Matthew Mercer and Chris Perkins stop by Studio d20 to discuss Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and the Stream of Many Eyes with hosts Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble. -- Watch live at / dnd
14:52 So, my excuse for having Matt Mercer in the Yawning Portal is that he, Marisha, and Taleisin, stop there on their way back from the Burning Man Festival.
This. This is why the Internet can be something good, not a cesspit. People getting together over common elements and making something of a community, and having people making money on something they love. I choose to believe in humanity. This touches me deep going back years. More power to all these poeple!
It's always amazing to see what the Critical Role and Dice, Camera, Action folks do for the community around them. I don't just mean DnD players either. They do a TON for local charities and the like.
Just wanted to say, I just found out that the only reason the hobbit was written was because Tolkiens son was a stickler for the details of his bedtime story, so he wrote it down so he wouldn't mess it up. It was supposed to be a bedtime story for his kids! Amazes me. Matt is of the same mind, and he could write some awesome books, but he chooses to share his talent with his friends, and now all of us.
Does anybody else see a ghostly image of a woman in victorian dress on the left hand side of the black tablecloth? Oddly enough, when the image shifts it is then reflected on Chris Perkin's T-Shirt. Weird.
58:30 - this is what I love about a PC Rogue with int 8 and wisdom 8 at my table. He doesn't know much and doesn't realize much. PC's had a midnight tavern brawl where he as a completely hungover drunk spent first action getting dressed, then drinking water from a pitcher and third round shouting at everyone what is going on while a brawl was in the hallway. Players thought that he is insane, but once we out of the game said that literally nobody shouted or called him or told him, how could the completely hungover character that just woke up know that something is up... That was the other PC's fault for not shouting and calling everyone.
That was amazing! You should definitely tape and release all meetings with these two. No need to edit just give them to us. The community will do the rest and learn a lot about the inner workings of all the great minds at wizards!
After *finally* playing a game of my own and getting to DM that game, it’s so satisfying to relate to their stories, and take some notes on what I can do to my own campaign to make it better.
@@novaiscool1 Are you still alive? I'm sending in a pyromancy unit to recover you, they're moving out from the city of brass now. We're tracking your location, but we can't read your vitals. You ok?
Haha. I did the double-take yesterday when I saw Matt in that Yawning Portal art :). Great job, all. This is one of my favorite companion books in ages. Can't wait to run it with my group!
Very likely! But man, if it ain't something I've come to expect and even adore when seeing (and hearing) Mr. Perkins on stream. I find it very endearing all the same!
Taking a moment to say Dragon Heist landed at the *perfect* time for my table. The party needed to head for Waterdeep and so I was looking for a decent city adventure, and this was incredibly timely. Better yet, this is my first experience of a toolbox module and it's just straight-up the perfect style of module for my kind of GMing: I can handle the story, it's the places and NPC hooks/names that do the most work for me. The book has all of that, and it's all right where I need it, when I need it, so I've been having a blast.
It's pretty cool looking back at 3rd ed. third party books from a company called Sword & Sorcery and seeing Chris Perkins credited there- he earned his way in through the grindstone of small press.
Im just prepping to run Dragon heist. Its like a very well constructed framework with some gaps, by design. Im having a great time filling in the story to perfectly suit the interests of the players and story arcs of the character. Theres a ton of great material, resources and ideas. After the heist is done the book will stand as a resource for cityscapes and any adventure that can use Waterdeep as a jumping off point. Can't wait for the Mad Mage!!!!
Matt has a special ability called "Too much free time" Matt has had too much free time and studied the human language. Matt has an auto charisma of 20. And for each humanoid creature within 15 of him increases his charisma by 1. Also when playing games he has a base charisma of 24.
26:17 I know that wasn't what Greg intended, but that little back and forth kinda inspired me. The next time I realize I made a puzzle too hard, I want a troll to loudly make an entrance and with _that_ voice and insulted tone proclaim "Oh, please, you feeble minded mongrels can't even decipher a puzzle of _this_ pitiful degree of simplicity? How utterly laughable!". Then the party can just beat him up for a solution. Don't even think it has to make that much sense why a troll would be there and why he would be smart enough to know the solution. I just think it would be super satisfying for the party to beat him up and bully the nerd into doing their homework.
I recently started a game for three early teenagers; after gaming for 35 years I was super nervous to make this a great experience for them. I was so happy when one by one they all gave spontaneous, "I love my rogue" and similar statements. While I'm no MM or CP, it has been great to have an audience with no expectations to what is happening :)
When people hear I like games they think Fifa or csgo. So when I say no no no! Rpg they think the choose your path books. The ones where there are 2 choices, one kills you the other doesn't. Or they think live rpg in a forest. but that is more beat others with fake swords and almost no rp at all! xD So it's good to hear that some people still try out D&D! ^^
Started playing Dragon Heist last night and our DM knows how to reward creative thinking, I managed to talk Volo into sweetening the deal with a minor healing potion, which then had to be given to our rogue in our first encounter! I expect to get punished later as after rolling badly all night, I managed to crit a half orc (using chill touch to put out his flaming hand lol) before our Barbarian finished him off which made that encounter a lot shorter than the DM wanted it lol Loving it so far, can't wait for next session
Speaking of unexpected developments in a campaign, In the first game that I ran of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, my players went into Old Xoblob’s Shop and found a Deck of Many Things. The PC who got it managed to survive drawing 15 cards.
Loved this podcast! One hopefully constructive tip for filming though, try possibly to get the booms out of people's faces. I think my connectivity to the guests was interrupted by the stuff and the shadows so I would end up just listening, but would love to watch too. Love the stuff, just trying to add positive feedback. Keep it up!
This was like how GreyHawk got started. Political divides in the background of the the players that ultimately have an influence on their choices. RavenLoft was awesome in this regard. So many DM tools became developed because of that Module. Perkins created an entire player path based on RavenLoft. Mercer can create PC and NPC that make sense in this world. It is sooo so good. I am not surprised that WOTC hired Matt Mercer. Mr. Mercer can make a bundle of joy of any D&D Encounter. Mordenkainen was the awesomesause in the Ravenloft play-through. But never forget that Chris Perkins provided the framework for that to happen. Mercer is NextGen!!! I love to watch Mercer as a Player. =) All the Love to All You Lovelies! Players Drive D&D!!!!!!
I agree. Yuan-ti would make a great and religion based campaign. religion because I like when creatures that are more or less evil and make sacrifices. When it makes players hate them because it's not moral, but then throw it back to them. Asking them that if they kill in the name of their god is it really any different? (Of course, that's a lot talk) but yeah. Yuan-ti centered campaign could be an interesting one if done correctly. ^^
Just started playing this module in two different games. One with starting level 1s, and a second one which had Level 3-4 characters. The level 1s, it is like we are in a slaughter fest. The encounters are not starting level friendly, then again the DM for that game is new to DMing and probably not aware of how to dumby down encounters to be on level with the character's skills. The other, is frigging awesome. We just finished Chapter 1 and we're well on our way to building a adventurer's guild to be prepared for the follow up adventure. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist......Not for begining DMs or inexperienced players......Though, it is fun to play with the right group and if the encounters are adjusted to the level of the characters.
Their are DM's out there in the hobby that will blow you away! are they rare? yes but they do exist. I once met a guy who made me a veteran who has played since 1983 actually creeped out and scared going into a Dungeon filled with trolls he didn't describe things or show things he took us and our party there! no sound effects or visual aids at all or minis this guy was SOOOO good. So much so that when the house phone happened to ring we jumped out of our skin. as far as how to find these kind of people is anybody's guess. they usually have a group and don't want to add anyone in an upset the chemistry...
@@christofferhougaard eh its just a twitch joke people make when matt kinda lets one of his players walk off without nearly as much of a beating as they probably should have gotten. Doesnt happen often. And its more just for fun than anuthing to do with how he dms
I read this adventure and thought "hey, if I'm going to run it, maybe I should read some of the forgotten realms novels so I understand the world and its history. I mean, how many novels can there be? 40? 50? surely not TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE NOVELS BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE CRAZY"
Yeah! You can look at his face it just tells: "Why don't you ask me to recide it?!" Or maybe it doesn't and I'm gonna look like a complete moron. xD Either I roll a 23 on my insight, or a 5.
@@MrPrimalAndrew I think it's this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1eIARRGl2LY.html or this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PGfdJW_py7E.html
‘K, I’m not seeing it in the comments, and I’m not very far into the VOD, but you guys maybe definitely should guest star on each other’s shows. Like, immediately. Words cannot express the joy I’d feel at the Nein stumbling across a drunken pirate/sailor NPC helmed by Chris Perkins.
This is almost a year old, but knowing what we do about Travis Willingham do you think they had him watch this just to see if hed catch the spooky ghost girl in the corner and lose his absolute mind?
Matt brought it up, but there is a type of player who wants to be the heroic hero of heroism and try to make all the other players into minions. This is kinda a new/inexperienced player behavior. It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of D&D. I always explain to the players that the game is fantasy, but in no way is related to a fantasy novel. You are not Link, or Aragorn, or even a Luke Skywalker (if you are doing Spelljammer), you are basically The Goonies with magic stuff. Once that concept is understood, you will have no problems.
I play in several campaigns at the same time and I recently noticed a trend. When it comes to investigations and riddles those people grab the lead and are also usually the least well equipped for it. I guess it is because the others are actually working on possible solutions in the background.
Oh... puzzles in D&D. Yeah, they can often be the worst part. In my first experience DMing my own game I was cribbing a Zelda vibe and so over the course of several sessions put in a few puzzles, almost all of them riffing on stuff _from_ Zelda games, specifically Link to the Past. One of the first ones had a dungeon that had a mirror-like layout, every element was mirrored from one side of the relatively small dungeon to the other. Except for one thing that, I thought, was painfully obvious. I even had a big grid to draw the map on for the players so that they could all see it. And none of them saw it. Just move this one thing so it's like it's counterpoint on the other side of the dungeon and that giant steel door will open. Instead they wanted to break through the walls to get to the rest of the dungeon. And I tried to be obstinate, trying to push them back to the puzzle which I quickly learned was not a great idea. I have since learned how to better set up things and what sort of puzzles usually go over better, to leave solutions open and to allow for destructive problem solving (with consequences) and to keep an eye out for players/groups that will hate puzzles, or those who will dig them and I adjust accordingly. Well, hopefully I do.
Which dungeon? I've been wrecking my brain over the past few days and even looked at the dungeon maps online, I can't find the part you're describing. Are you sure it was A Link to the past? (the one on the SNES?)
