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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MostlyHarmless42" data-source="post: 6890982" data-attributes="member: 6845520">I would potentially allow it as an option, especially given that the players have done this module before, though as previously stated there is the issue of spotlight stealing, or attempted meta gaming. As previously stated, you should definitely consider seeing what your players are seeking from a game they've ran before, and Ismark is definitely a better pc option than Ireena. The whole comparing it to a previous game is a valid concern, though as they have all played the game before l, even a "fresh" character will still be compared to previous runs of this game, and that would probably encourage them to just play a previous character they've already done Ravenloft with anyway.My larger concern would be meta-gsming in general. Switching around a few plot elements and character motivations might be in order, and I would *definitely* avoid any type of attempt to have a "Dinner with the Count" type of castle invitation unless you are okay with the fact that a group like what's described is pretty likely to start flinging spells and turn undead attempts before Strahd even says "Welcome!" If that is the case, mores the pity, because it turns a complex villain who loves to learn about his opponents and use this knowledge against them into instant attack mode and ultimately makes a great Gothic horror into a hack and slash dungeon crawl.That all said...you seem to have a larger issue than just this game. You may wish to consider bowing out of running it if you aren't truly comfortable. NEVER let players bully you into running a game you don't wish to do. A DM is expected to be the arbiter of rules and to do so you need to maintain a level of control over what happens at the table. This isn't saying you should be the dick railroading tyrant DM, far from it, but getting bullied into running a game you don't want to do, and players doing something questionable and asking after the fact is NOT acceptable at the table. Again, the game is about having fun for everyone, but at the end of the day, the DM has to put forth quite a bit of prep work that players do not (perhaps why they don't want to run it themselves), and a bored or overwhelmed DM just makes the game not fun for anyone.Should you go through with running the game. Establish one thing early on...this is YOUR Ravenloft, not their preestablished version from some old game ran by a buddy 20 years ago. You are welcome to ask them for input on any changes from the book and their "version" of Barovia and if you like the changes, use them. If not, don't. If they have issue with that, one of them should run the game.</blockquote>

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