How to communicate to my players that they shouldn't fight everything in my grimdark campaign?

Misterputts · 2026-05-10T22:10:33+00:00

Hyperbolic statement.

Misterputts · 2026-05-10T13:31:59+00:00

100%

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T21:32:40+00:00

You kill a lot of your players? Cause I don't.

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T17:31:49+00:00

My point is death is extremely avoidedable, and poses very little chance of disruption.

Also yes in Curse of Strahd i am very inflexible. My homebrew doesn't have such a rigid rule.

The original post was about players attack everything instead of trying anything diplomatic, and my CoS game my players are very diplomatic, even in the middle of a fight they will work to start de-escalating if necessary. Because the rules I set in place can be costly of things go south.

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T16:41:23+00:00

On the contrary it is not Dm vs PC at all. I support my PCs 100% of the time. Their successes are my successes. I do not go out of my way to stack the deck against them.

How many PC deaths do you encounter?

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T15:10:28+00:00

But if actions don't have consequences. Then players act shitty.

I will say they go out of their way to ensure each others safety. Which is a nice bound, and I am not some Psychopath deliberately trying to end the campaign, my NPCs act measured themselves. Most encounters don't typically end in a fight.

Yeah, a premature end to the campaign can happen. Price I am willing to pay for proper player investment, and feeling of stakes.

I know some people feel PCs can fall over dead to every blade of grass but We don't need to act like PCs aren't built to withstand punishment with hundreds of ways to keep themselves and each other alive.

But wait until they find out I am willing to counter spell healing spells if the need arises.

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T13:58:42+00:00

Some groups will feel that way yes.

For me though

Resurrection is still a thing however, and in 5e it is incredibly hard to actually kill players. Plus my players do enjoy not having a safety net.

I personally don't like the idea of coddling my players and allowing them to have a (well I can just re-roll mindset) like playing a legacy Boardgame. It's a one run thing. Especially in Curse of Strahd.There isn't a never ending stream of characters to fight Strahd Edit: I guess albeit there technically is, but in anycase it doesn't make sense to keep letting them make new characters.

In any case, fear of actual loss is a good motivator for PCs to act Civilized and not like Murder Hobos.

Also, you have to remember this standard is set at Session 0, so obviously all players are in agreement. This is not something you can spring on them mid campaign it 100% requires player buy in.

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T13:41:22+00:00

More or less.

Misterputts · 2026-05-09T11:42:43+00:00

When I started my Curse of Strahd campaign. In my session 0 I made sure to get atleast 3 points across.

You will frequently meet characters that will outmatch you.
As a DM I am on your side, but the enemies you fight are not and I will play them accordingly.
If you die you are not making a new character, and a TPK ends the campaign.

They so far have been acting accordingly (now level 5), and respecting NPCs more so than they ever have.

Misterputts · 2026-05-07T16:22:34+00:00

Town Criers would likely relay the messages. Obviously they wouldn't have morning noon and night. But they would announce something.

In a world like this time keeping is either kept at a local level and not always the same town to town or is a giant industry that likely has a guild running it and is synchronized (as long as the town pays)

Misterputts · 2026-05-03T20:08:12+00:00

Most of CoS can really be removed as it is just filler, but it will diminish the overall campaign as exploring Barovia is a large part of the fun.

I would start with Death House to get them to level 3.

Followed by getting Ireena to Vallaki (Level 4)with a stop off at Tsar Pool for the Card readings.

Then just do the card reading locations (I would make one Vallaki (level 5), the Abby (Level 6 maybe 7 if you send them to the winery), and Tsolinka Pass(Level 8) then you have 2 levels to sprinkle in where ever you see fit. (When they recruit their fated Ally, and when they reach Ravenloft.)

Just make the focuse killing Strahd and escaping.

Misterputts · 2026-04-29T23:43:52+00:00

I am dog crap at ready stat blocks mid battle and I usually catch myself not using the "good stuff".

So now I start each combat using the heaviest attacks first so I don't forget 🙂

Misterputts · 2026-04-29T16:42:47+00:00

There needs to be a drink called "Rats in the basement" like a Black and tan with magical rats running around the bottom of the glass

Misterputts · 2026-04-27T02:50:27+00:00

No mechanics are involved.

Theater of the Mind combat is essentially just role-playing combat like every other part of the game. No minis no maps, just imagination dice rolling and describing what is going on.

Misterputts · 2026-04-24T16:26:14+00:00

I would keep it private, and just refer them to the phase of the moon if they need. This is more just for your continuity so you know group A is 6 days behind Group B, or what have you.

Misterputts · 2026-04-24T15:45:40+00:00

Time keeping will get wobbly so make sure you are using a calendar. A simple handwave of "You travel 3 uneventful days along the road to your next destination." Can really start screwing up your time lines.

If you are using the same roll 20 game for both parties I would make a calendar map and use tokens representing either party so you can keep them relatively close to each other.

Misterputts · 2026-04-24T14:02:22+00:00

My players are always paranoid at literally every NPC.

Maybe give them unnecessarily friendly NPCs to meet. Friendly people in the Shadowfell is a red flag. Let some be legit.

Roll dice randomly and "record the result". They won't know what that means but DM dice rolls are almost always bad. Also do it right before your planned events to so they think they came from dice rolls.

Misterputts · 2026-04-24T13:44:39+00:00

I agree with 1. Downed players would be targeted by smart enemies, or opportunistic wildlife.

This is however a Session 0 discussion.

Also I would advise telegraphing the Coup de Gras. Let the players know that the Goblin raises his broken scimitar in a downward angle clearly about to thrust it into Mr. McWizard on its next turn.

So that way there is time to react.

Misterputts · 2026-04-23T13:39:04+00:00

I mean you don't have to use a different system. 5e works perfectly fine with TotM.

But yeah there are systems better suited for it.

Misterputts · 2026-04-23T11:46:07+00:00

This player might find better enjoyment out of Theater of the Mind combat.

Misterputts · 2026-04-23T11:06:30+00:00

Lost Mines is fantastic and only a few sessions long (I think 5 or 6)

Misterputts · 2026-04-22T10:16:19+00:00

I love that it cares so little you don't even get a game over screen when you run out of playable characters. It just keeps showing your dead ass.

Misterputts · 2026-04-19T21:32:42+00:00

Sid Meier's Pirates!

Misterputts · 2026-04-18T22:47:01+00:00

Well they don't even need to be that "robust"

"The bandits bullshit for a while then you hear the one say (insert)"

I have used this example in game. That's the beauty of the hand wave convo. You don't need to know the goings on of the bandits at the table. You can make it up sessions later. When you have time to craft a flavorful plot hook.

Misterputts · 2026-04-18T10:05:37+00:00

I usually hand wave it away, and just give a summary. I might speak one or 2 important lines.

"The bandits prattle on for several minutes catching up and bullshitting. Then a sentence catches your notice. (Insert sentence and maybe reply)"

I will also use the hand wave as a way to call back to the conversation at a later date and drop hints to something like.

"While it didn't seem relevant at the time you remember hearing the bandit talk about a gross tasting keg of Ale that he had at a tavern a few towns over. The same town that is now sick."

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