Thanks everyone, I'm really digging the feedback. I'll admit, I hadn't really thought about this until a flash of thought this morning. I backed Matt's kickstarter and was wondering how I might be able to use it for the current campaign I'm running.
[MENTION=7006]DEFCON 1[/MENTION] that is a good point about there not being much around Barovia. But I don't think they would want to make a "home" of Vallaki what with that mayor being so persistent about people being happy and participating in those parades and fests. Of course, I also have no idea how this group is going to proceed or react. I am changing the script for some things regarding Lady Wachter and her relationship to the Baron and Izek based on some suggests I've found on these boards, so who knows who will survive that event. But the Blue Water Inn already makes a pretty nice base of operations, even if not exactly a player controlled stronghold. Krezk would be more reasonable, but the players may stumble into Van Richten's Tower by then, which has stronghold written all over it.
Also, I know that Death House is like... super cursed. But I like to reward my players for creativity. I won't say it's impossible to break the curse. And I don't even know if they would want to claim the house as theirs. But outside of Castle Ravenloft and the Amber Temple, it is the most like a traditional dungeon crawl. And with them trapped in there and being forced to put some much work and effort into clearing it and surviving, I definitely see them being invested to the point that they may want to claim it for themselves.
[MENTION=19270]toucanbuzz[/MENTION] I definitely hear you about the Dark Powers and the difficulty associated with cleansing the house. But this could also be a double-edged sword for the players. Clearing the Death House is the thing that may pique Strahd's interest in the players, and by his will he may allow them to believe the house is clear, only for him to use it as a means of observing the characters while their.
As to the campaign goal of getting out... that may be true. But I can't assume that the players will want to get out by the end of it. For all I know, one or all of them may want to take Strahd's place, with the Dark Powers jumping on the opportunity to corrupt an individual or group even stronger than Strahd.
As for the safety piece, I disagree. As even pointed out in the book, horror themed campaigns require some instances of safety and levity. There needs to be a rhythm. If it is all horror, all the time, it can hamper the fun factor. It also creates difficulty as a DM or storyteller because you are always having to raise the bar to scare or creep out the players. The players need instances where they can believe they are safe (whether it is true or not) for the horror to be impactful.
And the fact that having a base of operations makes them an easy target for Strahd is a perfect lesson for the players to learn in game.
[MENTION=22260]TerraDave[/MENTION] I definitely see the concern about having a stronghold early, and especially for new players. But I'm not making this a true stronghold that requires upkeep or assume downtime unless that's what the players want. I don't even know if they are going to want to claim this place as theirs. But I've learned that even with new players (perhaps especially with new players because they don't know the rules well enough to make suggestions or intentions bounded within them) I need to be prepared for everything and also be prepared that none of my preparation will matter. So I'm just kinda testing the waters with proposing the idea in case that is what the players decide they want. Also, to see any blind spots I have in considering the idea.