So I decided to do something interesting with my D&D campaigns this year and that was make them interesting.
This time around, I truly made the campaign my own and afforded the players with a variety of options, including being a native of Barovia, which some opted for.
In short, Barovia is a miserable land full of dour and death but it happens to exist in the Core and part of the core is The Carnival.
This concept didn't hit me at first. I knew that I wanted my plot to involve The Carnival, so ultimately choosing them as a point of origin served well, however the setting itself benefits even more from more than I bargained for.
The players were representative of a variety of storylines ranging from native Barovian come to check out the fair, to residents of other darkrealms come to seek Strahds weakness, to the carnies themselves, to a guy from Waterdeep.
Jokes aside the simple truth is I've written a tidy plot that's simple in stakes and deep in layers.
I'm blending three source books here, Curse of Strahd, Van Richtens Guide and Beyond Witchlight; doing so allows me to introduce the players to the realm with The Carnival acting as the first rung of what is to be.
I was able to establish quickly, who the players were within the ecosystem of The Carnival and then introduce Strahd; in the very first session, with legitimate reason and what's more is he doesn't have to be a murderous fiend, even going so far as to be polite to performers, using prestidigitation to clean up bat guano from his thousands of bats, circling and surveying the area.
Although there were plenty of jokes thereby, it was a treat to spend about 2 hours focused on the players, the surroundings, and establishing what The Carnival is.
When Strahd showed up in his carriage, smouldering and stoic, his consorts/wives encircling him, the players had to take notice.
Given my game involves vets of Curse of Strahd, I'm obviously forgoing all the traditional entry points into Barovia; avoiding the east or western road, as The Carnival doesn't use such traditional methods of travel. Starting somewhat central, closer off to Tser pool, places players in a sense, after "tutorial" mode although I've already hinted at "real estate awaiting the right buyers" and hope to spring Death House on the players here in short order.
I've already provided the players level 2, and my goal throughout this campaign will be to follow the book, but subvert expectations without causing myself dissonance in the plot. I'm feeling good about the simplicity & esoteric facets of the story, with possible friends & foes all around the players. I was able to introduce through show not tell, staple foes such as bats and wolves, and watch players understand correlations.
All in all I feel good about where the story as started off, and knowing where I'm taking the players makes it a cinch to direct them towards their next objectives.
From here they have their choice between north or south; and should they plough north they'll quickly clear the Tser pool, waterfalls, and Strahds driveway. Their current goal is safety and they perceive that in the native Barovian characters home that is about 3 days-ish walking, being it's on the other side of Barovia, in the mountains.
In this first episode, I provided the players with a setting where everything was as strange if not stranger than them and provided them with an encirclement of friends without being too heavy handed.
Relations were shown through quick specific interactions for each character whereupon the performer had their entourage, then fans, then comrades in the carnival.
Intrigue was provided by Escher, Strahds male consort, turned from an adventurer once upon, now visiting with friends, much to Strahds apathy.
Ludmilla accompanied Strahd as Anastrasia and Volenta danced ahead to enjoy what The Carnival offered unabated, knowing that Strahd had business to attend to, and Ludmilla was always attending to Strahds business.
What business? Who's to say as yet but as they passed the bard player performing for The Carnival, it provided an an interaction whereupon Strahd, ever the gentleman, could appreciate art and invite the player to attend a dinner at Ravenloft.
The intimidation factor the players felt in his presence cannot be understated and as the player managed to successively roll two saves against Strahds charming effects, he became that much more interested in the character in question. Politely declined, he and Ludmilla continued their way, with much more pressing matters at play.
Lief Liepzieg would come rushing through to meet his sire at the gates with much excitement and furious insanity soon in, bumping into our other two players and leaving a trail of gems and parchments as he dashed to meet the darklord and lady with his latest work.
These players would retrieve the amber and diamond, and the few papers of a ledger report Liepzieg was delivering along with a mass of wealth.
The players retrieved this material, but they would not get the chance to review anything.
Now, one player had a backstory of a singular bullet point being "having a vision that took them to Barovia." Given the players deity was Horus-Re, everyone liked a quick "Stargate" reference whereupon I stated that he had invoked an astral gate at his church using coordinates provided him in his vision; he knew it was a one way trip but he had to know so *boink* as it were.
The opening scene involved each of the characters introducing themselves, describing what they're doing at the moment, how long they've been around and specifying a few notes for my taking (passives, deity, how long they've been 'in town', etc).
I trailed upon Escher the character for a moment, then introduced Strahd, then Liepzieg, then back to Escher to wrap off Eschers interactions where the players character witnessed and could understand a facet of Strahds inner circle very quickly.
I was able to play the personalities of Anastrasia and Volenta, Ludmilla and Escher super effectively given I had room for them to actually role play in with a stage such as The Carnival.
I jumped from Escher back to Strahd and then back to Leipzieg, ideally keeping all players engauged throughout the course of three separate NPC interactions as three very disparate groupings.
Something I enjoy very much is affording players characters time and interactions in very separate situations from one another where they cannot help or interfere (perspectives being) with one another.
In this way, each player ideally is getting an equal experience and nobody becomes the ultimate solve maker.
However, you can't be doing this and then handing out the Kobayashi Maru or a cakewalk.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru
In my opinion, situations should be dire but never completely hopeless, unless they've devolved a ways from where you started with the players.
So far, the adventure, inside of two hours, introduces all four players characters in great details, affords them the opportunity to explore & express and soon after they've met the big bad, his coterie, and get an idea of some stakes at play in the wealth and parchments, the interactions Escher puts forth towards his former adventuring group ("I can't help you forever") and the surrounding world.
By experiencing nuances of the landscape by looking for direction amidst the crowd, meeting the attractions, meeting the food stands, and meeting each other, they have an idea of what Barovia offers and what to watch out for, who the main powers are and what The Carnival is.
Now what?
Now the drop.
The players chose not to tail after Strahd and Ludmilla, having little interest in whatever his business might be in this realm. Players stayed true to their characters and ultimately it served as a better shock and awe moment when Strahd would ultimately attack The Carnival in a tantrum that would see The Carnival wink out of Barovia as fast as Nepenthe could muster.
Strahd leaves a river of destruction through the whole place as he sails by, and soon after the dead rise as Strahd Zombies.
Two hours in, Strahd throws a hissy while everyone is conveniently outside The Carnival's borders when it winks out and the players have a deadly swarm to escape, and two rounds into that, we have Anastrasya and Volenta arriving on scene to dish out an escape scene and lots of pain.
While perhaps a bit too ditzy, I've modeled Anastrasya after Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus and Volenta after Striga from Castlevania respectively athough there are some considerations being made given Volenta is an adorable masked psycho and Striga is a vampire war hulk with day armour.
Anastrasya would be easily distracted by whatever the players threw at her, in my opinion being that she's "at The Carnival" then dancing lights and illusions are her jam; "entertain me!"
Volenta on the other hand would sight the players as her ultimate prey and move for the kill.
The players acted quickly enough that they would get escape before Strahd would beckon his coterie home, thus ending their entertainment as they misted away to his side.
I've introduced a fast travel for Strahds consorts wherein his tens of thousands of bats can carry their misted forms quickly across vast distances.
There were many pyrotechnics this session that I can state were wholly unnecessary and completely appreciated by the playership.
Unfortunately given my streaming box is currently fried and the spare machine is as well, I have literally no ability to stream and have to suss a motherboard/chip to get myself back under way.
It's a sad state as in looking over the motherboard I've seen no signs of any burns or busted caps and the machine otherwise turns on but doesn't post and no matter what I've tried I can't get it to resurrect.
Sad state to say the least and now I've got to replace the mobo/chip and maybe get a tidy little case as opposed to this beautiful but ancient Xaser 3.
In the next session I intend to perform the card reading and from there the story will really thicken.