WingOver said:
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Spoilers...
I solved the problem of PC motivation by having 2 of them meet Helene (the widow who lost her husband to werewolves in Barovia) and setting Strahd's goal to gain the werewolf allies. So the convergence of both tasks were enough motivation to go to Barovia.
I liked the zombie siege, but it seemed a little overboard (some of it my fault). The party reached the village square, saved the paladin and rested at the inn. That night I decided to have another group of zombies attack the barricades to maintain the sense that the town was swarmed with undead (player ranger kept watch atop the Inn). The next morning they encountered the ghasts and yet more zombies. At this point they were feeling restless and just wanted to get to the church. When they finally did they pretty much rushed in there unprepared and suffered 2 deaths.
I haven't read the entire adventure yet but so far I feel the tactical side is excellent while the plot side has some weaknesses. Some NPC motivations present plot problems. For example, the paladin. She's there to find the Sunsword. Well, one of my players is a paladin. An obvious conflict of interest. I'm solving the problem by having her delay her quest after experiencing the grief of discovering her companions succumbed to the zombie plague. She'll take their bodies back home and resume her quest later. Another problem I have is figuring out what to do with Ireena. She wants to help the PCs and will even secretly follow them if necessary. I don't know if I want to deal with that headache. Madam Eva is the fortune teller and not evil. Yet she has to be killed to sever Strahd's connection to the forest fane. I don't see the players doing that if the initial encounter with her goes well (and it needs to for the fortune telling).
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-Spoilers-
Interesting; nice work combining the secondary goal and the initial hook. Strahd’s secondary goal in my game is Brook No Rival (The Witches attempting to summon a demon to challenge Strahd). The initial hook was easy since I too had several PC’s take me up on the offer to be members of the Lightbringer guild from the start; so they were commissioned to go find out what happened to the previous guild-members that went to Barovia.
I also have a paladin in the party (and two clerics), but I’m not sure how that makes a conflict of interest with Ashlyn’s goal of finding the Sunsword…is your player intent on racing her to find it? In any case, Ashlyn’s probable fates as I see them:
*She will die (she’s a level behind the PCs and it’s a horror module).
*She’ll be convinced by way of diplomacy and good role-playing to stay behind and protect the village.
*One of the players will pick her up as a PC after an untimely death.
Even if none of the above happens and Ashlyn is around when the PC’s find the Sunsword, I would most likely have her acquiesce to the party when it comes to the weapon’s use. No need for additional conflict.
My group has already convinced her not to accompany the party to the Church, playing on her concern for the villagers trapped in the town square.
Madam Eva may or may not be at odds with the party (see Marcon’s post). She’s listed as an Annis Hag on page 77 where, oddly, her alignment is listed as CN…most likely to keep a paladin from detecting her as evil and refusing to talk to her.
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