Rethinking Weapon Damage

Using average weapon damage instead of rolling speeds up the game. I've been doing it in Roll20 because the system doesn't automatically roll the damage (at least I haven't found the correct setting yet) but this is unsatisfactory.

I've always felt that the hit roll and weapon damage should be linked. A really good hit should do more damage and a barely successful hit should less damage, so here is what I'm thinking. This applies to the raw roll without any modifiers and only when the roll is a hit of course.

    20         A critical, double damage

    15-19    Maximum damage

    10-14    Average damage

    05-09    Minimum damage 

For example: 

Thug's mace: Max is 8, Ave is 5, Min is 3. Easy enough.

Thug's Heavy Crossbow: Max is 10, Ave is 5, Min is 1.

Since Roll20 automatically calculates weapon damage for the players this will only be done for the foes but I think it should work.

My only question is would the critical be double the max damage or double the average? I'll have to think about that.

Lost Mines and Dragons of Icespire Peak

So I rolled our Lost Mines of Phandelin campaign into Dragons of Icespire Peak. Some players had wanted to buy up a house in Phandelin and make a base of operations but others didn't. Some thoughts so far:

• Phandelin should be walled with a small keep like the Keep on the Borderlands and every building in Phandelin should have been mapped with a table of who is inside during AM and PM.
• Town needs a wandering encounters table for the streets. Something quick and easy but currently there is nothing and this is an intro to the game so why not?
• The townsfolk should have been introduced better. Perhaps in the Inn where everyone knows your name they have a table that lists who is in there in the AM, and who is there in the PM.
• The Miners Exchange should be a building built over an actual mine. This would justify the town being there and makes the town a target for greedy villains. Also miners unearthing something could provide an adventure.
• The rumors should be introduced better. The game needs carousing rules with rumors added. The Innkeeper should be the source of most rumors. The message board used in Icespire Peek is gamey and stupid. 
• Phandelin should have a proper temple with encouragement for PC Clerics to either be connected to or in conflict with that temple.
• The campaign should have ended with a list of further adventures for the New PC to create in Phandelin. Orcs attack the town walls, Orcs get in and attack a specific building. The locals are hostile to that temple, or the temple has been taken over by a different faction within the greater cult and is no longer friendly.
• So far the bigger adventures have been decent and the short ones have been lame. Hopefully Icespire Peak gets better, online reviews seem mostly positive but reading ahead I have my doubts.