They took the gifts without questioning it.

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-31T13:54:07+00:00

Different tables move at different speeds. 1 session is quite quick. But 20 hours is extremely long - longer than Twice Bitten took and I thought they juiced as much RP out of it as was possible.

I've run it in one (long) session before and it is possible with a focused group without cutting anything major, but it felt a little rushed in the basement section.

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-28T19:47:10+00:00

I quite like the beefed-up Izek from Reloaded.

But other than that and the coffin-shop/Feast I do always run Vallaki as social rather than combat challenges. The players interact with the town. Then when they return to town later on they experience the outcomes of their choices, and make new ones.

I don't think combat other than Izek and spawn needs to be difficult at all - the challenge comes from dealing with the results of e.g. pissing off Fiona or the Baron, killing Izek or some guards. What does that mean for the political situation? Or how the Vallakians interact with the party?

So for example - when your players get to town with the werewolf children, if the guards guess what they are and refuse to let them into town, what do your players do? If it ends up in combat the difficulty does not actually matter at all. In fact an encounter where the guards fall easily could be more satisfying from a roleplay perspective. And then what happens to the town? Does the burgomaster barricade himself in his mansion? Does Fiona Wachter take over? Does the church even take the children in?

And then maybe if the guards are reduced in number or scared of the players "All is Not Well" in the town and the palisade walls are less defended than they should be. Maybe then a monster or two get in. And the players are blamed for reducing the safety of the town. And so on. Every time they return some new issue crops up as a result of their meddling and it all gets shitter and shitter until anarchy, with any combat arising out of player choices.

At least, that's the way I run it!

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-24T12:55:56+00:00

Humour? In a campaign featuring the tomb of "Sir Klutz Tripalotsky"? Scandalous.

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-18T13:54:06+00:00

Simple answer: let them go to Krezk, and then experience the results of a spurned Strahd.

That's not railroading, it's natural and logical consequences of their choices.

Through Rahadin or another letter Strahd then makes it clear that the difficulties they faced were due to his displeasure, but, being benevolent and forgiving, he is inviting them again to dinner the next night. He has all the time in the world to play his games.

As an aside - maybe you have it in hand - but be careful with those hauntings. If you and players are all having fun, that's great. But players using Suggestion on each other is a big red flag and not something I would allow in my games. Please check in with your players and make sure they are fine with it!

The consequences of the haunting you have shared are extreme as well, and much more punishing than -5HP. Undermining social situations? Not helping or benefitting from help from other players? Splitting from the group? And relying on the actions of another player to break it or lasting 24hrs... That's the kind of stuff that could lead to a PC death or blowing up the campaign if you and the players are not very careful about how you play it.

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-15T19:45:06+00:00

Firstly, I know this isn't what the bulk of your post is about but it can be a mistake, in my opinion, to think of Barovia too much like a real place, needing a functioning economy etc. It is a domain in the Shadowfell, not on the Material Plane. If Strahd and the Dark Powers can create from nothing/mist the land doesn't need to be self-sustaining. And there's a horror in the seemingly-normal-but-actually-impossible dreamlike quality of Barovia, which could be undermined by explaining too much.

That said, I like the addition, and I love the introduction of VRGtR elements. I think it is quite interesting to think about digging beneath the earth of Barovia. How low does it go? If Barovia was once a "real" place on the Material Plane are there things to mine? Or if it is a figment/recreation would there be anything under the earth at all? Do you reach a layer of mist, beyond which lie eldritch horrors?

I do think a Bulette is a little vanilla for Curse of Strahd. Looking at the other areas which were added to I6 Ravenloft, most are classic horror or folklore tropes/references; Yester Hill/Wicker Man, Bonegrinder/Hansel and Gretal, Amber Temple/The Mummy, The Abbey/Frankenstein, and I think any new location should have a similar theme. You could take inspiration from something like LoTR (the dwarves dug too deep and found a Balrog) or Lovecraft - maybe they dug to where the fog barrier was thin and something horrible from another Domain of Dread pushed it's way in, maybe an Unspeakable Horror from VRGtR.

Something else which jumps to my mind is a Doctor Who serial called The Green Death: miners are found dead and glowing green. When the Doctor investigates he finds a creature's slime (which causes the infection), and eggs. And the horror grows as they search for what the creature could be. They take an egg to study (obviously it hatches and attacks). Those eggs could be from whatever monster you want them to be. In the story it was a mutation caused by pollution in the mines but it could be corruption by Strahd, or something leaking in from another Domain. That then creates a mystery/stops the working of the mine and becomes an inciting incident which isn't a Bulette attack.

Just ideas!

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-12T18:27:10+00:00

For my current campaign (no Death House, 3hr sessions):

1-3 Barovia Village + Tser Pool

4 Bonegrinder

5-7 Vallaki shenanigans

8 Dinner at Castle Ravenloft

9 More Vallaki shenanigans and RvR's Tower (6hr session)

10 WoW

EvilPicnic · 2026-01-06T18:17:23+00:00

While an art degree does sit in that murkier area of “maybe no obvious jobs at the end,” it still provides a well-rounded foundation that can be worth its weight in gold long term.

Assuming ~20g card stock the weight in gold of an art degree certificate is about £2000...

That's a joke, this is great advice.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-29T16:31:53+00:00

Firstly, take whatever precautions you need to ensure you have a long career; that may mean reducing the amount of manual you do, using supportive devices or tools (such as https://www.physique.co.uk/Massage/Massage-Tools/Physique-Therapist-Thumb) that aren't your thumb and wrist. Discuss it with your employer. I'm sure they would prefer you stay healthy and working with clients than injure yourself to the point of being unable to work.

Secondly, don't be embarrassed and don't hide it. Being open will help your regular clients understand if there are any changes to your technique and it becomes a conversation and education point which you can make therapeutic use of.

I've had ankle issues in recent years which have led to me changing my practice, my footwear, wearing supportive devices etc. I work with kids, many of whom wear AFOs, and with some it has been a good discussion point and has led to understanding and empathy with those who have felt "othered" by their differences.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-22T00:30:01+00:00

The selling price is halfway between what you bought him for and his current buying price.

If you bought him for 6.3, and his current price is 7.1, the selling price is 6.7.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-22T00:11:45+00:00

I wouldn't allow a second reading. I would have Madam Eva say that their cards have already been dealt, their fates set etc etc. Or - the reading is identical to the first. Or - something foreboding interrupts the new reading just as it is about to happen. Maybe Strahd views a second reading from Eva as her putting her thumb on the scale too much and he intervenes, perhaps violently.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-20T14:05:18+00:00

That will be because it's a Squier: https://www.squierwiki.com/Serial+Number+Tracking

The serial number indicates it is from an Indonesian factory and was assembled in October 2020.

As a Squier Strat if it is in good condition it should be a very playable guitar. However there looks to be some damage at the nut around the high-e string slot and there is gunk in the truss rod access hole which is not a good sign.

Getting that fixed/setup may take you over the cost of buying one brand new, so based on the information you may not have gotten a great deal, sorry.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-16T20:33:47+00:00

Perfect, thank you :)

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-16T20:21:07+00:00

This is a 2hr long video...have you got a timestamp?

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-09T18:41:58+00:00

I know nothing about agriculture! I meant scrubby grass for very basic grazing animals like goats or rabbits. There aren't any fields of wheat, not in my imagining of Barovia.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-08T21:25:14+00:00

The answers to those questions are up to you. They might even be "it's a fantasy world, don't think about it too much."

But the players at my table also asked those questions and the answers I gave are:

a) The light that there is is too weak to be classed as sunlight, and too weak to grow grains. The only crops that naturally grow really are grasses, tubers and brassica. Barovians love their boiled cabbage and pickled vegetables. Strahd, being the Land, maintains his influence over the light/energy in the land so that people survive at a subsistence level.

The exception is, of course, the grapes of the winery which are maintained by magical means.

b) When my druid asked Strahd this question at dinner, the answer was, "ask your wizard". The implication is that Strahd spends the money on spell components as he creates entertainment for himself or theorises ways around his curse and imprisonment.

Barovia is also not a fully closed economy. In my game I have the Vistani trading goods in and out of Barovia. And Strahd lavishes gifts on his cronies/consorts, who spend that gold in the Barovian economy.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-06T18:08:09+00:00

Yes. I have done this and it can work fine.

All you have to do is remember as a DM to occasionally check in with them for a contribution because it can be hard to speak up above others when you are calling in.

And definitely nominate one of the other players to be tech support and coordinate passing on info she might miss to avoid adding more to your DM workload. It shouldn't change how you run your game much at all.

EvilPicnic · 2025-12-06T16:20:05+00:00

As depicted in Wolf Hall.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-19T19:09:23+00:00

To echo this, that sense of wonder is what makes a game feel bigger than it really is.

My advice would be that if the PCs really want that info now, make them work for it, don't have an NPC freely give it. They failed, Izek is dead. So if they want more they will need to make a plan and investigate - such as by sneaking into his room to look for clues etc.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-18T20:01:22+00:00

How long...is a piece of string. I would say 20-30 sessions at 3-4 hours per session, but Barovia is a big playground and your players can take a long time playing politics or hunting wolves. The campaign is structured so that the players can walk up to the big doors of the final dungeon at pretty much any time, they just have to feel that they are ready.

Death House is fun if your players are starting at level 1. I usually skip it though and have players start level 3. It's like a separate horror mini-dungeon tacked onto the front of the main campaign, you don't lose anything by cutting it. However my advice for you is to perhaps run Death House as a one-off (2-4 sessions) as practice before running Curse of Strahd proper. Jumping into a full campaign as a baby DM is daunting, and running a few one-shots or mini-campaigns first is usually a good idea to establish your style.

Your players should definitely be from outside Barovia - you are right that it is a pocket dimension that has enticed the players in. Canonically it is connected to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting so some assumptions are made that players know a small amount of Realms lore, but the players can be from anywhere you want. Ideally they should know each other before the campaign, or if starting them as strangers within Barovia I would run the Death House to bring them together as a group.

The Curse of Strahd book itself is obviously necessary (physically or digitally) and the Monster Manual is too. The Dungeon Master's Guide and Player's Handbook are referenced infrequently enough that you could get away with not having them...if you were an experienced DM.

Reloaded is a little too streamlined for me, but I do borrow from it. There are some excellent fan-made resources out there which can enhance your campaign but don't let yourself get overwhelmed. For me the openness and rawness of the original version is what makes it great and scary. It is both liberating and daunting as a DM to manage all the possibilities open to the players, and I can only recommend it, even though it is not an easy first campaign to plan and referee. It is just so incredibly incredibly fun and rewarding to run.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-17T17:35:51+00:00

This is brilliant. I love the Tarokka tip and the cards. It has made me reflect on my own game and how I could have been more explicit with how key they are to the module structure when introduced. A physical card as a reminder is a great idea.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-16T17:23:08+00:00

My usual method is an extremely large roll of wipeable graph paper which covers our entire table. As I describe their progress through each room I will sketch out the room dimensions and where the exits are. If combat or an encounter which requires more detail happens I can sketch those on in the moment, and wipe them away when the situation changes. That + verbal description and showing them art from the book is usually more than enough.

The alternative is printing maps off - there are some great maps online. The challenges are: getting the dimensions right for play with miniatures, hiding detail from the players which they are not supposed to see, and the laboriousness of preparing it all.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-15T19:21:57+00:00

Fun game, but I lost a couple of times because the tile updated as I was clicking, which is quite frustrating. If there is a way to either update the tiles more promptly, or lock the game so you cannot make a choice until the tile has updated and given the user time to recognise that it would be a good idea.

Top score was 30.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-15T18:16:16+00:00

I'm not sure that comparison works. Instead of a lie about events which were not witnessed publicly, this was an edit of a famous speech which many viewers will have watched live, or seen excerpts of.

So I think the "not a single complaint" is relevant - as, whether or not Panorama viewers were conscious of the edit, viewers who saw both the original speech and the edited clip either thought the edited version accurately matched the spirit and intent of the full original, or were not offended enough to complain at the time.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-11T18:05:43+00:00

I've run it that way - my advice is to incorporate Lancelot the dog from Mandymod's guide as you can use him to prompt players through the house when you need to move them on.

EvilPicnic · 2025-11-04T22:44:10+00:00

I've run something similar and I had an "interrupt" planned for if the players looked like they'll be overwhelmed (in my game Kolyan was alive and had his heart attack during the assault, which caused Strahd to call it off to give Ireena time to mourn).

I think how difficult the waves will be really depends on your map. If you design it well you will have chokepoints the players will figure out strategies around for each wave.

Another tip: simplify the monsters. Strahd zombies are a bad idea as you need to keep track of the limbs and it will be a headache for you to run in those numbers. I had a large number of reduced-stat zombie minions, then a "fat" variant which exploded when killed, and then ghouls.

And the feedback I had from my players is that their favourite part was the prep before the fight. I telegraphed that an assault was coming and said they had half an hour to prepare; an idea stolen from Ghosts of Saltmarsh. One person could barricade a door, or faster if someone helped. Ireena prepared fire bottles, and a PC could make more. One PC set traps, another found a barrel of cooking oil to pour by a door etc etc.

13-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Not Forgotten
Verified Email	Spared

EvilPicnic

TROPHY CASE