$30.00 / week
He is the Ancient….he is the Land…
Adventure overview
Storm-clouds gather, darkening the moon’s pallid light. Atop the ramparts of his dark castle, Strahd von Zarovich gazes down upon the mist-shrouded land of Barovia as he has for centuries. But tonight is different: new souls, full of hope and potential, have entered his domain. Perhaps one among them will be strong enough to bring an end to the nightmare? Strahd smiles slightly and the absurdity of such a thought. At best, they will at provide a temporary diversion as they struggle against the darkness of this land. Which among them will fall or rise? What will they sacrifice? And what will they become, as the nobler aspirations of the living are drained from them-drop by drop-like blood from an unhealed wound? Â
Welcome to Curse of Strahd, a 5th edition adaptation of Ravenloft, one of the greatest campaign modules ever written for Dungeons and Dragons! Ensnared by the inscrutable Mists of Barovia, the adventures must traverse a dismal land, one oppressed by powerful evil and blighted by repeated tragedy. The only way to escape the Mists is to bring an end to their master, Strahd von Zarovich; a creature as empowered by the forces of darkness as he is constrained by them. Many adventurers have faced him, and all have died; surely it will be different this time.
Preparation
All you need to play is a computer, access to Wi-Fi, and a microphone. Roll20 is the virtual table-top program being used for this game – D&D Beyond for building/keeping track of characters, and Zoom/Discord for communication. There’s no fee required for any of these tools, and there is plenty of help available to aid with any questions or problems you might have. Having access to your own copy of the Player’s Handbook is recommended, but once you join this game you will be able to utilize a large number of digital resources, including the PHB. In addition to the published materials, you can expect custom-made battlemaps, dungeons, and NPCs for you to interact with; this will be a unique campaign.Â
Who will like this game
Curse of Strahd has a reputation of being one of the more difficult campaigns ever published. It also has many role-playing opportunities, some of which can become quite intense. If you’re looking for a light-hearted romp through brightly-lit environments with clearly defined villains and heroes, this may not be the right game for you. That said, Curse of Strahd is a fun time, no matter your level of experience with D&D. You will have access to every element necessary to navigate having a successful “first adventure” experience, including an expert Dungeon Master.Â
The themes of Curse of Strahd are grim and tragic. It is set in a land that has succumbed to despair, and there is little respite to be found. Heroes must endure the darkness, gathering what meager light can be found, hoping it will be enough to defeat a villain who has already won.Â
Character Creation
Characters will be created during the first session, or during a one-on-one “Session Zero” with the DM. This involves introductions, a discussion of expectations, and making sure everyone is on the same page with what a game of D&D is/isn’t. The more clear communication is between players and DM up front, the more fun the game will be, guaranteed! Â
As you’re day-dreaming about what sort of adventurer you want to create, try to think of something they are deeply ashamed of; something that haunts them daily. Also, it’s important to remember that D&D is a group game; please no “lone-wolf-batman-dirty-harry” characters, unless they’re able to work with a team. Finally, even though there are numerous ways to create an interesting adventurer, this is not a campaign for players wishing to roleplay being overtly evil or selfish; “edgy” is fine, psychopathic is not.
Gameplay
As a DM, I usually don’t back away from including the darker elements of reality in my games. This includes things such as racism, sexism, slavery, etc. To be clear: I do not include these things because I think they are “cool”. Rather, I look at them as potential obstacles to be overcome, every bit as challenging as monsters and magic spells. That said, learning what sort of game the players want is a big part of why we have a Session Zero, and I can certainly adapt to any requests, with one exception: the one real-world element that doesn’t exist in my games is any form of sexual assault. Your characters will never encounter it, and I ask that you keep it out of your backstory. I have no problem with roleplaying consensual relationships in my games, but a tasteful “fade-to-black” will keep things at a PG-13 level.
Conclusion
Curse of Strahd is one of my favorite adventures to run! I first played Ravenloft decades ago, and every play-through since has been just as fun as the first. Join us! complete the party and accept the challenge of the Mists of Barovia…
Your table awaits.
I have had the distinct pleasure of being in one of Sean’s games and it has been a fantastic experience. I have been in the same campaign (from lvl 1) for 3 years going strong, and its due to Sean’s dedication and mastery of story-telling, technical savvy, and proficiency with the rule system. Any module is lovingly personalized to the given party, and any homebrew material is full of heart.
Sean’s game are in high demand and tend to form strong bonds that helps the campaign endure. Don’t hesitate, and sign up while there’s time!
So been playing with Sean for over a year and I have to say it has been money well spent. I really enjoy his DM style and the fact that he cleverly incorporates each player characters back story into the games. I would say his games are a good balance of combat and roleplay, I enjoy the fact that there are consequences for our characters actions be it for good or evil, there is a cost and the price will be paid (sooner or later). Sean games are engaging, and he has some creative voice work that really create atmosphere and he’s a great storyteller. I highly recommend Sean as a DM for both beginners and experienced players!
Been playing with Sean for about a month a half-now and I can say it’s been an awesome ride.
As the title says, he feels professional. From the tools, to the characters, to the story progression.
He has an actor background I believe, and you can really feel that experience coming over in the acting for the characters, the voice acting, the quick minded retorts and improvisation he will throw at your witty ideas.
It’s been a lot of fun, and you can tell he’s having fun as well.
I started out joining the current campaign directly into a shopping session. An hilariously fun shopping session at that. Something I never expected to ever say.
Since then we’ve been having mixed sessions of role play and combat, lore and more lore and cool characters woven into the story, to hinder or help you.
It feels like is also playing with you. Which he actually is (sometimes?) – Looking at you Archibald! And that’s also great.
At the time of writing this review – we just had the most epic battle moment I’ve had as a DnD so far. Take that with a pinch of salt – as I’m a relatively new player… but picture this:
Giant Croc surprise attacks the party, tries to eat the barbarian and drags him down this huge swamp where no-one can see him. Barb is almost dying – the situation is dire! A member of the party throws a bag of magic dust into the swamp, rolls a 2 on dex, making that a bag with AC 21 to hit. The Ranger then proceeds to roll an exact 21 to hit the bag that explodes dust all over the swamp, and drains the entire swamp of water, leaving the Croc with no water advantage and perfectly visible and the Barb within range of the parties assistance. Can you imagine how everyone screamed in exhilaration when that arrow blew the bag? Yeah, it was nothing short of amazing.
So I hoped this review helps you out if you’re looking at any of Shawn’s games!
Cheers!
Z’
Sean, MEDM, has been the greatest DM I have played with in my time being a part of Dungeons and Dragons. Having played for years, and completed an adventure with him, Sean is my go-to DM for any of my particular needs and high expectations. Accommodating, welcoming, and always happy to play D&D, Sean embodies the concept of enjoyable gameplay. Handpicked music, customized maps, fantastic voices, and more, Sean will give you everything you’re looking for in D&D and more.
Sean has an excellent sense of balance in his preparation where encounters are tense and exciting, but not so difficult that players are punished for trying unique strategies. Reasonably flexible with the rules but still has a great respect for them, which helps keeps the gameplay cohesive as well. I have never felt like we’ve reached a point where I’ve felt like we have to throw our hands in the air and go “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do,” no matter how bad the situations might be.
From a roleplay perspective, Sean excels at both the presentation of the game and in his improvisational skills. Sean rarely seems unprepared for a question or an idea the player has and manages to give every character a fantastic sense of person. Sean also does an exceptional job of spotlighting the player characters both in roleplay and in encounters, and is maybe the only DM I would have tolerated two back-to-back shopping episodes with. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a spectacle for their campaign.
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