Thoughts on running Death House

[Steve_MND]

Any other ideas on how to play this up? What are your plans to introduce the Dursts?

I kind of assumed that with them 'behind the walls' as it were, they had likely been walled up alive at some point in their wretched past, and only when some adventurers get too close do they gather the strength to burst dramatically from their happenstance tombs. I was actually going to have the walls be obviously caked over with fresh(er) plaster in those two spots, with the sound of feeble scraping from the other side. See how the party reacts to that, first.

The more I think about the mod, the more I'm saddened that I'll be running it on Wednesdays at my game store, which is all loud and bright and full of noisy gamers and such. The setting cries out for something a little more... isolated.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Ive run Death House twice now as a 'launch' event of sorts. (I actually wasnt intending on running it, but then Suits got delayed and that sorta screwed up my plans). I ran it at two different locations on Saturdays.

I basically said 'We have 4.5 hours. Im going to run as much as I can in that time' Im kinda sad I had to do it this way, but Ive had major issues in the past with getting all the same peopel to turn up for double sessions (ie 4 hours one week, 4 hours 2 weeks later : 8 hour scenario). People pulled out at the last second and it was a struggle to make it work, so Ive not run a 8 hour game since.

Both groups got to roughly the same location. Both laid the Spirits to rest even with possession involved. Both found the cultist dinining table.

I found the top level far more impressive descriptively than the bottom. Mostly because I got to use my Camilla Harpsicord music in the top on repeat until someone smashed the Harpsichord (which slowly reformed anyway).

The party found the Animated armor probably the toughest fight, but thats more a victim of probability because with its 18 AC its certainly tricky. The Spectre Nursemaid killed the party Paladin who was brought back permanently blind.

Only one of the players seemed disinterested. But hes the son of one of the other players and 4 hours is a long time for him not to kill things much so thats okay.

All in all it was a good experience.

 

[devlin1]

Strahd's Letter

"From the desk of" got a LOL out of me.

Also! I did something similar, but found a different seal.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Now that Suits in the Mist is out, I have a question for the group . Obviously Spoilers.

I only got to run Death House's first topside half. 4 and a bit hours. As such the 2 groups I ran are all 2nd level.

Thus they are all eligible to play Suits in the Mists and Im sure all of them want to play on with those characters.

Ive yet to have a good read of Suits and Ive noted its already tooled for 2nd level characters so this is a good thing. Do I need to change anything to indiciate they are all in Barovia /anything else. ?

 

[Grubble]

Now that Suits in the Mist is out, I have a question for the group . Obviously Spoilers.

I only got to run Death House's first topside half. 4 and a bit hours. As such the 2 groups I ran are all 2nd level.

Thus they are all eligible to play Suits in the Mists and Im sure all of them want to play on with those characters.

Ive yet to have a good read of Suits and Ive noted its already tooled for 2nd level characters so this is a good thing. Do I need to change anything to indiciate they are all in Barovia /anything else. ?

Suits starts with your players outside of Phlan. You don't enter Barovia until the very end.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Thanks. So do you suggest that I have the mists temporarily desposit them back into Phlan and then later on claim them again?

 

[Rils]

Read it before you plan to do that. After my first read through, I was a little bummed - it seemed like a much more natural transition from FR to Ravenloft that the Death House "Oh, it gets foggy one night, now you're in Barovia" schtick, and I was sad we'd missed it. On second reading though, it's essentially a series of fetch quests with some plot-twist character development at the end. I'm still on the fence about which way I would have gone, given the choice. In my opinion, Suits is a better transition, but DH is a more interesting story. YMMV.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Well the fact of the matter is Ive already run Death House. Its done. THey are level 2 and Suits of the Mists is sheduled and coming up. So its gonna happen. I justed wanted some guidance on how to make a transition between the 2.

 

[kalani]

The admins have said that both Death House and Suits of the Mists are mutually exclusive adventures.

Since 4-1 starts in Faerun, characters who have played Death House will be unable to participate in that adventure as they are unable to play any adventures set outside of Barovia. With the exception of part 5, 4-1 occurs primarily outside Barovia and as such, DH characters are ineligable to participate.

With that being said, it is theoretically possible to run 4-1 first and then transition to Death House - were it not for the fact that the admins have stipulated that they are mutually exclusive.

 

[Byakugan]

Are the intro adventures only available through DMsGuild? Ie. Do I need to buy them?