Why?
As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.
The purpose of Player Perspective is to be a campaign journal from the perspective of a player in a campaign (recorded with the DM's permission). Furthermore, it's duty is to catalog the events that happen in said campaign, how they deviate from the content of the module (if at all), and possible improvements I would like to see as a player.
Just another Waterdhavian day... with a hint of intrigue.
The session began in the midst of chaos (as I had arrived 15 minutes late, but 15 minutes earlier than the last guy to arrive), as we awoke to yet another day of shenanigans in our newly acquired historical landmark tavern. Our day began when our party monk, the boisterous and not-too bright Ophio Mournedusk, the Goblin attempted to heckle the local carpenter for a concealed weapon, not unlike the cane sword I purchased using quite a significant sum of our earnings from the last 10 days of work patrolling the graveyard.
Afterwards, we spent a good 30 minutes of our weekly 3-hour session discussing the various bureaucratic hoops and hurdles we would have to jump through to get our tavern/Gentleman's Club up and running, in addition to the renovation fees. The DM had a quite long list of licenses from various guilds, their prices, and their monthly tithes, so it's seeming like quite an uphill battle. It wasn't long after the party took a break from the shock of having to spend more money than each of our individual characters had seen in their lives that we received a series of missives from other factions in the city.
Our green-bearded, soft-spoken druid, Kaylor, was summoned to join the Emerald Enclave. Despite bringing Ophio the Goblin Monk, and Alos, the Air Genasi Trickster Cleric along with him, he ended up being the only one to join the Enclave in the end. I, playing my character, Elias Theron, Divination Wizard and blooming crime lord, was summoned alongside my trusty bodyguard Bearclaw (a human barbarian) to treat with the Zhentarim representative, Davil. We were tasked to stop a murderer of elves in the Docks District, and in exchange, I would be made a member of the Zhentarim and given access to a number of their services. I bartered to postpone my decision until after the mission.
Conflict in the party arose when debating whether to burgle the homes of the innocent for some quick cash (proposed by Alos) or to follow through with the mission given to me by the Zhentarim (proposed by me). Ultimately, we decided to proceed with stopping the murderer, admitting that since we lacked a fence, criminal contacts, and other such resources, getting in good with the Zhentarim might prove to be more profitable in the long-term.
After a few days of dice rolls and picking through investigation leads, we finally found our mark. The fight itself wasn't tough, just long, and we fought a Drow Gunslinger (fought solo) in a dark Waterdeep alleyway. After we knocked the assailant unconscious, saving a drunken half elven bystander, the City Watch was called, the murderer was apprehended, and the session ended shortly thereafter.
The Good, the Bad, and the Underdark:
The Good:During the faction interactions, it would be very easy to get all player characters involved in each faction meeting, disregarding whether each player character agrees with each faction's motivations. The DM made a wise decision in breaking the timeless mantra of "Don't split the party" and allowing each player(s) to meet with faction representatives individually. Since Dragon Heist is a module built on the idea of the "Secret War" between factions over the treasure, allowing players to interact outside of the party dynamic maintains the aura of intrigue so vital for a creeping, thieving adventure.
The Underdark(?)
The combat encounter for this session, admittedly, could have been better. As an introduction to the Drow Gunslingers in the employ of Jarlaxle, I don't feel particularly threatened or awed by the technological might of a Drow with a freaking gun. Considering we fought him in a mostly empty/uncluttered alleyway of Waterdeep, in close quarters, on a flat plane, it feels like his effectiveness was greatly diminished. I can't help but feel that, if the Drow was fighting us from the shadows, or from an elevated position, keeping his distance and harassing us with gunfire, or ducking between detritus like barrels, crates, and outhouses, it would play up the mystery of "The Drow with a strange weapon". Ultimately he was dispatched easily in melee combat, despite engulfing us in a Darkness spell and I was left feeling Underwhelmed.
Conclusions:
Dragon Heist does an excellent job at establishing the motivations of the more open-faced factions in the city, as well as egging the players into becoming intertwined in their problems. Each faction's identity feels realized in their player resources, missions, and npcs, and the fact that they interface with one another and play a major role in the adventure does wonders for establishing and maintaining the idea that the factions are, ultimately, at war with each other.
