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Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
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<blockquote data-quote="Burnside" data-source="post: 7496480" data-attributes="member: 6910340"><p><strong>4 out of 5 rating for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Truth vs Advertising</strong></p><p></p><p>-Is Dragon Heist a "heist" in the style of Ocean's 11, The Killing, The Italian Job or other stories and films that were referenced during hype interviews? </p><p></p><p>In short, no. The climax is indeed about securing a huge amount of gold, but it's not as if you can learn anything substantial in advance about the location it's hidden in, or gather intelligence about the obstacles you'll face there, etc. that would enable you to "plan" a "heist." It ends in a dungeon, which players will approach and handle in much the same way they handle most dungeons. And since "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist" is an awkward title, i struggle to see why they went with it. </p><p></p><p>-Does it give you "tools" for running your own "city campaigns"? </p><p></p><p>No. In fairness, I don't think WoTC ever said it would - this was just something fans decided would be included. There is a good amount of Waterdeep-specific setting info, which you can, if you want, add to the already good amount of Waterdeep setting info that exists out there. But there are no new rules or game mechanics - in fact, the adventure refers fairly frequently to existing mechanics in the DMG in a way that has seldom been done in WoTC hardcovers. Also, it is very much Waterdeep. It's quite embedded in FR lore and factions, moreso than perhaps any other 5E hardcover adventure. You CAN convert it to a generic setting or Eberron or whatever, but that will not be easy. The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide would be a useful companion to this adventure.</p><p></p><p>-Does it have "great replay value"?</p><p></p><p>Sort of. For a DM who runs it multiple times for different groups, yes absolutely I think there would be a lot of fresh stuff every time. Is it going to be different enough that a PLAYER would want to play through it more than once? I'm going to say no. It WOULD be more substantially different than the way Curse of Strahd allegedly has "replay value" for players because the treasures might be in different places (which...come on). But it's still going to have enough of the same content that I can't see playing through it twice as a player - not when there are so many campaign options available and so few years to the human lifespan. </p><p></p><p>Long story short: Chapters 1 and 3 and the climactic dungeon in Chapter 4 would be pretty much the same on every play-through; Chapter 2 and the first two-thirds of Chapter 4 would be quite different. </p><p></p><p>-Is it fun?</p><p></p><p>I think so. See below.</p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter 1</strong></p><p>A fun, railroaded city adventure culminating in a challenging starter dungeon. Most DMs could run this chapter pretty much out of the box after one read, which I view as a huge plus. I haven't run it yet, but on paper I would say it's likely to be very enjoyable and could easily run 2 sessions. Milestone level up to 2 at the end of it. Nothing particularly innovative or groundbreaking in this chapter, but it seems very solid.</p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter 2</strong></p><p>A mini-sandbox. This chapter is meant to be self-directed by the players. It's basically "have them spend a couple of sessions doing sidequests until you feel they should be level 3." In theory it's not a bad idea. In execution it's the weakest part of the adventure. It feels like stuff ended up on the cutting room floor here. </p><p></p><p>Most of the sidequests are driven by the various factions players might join. Each faction has a side quest on offer for a level 2, 3, 4, or 5 party, so as the party progresses through the book they'd be offered increasingly higher-level side quests by their faction contacts. </p><p></p><p>The side-quests are all one-paragraph thumbnails which the DM is left to flesh out. That's fine, although it kills this book as a good choice for a first-time DM (stick with the Starter Set). But honestly, this chapter could have benefitted from fewer-but-better side quests, and better flavor and especially cooler rewards from the factions. It feels like too many ideas made the cut, and instead the top 10 or 12 ideas should have been kept and expanded instead of like 40 thumbnails. </p><p></p><p>Somebody on DMsGuild could fill a much-needed niche by revamping and improving the faction quests here. I like the idea of the characters becoming enmeshed in the fabric of the city, which is the goal of this chapter. But execution is dodgy imho.</p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter 3</strong></p><p>We're level 3 and back on the railroad for a fun investigation/city adventure. On the whole this is a strong chapter and also will be easy for most DMs to run (it's a sequential event-driven romp). There are some weak moments (at one point the only way for the players to pursue the plot is for them, with no prompting, to decide, apropos of almost nothing, to investigate HOW AND WHERE A KEY THEY FOUND ON THE GROUND WAS MANUFACTURED. Yeah, my players aren't going to do that). There are a few bits like this scattered throughout this book which frankly the DM will have to fix or work around (but fortunately only a few). </p><p></p><p>Complete this chapter, maybe do your level 3 faction side quest(s), and it's time for Level 4 and Chapter 4. </p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter 4</strong></p><p>The climactic chapter is in my opinion largely great on paper (although we'll see how it does on the table). The reason for the utilitarian maps become clear in this chapter. The maps portray 10 different city locations (alley, docks, old windmill, theater, tower, etc). No matter the season or villain, the basic layout of these locations is always the same. However, their purpose, inhabitants, and the order in which they are visited is completely different based on which main villain the DM has chosen. </p><p></p><p>The bulk of this chapter is a varied and fun chase to get the McGuffin that takes the party to various locations in the city. The hit-to-miss ratio and thoughtfulness of the encounters in this chapter is MUCH stronger than in Chapter 2. There are a few iffy bits, but a reasonably experienced DM can skip or fix them and pick and choose their preferred set piece encounters. </p><p></p><p>This chapter WOULD be easy to run out of the box EXCEPT that it turns into a real page-flipper as you jump around forwards and backwards in the book from set piece to set piece depending on which villain you're using. Logistically this is SO MUCH EASIER to deal with if you're running the adventure using DNDBeyond. I'd imagine it would be pretty annoying using the book for this part.</p><p></p><p>Chapter 4 culminates in a shortish-but-fun dungeon which unfortunately ends in a final encounter which I suspect could be kind of a dud for some tables. i think there is a burden on the DM here to make this feel like a big finish - and that really shouldn't be the case. Also, too many instances in this adventure of the characters getting big-footed by powerful NPCs. Ending is no exception to that.</p><p></p><p>Curiously, the book contains a lot of material which you would presumably run AFTER the main quest is completed. It advises milestone leveling to 5 after chapter 4, so at that point, you could take on the level 5 faction sidequests from chapter 2 or some stuff from Chapters 5-8. </p><p></p><p><strong>Chapters 5-8</strong></p><p>I have skimmed, but not fully read, these four chapters. Each is dedicated to one of the four possible main villains, their lairs, and a couple of season-specific side events/quests that could happen in the city. All of this is entirely optional and players could easily complete the main campaign without seeing any of it. it's hard to imagine they would visit more than one lair during the campaign, but have at it I guess. Most of the villains themselves would annihilate the party in a stand-up fight. There are hints (in some cases more than hints) dropped that some of these areas and characters will be involved, or at least accessible, during Undermountain: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. [/B]<strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>Chapter 9</strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>Volo's Waterdeep guidebook. A cute, in-universe, player-facing thing that the vast majority of my players would never bother to read even if I printed out copies for each of them.</strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Burnside, post: 7496480, member: 6910340"] [b]4 out of 5 rating for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist[/b] [B]Truth vs Advertising[/B] -Is Dragon Heist a "heist" in the style of Ocean's 11, The Killing, The Italian Job or other stories and films that were referenced during hype interviews? In short, no. The climax is indeed about securing a huge amount of gold, but it's not as if you can learn anything substantial in advance about the location it's hidden in, or gather intelligence about the obstacles you'll face there, etc. that would enable you to "plan" a "heist." It ends in a dungeon, which players will approach and handle in much the same way they handle most dungeons. And since "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist" is an awkward title, i struggle to see why they went with it. -Does it give you "tools" for running your own "city campaigns"? No. In fairness, I don't think WoTC ever said it would - this was just something fans decided would be included. There is a good amount of Waterdeep-specific setting info, which you can, if you want, add to the already good amount of Waterdeep setting info that exists out there. But there are no new rules or game mechanics - in fact, the adventure refers fairly frequently to existing mechanics in the DMG in a way that has seldom been done in WoTC hardcovers. Also, it is very much Waterdeep. It's quite embedded in FR lore and factions, moreso than perhaps any other 5E hardcover adventure. You CAN convert it to a generic setting or Eberron or whatever, but that will not be easy. The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide would be a useful companion to this adventure. -Does it have "great replay value"? Sort of. For a DM who runs it multiple times for different groups, yes absolutely I think there would be a lot of fresh stuff every time. Is it going to be different enough that a PLAYER would want to play through it more than once? I'm going to say no. It WOULD be more substantially different than the way Curse of Strahd allegedly has "replay value" for players because the treasures might be in different places (which...come on). But it's still going to have enough of the same content that I can't see playing through it twice as a player - not when there are so many campaign options available and so few years to the human lifespan. Long story short: Chapters 1 and 3 and the climactic dungeon in Chapter 4 would be pretty much the same on every play-through; Chapter 2 and the first two-thirds of Chapter 4 would be quite different. -Is it fun? I think so. See below. [B]Chapter 1[/B] A fun, railroaded city adventure culminating in a challenging starter dungeon. Most DMs could run this chapter pretty much out of the box after one read, which I view as a huge plus. I haven't run it yet, but on paper I would say it's likely to be very enjoyable and could easily run 2 sessions. Milestone level up to 2 at the end of it. Nothing particularly innovative or groundbreaking in this chapter, but it seems very solid. [B]Chapter 2[/B] A mini-sandbox. This chapter is meant to be self-directed by the players. It's basically "have them spend a couple of sessions doing sidequests until you feel they should be level 3." In theory it's not a bad idea. In execution it's the weakest part of the adventure. It feels like stuff ended up on the cutting room floor here. Most of the sidequests are driven by the various factions players might join. Each faction has a side quest on offer for a level 2, 3, 4, or 5 party, so as the party progresses through the book they'd be offered increasingly higher-level side quests by their faction contacts. The side-quests are all one-paragraph thumbnails which the DM is left to flesh out. That's fine, although it kills this book as a good choice for a first-time DM (stick with the Starter Set). But honestly, this chapter could have benefitted from fewer-but-better side quests, and better flavor and especially cooler rewards from the factions. It feels like too many ideas made the cut, and instead the top 10 or 12 ideas should have been kept and expanded instead of like 40 thumbnails. Somebody on DMsGuild could fill a much-needed niche by revamping and improving the faction quests here. I like the idea of the characters becoming enmeshed in the fabric of the city, which is the goal of this chapter. But execution is dodgy imho. [B]Chapter 3[/B] We're level 3 and back on the railroad for a fun investigation/city adventure. On the whole this is a strong chapter and also will be easy for most DMs to run (it's a sequential event-driven romp). There are some weak moments (at one point the only way for the players to pursue the plot is for them, with no prompting, to decide, apropos of almost nothing, to investigate HOW AND WHERE A KEY THEY FOUND ON THE GROUND WAS MANUFACTURED. Yeah, my players aren't going to do that). There are a few bits like this scattered throughout this book which frankly the DM will have to fix or work around (but fortunately only a few). Complete this chapter, maybe do your level 3 faction side quest(s), and it's time for Level 4 and Chapter 4. [B]Chapter 4[/B] The climactic chapter is in my opinion largely great on paper (although we'll see how it does on the table). The reason for the utilitarian maps become clear in this chapter. The maps portray 10 different city locations (alley, docks, old windmill, theater, tower, etc). No matter the season or villain, the basic layout of these locations is always the same. However, their purpose, inhabitants, and the order in which they are visited is completely different based on which main villain the DM has chosen. The bulk of this chapter is a varied and fun chase to get the McGuffin that takes the party to various locations in the city. The hit-to-miss ratio and thoughtfulness of the encounters in this chapter is MUCH stronger than in Chapter 2. There are a few iffy bits, but a reasonably experienced DM can skip or fix them and pick and choose their preferred set piece encounters. This chapter WOULD be easy to run out of the box EXCEPT that it turns into a real page-flipper as you jump around forwards and backwards in the book from set piece to set piece depending on which villain you're using. Logistically this is SO MUCH EASIER to deal with if you're running the adventure using DNDBeyond. I'd imagine it would be pretty annoying using the book for this part. Chapter 4 culminates in a shortish-but-fun dungeon which unfortunately ends in a final encounter which I suspect could be kind of a dud for some tables. i think there is a burden on the DM here to make this feel like a big finish - and that really shouldn't be the case. Also, too many instances in this adventure of the characters getting big-footed by powerful NPCs. Ending is no exception to that. Curiously, the book contains a lot of material which you would presumably run AFTER the main quest is completed. It advises milestone leveling to 5 after chapter 4, so at that point, you could take on the level 5 faction sidequests from chapter 2 or some stuff from Chapters 5-8. [B]Chapters 5-8[/B] I have skimmed, but not fully read, these four chapters. Each is dedicated to one of the four possible main villains, their lairs, and a couple of season-specific side events/quests that could happen in the city. All of this is entirely optional and players could easily complete the main campaign without seeing any of it. it's hard to imagine they would visit more than one lair during the campaign, but have at it I guess. Most of the villains themselves would annihilate the party in a stand-up fight. There are hints (in some cases more than hints) dropped that some of these areas and characters will be involved, or at least accessible, during Undermountain: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. [/B][B][B][B][B][B][B] [B]Chapter 9[/B] Volo's Waterdeep guidebook. A cute, in-universe, player-facing thing that the vast majority of my players would never bother to read even if I printed out copies for each of them.[/B][/B][/B][/B][/B][/B] [/QUOTE]
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