D&D 5E Murder in Baldur's Gate - how did it go?

[Charles Rampant]

Hey all,

I'm running Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and my party is currently chilling in Elturgard, about to get the boat to Baldur's Gate and wait for the caravan that will take them on the (wildly unpopular) Chapter 4. I'm planning on inserting Murder in Baldur's Gate in the gap, since they should have about a week and a half to kill in the city, and that will let me have a nice sidequest. In addition, it means that whatever happens as a result of the chaos, they'll get to see the aftermath of their work when the Baldur's Gate representative attends the Council of Waterdeep in Rise of Tiamat.

However, I also worry about a couple of things:

1) The length of the adventure. I read that stores ran it for ten games, which seems way beyond a 'side quest'. Though I believe that stores run games for 2 hours a session, so I'd get more done than that.

2) The off-tone nature, namely the fact that for this adventure suddenly we stop talking about the Cult, and start worrying about Bhaal and politics. This isn't a problem, per se - I believe that D&D benefits from a varied tone throughout the campaign - but it is a concern in combination with number 1.

So, I wanted to ask the forum - have you run this adventure? How did it go? Have you any advise for inserting it into Hoard?

Many thanks!

 

[CapnZapp]

My strong recommendation is that you read (or reread) the adventure.

[SBLOCK](Hint: You'd think it's an "worrying about Bhaal" adventure, but in reality it is anything but.

I expound on this here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?364254-Murder-in-Baldur-s-Gate-(spoilers!) )[/SBLOCK]

And no, I don't think it is suitable as a side quest to something else. The characters need to be motivated in and focused on rising through the ranks of whatever organization(s) they encounter.

 

[jayoungr]

Why do you say chapter 4 is "wildly unpopular"? I mean, unpopular with whom?

 

[Charles Rampant]

Thanks, but I know what the adventure is about. I'm hoping for those who have run the adventure, and especially anyone who has combined it with Hoard, to share their experiences.

Why do you say chapter 4 is "wildly unpopular"? I mean, unpopular with whom?

Pretty much every analysis of Hoard includes a comment about how little the reviewer / commentator liked that chapter.

 

[jayoungr]

Pretty much every analysis of Hoard includes a comment about how little the reviewer / commentator liked that chapter.

I think it plays better than it reads. For a group that enjoys roleplay, it's a high point. (And if you group isn't big on roleplay, you can always handwave it.)

To address the main topic of your thread ... like you, I bought MiBG with an eye to dropping it into Tyranny of Dragons. However, I came to the conclusion that it really didn't fit. Not only were the levels off, but it had so little to do with the rest of the story that I was pretty sure it would stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[Charles Rampant]

I think it plays better than it reads. For a group that enjoys roleplay, it's a high point. (And if you group isn't big on roleplay, you can always handwave it.)

I have heard that it is pretty dependant on how the DM presents the material. Easy to make it tedious. I was planning on basically putting together a list of fun moments - using Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast for inspiration - and not focusing too much on the day-to-day routine.

To address the main topic of your thread ... like you, I bought MiBG with an eye to dropping it into Tyranny of Dragons. However, I came to the conclusion that it really didn't fit. Not only were the levels off, but it had so little to do with the rest of the story that I was pretty sure it would stick out like a sore thumb.

Yeah, that is my main concern. I don't want to kill the narrative momentum of the Cult and its rising campaign of aggression - which I've started highlighting, talking about small attacks on Scornubel and Everlund, to show that Greenest wasn't just an isolated event. I really like Murder, and I really want the party to have SOMETHING to do in Baldur's Gate, but I'm worried about how the two would fit. Hence why I was asking duration - a two week diversion is fine, a ten week one isn't.

 

[darjr]

I have to agree about chapter four. It isn't quite the same as a lot of D&D but my players really settled into a laid back cattle train approach that proved interesting and fun, but definitely different.

 

[Eltab]

My Tiamat group did not have a successful experience with Murder in Baldur's Gate.
- We could not figure out what was happening or how to deal with it.
- If you do not gain the favor of one particular Power Broker, you cannot move about town. We didn't, so we couldn't.
- My Paladin and I came up with a plan to prevent Bhaal's return. But our DM didn't know enough Forgotten Realms lore to make it work!
- We were divided as to which Power Broker we should help / hinder. So we did enough to make everybody mad at us, but not enough to gain any ally.
- In the end, we killed all three Power Brokers, hoping to throw the city into confusion and cover our escape.

When we reached the Council of Waterdeep, one of our new-joined members met with the Baldur's Gate delegate and told him that most of the persons who so damaged his city were dead (character-wise, this was true), and the survivors were being sent on suicide missions against the Cult of the Dragon (not true at that time but may be true in the future) in order to redeem their honor.

Break the plot of MiBG and save everybody a LOT of trouble:
[sblock] In the very first scene, save the Duke from the assassins and DO NOT kill him even if he turns into a monster. This ruins Bhaal's plan and he cannot possess anybody else. [/sblock]

 

[Tormyr]

[sblock] In the very first scene, save the Duke from the assassins and DO NOT kill him even if he turns into a monster. This ruins Bhaal's plan and he cannot possess anybody else. [/sblock]

use sblock

 

[pukunui]

I wanted to give the PCs something to do while they waited in Baldur's Gate as well, so I incorporated a few of the shorter AL adventures from the Tyranny of Dragons season. I took Dues for the Dead and placed it in the main cemetery outside of town. I also used The Scroll Thief to great effect. To finish off, I had Mondath attempt to ambush the PCs.