniques, and advice to make preparation easier and help you run a flexible and entertaining game.
Want more details? Check out the Lazy Dungeon Master preview PDF to see if it's the right book for you or read the whoel book for free
The Lazy Dungeon Master is available in three formats:
Ebook Package ($5.99)
This package contains four different versions of the book, all DRM free, for you to use on just about any device you have. This package includes the following four formats:
- 8.5" by 11" PDF, ideal for printing.
- 5.25" by 8.5" PDF ideal for reading on iPad, tablet, or two-page printing.
- ePub for iBooks, the Barnes and Noble Nook, or other ebook readers.
- Mobi for reading on the Kindle, Kindle App, or other .mobi reader.
The Ebook Package is the best value for the money.
Other versions
If you're dying for a bound paperback version of the book, you can order a print copy of The Lazy Dungeon Master from Lulu's Print on Demand service for ten bucks plus shipping (usually about four bucks more). This isn't as good a deal as the ebook package but it will look good on a shelf!
If you'd rather have the ease of downloading it directly to your e-reader, you can pick up the kindle version or the Barnes and Noble Nook version. These versions don't include the four formats you get with the ebook package and you'll miss out on Erik Nowak's excellent PDF design.
Now Available as an Audiobook!
Thanks to the wonderful work of Colby Elliott, there is now a Lazy Dungeon Master Audiobook available on Audible for 1 credit if you're an audible subscriber. Stuck in a daily commute? Why not freshen up your DMing skills on the way!
What are people saying about it?
"I can highly recommend this book if you are an experienced DM looking to cut down on the prep time of your games while simultaneously making them more exciting and dynamic. When I want to share how it is that I can run enjoyable games with almost no prep (I do get asked), I can now lazily point to this book instead—one that, despite my experience, had much to teach me."
"DMing is really interesting and often contradictory. I think most of us can alternate between feeling like we are rocking it and faking it. That's because so many aspects of the game can bring surprises and because there is so much to learn. Reading about alternate approaches offers tremendous value. Mike offers great value in this book. "
—Teos Abadia
"His book is not simply shaped by his personal opinions; it is informed by communication with game designers and other experienced DMs and something near and dear to my heart—data."
"This author also packs his book with tons of direct reference material. Mike doesn’t just mention a name of a helpful item. He provides an immediate link so that you can explore further and bookmark its treasure—another great reason to utilize Ebooks."
—Ben Bertrandt, Ben's RPG Pile
The Lazy Dungeon Master gives you an entire new way to think about preparing your D&D game. With the ideas in this book, you can spend less time preparing your game and you and your players will have more fun playing it.