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eaolivas
Acolyte
4 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Jan 2025 : 09:37:39
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Hello all. I will be running Justins remix of DH once my party finds a way out of Undermountain, maybe in two to three (actual) weeks or so. Is there any advise on running Justins remix with Dragon Heist? I am finding his notes to be a bit overwhelming if I'm being honest... Do I read through all of DH, make my own notes, then read Justins notes? I am looking for the best method of doing this.
Also, my players will most likely be around level 7 by the time they escape UnderMountain. What advise would you give up increase the difficulty appropriately for DH? I graciously thank you and accept all responses ahead of time and look forward to reading your comments! Thanks
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36904 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2025 : 02:53:55
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| No idea what you're referring to with this remix... But it seems to me you've already suggested the best course of action: read the original material first and make the appropriate notes, and then read the remix version. You'll have a better idea of the source material and what is changed in the remix if you go it in that order. |
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eaolivas
Acolyte
4 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2025 : 05:36:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
No idea what you're referring to with this remix... But it seems to me you've already suggested the best course of action: read the original material first and make the appropriate notes, and then read the remix version. You'll have a better idea of the source material and what is changed in the remix if you go it in that order.
That is interesting. Even searching online for Dragon Heist immediately pulls up this remix as it is 100x better than the source and incorporates all villains and fixes the numerous errors. The remix, omitting the source, is itself a longer read than the entirety of the source material, but for good reason! Anyway, I suppose there is no reason to go on about it if you don't know what I'm talking about, lol. In case anyone is interested: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/45220/roleplaying-games/dragon-heist-remix-the-complete-collection |
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eaolivas
Acolyte
4 Posts |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12066 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2025 : 13:10:14
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| Wooly isn't the only one. That being said, I find that people who play 5e think everyone knows all the adventures that are released and are obsessed with them. One thing people need to realize is that many of us come from a time where we got about 4 new adventures every month via dungeon magazine, plus two or three times the number that currently get released for 5e just as a general flow during 1e,2e, and 3e. Also, I know for myself, I look at some of the 5e stuff and I see so much fluff that can be left to a DM (for instance, giving backstory detail for a bartender NPC that most DM's would make up on the fly based on party "need to know".... not saying its bad, just saying its adding a lot of page count that a lot of DM's will ignore... but for some of us, we enjoy backstory IF we have the time to read it... that IF being the key). There are so many modules out there that I haven't read, sometimes it floors me. At one point near the end of 3.5e, I was getting dungeon magazines for probably 2 years and just tossing them into a pile unopened from the mailing package (they're still unopened). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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architectural
Acolyte
1 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2025 : 09:19:01
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| Read through the entire Dragon Heist first, highlighting the key parts, then read the remix to understand what Justin changed, then pick and choose the parts that you find interesting or that work for your team. Don’t try to cram it all in at once! |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
537 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2025 : 17:32:07
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This is correct. You will want a full grasp of the base module before you dive into how Justin modified it. You will want a copy of Dragon Heist open next to you while you go through the Alexandrian version.
The Dragon Heist module is both great and horrible at the same time. I personally like the ideas in it. The ideas: a treasure hunt in a city, multiple competing factions, seasonal play, bases you can rob, a business for a player base of operations. The execution was as if unfinished, you get dozen or more faction side quests that are literally roll a skill check which should have been individual encounters. The heists (robbing a base) are in appendixes that aren't incorporated, and the seasonal gameplay involves picking only one season.
Justin does a pretty good job of stitching them together. His clue system isn't for my group of players and he seems to over complicate the plot a bit. But his incorporation or Realms lore as flavor is well done.
I am nearly done running it after 5? years, roughly 30 sessions. I started on Highharvestide in the fall, and described a city in an escalated gang war all looking for the gold. I ran the first chapter pretty straight out of the book and it was fine. Chapter 2 is bare bones and contains all these "missions" that would be great to get the players to know the city but are just skill rolls. I ran some of those through the end of the year along with running the business.
The hostilities in the city cooled with winter, no one finding the treasure and the city population dropping. Then I started chapter 3 on the first day of the new year with a bang. This really made the party big players in the hunt for the treasure. The plan is to have 1-2 heists while they resolve the higher level missions from the factions. Which will lead into the start of spring when the finally enter the final dungeon. Summer I'm saving as an epilogue quest, fast forward a few months to see the fallout.
Something else to think about is Ed wrote a book that butts up roughly before the start of this module, Death Masks. By no means a necessary read but gives you a feel for the city and some of the NPCs. I found it a very enjoyable read. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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Dragon Heist, The Alexandrian Remix by Justin
