Not arguing which is the better system for RPGs or anything like

1dt edition. AD&D.

>>53511426

Toss up for me, personally.

Dungeon World, for all of its massive amount of flaws, really did drive home some rock solid advice for DM's and the book is worth a read for anyone looking to run most RPG settings in that it teaches you how to do shit on the fly far better than most other systems do and that is a huge part of being a DM. No matter how well you lay out your plans, the players will find a way to do shit you didn't anticipate the bulk of the time and you need to be able to respond to such actions on the fly. So a general idea of what you want is more important than specifics.

Dungeon World nails that aspect of DM'ing well.

Shit system for a lot things, but DM advice ain't one of them.

>>53511459

The other book would be Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3E Game Master Guide.

Quick adventure generation, making flowcharts for multiple paths, handling chase mechanics, investigation mechanics, party cohesion, and other really important factors are well thought out and good advice offered on all of them.

It won't teach you how to DM on the fly like Dungeon World will, but it will teach you how to have multiple paths in most any scenario and still press the game forward.

>>53511426
AD&D 1E DMG has by far the best toolset for new DMs.

>>53511426
Dungeon World and 4e are pretty good.

I haven't read much DM advice otherwise that was in rulebooks, however, I usually just get tips from blogs and such.

>>53511426
Apocalypse World.

>>53511426

Monster of the Week has the most complete instructions for running an adventure I have seen; it's probably the only book I've read where someone could read through it and run a coherent session without ever having played an RPG.

I agree with Dungeon World giving some good tips on improvisation; The Sprawl has good advice on this as well and using your player's backstories, though that 2nd thing is mechanically baked into the system.

>>53511426

The D&D 4e DMG's are fucking incredible. The general advice they give is very clear, easy to understand and flexible, letting you fit it to your playstyle rather than just being told 'there is a single way you should do things'.

>>53511426
AD&D 1E DMG. It is a big block of Gygaxian prose, so if you don't want to read that the 4E DMG is the runner up.

I wonder if the people here are recommending AD&D 1E DMG out of nostalgia.....