D&D 5E Curse of Strahd: Barovia needs about 10x more people

[intently]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that The Curse of Strahd indicates the following facts about Barovia:

• Population of about 3000, mostly living in villages of Barovia, Vallaki, and Krezk
• The Village of Barovia has an elected burgomaster in a well-appointed mansion, but everyone is too scared to even leave their homes
• Very low influx of population, mostly just a handful of adventurers at a time who are quickly killed (i.e., they don't settle down and raise a family)
• Barovians are self-sufficient for food, manufactured goods, etc.
• The woods are chock-full of werewolves, zombies, blights, ghosts, revenants, evil druids, etc.
• Barovia has been isolated for, what, 400 or 700 years?

Basically, these setting details make no sense when taken together. These details may not bother you at all -- just a game! -- but they irk me... and I think they can be rectified pretty easily without sacrificing the horrific gothic tone of the setting.

Change 1: Barovia needs +/- 30,000 people to support the 3,000 who live in the villages. Most of these people are farmers and ranchers.

Change 2: Strahd and his minions aren't constantly slaughtering people -- maybe he takes a few decades off here and there, waiting for Tatyana to be reincarnated. Sure, he kidnaps people with souls periodically, but he can't be so threatening that the entire economy of the region breaks down. Strahd is basically a farmer of Barovians and he needs to keep his crop healthy if he himself wants to survive. The people in the Village know that Strahd is becoming active again, but they aren't all boarded up in their homes.

Change 3: After one of Strahd's bi-decadal rampages the Vistani abduct children and dump them in Barovia to be raised as Barovians. Maybe they abduct children at a low rate all the time, and then pick up steam when they need to replenish Strahd's herd.

Thoughts?

 

[ccs]

I like your idea about the Vistani abducting children.

Other than that? I think the setting is much better viewed as a nightmare. As such it doesn't HAVE to make perfect sense....

 

[Rils]

Isn't there something in there about re-incarnation? As long as everyone is boarded up safe in their houses, maybe the death rate roughly exceeds the birth rate, and things stay more or less even...

 

[Satyrn]

Other than that? I think the setting is much better viewed as a nightmare. As such it doesn't HAVE to make perfect sense....

Especially since, to me, that is exactly what Barovia is. Strahd's nightmare he can't escape.

 

[ad_hoc]

Strahd and his minions aren't constantly slaughtering people.

Think more gothic horror and less splatter gore.

 

[MrHotter]

I was thinking about this too. With such a small number of drinkable people (Strahd does not drink from those who have no souls), I would think he would be very protective of his herd. I would also think he would not be likely to let many vampire spawn live so he has no competition.

I also wonder how a forest full of wolves and skies full of bats find enough food. With swarms of ravens around you would also think that the skies would be a constant battlefield as the bats try to feed off the ravens.

I'm tempted just to hand wave it all as 'magic stuff'. I think in my game that the Vistani will be willing food sacks for Strahd and that Strahd's minions will leave the Barovians with souls alive as long as they stay in line. That way the Barovian's will be even sadder since they are too cowed to even whisper that they may fight back.

For the bats and wolves I will say that they are sustained by Strahd's magic and are always hungry but only feast when Strahd lets them.

 

[intently]

Strahd and his minions aren't constantly slaughtering people.

Think more gothic horror and less splatter gore.

Werewolves need to eat, yes?

Anyway, yes, I know what gothic horror is. My point is, Barovia isn't sustainable. This is just a game, of course.

 

[JasonZZ]

Clearly, this is too much for "a wizard did it". Thankfully, this is Ravenloft, and we can conclude that the Dark Powers did it instead.

 

[Mirtek]

Clearly, this is too much for "a wizard did it". Thankfully, this is Ravenloft, and we can conclude that the Dark Powers did it instead.

That's it. The Dark Powers provide and keep anyone from noticing that it's somehow odd

 

[flametitan]

The world's little more than an illusion made to torture Strahd for eternity (and the PCs for however long they let them stay). If a town gets depopulated, odds are the Dark Powers can just restock the town with soulless inhabitants to make up for it.