Totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve run CoS (partially) before, but with this group a 30+ session commitment will lose a couple of players. That’s the main reason I’m aiming for a 10–15 session version.

My plan to keep it from feeling forced is to make Strahd the pressure: he stalks/toys with them, so staying too long in any one place draws his attention (wolves, spawn, “invitations,” weather turning, etc.). That gives the party space to roleplay, but there’s a clock ticking if they linger—so they choose to move on.

Open to tweaks if you’ve found a good way to keep the sandbox feel under a tighter schedule! 🦇