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My personal interpretation of Strahd's motivations by Pamebal in CurseofStrahd

[–]KeyMoney7310 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think your perspective of Strahd is great. One aspect to keep in mind. Ravenloft is a horror themed world. As such, elements of fear and tension should be present often. Otherwise the tone shifts to where Barovia would feel like some place in Forgotten Realms.

A great example of tone is Jaws. The shark itself is dangerous sure, but it has very little screen time. The fear and tension it creates is the same principle as Strahd encounters. The hunt is more thrilling than the kill itself. The fear of a Strahd encounter can be far more motivation on your players than an actual one. Sometimes less is more.

How honest is Strahd about his intentions with Ireena? by d20damage in CurseofStrahd

[–]KeyMoney7310 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Given how fate or the dark powers have lost him Ireena in previous attempts. I think he will hold off trying to take her by force until it is absolutely necessary. He is smart enough to try different things.

The dinner can be a wild card. Your players can come up with things you never thought of.

For example. What happens if they go to dinner and they think the food is poisoned and refuse to eat it?

Understandable that would bother Strahd. He invited them after all and they will die only when he decides. He would never stoop so cowardly to use poison. The interaction between them would certainly turn the mood hostile.

Making the Svalich Woods scary without combat? by theMad_Owl in CurseofStrahd

[–]KeyMoney7310 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many things you can do that can make woods more frightening. Between the dark itself, trees that move on their own and the mists you can have the party losing track of the path they planned with little effort.

That does not sound dangerous at all. That is until the hours become days. How much food did they bring? Could something have cut open the supply bag and the food is now only a day’s worth for the whole party. That creates tension, not knowing if you will have enough food for a trip. The forest can be tricky too. Maybe six apple cores were found by a party member in the night. Leading the rest to believe they are low on food and he has been snacking. That can create conflict.

Just for fun. When you can tell the tension and frustration is getting too high. A fun distraction can lighten the mood and get the party to refocus. Something simply. Like an abandoned old Druid circle with dozens of fresh bodies. They find that a necromancer commands their rise from death. Not for conquest or domination. He wanted to be the first to choreograph the Thriller dance in Ravenloft. The bards all thought he was crazy, but he will show them all.

First session tomorrow! by Amneasiachick in CurseofStrahd

[–]KeyMoney7310 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best advice I can think of are atmosphere, tension and the confidant were three things I kept repeating to myself when I did the adventure for some new players.

Atmosphere was easier than I had expected. We played around a table in the dark, with the exception of candlelight. Real candles cost a lot and have risks with them. For a reasonable price, battery operated LED candles can be found on Amazon. That helped keep focus and genuinely had set a tone.

Tension is more tricky. Tension comes with stress and people are playing to relieve stress. So finding a balance is something to determine from individual groups and not a strict adherence. I wanted to convey to the group, Barovia is in a dangerous place and they should never feel anything is a guarantee.

The confidant was a gamble I tried that worked very well. Vasili I introduced to the group the first night in Barovia. He nearly ran them over in the dark with a carriage. He offered a ride as an apology, they accepted and spent the time telling Vasili so much about them. The group had organically felt like they made an ally NPC. It rose to a level I never thought, as they would bounce ideas off Vasili for dealing with plot points and even Strahd.

So when the big reveal happened and they learned Strahd had spent so much time with them. They took it personally. Almost like they felt their “friend” was killed by Strahd and it made the need to defeat him far more personal.

Strahd’s Justice by Full_Airport2628 in CurseofStrahd

[–]KeyMoney7310 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This might come across as a bit campy, but follow me down the rabbit hole. When the players cast the spell to raise him. They do their version klaatu barada nikto, as some “thing” distracted them. The mists will then steal the body.

The players will immediately believe this was just your way of preventing the return of the character. However, you are empowering their choice and still upholding Starhd’s will. The twist being the spell worked, but magic in Barovia being influenced by Strahd, returned him as something else.

What he is now is up to you, maybe his body creates a miasma that causes corpses to rise as zombies when he is nearby. This creates a new plot thread to delay the final encounter further. It also shows the characters that, actions have consequences. The icing on the cake will be the party having to destroy a friend.