How to Run Ravenloft in One Night (Episode

[@VentureFilmsJake]

My favorite is just have Strahd offhandedly mention "have you figured out which of your friends is a traitor yet?" And watch the chaos

[@ksbsnowowl3569]

Oh, I am going to have to remember this... (Cackles in Barovian)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Lol. Thats a good one.

[@Joshuazx]

OH, that sounds like fun!

[@royjaskowski905]

A traitor PC in a one shot is always a legit threat. But the plot should be used sparingly or it loses its sting.

[@GonzoTehGreat]

@@ksbsnowowl3569 How in the world (of Faerun) do you cackle in Barovian? 🤔

[@MichaelGhelfiStudios]

Hello Dan, thank you so much for recommending my work. It was a much pleasant surprise to hear my name :) Well done for this video, your narration is awesome!

[@tomyoung9834]

The prof’s recommendation lead me to your music, and I have to say, it’s awesome!

[@MichaelGhelfiStudios]

@@tomyoung9834 Thanks! Welcome on the channel :)

[@lovelandfrogman2136]

Just discovered your channel through this comment! Amazing audio! 🤩

[@MichaelGhelfiStudios]

@@lovelandfrogman2136 Thank you! Be welcome :D

[@rascally_ryan]

“I went to the doctor. All he did was suck blood from my neck. Do not go see Dr. Acula.” 😄 (A big thank you to the late and great stand-up comic Mitch Hedberg for that one)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good one!

[@ogrestamp]

I still have my 1983 Ravenloft module. A friend ran it for us, I played a fighter and my best friend was a thief. I remember finding a cloak of vampirism that allowed me to mimic the powers with a slight chance of becoming a vampire. I thought it was cool and I could fight fire with fire. My best friend didn't think it was so cool and started threatening me to get rid of it. So I used the cloak's power and charmed him. He was not happy. Still to this day, he is not happy about that.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing!

[@MOTARACTUAL]

I still have that module too. IT's the only AD&D thing I still have, actually

[@GonzoTehGreat]

Perhaps he was jealous of that charming cloak coming between you... And he was right to be! 🤬

[@trynda1701]

Interesting that you managed to streamline the adventure down to a single session, when looking online, people seem to be saying between 3-6 sessions. But of course, that is what your game style is all about. 👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎 Have you ran the adventure for more than one group, and did anyone who was Titanias' double go to the dark side?

[@A3g1s22]

My dad ran it for us, one of the most fun games I've ever done. For any new DM's to the OG Raveloft, you want as much dread leading up to your first meeting with Strahd as you can get. But then try to make him seem charming and almost normal. That's what my dad did, and it added so much more roleplay and enjoyment in finding out his story. Then it made killing him so much more emotional, since we knew how evil he truly was

[@royjaskowski905]

“The innkeeper is kind enough. He offers them stew, and his daughter...” Generous innkeeper!

[@krispalermo8133]

" cough, cough, cough," Offer them stew made from his daughter. The PCs can see butchered people hanging from hooks on the kitchen ceiling. a.) Let the PCs become aware of this before they eat the stew. b.) Let the PCs find out after they ask for seconds.

[@seanpinkey2188]

Afroman willingly returns to Barovia with a bag of weed and bottle of wine...

[@hashtagzema]

PDM is going to act like that's just a coincidence. I see you PDM.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Dungeon Craft new episodes are like bread piping hot from the oven - irresistible!!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Carlos!

[@phookaziz3]

Thank you for highlighting where the mini sculpts origins. As a relatively new collector in the midwest it’s sometimes difficult to find out where to look for interesting models.

[@plaidpvcpipe3792]

9:37 That is a spectacular idea.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks! And thanks for watching my best content, not the clickbait crap I'm forced to make so my channel doesn't die.

[@NotoriousGMD]

This is an outstanding way to run this in a compressed time, while preserving all the thrills and chills.

[@Dabeef64]

You almost had me fooled Professor, what a striking resemblance to Bella Lugosi. I absolutely love this module. I only had an opportunity to run this once during a Halloween party & unfortunately, it was a bit more than the group could handle, but we all had fun, so I suppose it was a success. I like your change on his origins and his curse, it just makes more sense. In my campaign though.\, I would probably still have Tatiana scorn Strahd ( maybe even a arranged marriage & she never loved him?) which is why he has so many "brides' ,his insecurities with women still haunts him as a vampire. Looking back though, I would probably never again run this as a one shot. There is just too much good stuff. I also prefer to make Strahd more like Dracula, he can walk around during the day but not as nearly as strong. Woe be the creature though that attempts to raid his castle before sundown, having plenty of traps and guardians just in case it is past his bed time.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@hebertn0191]

This was the best rpg video I ever watched. I truly immersed on the scenario with his god tier narration. Astonishing.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you. that's kind of you to say. please share it, so it doesn't get buried by youtube's cruel, Strahd-like algorithm.

[@hebertn0191]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I would love to share PDM, truly. But none of my RPG friends knows English :( I'm about to change that! They're missing a lot of fine resources, just like your channel. Keep up the good work, and always wear the Vest of Protection +3 XD

[@123thebigdog]

I’m planning on playing castle ravenloft as a one shot for my birthday next month.I can’t wait.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Let me know how it went?

[@docmike8601]

I don't understand how there is no interest, this is one of the greatest modules ever written. I remember DMing it when it was released in 1e.

[@mykediemart]

Excellent suggestions. I have been looking to break this old module out again. This looks the a great way to distil the story into a memorable event. I feel almost all story modules need this treatment instead of a slog of meaningless encounters. Thankyou

[@drunkenhobgoblin417]

I’m the same vintage as you PDM. I love your DM sensibilities. I have really hoisted aboard 5e, but one thing I needed to do for Curse of Strahd was boost his stat block. Jebus, he’s a former military commander that has “dabbled” in necromancy for centuries. He’s rumour by D&D lore to have been the first vampire. He is the Ancient, he is the Land. Make him so. Great video for bringing it back to an evening adventure. Love your twists.

[@krispalermo8133]

" cough, cough, cough," Long time fan of Ravenloft with many campaign stories. AD&D2e, Strahd was a 9th-level-fighter(warrior) with lordship stronghold special class feature. Then dual- class into wizard. With the background of fighting a 20 year war. In the novel of " I, Strahd" he was capable of casting low level magic in a mail shirt in his early 40's. So one can say AD&D2e: Players Option/ Skills & Powers was used. D&D3e or 3.5e Ravenloft Core Book with soft cove source book " Dark lords of Dread," Strahd is listed as Fighter4th/ Wizard16th with the Leadership feat. With my gaming groups and two different gaming shops since the start of the 2000's. Strahd was rebuilt as a Aristocrat2nd/ Fighter4th/ Rogue3rd/ Wizard6th. ECL. 14 CR:14. Follow with Prestige class Loremaster4th with effective spellcaster level: 10th. Self crafted magic item: Banner of Leadership. / effects Emotion Spell: Hope/ Courage. ( We ran a mass military campaign as Strahd when he was mortal and the Wedding Massacre. A newly made vampire without their special abilities even if they get their extra strength will still be unable to take down a group of season veterans as written in the novel " I, Strahd.") My group of nit'picks played over nearly ten different battle runs to see how it played out. Also, .. running AD&D over to early 3e with a four hundred years campaign dealing with the growth of The Core, by the time Van Richten got around to writing his Guides we place Strahd being close to a 30th-level character. We regarded Strahd as a story plot point to be " role " played and not a base XP reward. As a side remark in the " Guide to Werebeasts," Barovia has had werewolves having Pack Wars for a few hundred years over herd grazing rights and dumb dogs trying to over throw Strahd. So with 3.5e mini maxing power gaming, dealing with a werewolf with the built of Barbarian3rd/ Ranger3rd/ Rogue 3rd/ Fighter4th CR: 13 ECL: 15th. maybe with a few sorcerer/ cleric levels thrown in. Strahd will have the need of some backup dealing with threats such as that. Hope this helps improve your campaign.

[@krispalermo8133]

Tales of Ravenloft, a collection of short story from the Demi Plane of Dread. Strahd travels around by the name von Holtz possing as a lesser noble acting as a messenger for The Count.

[@drunkenhobgoblin417]

@@krispalermo8133 yeah, in my present CoS campaign, the party met von Holtz enroute to Vallaki. They “saved” him from wolves and then stayed with him for a night at his lake side manor. He will pop back up when they get back from the Wizards of Wines and Vallaki in political turmoil

[@krispalermo8133]

@@drunkenhobgoblin417 Other " nerd " fact, Ravenloft Black Box campaign setting guide book. Strahd has a 6th-level wizard spell the causes him to lose his supernatural strength and vampire powers which allows him the pass as human during the day. It has been over ten years since I read up on it, but I think after he passes off as human for three days of casting, he has to sleep for a full week. Which gives the " others " time to move their political plans along.

[@GregMcNeish]

This just might be the best video you've done, Professor. You tied in so many of the ideas you've covered in greater detail elsewhere, showing how they all interplay and feed off each other. Of particular value is all the explanation of reasoning behind the decisions you made, which serve to guide us in our own choices. Well done on this wonderful tutorial that also stands as a thesis defense of sorts for the entire channel. You've got a fang in me! errr... fan....

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks. I was really proud of that video and bummed when it struggled to break 10k. My latest video got more views in 20 hours! So pass this one on. Maybe others will dig it. Peace!

[@richardklein1572]

My favorite thing on this channel is the campaign updates… it’s really inspiring

[@meghanlarson3807]

this is very much a weird comparison but reading through Strahds manifesto reminds me of the episode in Adventure Time when you finally understand the ice king. It's a realization that under all bad guy bravado there was once a person. It makes him one of my favorite villains in a module for 5e because one of my favorite things about D&D is it asks us questions that we probably would never have the personal need to answer. Like will I ever have to debate with my coworkers whether we should allow one to die to save a town? LOL No, but here we get to ask these questions and feel important because in this world your answer is vital to the lives of many.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

He's THE best D&D villain. Thanks for sharing!

[@kendo5862]

Always love the pics of the painted minis and dioramas

[@petergreen1875]

Digging the new background and the others visuals we’re great. I loved the minis. This was timely for me since I was on my way to set the stage for a horror video Shoot when we turned it on.. Thanks for setting the mood for me.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@johnmarkrussell6680]

Thank You Professor. Loved this one.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for watching and comment, Mark.

[@chrishousenick6105]

The idea of zones rather than rooms is a great one. it makes running overly complicated maps so much easier.

[@trikepilot101]

It is barely spring but I am thinking I should run this in the fall. I do a weekend with my highschool friends (Class of 86 or 87) every fall. I would only trim it to 12 or 16hrs. I have wanted to play it since it was released but never bought it. Better get it done before I die. The Professor's Frankenstein is also on the list.

[@darklightstudio]

I love your change in the origin story. The published one was pretty weak, so I would have done the same exact thing! :)

[@JRiffle_HeaveHoStudio]

As a fan of the classic module and novelization, this is a great way to introduce them to the next generation of gamers.

[@TheDanielDFox]

I was looking for advice on how to run the original Castle Ravenloft, and stumbled across your video. This is all great advice! I'm doing the same for a two shot using the adventure this Halloween.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Try making it a one-shot. There is an art to cutting the fluff. Cheers!

[@samchafin4623]

I think the broad advice of this video, of taking the module and boiling down to its essence, is great GM advice. A ton of modules suffer from this kind of bloat, along with a lack of real stakes (whoops, didn't intend that pun). Thank you for reminding us that for an adventure, often less is more.

[@sirguy6678]

Great video! A master class in running and playing a classic module in a limited session! Fantastic scenes and excellent effects!

[@ronniejdio9411]

I'll be honest . This is my fav thing he does. The caves of carnage reviews made me look at old modules in a new light. The trim the fat idea is brilliant and simple. Love this review.

[@drewadams6667]

Absolutely a great job ! Thanks for another great module. Didn't know that you worked for TSR ... Wow ! Awesome

[@scriptoriumludi5698]

Production values are so high on this video! Impressive work prof

[@dylancox631]

Love your reviews of classic adventures and ways to pair things down and cut out non-essential stuff. More classic reviews please!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Dylan!

[@korg20000bc]

You pulled out all the stops on this one! Well done, PDM!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for your continued support, Korg.

[@mathieu4204]

The Sun-Sword? Lords of Light! Who knew that only Thundarr the barbarian could defeat Strahd. :)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

THAT was a GREAT show!

[@knghtbrd]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 For some reason I have this strange desire to send characters to ruins of a temple of the cat. There players may find a jeweled dagger legends say protected the people there from Ancient Spirits of Evil that rumors say are returning… I don't know why I'd do this, except maybe sometime after covid to see if I could get some player to stand and in all seriousness attempt to reenact some campy stock animation to roars of laughter from the gaming table and to get everyone in this warehouse-sized FLGS staring that direction asking themselves what the hell they just witnessed. Especially the 20-somethings who are all but guaranteed to not get it.

[@Aragura]

Very nice take on Ravenloft. More and more I am taking the approach of getting to the meat of the story faster and cutting out all the useless fluff; thanks for the additional ideas to help with that. Always nice to see Deathbringer, don't quit your day job. Blood for the blood metric.

[@sherizaahd]

I feel like the game group I play with would take a few sessions to get thru the Ravenloft One shot. We always take forever to get things going sometimes. I keep a log of what we do in each session, and some of them are like, we headed up to this other town and visited a weird toad lady and then hemmed and hawed about going into the woods and decided to go back to the first town. Which took about 4 hours.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Lol. Those players exist, I know. Played with some of them today.

[@leem2155]

sometimes the hemming and hawing can be really fun for the players, if they’re actively debating what to do. if it seems like they just can’t decide, i normally try to light a fire under them. as colville would say: “orcs attack!”

[@joshuaclabeaux1470]

This is GREAT advice for me; I'm currently running a Dracula module that I wrote myself set in AD 1580 (little over 100 years after the historical Dracula died). It's everything you expect it to be, but this video gives me some inspiration on how to run a REALLY creepy dungeon or castle. The PC's are currently in some caves in an ancient Roman aqueduct in Romania, and there's a bunch of skeletons and icky slimy stuff (that's VERY deadly!), not to mention poisonous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes, and a dragon. Hopefully, my final adventure will be as marvelous as Ravenloft is meant to be presented, and with your help from this video, it just might be...

[@krispalermo8133]

Cross it into the " Castlevania " video game. Have a fire breathing skeleton hydra.

[@d4ndini]

Great choice using the Carnevale miniatures for this. I thought it was cool that the minis were labelled too, so folk can find them if they like them.

[@qturner1541]

Why do vampires drink blood... Root beer makes em burp. Why did the Dr. Think that the Count was sick... He said he 'kept a coffin' My group is a fan of death bringer... Let me join your party... Well played. I loved your one session ideas for this module. Cudos

[@bryanswift6301]

Thanks for the video. I hadn’t watched due to family vacation. I never liked the Ravenloft setting, but now I want to get my hands on a copy of the original and modify it like you did. I’ll have this video on a loop tomorrow.

[@JoeStuhff]

Incredible mini work. Outstanding!

[@euansmith3699]

How does a vampire fly? They use a fang glider.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

+100xp for that one

[@mr7oclock346]

11:40 Where did you get the Vampirella mini? Also, I like your idea, but right now I am building up a group of characters to go to Barovia, basically having them play out their backstories.

[@ogrbell8297]

Amazing updates. Love the darker atmosphere.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks. This episode was slow out of the gate for some reason. Glad people are finding it.

[@the-real-Lovefist]

Thank you! I don’t play dnd, but I get a lot of great ideas from you to use in games I do play. BTW, loved your Vampirella mini.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

She's by Ral Partha. Love Vampirella!

[@mattalford3862]

This is amazing advice. I've run the 5e CoS module but I'd love to rerun it for a new group, trim down to the more critical plot points and take a bunch if Prof DM's suggestions for the overall storyline and castle exploration.

[@Zacknafin]

Prof Dungeon Craft could pull off an old school vampire B Movie like a boss

[@tartinm]

I've only somewhat recently discovered your channel, but I became a patron and am taking my daughter and her friends through Module B2: Keep on the Borderlands, using many of your suggestions and even starting them out at a festival in the next village over, with the archery contest, cart lifting contest, and a "dance contest" (they're 11, so "courting" wasn't entirely appropriate, since most of them chose to play characters who are 12-15 years old). It's going over very well, so thanks! I've been blogging about their experiences as well. I fondly remember Ravenloft from my early days of gaming and I loved this video of how to run it in just one session. I'm not seriously thinking of including it as part of my daughter's group's adventures when they gain more levels. Quick question - I really do like your idea of moving past the un-interesting rooms (I've seen you mention this in a few other videos) but I'm wondering how best to handle it so that it doesn't just come across to the players as "We should pay more attention to this room because he skipped passed all the other ones"? How do you best handle that in your game?

[@krispalermo8133]

Years ago my game shop ran a Castle Ravenloft mini campaign day for 12 hours. We had three DM and around seven groups of players. It end up as teams aiding and competing against each other. At the start of the mass game, everyone drew cards to see which arch type characters we were to play and the players had a short time frame to come up with the multi-class PC with the needed skills to " Survive " the game. The lucky ones got to RP Strahd and the other monsters. Important rooms versus unimportant rooms, important rooms that hold items of value are normal patrol/ check up on, as for unimportant ones are not checked on. Just look at the dust on the floor and check for foot traffic. Long robs or ridding coats whip up dust when you walk fast in them. Areas with a lot of settle dust and cob webs show no one has bother to go down that way in a long time. Hope this helps. Hope you had a good weekend, and God bless.

[@rickytimmons5294]

Your dungeon looks great Professor.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you!

[@jonswift6173]

I love the vampire one shot idea.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I think Strahd works best that way.

[@jonswift6173]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 yes I've never played ravenloft , but my ideas on it would be heavily influenced by one of my all time favourite films Hammer 🔨 Horrors " Twins of Evil" a classic in every respect

[@howardkingston7901]

Dungeon magazine 54 'Unhallowed Ground' ive run that for D&D,Pendragon,CoC,Warhammer Frp,Twilight 'Nightmares 2000. Brilliant!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you. I don't think its brilliant. It's not terrible. GREAT cover, though.

[@Goldenbane]

Amazing work on the lighting! At first I honestly thought this was some sort of colorized footage of Bela Lugosi!

[@scottroberts9067]

These are excellent ideas - thanks for sharing them. I am running Curse of Strahd and have been dreading running Castle Ravenloft, largely because of the needless complexity. I am going to adopt your zone method and probably the use your approach to wandering monsters. I will use the 3 brides in CoS (Anastrasya, Ludmilla, and Volenta).

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Let me know how it goes. When this video came out it did NOT get a lot of views and I was devastated. It was some of my best stuff. I am grateful that people have continued to view it and it has since become a hit.

[@keanefire786]

​@@DUNGEONCRAFT1you're probably just ahead of you time. DM's are finally realizing they need these ideas. 😉

[@scottroberts9067]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I used this approach and it worked great! I don't think I would want to run Ravenloft otherwise.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

@@scottroberts9067 Cool! Check out this interview I just did. It's the perfect compliment to this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5DKdqqdgtl9ibM

[@bohjackd.4959]

"whyy does strahd not have any friends? cause hes a real pain in the neck!" did that horrible pun at least equal deathbringer? no? aww....

[@wolfjack5802]

Nobody hates puns, they are just jealous they didn't think of them first.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Very good.

[@samuelbroad11]

that joke sucks

[@MemphiStig]

We played it in the 80s as an EPIC mini-campaign, one night a week for several months. The DM wasn't the usual DM (who got to be a player for a change), and he went all out. Three players with 3 characters each and an NPC, so yes, we split the party. When we finally got to the crypts, the DM had a huge map, and had filled the area with black dragons. The whole thing was awesome and one of the best memories of my gaming life. If I had a better memory, I could write a book on the experience. I like the idea of one-shotting it, but imo it pales in comparison to the in-depth journey we had. However you do it, tho, it's a great module worth its weight in platinum.

[@Osogladiator]

Ran this for some friends, it went great! So much fun.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great to hear!

[@williamozier918]

2:26. I like that change alot! When I was a teen and ran my campaign based on all the modules I had at the time, here was my backstory: 100+ years ago barovia was a not a town but a village, and the Von Zoravichs were one of the families that lived there. 100 years ago was when Cuthbert led his Crusade against the Temple of Elemental Evil. When Cuthbert's Crusade called on soldiers Sergei Von Zoravich volunteered, and became a Paladin serving Cuthbert. He was awarded the magical Sun Sword which he used to fell many foes. While Sergie was off fighting Strahd tended the family holdings, which were growing considerably due exclusively to Sergei's heroic service, however under Strahd's leadership the village grew to a town and their holding grew into a massive elaborate castle to serve as a military base for the Crusade. During that time Strahd fell in love with Tatiana. However when Sergie returned to she married him.Strahd in his anger murdered them both, however changing my head cannon on this to Strahd married Tatyana, and then when Sergei retrned they had an affair, and Strahd murdered them in his anger. THEN the people of Barovia ran Strahd off and he fled into exile, and castle Ravenloft fell into anadonment. According to the old timers in their youth a wandering group of Vistani displaced from their home came into the area and broght something dark with them, because soon after the nobles of the town began dying os mysterious illness, and crops began to fail, curses and undead began to rise. When the people attacked the Vistani, something defended them and all who attacked them were killed, and later all of their families died of mysterious illness and had to be buried sanctified let they rise from the grave. Then impossibly Strahd Van Zoravich returned and took back his seat as the ruler of Barovia. A dark fog encircled the town. It is now long past the life time of a man later, and still Strahd rules from his castle.

[@georgewilson2575]

Thanks for the review! It was nice to see this module again

[@stephenkorz8563]

Sweet Video, Thanks for putting in all the hard work.

[@robertwarren4734]

The reincarnation of the two lovers in the PCs reminded me of the film Dead Again (1991). Of course, that film added a gender twist which, given a certain maturity level in the players, might make for an interesting plot device with the adventure, particularly given the sexual ambiguity of vampirism (or a gender flipped Strahda). Well done video and plot implementation.

[@tomyoung9834]

Very cool video, great advice as always, and let’s crank the algorithm up!!!

[@jokertim777]

To be consistent with the D&D rules, the only entity that has the power to create the Barovia situation would be a deity. If Strahd was formerly a cleric or paladin of that deity, but then in his rage/grief he turned against that deity, he could then receive the curse as punishment. You could also tie that in to the party, which would give you a hook as well. Perhaps the church has dispatched the players to resolve the situation in Barovia after the High Priest has had a holy vision. The book Black Sun Rising by CS Friedman introduces a character with a similar backstory and the entire coldfire trilogy is excellent reading.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

He COULD have been a fallen paladin. That would have been even BETTER! If I could afford writers, you'd be hired!

[@jokertim777]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 That's nice of you to say, but we both know you don't really need any help from me. Besides, why would anyone pay me for what I freely give away for the love of the game and community? Cheers.

[@andrewsnee]

Bought this in 1983. I always wondered, with the whole "parade of ghostly fallen heroes" thing, why the townspeople aren't more cynical: "Oh, come to kill Strahd, have you? Good luck. Can I hold your valuables for you, keep them safe while you're off to slay the vampire?"

[@NelsonReyesJr]

18:38 Strahd should also engage in "mind games" and "moral dilemnas" with characters, toying with them. Example: One party member is teleported to a mysterious area where Strahd can proposition them towards betraying one of the allied NPC'S (betraying a party member will never work). Strahd will then tell the player if they agree, that he will give them a sign (perhaps a 2 headed raven appears at an encounter). If the PC agrees, Strahd then tells the character to not reveal the plot to anyone or another PC from the party will be tortured horribly, and the truth of the betrayal will be revealed to everyone in a vision recreation of the encounter. Another dilemna is to have a human baby tied at all 4 limbs: Strahd teleports a "Good" character to a torture chamber (similar to the zombie torture chamber), and poses a dilemna: The PC needs to go back to the party and convince the others to gut the live baby, otherwise, Strahd will go into town and slaughter all of the babies and leave evidence that is was the party. Since the PC party is trapped in the castle, there is no way for them to prevent it.... Strahd is the Lord of a domain, his psychological torments should be equally as horrifying as his savagery. His psychology can also be in the form of dreams, just like Nightmare on Elm Street.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

VERY good advice.

[@loicguimmara8946]

i can watch this video like a movie again and again , so interesting and so BEAUTIFUL !!!

[@jamesc.7988]

Great intro. I need a GM with that much pasion for the game and I absolutely love the grim-dark twist on the Strahd story.

[@MrColdraven]

Great take on the Dracula/Strahd stories. Happy Fangsgiving! MWAHAHAHAHA

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

+100xp for that joke.

[@terrybeal2252]

Was that Bella Lugosi at the beginning?! 🧛‍♂️

[@WillSmith-wo2qt]

Gonna run this sometime soon. Just an awesome twist on the ravenloft module.

[@Wraithing]

Brilliant idea to run it in just one night's session, but to achieve it and show us how is Pretty Darn Magnificent! Thanks for all the work you put in. The shot of the mini of Strahd on the battlements like the I6 cover was really cool. BTW - You covered a lot, that must have been quite a long session…

[@jeffbaril4047]

Still a great video! I use lots of this like zones especially instead of room by room

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Jeff. This video did not do well upon release but has proved to have legs. Thanks for watching again!

[@barrybadranath]

Those castle walls and tower are really nice! Maybe a how to video?

[@alexandersvideopicks8735]

Great walkthrough and alternate play for one of my favorite adventures ever!

[@Sammo212]

Adding this to my notes to come back to for Halloween this year. I know that DNDBeyond also had an article on how to run the 5E version in one night too.

[@RPG_Bliss]

Ty I found the article!

[@tomdulski3729]

Wish we had played that on Saturday October 31st. But it was still fun as hell.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks!

[@cinderguard3156]

In my curse of strahd campaign, I made the entire Zarovich family a complete and utter mess. The death of his father and the attempted assassination in his youth made strahd untrusting of others except the vestani who saved him. So when his neighbors conducted a genocide campaign against the vestani, he gave them refuge. This would be strahds one and only good deed and the reason the vestani are allied with him. His parents always treated his brother sergai as the golden child, so this made him envious for years. The years of war were not kind to him and he feared his own mortality as well as dying alone do to never finding a wife. When the woman he had a crush on married sergai he pretended to be ok until on the wedding night sergai suggested having his son be heir to the throne since it's likely strahd will die a virgin. This was the last straw that led to the killing and strahd becoming a vampire. Long story short, everyone involved was kinda shitty except maby Tatiana. My players loved it more than the official strahd because you can see what led him down the dark path he took. I'm not saying he was innocent, but essentially, nobody was.

[@MarkStrus]

Great video. Planning to run this soon and your video gave me several ideas I plan to use.

[@darrinstanfill6846]

Thank you sooo much for this. If I expand on this,I’ll type way too much. Just thank you!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@darrinstanfill6846]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 no problem. Just keep the well thought out content coming. It’s helpful for me as a new dm.

[@ctbutube]

Great video. I especially like the comments about skipping the dull parts of the module and getting to the action.

[@pittsburghretrogaming8916]

I am absolutely going to give this a shot in 2021!

[@ryanjohnson7245]

Really cool video. I would be interested to see this "one session" treatment of other iconic modules.

[@paulofrota3958]

Great module, great advice. Thank you, Professor

[@creaturescavernscrafting2929]

Excellent review dripping with atmosphere and creativity!

[@jeremyeaton9379]

This video is perfect to run the adventure in one night. Have you ever thought about doing more videos on older Ravenloft adventures. Simplify them and condensed to do them in one or two nights? Love the channel 🎃

[@roderik4]

excelent PDM, lots of great tips

[@Pigcurrant]

Damn dude, you are almost a month too late for inspiration. Ran the whole thing in one night and had a blast! I recommend it to everyone!

[@drewadams6667]

In the backround , is that a picture of Kate Beckensdale from Van Helsing ? I love that character ! Do you know if there is a figure that is close to her character ? I would love to buy one.. cool " easter egg " for Van Helsing ! Love that!

[@cameronmaas2644]

That intro deserves a like even if there wasn’t Deathbringer, because as we know, one Deathbringer equals one like.

[@justanothercaptain6566]

One of your best videos! Thanks, Professor!

[@m_d1905]

I would like to get this module! I think I could fit it into my campaign world. Plus I love a cool vampire story. I ran a 2E one shot for my son and his friends. It's been a while and I forgot how much of a grind these modules were. Helped me adjust on the fly. I had to create some "rules" on the spot since they were used to 5E. It was a fun find the magic item kill the bad guy romp. We all had a good time and it was a good way to play test it before my group plays. (Plus it's been a lifetime since I DMed, so I'm out of practice. )

[@quizzitnizzpin2695]

Going to run this with Shadowdark Rules. I really like your 3 wives idea. need to figure out how to get them written In.

[@donc7664]

Dudes channel is so big he actually got Bela Lugosi to do the intro!! Sub'd

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching this video. It took me a lot of time and didn't rack up that many views.

[@FilmshooterOH]

Great, nifty hints for running a classic module and it's about vampires.

[@dennismartinez395]

This would be a cool module for our group to try out!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good idea. Maybe we will!

[@trouqe]

Need to work on my own version of this. Love it Professor!

[@seancarnegie5163]

Others have said it I am sure, but you mention the creation of the 3 brides of Strahd in your version of the module after Dracula. In Curse of Strahd 5e, he does have 3 brides, Ludmilla, Anastrasya, Volenta.

[@sarainy9775]

Love your work Prof. You are an inspiration.

[@dangerdelw]

Really great titles in this video! Looked very professional!

[@dannymurray9047]

Hey professor, I was just wondering if you would ever consider doing a video on lost mines of phandelver...more specifically, how you ran it and how to condense it to make it more streamlined. Keep up the great work 👍

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I have considered it. I’m working on updating another classic 80s module now. One of my players has COVID, so it’s been delayed. It will be cool look for a series of three episodes to air around June.

[@christophersievers2518]

Amazing work, PDM!