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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheSword" data-source="post: 8964891" data-attributes="member: 6879661">[USER=42040]@Retreater[/USER] I’m a bit late to the party here but here are my thoughts. I think you’re going to have a bit of skepticism but you’re gonna have to trust me.Firstly - Curse of Strahd is excellent! It one of the best campaigns I’ve DMd and it’s very well written. It’s going to offer you two things… firstly atmosphere. Secondly encounters that need to be thought about rather than just smashed through. If there was ever a campaign that would bring out the best in players it’s Curse of Strahd.This is how I would run it.- First off… DO NOT start at level 3. Throw them in at level 1. Early encounters are wolves, vampire spawn, possibly zombies… they can handle that, particularly with a party of 6, but not easily. Maybe some will fall to zero hp. Let them feel vulnerable. That is your greatest weapon.- 2nd, if a PC drops to zero Hp they take a level of exhaustion until they get a long rest. This keeps dropping to 0hp scary but not crippling. If players die, let them die. Tell them it will be hard (but using core rules for the main part) but ask them to generate a back up character too. If they die make them wait a little bit then bring that character in.- 3rd, use the elite stat array and assign. It’s harder to min max and still gives you a well balanced character - with the chance to be powerful. Make them pick and 8… the. Use that weakness against them- 4th, Slooooooooowwwwww down the XP gain. Run off half XP for every encounter.  Under no circumstances use milestone levelling (offer story awards that are slightly better than the XP for killing). I would be aiming to have the PCs 2 levels lower than the book suggests throughout. You get to keep all the creatures the same but the difficult stays reasonable. Lower abilities means players will get more chance to shine with what they have than a single character dumping a fireball. Keep progressing them, but take your time and enjoy those early levels. Aim for 5th or 6th level by the time they reach the far end of the valley and the Amber temple and 7th max when they enter Ravenloft. The sand box linked XP forces them to explore and search rather than skip to the levelling up.- 5th, play monsters cruelly and intelligently. If a wolf downs a Pc to zero hp, have the wolf keep savaging them until they’re dead - unless attacked by someone else. Make it clear that PCs will need to save each other. Use ambushes, use magic, use trickery. There are werewolves at the end of the valley.. The party met a family  heading to safety with a wagon. They warned the party there were werewolves in the west and they occasionally attacked the road. They asked if the party has silver weapons to defend them as that was the only thing that can hurt them… the party said no only a single silver dagger… the lead farmer said ‘good’ and they all transformed into werewolves.- 6th. Let them laugh. There’s nothing wrong with jokes. Because when a character dies or an NpC they like then it will be a stronger contrast. If you think they’re pissing about, have the mists set in and then run a random encounter… in mist - that can only allow 10-15 foot visibility. Don’t forget the dark powers punish the cruel, the arrogant and the complacent.- 7th. Let them see Strahd often and have him toy with them. They are his playthings. His regeneration is extreme - they’re gonna have low level abilities let them attack him - he will use every dirty trick in his book. Including dominate, polymorph, curse, enfeeblement. Etc- 8th. Don’t describe any creature by name or game statistics. It’s not a ghoul, it’s a “hunched, pallid-skinned creature. With filthy claws, and teeth sharpened to points. You can’t tell if it has done to itself or if they have just grown that way.” Do not reveal game stats, few free to make minor changes to creatures liberally. The ghouls spider climb for instance and don’t seem willing to stand on the floor - they attack from the walls and ceiling.- 9th Dont let the dice decide everything. Have lots of circumstances that there is a choice between the lesser of two evils. Make those choices hard. They kill a rival of Strahd like the Abbot by being murder hobos? Cool, have Strahd himself come and thank them personally. Mess around with the PCs every thing they think they have been successful at through murder hoboing has a unforeseen consequence.- 10th make it all about Strahd. Link everything to Strahd and link every character to Strahd. By the time they are ready to tackle castle Ravenloft they should hate him with a fiery passion. - 11th. Have magic items, but make each one mysterious and be liberal with curses.- 12th. Make it clear the PCs are trapped. They can’t easily replace equipment, they can’t escape the mists and they can’t escape Strahd - other tha for a fleeting moment.- 13th. Enjoy it. You can’t run a good game unless you’re enjoying it.</blockquote>

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