Jul 25, 2024 3:16 am
Welcome, foolish mortals, to the most horrifying campaign in which you will ever play. Curse of Strahd has been at the top of my list for a long time, so I'm truly excited to start! Before we do, we should go over the following topics:
Safety Tools
As I mentioned before, this is an all-out Gothic horror campaign. That means it's full of mystery, romance, and the supernatural, but also that it exposes the vilest, most base stuff of humanity: revenge, murder, madness. Once again, see this list of triggers mined from r/CurseofStrahd:While I am eager to explore darker and more complicated themes, I will not do so at the expense of a single player. Thus, we will be employing certain safety tools.
Lines and Veils
Lines and Veils are safety tools meant to clearly indicate topics that players find sensitive or triggering. Not everyone wants to vicariously experience things they may find upsetting or disturbing, so we establish ahead of time which topics we're going to be careful about or even avoid in the first place.
A Veil is a topic that we should be careful about addressing. Try not to dwell on a Veiled topic, and be ready to drop it completely if someone is uncomfortable. For example, you may feel uncomfortable with sexual content, so you would declare it to be a Veil, letting the GM and other players know to exercise restraint when sexual content comes up.
A Line is a hard line that we should never even think about crossing. Lined topics will be avoided entirely, no questions asked—even if it means that the narrative has to change. Feel free to share your Lines and Veils by posting below or by PM.
After we share our Lines and Veils, I will pin a full list of them as a constant reminder of the kind of content with which we can engage. The list will not permanent, and can always be added to.
Stars and Wishes
If Lines and Veils outline which topics we'd like to avoid, then Stars and Wishes are the opposite. Stars are pieces of feedback from the players and the GM about the game—"I really enjoyed that combat" or "The dialogue between those PCs was interesting."
Wishes, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like: things that the players wish would happen in the game. Things like "more combat" or "This character should appear more often" or "My character should get to redeem himself soon" are all good examples of Wishes.
Just like the Lines and Veils, Stars and Wishes will go into its own separate thread, which the players can add to at any time.
Running the Game
As many of you may know (or have surmised by the recruitment thread), I am a very narrative-focused DM who likes to foster the growth and development of the PCs and how they relate to NPCs. I believe that any RPG is a vehicle for a good story, and that the rules service this story—not the other way around. That doesn't mean there won't be any mechanical challenge, just that it will serve the story instead of being apart from it.
Starting Level
Curse of Strahd assumes that PCs start at 1st level, and beginners to D&D should start there, but veterans can easily skip to 3rd. The only thing they would miss is a dungeon that speeds them through the first two experience levels. One thing this dungeon does offer is the Gothic tone of a haunted house, a sinister cult, and an unspeakable atrocity.
Players should decide as a group whether to start at 1st or 3rd level.
The Ideal Gothic Horror Protagonist
Since this is a horror campaign that plays up the dichotomy between good and evil, I want to focus on the darker side of the PCs: maybe they have a tragic flaw that isolates them, a dark secret that they can never reveal, or a guilty conscience that tortures them at every turn. Whatever it is, it can only be overcome through the bloody trials and rebirth of the adventure. As you create your character, think about what makes them the ideal Gothic horror protagonist.
Safety Tools
As I mentioned before, this is an all-out Gothic horror campaign. That means it's full of mystery, romance, and the supernatural, but also that it exposes the vilest, most base stuff of humanity: revenge, murder, madness. Once again, see this list of triggers mined from r/CurseofStrahd:
[ +- ] Curse of Strahd Triggers
". . . child abuse, murder, kidnapping, gaslighting, racism, sexism, torture, mind control, cannibalism, sexual assault, mental illness, animal cruelty, body horror, incest, suicide, drug addiction, and alcoholism" (from r/CurseofStrahd).
Lines and Veils
Lines and Veils are safety tools meant to clearly indicate topics that players find sensitive or triggering. Not everyone wants to vicariously experience things they may find upsetting or disturbing, so we establish ahead of time which topics we're going to be careful about or even avoid in the first place.
A Veil is a topic that we should be careful about addressing. Try not to dwell on a Veiled topic, and be ready to drop it completely if someone is uncomfortable. For example, you may feel uncomfortable with sexual content, so you would declare it to be a Veil, letting the GM and other players know to exercise restraint when sexual content comes up.
A Line is a hard line that we should never even think about crossing. Lined topics will be avoided entirely, no questions asked—even if it means that the narrative has to change. Feel free to share your Lines and Veils by posting below or by PM.
After we share our Lines and Veils, I will pin a full list of them as a constant reminder of the kind of content with which we can engage. The list will not permanent, and can always be added to.
Stars and Wishes
If Lines and Veils outline which topics we'd like to avoid, then Stars and Wishes are the opposite. Stars are pieces of feedback from the players and the GM about the game—"I really enjoyed that combat" or "The dialogue between those PCs was interesting."
Wishes, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like: things that the players wish would happen in the game. Things like "more combat" or "This character should appear more often" or "My character should get to redeem himself soon" are all good examples of Wishes.
Just like the Lines and Veils, Stars and Wishes will go into its own separate thread, which the players can add to at any time.
Running the Game
As many of you may know (or have surmised by the recruitment thread), I am a very narrative-focused DM who likes to foster the growth and development of the PCs and how they relate to NPCs. I believe that any RPG is a vehicle for a good story, and that the rules service this story—not the other way around. That doesn't mean there won't be any mechanical challenge, just that it will serve the story instead of being apart from it.
Starting Level
Curse of Strahd assumes that PCs start at 1st level, and beginners to D&D should start there, but veterans can easily skip to 3rd. The only thing they would miss is a dungeon that speeds them through the first two experience levels. One thing this dungeon does offer is the Gothic tone of a haunted house, a sinister cult, and an unspeakable atrocity.
Players should decide as a group whether to start at 1st or 3rd level.
The Ideal Gothic Horror Protagonist
Since this is a horror campaign that plays up the dichotomy between good and evil, I want to focus on the darker side of the PCs: maybe they have a tragic flaw that isolates them, a dark secret that they can never reveal, or a guilty conscience that tortures them at every turn. Whatever it is, it can only be overcome through the bloody trials and rebirth of the adventure. As you create your character, think about what makes them the ideal Gothic horror protagonist.
