Just got finished with the 'first' part of the game, and I have to say, that while it was a fun ride, I think the story's structure is a misstep.
For one, it's a setup without a pay-off. In playing through the first time, there's some interesting setup for what to expect for later on, but by the end all of that is ruined because there's no changing what happens afterwards, despite getting two dice roll chances. So it feels like a waste of time, especially considering that the 'second' part immediately happens afterwards with no downtime to process what happens, meaning that the emotional pathos is completely loss.
I would suggest, highly so, that if you're going the route of having two sets of characters playing different stories, to split the game into two different games. Otherwise, it makes the first part feel like a waste of time and energy, because there's no follow through to pay off anything that happened in one part to the next. And the second part feels out of place on an emotional level due to suddenly being thrust into a situation with characters that come out of nowhere, with no build up, going on an adventure that means nothing in the face of what just took place. I'm trying to keep spoilers down by being vague, but yikes.
Also, if the dice rolls don't mean anything in so far as how the story plays out, remove them. Because, once again, it feels like a waste of time. A thing about DnD, especially given Baulder's Gate 3's rise, is that every dice rolls counts. So, if you give a player the chance to make a choice, pay that choice off with both positive or negatives, or don't have them at all. It feels disingenuous to allow me the opportunity to make a different outcome happen, but never get to see it because the game is scripted for a loss. And I know it is, because I re-rolled over a dozen times, and so I know what numbers the dice will and will not fall at.
