I am starting Dragon Heist for a group on mostly novice players tonight. I will of course jump right in at The Yawning Portal but I was wondering how much, if any, of the mystery of the lost gold to reveal before starting.
Most of the characters should have a more than passing familiarity with Waterdeep. Some are longtime residents. This assumes they would be privy to rumors and such.
I can work it in organically but I want to do whatever will facilitate the new players being engaged and having fun.
Any tales of how you might have started and run Waterdeep would be appreciated.
Everyone would know that Dagult Neverember was the previous Open Lord who had been exiled and replaced by Silverhand during "that whole dragon thing" (the Tyranny of Dragons stuff). They might know that he was ruling Neverwinter now. If they care about politics, they might have heard that he had become increasingly despotic in Neverwinter. If they're Demi-human, they might have heard that he was privately a racist. Otherwise, I think they'll know that he's a wealthy and powerful man who did a lot for the rich in Waterdeep, seemed like he was trying to turn the Lord's Alliance into a personal empire, and was a pretty shady scumbag. They won't know that he embezzled public money and stuck it in a vault somewhere, but I don't think it would surprise anyone if they heard it.
I think my players just made a mental note of "gold coins in a basement." I doubt any of them heard a word about Waterdeep politics. And to be fair, this is a game where there could very well be a million gold coins just sitting in a room somewhere, with no explanation needed.
The first session went great. I was considering revealing more than necessary. Mostly because I wanted to make sure and "hook" novice players. But they are into it and letting them discover the city on thier own terms will def be a lot more fun.
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Well met travelers,
I am starting Dragon Heist for a group on mostly novice players tonight. I will of course jump right in at The Yawning Portal but I was wondering how much, if any, of the mystery of the lost gold to reveal before starting.
Most of the characters should have a more than passing familiarity with Waterdeep. Some are longtime residents. This assumes they would be privy to rumors and such.
I can work it in organically but I want to do whatever will facilitate the new players being engaged and having fun.
Any tales of how you might have started and run Waterdeep would be appreciated.
Everyone would know that Dagult Neverember was the previous Open Lord who had been exiled and replaced by Silverhand during "that whole dragon thing" (the Tyranny of Dragons stuff). They might know that he was ruling Neverwinter now. If they care about politics, they might have heard that he had become increasingly despotic in Neverwinter. If they're Demi-human, they might have heard that he was privately a racist. Otherwise, I think they'll know that he's a wealthy and powerful man who did a lot for the rich in Waterdeep, seemed like he was trying to turn the Lord's Alliance into a personal empire, and was a pretty shady scumbag. They won't know that he embezzled public money and stuck it in a vault somewhere, but I don't think it would surprise anyone if they heard it.
I think my players just made a mental note of "gold coins in a basement." I doubt any of them heard a word about Waterdeep politics. And to be fair, this is a game where there could very well be a million gold coins just sitting in a room somewhere, with no explanation needed.
Thanks Tim,
The first session went great. I was considering revealing more than necessary. Mostly because I wanted to make sure and "hook" novice players. But they are into it and letting them discover the city on thier own terms will def be a lot more fun.