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Like other volumes of D&D handbooks, the DMG has gone through several versions through the years.
The DMG contains scores of tables and charts for figuring damage and resolving encounters in a typical adventure. tables and rules for creating characters and lists the various abilities of the different classes of characters.
One of the most useful features of the guide is the Random Dungeon Generator. The generator allowed, by the rolling of dice, to generate a dungeon adventure "on the fly." A dungeon complete with passageways, rooms, treasure, monsters and other encounters could easily and randomly be constructed as the player progressed. Best of all, it could be used with several people or a single player. This was a useful tool to easily "level up" new characters and to help solo D&D fans satisfy a "dungeon fix" when others weren't available to play.
For Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, this manual, the Monster Manual and the Players Handbook were referred to so often that some players wore out many copies of the volume over the years. This led to the development of the Dungeon Master's Screen: two heavy-duty boards with the most oft-used tables printed on them for easy reference. The screen could be stood on-end to shield players eyes from notes, rolls and other adventure bookeeping.
See also: Deities & Demigods