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Curse of Strahd is considered by many players and Dungeon Masters as the best module for Dungeons and Dragons. The dark setting and charismatic villain have captivated the community since 1983. In this Curse of Strahd experience report, you’ll learn why that is.
Ever new groups of players are transported through the mists to Barovia to face the vampire in Ravenloft, the castle of Count Strahd. Here, Strahd is an omnipresent and dangerous opponent. Players must first find three magical artifacts, gather allies, and fight monsters before they’re strong enough to confront the lord of the land himself. For he holds them prisoner in his realm. During their quest, Strahd plays with them, constantly testing their strength and terrorizing his county and his subjects. All this happens in a sunless and hopeless valley, where conventional D&D gods have no power and instead the Dark Powers rule, feeding on the souls of the living.
I myself have led a group through 🛒Curse of Strahd for the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons as a DM and would like to share my experiences and opinion about the adventure. At this point, a warning: there may be some spoilers in the following section. Anyone who still plans to play the module as a PC should perhaps read one of our other articles.
Strahd von Zarovich – a BBEG to Fear
The star of the module is clearly Lord Strahd von Zarovich himself. He also graces the cover of the book. And rightfully so! The entire charm of the adventure comes from Strahd. Because: Strahd is an omnipresent danger. The vampire is apparently immortal, has ruled for thousands of years, and returns from the dead when players defeat him. Moreover, he has his eyes and ears everywhere in his realm. He can abuse the inhabitants of Barovia and the land itself for his purposes. Strahd commands powerful spells, can walk through walls in his castle, and rides a nightmare that can transport him through the Ethereal Plane. Most of the time he sits in his fortress Ravenloft, surrounded by traps and minions, so players can hardly harm him.
All this serves to make Strahd seem omnipotent and truly threatening. Strahd should initially be stronger than the party. He should be informed about all their moves. And he should play with the characters’ fates, since he could easily end their lives if he wanted to. NPCs fear his name and his cruelty. Strahd must frighten the players. They should be afraid when he appears, or when he invites them to dinner.
I played him as a self-confident and narcissistic asshole, the undisputed ruler of the land who knows exactly how powerful he is. But: Strahd also has a sad and romantic side. He is trapped in Barovia just like the players and cursed never to be with his one true love. These facets make Strahd a monster with understandable and exciting character. He remains a monster nonetheless.
The Curse of Strahd Campaign
The adventure appealed to me and my roleplaying group. It offers an exciting story, diverse locations, and interesting NPCs. Above all, it provides a good reason to go into battle against the BBEG. Because he holds the party prisoner and also wants to marry an innocent woman, Ireena, since he believes her to be his reborn soulmate.
What I particularly liked about the book is that while the players had freedom of choice, it wasn’t a total sandbox. It was clear from the beginning what the players’ goal was and how to achieve it. To return home, the players must defeat Strahd in his castle, for which they need three artifacts, but the locations where these can be found are known to the players through tarot cards. Therefore, the campaign’s premise is quite simple and players rarely had no idea what to do next.
What Awaits the Players? (Spoilers)
On the way to the artifacts, there was quite a bit to discover, from vampire hunters and wereravens, to wild druids and awakened trees, undead paladins, a swamp witch with a walking hut, evil hags who turn children into pastry, an abbot who experiments with body parts, and much more. The level progression in Curse of Strahd works very well too. Only the difficulty level of individual fights I sometimes found too low. However, my players also got many magic items and I omitted the daily encounters for time reasons.
Castle Ravenloft is a great place for a big finale against Strahd. It’s a branching and threatening dungeon where players shouldn’t feel safe. Players are constantly confronted with traps and enemies. I recommend, however, preparing the sessions in 🛒Ravenloft well, finding decent battle maps, and planning plenty of time. The maps of Ravenloft in the book itself are unfortunately unusable. This unfortunately applies to several locations. A simple 2D view would have been better here.
The Atmosphere in Barovia Must Be Right
Curse of Strahd is, in my opinion, a horror campaign. At least it has a dark, gothic undertone. Player groups must embrace this and the Dungeon Master should make extra effort to provide an immersive experience. Especially appropriate music can be a powerful tool for this.
Spoiler: Barovia hasn’t seen the sun for centuries and half the inhabitants are just empty shells without souls. The inhabitants should feel hopeless and resigned. The few who act against Strahd do so secretly. Players should feel outmatched and outnumbered. Barovia is full of terrible monsters and people who have fallen victim to madness. Violence, cruelty, and crazy shit await around every corner. Barovia itself works against the players and that’s how it must feel, because “Strahd is the Ancient, he is the Land.”
The so-called Dark Powers are a great toy for Dungeon Masters. Dark Powers are god-like beings that only exist around Barovia. They amplify fear and lurk in the mists, always hungry for new souls. They can also offer things to players in exchange for services. Try to corrupt the players this way. Barovia should leave marks on the characters and their moral standards. In my campaign, two of the characters actually made pacts with different Dark Powers to save themselves from death. These were great roleplaying moments. Additionally, this led to tensions within the party. Exactly as envisioned by Curse of Strahd. A warning here: PvP can lead to bad mood, communicate clearly with your party whether everyone agrees to PvP. Don’t let in-game conflicts spill over into your real relationships.
Overall, I think CoS has a good balance of roleplay, combat, and puzzles. If you now want to get Curse of Strahd for your group too, you can find the 🛒German version here for €39.99.
Final Tips for Curse of Strahd Dungeon Masters
- Have a Session Zero so nobody has to feel uncomfortable with any content
- Build in all the dark ideas you have. Barovia is dangerous and should feel that way. Steal from your favorite movies! But be careful not to cross boundaries. Certain things have no place in D&D despite all the horror.
- Skip the regular encounters. They only slow down the game and quickly become monotonous.
- Cheat a little when laying the tarot cards. The artifacts are powerful and shouldn’t be given to players too early. Also, players need incentives to explore places like the Amber Temple and Berez. Give them some!
- Change the Tome of Strahd. As it stands in the book, it’s too weak.
- The Night Hags at Old Bonegrinder and the Vampire Spawn in Vallaki are very strong. Plan the encounters well, or there’ll be a TPK.
- Don’t be afraid to kill PCs or NPCs. Barovia should feel deadly. Besides, there are the Dark Powers as a last resort, who can keep PCs alive through a pact.
- Atmosphere is everything.
- Give Strahd screen time. Strahd should be present, and players need reasons to hate him.
- Be open to things not in the book. If players have cool ideas, let them try it. Being a DM also always means improvising.
- Read through the Guide by u/MandyMod and adopt changes you like.
Fighting through Barovia and finally facing Lord Strahd von Zarovich is fun. Both as a Dungeon Master and as a player, Curse of Strahd is a good pen-and-paper experience. I personally loved building a dark horror scenario for my players and embodying an arrogant vampire lord. In my opinion, CoS is indeed one of the best D&D modules.
