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?  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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!  

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.