On my birthday, we began a new campaign. The adventure? Curse of Strahd.

It is the third time I have run the adventure. As I have expressed on Twitter, I delight in adventures that I run more than once – the experience of a role-playing game is something that changes whenever you get a new group. Different things are explored and emphasised.

My conception of Curse of Strahd is that it is a heroic tale. That the heroes discover the land, and though the going is hard, they free it from the evil monster’s grip. And then the land does not revert to evil.

This conclusion brings up a few points the original adventure does not cover. Such as, who rules Barovia once Strahd is gone? They are elements that I hope to investigate during the campaign.

Starting the Campaign

The characters began in the north-west of Cormyr – likely in Espar. Exactly where was not significant except for a couple of details:

• The characters began in a civilised realm
• Barovia was a county adjacent to that realm

Certainly, Barovia is a little valley amongst a mountain range, which explains why it is cut off from most of the regular world – a little out of the way, allowing Strahd’s villainy to continue unchecked.

The characters learnt of Barovia when a stranger entered the inn where they were staying and delivered a letter, describing the Burgomaster’s horrible situation. This opening is the original from I5: Ravenloft and is one of the options in Curse of Strahd. I have kept it because I want the situation with Ireena to be front and centre. I intend to make Ireena extremely important in this game. The characters need to protect her, but I hope that she can also grow under their tutelage.

The Path into Barovia

I use the journey through the Svalich Woods into Barovia to set the mood. The land feels like it is European – cold, misty, and overcast.

It is worth noting that there is a lot of evocative read-aloud text in the adventure. I feel that using it – either straight or paraphrased – helps set the mood. Adapt the text as necessary. However, if you leave out any description of the environment’s oppressive nature, it makes the experience less rich.

So, the party, upon receipt of the letter from the Burgomaster, set off west from Espar into the mountains and the small land of Barovia, passing through the Svalovich Forest as they did so.

The artwork for the Gates of Barovia give us a real feeling of Lords of the Rings – the headless statues are similar to the great forms of the Argonath – one of the most visually impressive moments of The Fellowship of the Ring. For the players in this instance, they present the fact that Barovia is an old land. There must have been a time when Barovia was a redoubt against hostile tribes – of humanoids or men – and needed this protection. But now, it is a forgotten County, with only the occasional trader passing through.

Once characters pass the gates, there is a strange encounter: The body of a messenger, lying dead just off the trail. What is in his hand? Oh, it is the real message from the Burgomaster! Not a request for help, but instead a farewell letter, telling all to avoid Barovia!

The message the characters received was a fake sent by Strahd. Strahd wanted to lure the characters in? Why would he do that?

Strahd’s Goals

There is one significant change from the original Ravenloft adventure to Curse of Strahd. In the original tale, Strahd may have one of four goals, which explain why he needs the characters in Barovia. The players learn of his goal during the Tarokka prophecy; Curse replaces that with the identity of an ally who can help the party.

In this play-though, I am returning to determining Strahd’s goal randomly.

What is Strahd’s overall plan? That will be revealed once I do the prophecy!

Meeting the Locals

Curse of Strahd offers many opportunities for the characters to go on side quests and interact with the land’s stories. However, to do this, you have to make sure the PCs meet the locals!

There is a smart thing the adventure does: It does not overwhelm the characters with too much at once. In the town of Barovia, there are only a few areas of interest, and some lead to the next. The characters visit the inn, and they meet Ismark, who takes them to see Ireena. Then Ireena does not want to leave until she sees her father buried, which introduces the PCs to the local priest. And the local priest tells them about the Wizard from a distant land who roused the townsfolk against Strahd only to fail.

One encounter leads to another, with all building up the legend of the evil of Strahd. By the end of this sequence, the players should be in no doubt about the vampire’s evil.

This latest run included all that but began with the party entering the town at dusk, all the houses closed and dark, and only a lonely sobbing echoing through the air. This brought them to the home of “Mad Mary”, a poor soul whose daughter had run away and disappeared. It sets the tone immediately and introduces a plot element (the missing daughter) that may pay off later.

Now, I need to create a “cheat sheet” that reminds the players of their characters’ details. It is easy to forget when you are playing once a week (or even less, given the holiday period).

Leaving the Town of Barovia

So, let us recap what the party have done:

• Receive a plea from the Burgomaster of Barovia for help
• Discover a copy of the letter, but advising the characters to stay away
• Reached Barovia, and met “Mad Mary”, a grieving mother whose daughter had run away
• Visited the local inn and befriended Ismark, son of the Burgomaster
• Gone with Ismark to see his sister, who they have agreed to help spirit away from the clutches of Strahd
• Helped bury the Burgomaster, and learnt of the Wizard who took on Strahd

They had two suggestions about where they could take Ireena – either to Vallaki or to the Abbey at Kresk. But both paths lay along the road westward.

But as they travelled west, they came to an encampment of the travelling folk, who said their wise woman was expecting them.

Next session: The Foretelling!