Preparing Curse of Strahd (DM CoS Guide)

[@auhsoj27]

Great primer! I'd love to hear your insight on stacking the Tarokka deck for a better game. I'm not looking for the 'best' NPC helper, but rather a good supporting role that won't outshine the players. I'm thinking Davian or Vasilka would be a great addition to the party.

[@HowtoRPG]

I will think about it :)

[@jzimmy7151]

I know this is very late and you probably don’t even have this question anymore, but I would just read off the locations and NPCs as you need, while pulling random cards. The players don’t know how the drawing works, so you can just bs it to get locations and NPCs that will really enhance the experience, while still giving your players the illusion of chance

[@EvanED]

Another reply to an old comment... but one option to consider is to stack the deck to exclude certain "bad" options but still randomize within that. I've got an upcoming game that'll be my first time through CoS so bear that in mind, but my plan is to (i) remove certain bad cards from consideration (e.g. I removed the "you have no ally card" and a few others, and also removed Tsolenka Pass as an option for an artifact location) and (ii) exclude the possibility of having two or more artifacts in the same location (e.g. two in Castle Ravenloft, two in Argynvostholt, etc.). I did (ii) by going through the deck and grouping cards by location, randomly drawing one card per group, shuffling all those draws together, then drawing the three locations from that deck. The plan is to do a shuffle where I just leave those three cards at the top of the deck. That would probably be harder in person, but I guess a silver lining of playing remotely because of COVID is that it makes that sleight of hand easier. :-) If I were doing it for players that had been through CoS once or twice before I'd probably play it straight, but IMO there's too much opportunity for draws that are too easy, too hard, or just boring unless your group tends toward a more strict, raw, and RAW approach instead of one that's a little more curated.

[@guillaumestcyr6350]

@@HowtoRPG 6yyyyyyytytyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyytmnmnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmnnnnmmñnnnnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmm

[@seenmccaffeine8553]

A third replay to a late comment, but I divided the deck into the 5 different numbers with general themes (Tome in Castle Ravenloft, Holy Symbol early game, Sunsword late game, and then allies and locations) so I had some idea where they would end up.

[@dcaldwell3830]

Looking to run this adventure for friends and once I'd purchased the book felt very overwhelmed. This video has helped immensely thank you very much

[@HowtoRPG]

Glad I could help. I have a video series on the Curse of Strahd.

[@itmademesignup9508]

If nothing else, the PCS, after murder house, should find a picnic basket in the middle of the road and a bottle of wine with a note that says, in gorgeous, flowing script: "Greetings, friends. Thank you for tending to that nuisance. I look forward to hearing more of you. Strahd von Zerovich."

[@HowtoRPG]

Maybe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@chiefmcclane]

If you're going to photocopy and print the enemy statblocks, my recommendation is to drop them into a transparent sheet. Then you can put them into binders and use a wet/dry erase marker to track HP loss and other changes to the sheet, and then wipe it off to be reusable.

[@shanelewis6956]

Dude. Ur a genius!!

[@Nikolai9910]

This is my first campaign I’m EVER running! I’ve only had experience as a player but I’ve been wanting to get into dming. This campaign is scary dude, like not in a literal sense more in a “oh my what do I do or how do I set this up” because I’m so used to playing normal dnd, but this guide helped a lot. Thanks for it! Still a scary adventure to run though! Don’t know what I’m doing half the time

[@HowtoRPG]

I am glad I could help. You are right, it is scary. Figure out what helps you relax and do that before running a session.

[@MatthewD15]

I'm curious on how your game went/is going as this will also be my first major module to DM! I've ran some short one shots but not something like this

[@matthewshroba1511]

Fred you’re so right about how much exposure we give to some dark stuff sometimes! It definitely can affect our spirits. Important. Some folks have different thresholds. I remember playing too much Daggerfall as a kid and having bad dreams 😅

[@HowtoRPG]

For sure. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Matthew.

[@Winterheart786]

Your videos are the best for beginers! Thank you for this, I am going to DM curse of strahd soon

[@HowtoRPG]

Thank you. All the best.

[@mr.quantum4543]

There are a couple of things to add to the gem of a video. Dms i can't stress enough to bring plenty of humor to the game. Also, when your characters make significant changes to the world. Make it seem like the land itself is getting brighter, maybe it sprouts more color to the land, or possibly the people who are souless begin to wear more color, or optimistism in the voices of the locals, the sun peaks through and shines on the party shortly. Make their changes matter in some way where it feels like strahd has now lost some sort of power in the land.

[@mr.quantum4543]

Something else I did that seemed to help was buy a giant printed out barovia map. Hand that on the wall. As they traveled, I'd uncover the world as they traveled, or if they found a local map of the area, I'd uncover it. It brought some hope for the players and direction. I did the same thing as you. Every town they went to and explored. I had a printed map to hang on the wall. Which permanently stayed up for the campaign. It helped the players not to forget key NPCs and locations. They used sticky notes to put key notes around the map. So I made the sandbox, and CoS felt more like an escape room. Rather than just a horror campaign. I noticed the more I used visuals the less likely they'd give up and get excited about the land and keep going through it

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@CuteGallifreyian]

Thanks so much for this vid. I am doing a first time DM and decided to use this adventure as my first. A bit daunting. But yeah notes....are important.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@CuteGallifreyian You are welcome. All the best with your game.

[@Vasarcdus]

Went with Dragon Heist to introduce my players to the game first, now going to be running Strahd for Halloween since they're all now asking to try it. Stoked to dive back into your videos on this. They were very inspiring for me getting back into dming.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@Vasarcdus That is nice to hear. I will likely run Ravenloft again for Halloween or Death House. All the best with your game.

[@AaronsGames]

Really informative video, thank you for sharing! I've just picked up the revamped edition set and very excited to run the campaign - your video made me more excited!

[@HowtoRPG]

That is great. I am glad it was helpful to you. I have a series of video's on Curse of Strahd.

[@Mpountroumi]

Thank you very much for this. I have played Curse of Strahd as a player and now I'm going to run it as a DM in order to make a video series of it. Very helpful indeed

[@HowtoRPG]

No problem.

[@stevenstone307]

Thank you so much for this! I've been watching a lot of your Strahd videos in preparation, its certainly a huge step from the Dragon of Icespire Peak starting campaign lol. So excited!

[@HowtoRPG]

You are very welcome Steven :)

[@josiah1592]

I'm literally going through the exact same situation

[@jaquin.3431]

Hello Fred, thank you so much for this video. This was very informative. I plan on running this adventure with my group soon. We will be using miniatures and tokens. I am in the process of crafting tiles for much of the game using DMScottys 2.5 tilescape. I haven’t read the entire module yet but this video gave me some very helpful key points. I’m armed with my notes, books and crafting items. Wish me luck. Thanks again.

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks. All the best with your campaign.

[@Dannydarko27]

I was saving up and my birthday is coming up so I ordered the CoS Legendary edition from Beadles and Grimm . Glad you have videos for this adventure

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks. There will be more in the future.

[@daviddaspit4166]

Thanks I'm preparing to run CoS as my first real campaign as a GM. I think we are going to be alternating between this campaign and Tyranny of Dragons. My friend is running ToD so this will give him a break on game prep and a chance to play. And give me a chance to get experience running a game and introduce them to my homebrew world.

[@HowtoRPG]

You are welcome David. Thanks for sharing your process.

[@M0nkeybomber]

Great video! I'm excited about running this one. It is a little intimidating so this made things much more approachable.

[@daveolander5054]

This is great! I'm currently running LMoP for a group and I'm finishing up as a PC in another. I'm gonna run this with that group and super pumped. Great info.

[@HowtoRPG]

You are welcome. All the best 👍

[@ronanmurray503]

Holy shit this is the greatest CoS guide of all time

[@HowtoRPG]

Thank you :)

[@kday6340]

You can use a deck of playing cards as well if you don't have the tarakka deck.

[@HowtoRPG]

Yes.

[@dualwieldroxas358]

Roll20 actually really ported this module well. It is much better organized than a lot of thier other 5e modules

[@HowtoRPG]

I believe you.

[@Vallant85]

I'm looking for some advice if anyone is free to give it. I'm starting CoS in about 2 weeks and i'm planning on running it for 5 lvl 1 characters, 3 of whom are brand new to D&D. Ideally i want to run the Death House into, and I've found some great resources online. Basically, I really hate generic Tavern starts or the cliche "You all know each other" type start which requires a single adventure hook. I usually like to use 3-4 separate adventure hooks so majority of the players have something unique. It takes a bit more time to get everyone together in the game, but i think it has a more natural feel to the group assembling. My question is, When each player follows the relative adventure hook (Werewolves/Mists/Mysterious strangers/Plea for help), how would you tie them all together and then present the death house intro to them? I guess they all emerge on the road at some point, but I'm drawing a mind blank on how to actually have them meet each other? An encounter maybe?

[@HowtoRPG]

I cover most of this in my Curse of Strahd Adventure Hook video. It's in the Curse of Strahd DM Guide playlist.

[@morganmeredith3733]

You can use a regular deck of cards to do the tarroka drck

[@HowtoRPG]

Yes.

[@briancherry8088]

I found this one long to read. Since they organized the book by location East to West, you read all about Castle Ravenloft early on. Then everything else seems a bit tame by comparison. The book acknowledges the different levels that each area are suggested for, so I wish they had placed them in that order. I also wish it was a bit clearer how to get the characters from one piece to another. I have heard that Castle Ravenloft is meant to be visited several times, but I can't see my crew wanting to leave.... or going back in after being chased out. I do wish the map of Barovia had locations numbered so you could turn directly to that chapter, instead of them being numbered, and having to look up their short entry, just to see the name and chapter of the real entry. Overall, I dont think the book was organized very well. But, I absolutely love the book... so, its a small issue with me. Oh, and the maps are amazing. I buy or skip these books based on the map quality and Mike Schley's art-style is by far my favorite. Easy to understand, yet a complex piece of art. It's a tough line to walk, and he walks it WELL.

[@Newnodrogbob]

Oh man; I’m just getting ready to run this for the first time, and I couldn’t agree with you more. I wish they’d organized the book progressively by level.

[@sammybowker7823]

preparing to run this for the first time and I totally agree, it's kind of difficult to see how all the pieces fit together. you got any advice for that? (assuming you've ran it at this point)

[@aescleahs]

Running this for the second time tonight love this module and thank you for sharing your tips and insight

[@HowtoRPG]

Glad you liked it. Keep me updated on your process the second time around.

[@IIIGioGioStarIII]

Depending on my new group for dnd, I am going to play this campaign. I have the book and have skimmed through it

[@paulcoy9060]

You know, I've heard this and read this for about a year, but I just got it -- Strahd is the one that is cursed. He is trapped in Ravenloft. I always read it like the movie "The Curse Of Dracula", where Dracula is the curse that plagues Transylvania or London. I'm 100% sure I now have to re-think how to run Strahd as a character, and not just play him as Christopher Lee in the Hammer films.

[@HowtoRPG]

Good :)

[@MarshmallowMadnesss]

"you've got to have faith!"

[@Bub1029]

I know this is an old video, but the Vistani are not servants of Strahd, they are just allowed to move freely within Barovia and not face the dangers of Strahd's forces. While some may turn to evil and take advantage of this, the majority are a lively and friendly group just taking advantage of the safe travel and lands.

[@HereComeMrCee-Jay]

Many Vistani serve Strahd, in fact there is even a heading on page 37 of CoS Revamped that reads "Strahd's Vistani Servants".

[@AgoodITguy]

Hey Sir, i have not readed all the book either 😅. I prefer to read the chapters that i need three to seven days before the session

[@BrendaPrince]

Thank you for your wonderful videos. I've been using your help with running LMoP and now for prepping for Strahd and these videos have been so helpful.

[@HowtoRPG]

You are welcome Brenda. I have a live stream this week on the Megalith's by the Old Bonegrinder.

[@thatguy846]

Thank you for this great video, I found it very helpful. Even as a fairly experienced DM I was able to find tons of useful information :)

[@HowtoRPG]

Glad it was helpful. I hope all goes well. I have a video series on the Curse of Strahd.

[@thatguy846]

@@HowtoRPG I will make sure to check them out. I'm about to run it for the first time for my girlfriend, so videos like these help me organize the info in my head :D

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Cotati]

am at 5:00 ...still fussing withe the outcomes of LMoP. Would like to see a focus on transition from that to this. ah...@25:50,this is mentioned. suggested reading besides the original dracula novel, would be: the Harry Dresden novels as they discuss the variety of different vampires out there. The Haunting of Hill House (the original 1960's movie is very good too), just for the psychological supernatural horror ambiance...no vampires included. And I will just leave this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4Kyp5-Gaptogbc

[@HowtoRPG]

I am unlikely to process that video at this point.

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Cotati]

@@HowtoRPG possibly blocked in NZ...youtube search vampyre, angel, and massive attack.

[@camelliasinensistea9410]

What to do if you have no access to photocopier?

[@HowtoRPG]

Write it my hand.

[@camelliasinensistea9410]

@@HowtoRPG thanks. That's what I've been doing.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@camelliasinensistea9410 Sorry there isn't a better option.

[@acheron89]

Nice video. The carriage idea is really good and I plan on using that. Thanks a bunch :-)

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks Robert. I have a series of video's on Curse of Strahd.

[@acheron89]

@@HowtoRPG Yeah, I found the playlist and I'm finding them useful. Thanks again.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@acheron89 You are welcome.

[@aaroncherry2854]

Dark gifts? Also does anyone know where to find a straud kit? I'm wanting each player to have there own chest where they keep letters and notes, but I'm also looking for wax stamps of all the major clans. I cannot seem to find them without it being excessively priced or extremely vague in the descriptions. Also maps. I'm wanting to have maps that are incorrect and everyone have been sold a shady maps and increase the feeling of being lost.

[@HowtoRPG]

I have a video on dark gifts in Curse of Strahd.

[@aaroncherry2854]

@@HowtoRPG I'm on it now, I'm just running this for the first time and wanting to get all the items I'd need to make the terrain location uncertain and feel ever-changing.

[@BorreloadMJ]

A twilight themed Version of Strahd would be a little hilarious tho

[@HowtoRPG]

lol. Yeah. Like "Dead and Loving it".

[@AF-tv6uf]

@@HowtoRPG If he turns to ash after being killed, who could possibly resist drawing a smiley face on the ashes?

[@HowtoRPG]

@@AF-tv6uf lol

[@loadnlock357]

We didn't even use character sheets back in the day. Just copy the information off the sheet in the back of the book onto a notepad and work off that.

[@scottmcley5111]

Great Job Fred!

[@HowtoRPG]

Thank you.

[@Masashige413]

New dm here. I was wondering what would be the best way to fill in gaps between main objectives? I am not very good at Role-playing but I also don’t wanna just throw a bunch of monsters at my players to keep them occupied.

[@scotttownsend2123]

The issue I am running into is the shear number of npcs and the fact that I was never taught to read or write cursive. and the taroka deck it makes no sense to me.

[@christianloretdemola6153]

Great video. Thanks very much. Any suggestion or video to roll this adventure during this pandemic. It is all online now. It gets difficult to make it scary no life person interaction. I Any tips. I downloaded some scary effects and thought about some kind of voice emulator

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks Christian. I have a video on dark Humour and running horror. Online is much harder.

[@nickm9102]

You might create random encounter tokens/images and rather than tell them about the encounter you throw up the image and call for an initiative roll. You can also add the random sound effect during NPC lines or even party communication. Another possibility is monster tokens that are not common to D&D maybe make them from horror movie stills. Also things like undead fortitude and Legendary saves, the players don't need to know when they are used. If that zombie stays up for eight rounds. He might have 60HP and failed thr 1st roll or he has 23hp and passed five times you don't know.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@nickm9102 Thanks for your suggestions.

[@christianloretdemola6153]

@@nickm9102 thanks! great advice

[@evanbryant9196]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is pretty much what this villian is modeled after

[@HowtoRPG]

Yes, absolutely.

[@bakunin888]

I recommend using tarokka.com for an online tarokka deck (particularly useful these days)

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks for the tip!

[@EmuFH]

Highly recommend watching Bram Stokers Dracula before running this module.

[@ademiranda2]

Great video! Not all of the prep stuff applies to me since I run it online on Roll20; and the prep is different when you do it online. However, overall is a good video.

[@HowtoRPG]

Thank you. This video was designed for a complete beginner, running a game in person when people did that.

[@argophontes]

These guides are really helping me a lot. Is there any chance you'll be doing Storm King's Thunder like this?

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks. I have not DM that adventure, so unlikely at this point. Sorry.

[@lonestarJimbo]

How to D&D down the road though! It would be great! You’re amazing thank you!

[@kaliakoudis]

Does this guide prepare me for my first DM campaign? I do wanna DM Curse of Strahd but I'd much rather watch another introductory video before this if this one skips basic knowledge that could be found in other sources.

[@HowtoRPG]

Fair enough. No video or series of videos can prepare you completely for DMing Curse of Strahd. It is one of the hardest adventures to run for many different reasons.

[@kaliakoudis]

@@HowtoRPG thank you for the info. I've decided to try a shorter campaign for starters. Maybe a one-shot or something just to see how it will go and later I will try to DM CoS. I'll take the time to finish this video though as so far it has been very engaging.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@kaliakoudis Thank you. All the best with your Dungeon Master journey.

[@lukejaffray7347]

Super late comment but, I've never run a campaign and I've only played about 2 hours of dnd as a PC and I picked up curse of strahd to play with my friends (who have never played). Any tips for a first time dm running the curse of strahd

[@HowtoRPG]

Take your time. Find a way to relax. Check that the Player's want this adventure. I have a video series on the Curse of Strahd, that can help.

[@lukejaffray7347]

@@HowtoRPG thank you so much

[@HowtoRPG]

@@lukejaffray7347 You are welcome. Once a month I usually have a Live stream discussing the Curse of Strahd adventure.

[@murtamp9828]

So killing strahd and a shadow dragon to disco and strahd has bean turned into a frog by a wish

[@HowtoRPG]

lol. That's very funny.

[@phoenixhazard]

Love your channel and videos. Wondering your thoughts on this: I definitely do not enjoy horror movies yet I’m drawn to DM’ing this campaign because I’ve heard so many good things and it seems like the most immersive campaign. Do you think it’s worth running despite not being a fan of horror?

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks. Give it the Scooby Doo treatment and focus on the mystery and Humour elements.

[@Winterheart786]

Any chance you can make a lost mines of phandelver soon :)

[@HowtoRPG]

I already have a few videos on Lost mine of phandelver.

[@AAron-gr3jk]

thank you Fred, very handy

[@HowtoRPG]

You are welcome. I have a few more video's on the Curse of Strahd. Check the video playlist "Curse of Strahd DM Guide ".

[@NightBlade58]

I'm brand new to DMing and I'm going to be running this campaign. So I'm assuming (like you said) that my characters are going to die. How can I punish them for death, but still let them play their characters? I don't want them to feel immortal. I want them to fear death.

[@HowtoRPG]

I don't recommend punishing players for character death. Character death often had nothing to do with the players. I have a series of video's on Curse of Strahd that will help guide a Dungeon Master. Try the video on dark gifts and character death. There are worse things than a character dying.

[@NightBlade58]

@@HowtoRPG I’ve watched the video, and while I agree don’t punish them at the same time a lot of the dark gifts feel like you’re being rewarded for dying. I mean one of them you get gills... and the ability to breath under water.

[@HowtoRPG]

@@NightBlade58 That is true, but you can select the dark gifts you can use. The idea is to make them attractive but also have draw backs. I also talk about options other than dark gifts.

[@sisyphusstories]

The hopelessness in the first movie works for ravenloft tho

[@HowtoRPG]

?

[@DanPrattles]

Great guide and only enhanced by that charming kiwi accent!

[@HowtoRPG]

lol. Thank you Dan :)

[@20storiesunder]

"Veeestinii" Jokes aside, nice video.

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks.

[@dixieflatline9772]

Actually having K3 on the map gives the Curse of Strahd map a definitive advantage over it's predecessor.

[@gerald002edwards]

Hey can I please get a link to one of those illegal copies that you mentioned?

[@HowtoRPG]

No.

[@zoulogist9171]

A good example of using humor in this campaign is done on D&D is for Nerds

[@danopheim3981]

KZbin notification failed again. Sorry not to make it live. Interesting! Curse of Strahd is for the future for my group. One day 🤗

[@HowtoRPG]

The live stream video was a month ago. This is the edited version. No one will be the same after the Curse of Strahd.

[@danopheim3981]

@@HowtoRPG Ah - I understand. It is the next live-stream I have notified. Nice video none the less :-)

[@zenovkayos5811]

Would the roll 20 be sufficient ?

[@Moltenink]

"vas-TAH-ni"

[@xgeodude0748]

“Flesh horse”

[@HowtoRPG]

@@xgeodude0748 Skeleton Horse 🐎

[@xgeodude0748]

@@HowtoRPG wow this may be the first time I’ve gotten a reply on a 5 year old video that’s awesome just got a new sub also great info. I’m killing my princes of the apocalypse campaign this weekend by putting the pcs into the mist and sending them to the cursed land. May just do death house and get back but just seeing what I can do

[@HowtoRPG]

@@xgeodude0748 All the best. Thanks 😊

[@feedbacking6306]

You can get it for free.