A DM’s Preamble
Hello, and welcome to Barovia! I will be doing my best to DM this Curse of Strahd campaign. In the grand scheme, I’m a novice DM, and expect to grow quite a bit over the course of this game. This is a pretty big campaign, and I would be naïve to think there won’t be things that make play difficult from time to time. I will try to address them ahead of time in this entry, plus add a little insight into my budding DM philosophy.
The most common problem I envision is me not knowing a certain rule off the top of my head or thinking a particular rule is dumb. To resolve this, I will issue a ruling, and that will be that. I hate the idea of breaking the flow and immersion of the game to go hunt down a ruling. I also wouldn’t let the party’s success or failure come down to a single contentious action. If you think I might have an issue with your upcoming move, or that it’s niche (but still has an official ruling - Sage Advice and Jeremy Crawford count), prep your case before you declare your action. I might still reject it, but the odds are much better if your petition doesn’t slow down the game. In the same interest of game flow, don't go casting spells or doing special actions if you don't know how they work. There are too many apps and physical aides to not have your character's info at your fingertips.
The next most likely event will be me fucking up somewhere. Either I make an NPC say or do something they shouldn’t, or I accidentally create a contradiction in the narrative. If I catch myself, I will say so on the spot and issue a retcon (might send out a more thorough explanation of the updated narrative after the session, if need be). If you think I've made an error, don’t be afraid to ask. Players often have better recollection of events, since DMs are busy keeping things running behind the scenes.
The last expected problem is me not remembering everything that happened in a session. To prevent this from impacting future sessions, please take good notes. A DM is engaged at almost all times during play, often engaging some players while others watch. If you’re not part of the scene at the moment, take that time to update your notes. When people make my job easier, it allows me to put that unspent energy towards making the game better (cooler encounters, incorporating character backstories into current conflicts, etc.) and reduce the chance of making any mistakes.
Okay, on to that philosophy bit I mentioned earlier. Here it is: I am the DM, not a storyteller. At best, I’m a conflict designer, one third of the storytelling recipe. The other two ingredients are you, the players, and the hand of fate, manifest via dice. This may seem contradictory to running a prefab campaign, since these come with certain narrative landmarks. While I still want to hit many of them, as they make (in my opinion) an interesting network of conflicts, I will try to keep my railroading to a minimum. I believe there is an organic way to connect all the pieces, and that will make for the best experience.
However, there is one place in which I might like to take a little player autonomy away: initial emotional reactions. Curse of Strahd is very focused on negative themes, like fallibility, weakness, temptation, and regret. In my experience, many players want to be mechanically and more importantly, morally optimal, always seeking the “best” outcome according to the player’s criteria (not their character’s). This is, in a way, metagaming. We have been saturated with narrative structures from an early age, and while we can often see them from an outside view, we seldom notice them in our own lives. It’s no easy task to get so into your character that you’re willing to make “obvious” blunders. Hence, why I want to set the stage for characters’ emotional states. I don't expect to push anyone who dutifully embodies their character, but those who cannot help but see everything from above the table will get more of a nudge.
For instance, if someone failed to notice a trap that seriously injured a comrade, I may start the scene saying that comrade is "Resentful." If a shady figure offers a character the object of his or her desire, I may say they feel “Tempted.” I want to get players in the habit of seriously considering the emotional state of their characters, especially those which may lead them to make questionable decisions. I promise that no single decision will be fatal or otherwise end your character's participation in the campaign. Falls from grace demand chances at redemption. But if characters only fall, there will come a day when they are too far gone. And that, too, can be an interesting story.
One more request: Don't communicate anything out of character that you could communicate in character. Don't say "I did that because of my backstory." or "My character was angry and made an impulsive choice." When the party gets a chance to talk (I plan to provide ample opportunity for idle RP conversation), someone can bring it up. Don't use your choices as a reason to exposit. All the more important in a campaign that explores people's inner darkness. If your character has a secret, you can bet your ass I'll be incorporating it into the story somewhere. Don't spoil the reveal by sharing it until it's obviously relevant (and your character has good reason to talk).
Wow, that went on a lot longer than I thought it would. Sorry about that. Now, with that out of the way, I’d like to shift tones. Assuming I haven't scared you off, I’m so unbelievably excited to play! I hope to give everyone a fantastic adventure with combat, mystery, role play, and fear. I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of learning from you, dear players. Thank you for joining me in making this story happen.
The most common problem I envision is me not knowing a certain rule off the top of my head or thinking a particular rule is dumb. To resolve this, I will issue a ruling, and that will be that. I hate the idea of breaking the flow and immersion of the game to go hunt down a ruling. I also wouldn’t let the party’s success or failure come down to a single contentious action. If you think I might have an issue with your upcoming move, or that it’s niche (but still has an official ruling - Sage Advice and Jeremy Crawford count), prep your case before you declare your action. I might still reject it, but the odds are much better if your petition doesn’t slow down the game. In the same interest of game flow, don't go casting spells or doing special actions if you don't know how they work. There are too many apps and physical aides to not have your character's info at your fingertips.
The next most likely event will be me fucking up somewhere. Either I make an NPC say or do something they shouldn’t, or I accidentally create a contradiction in the narrative. If I catch myself, I will say so on the spot and issue a retcon (might send out a more thorough explanation of the updated narrative after the session, if need be). If you think I've made an error, don’t be afraid to ask. Players often have better recollection of events, since DMs are busy keeping things running behind the scenes.
The last expected problem is me not remembering everything that happened in a session. To prevent this from impacting future sessions, please take good notes. A DM is engaged at almost all times during play, often engaging some players while others watch. If you’re not part of the scene at the moment, take that time to update your notes. When people make my job easier, it allows me to put that unspent energy towards making the game better (cooler encounters, incorporating character backstories into current conflicts, etc.) and reduce the chance of making any mistakes.
Okay, on to that philosophy bit I mentioned earlier. Here it is: I am the DM, not a storyteller. At best, I’m a conflict designer, one third of the storytelling recipe. The other two ingredients are you, the players, and the hand of fate, manifest via dice. This may seem contradictory to running a prefab campaign, since these come with certain narrative landmarks. While I still want to hit many of them, as they make (in my opinion) an interesting network of conflicts, I will try to keep my railroading to a minimum. I believe there is an organic way to connect all the pieces, and that will make for the best experience.
However, there is one place in which I might like to take a little player autonomy away: initial emotional reactions. Curse of Strahd is very focused on negative themes, like fallibility, weakness, temptation, and regret. In my experience, many players want to be mechanically and more importantly, morally optimal, always seeking the “best” outcome according to the player’s criteria (not their character’s). This is, in a way, metagaming. We have been saturated with narrative structures from an early age, and while we can often see them from an outside view, we seldom notice them in our own lives. It’s no easy task to get so into your character that you’re willing to make “obvious” blunders. Hence, why I want to set the stage for characters’ emotional states. I don't expect to push anyone who dutifully embodies their character, but those who cannot help but see everything from above the table will get more of a nudge.
For instance, if someone failed to notice a trap that seriously injured a comrade, I may start the scene saying that comrade is "Resentful." If a shady figure offers a character the object of his or her desire, I may say they feel “Tempted.” I want to get players in the habit of seriously considering the emotional state of their characters, especially those which may lead them to make questionable decisions. I promise that no single decision will be fatal or otherwise end your character's participation in the campaign. Falls from grace demand chances at redemption. But if characters only fall, there will come a day when they are too far gone. And that, too, can be an interesting story.
One more request: Don't communicate anything out of character that you could communicate in character. Don't say "I did that because of my backstory." or "My character was angry and made an impulsive choice." When the party gets a chance to talk (I plan to provide ample opportunity for idle RP conversation), someone can bring it up. Don't use your choices as a reason to exposit. All the more important in a campaign that explores people's inner darkness. If your character has a secret, you can bet your ass I'll be incorporating it into the story somewhere. Don't spoil the reveal by sharing it until it's obviously relevant (and your character has good reason to talk).
Wow, that went on a lot longer than I thought it would. Sorry about that. Now, with that out of the way, I’d like to shift tones. Assuming I haven't scared you off, I’m so unbelievably excited to play! I hope to give everyone a fantastic adventure with combat, mystery, role play, and fear. I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of learning from you, dear players. Thank you for joining me in making this story happen.
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