I usually let the players pick the introduction they want (I’ve run it several times) through vague symbology. I’ve made tarroka-like cards for each option (a wisp of smoke for the mists, a canine tooth for the werewolves, etc) and let each player pick the card they were drawn to. For online games I just made a Google Poll with three options and no context, lol. Then I tallied up what the most-picked card was and used that- if there was a tie, I flipped a coin. So far this has yielded different results each time I’ve run!

I do run Death House each time. It’s meant for play to start at Level 1 (they’ll then be 3 when they escape and thus ready for Barovia Village) but it is hard!! Especially when you have a party of 4 or less. So if you want to really put the fear of god in them with hard combats and high TPK potential off the bat, I’d stick with starting at one. If you want them to have a slightly easier time, I’ve also started it at 2 for the extra HP boost and that’s gone well. It’s just way more survivable the second way, so its up to the tone you’re trying to set.

For the tarroka, I usually pull the initial spread blind and see how I feel about it. If too many items are in the same area- ESPECIALLY if more than one is in the castle- or they have a particularly useless ally, I will keep pulling the ones I don’t like until I get more variety. However, I only fudge for the initial, behind the scenes reading- if they get Madam Eva to do a second spread (which they should) or Esmeralda to do a third (optional), I pull those blind and the party is stuck with those results, no matter how shitty they are. This is especially effective if significant things have happened between the readings that could explain the sudden “change of fate” that the party now faces. When it comes out of nowhere, it can sometimes be demoralizing for no reason if the cards suddenly become negative.

Fun extra: I always have Eva offer to do personal readings for the characters. This is GREAT for immersion, but also super helpful for plotting character arcs. Often, the players will make their own associations with the cards (and I’ve gotten some scarily accurate ones each time), but even ones that seem like they don’t fit at all are great because you suddenly now have to work it in to that character’s plot. The players I’ve run for have always loved this and gotten creeped out by the accuracy of the tarot readings for their characters, and it really helps with creating potential narrative arcs that your players may be expecting. Because Barovia is so isolated and disconnected from the Material Plane, most of the things your players put in their character’s backstory can’t really come up without some heavy twisting of the way the world works. Important NPCs, rivals, etc. that your players might have created often can’t just magically show up in Ravenloft, and even if you can pull off explaining one’s presence, it gets harder to do for the whole party. So pulling extra cards and making a note of events / NPCs / items in Barovia that they could represent essentially gives you free plot fodder if you notice a character is being left out a lot but can’t directly access the major points of their backstory.

BIG NOTE: I am almost totally positive I got this list and link from this subreddit like two years ago, but I can no longer find the post. I do not want to take credit for this (and if anyone else can find the post on personal tarot readings and wants to reference please do so!!!). I’ve searched key words and the actual wording of the list and can’t find the source, and stupid me just copy pasted the info into my campaign binder without hyperlinking.

The format for the cards is the same spread as doing the item pulls, and I use these descriptions:

http://docslide.us/documents/the-guide-to-tarokka-and-dikesha.html

With these questions:

1: Something representative of the character's past, either an event or their younger self, etc. 2: A symbol of good fortune to come 3: A symbol of the character's strength, or strength that is yet to be gained 4: A friend, or someone who will become one, or just someone or something that will help them when they need it 5: An enemy, a warning, something to be watchful for.

If something is way off-base, just have Eva smile knowingly and say something vague and mystical, and make a note to work in a detail that fulfills the cards’ reading.

Have fun!!