As a first time DM, I decided to run Curse of Strahd as my very first campaign. It's been a blast so far. I have a party of 5 people. I've made my own changes but I say it's a very very interesting and challenging campaign. The subreddit has also been a very helpful place to go if you're a DM and find yourself stuck in how to approach or make better what is in the module.
As a DM for this campaign, I absolutely love the "Avengers" "dissolve into ash" imagery in a post-Strahd Barovia! As always, Chris is an incredible guest. I could listen to him talk d&d for ages. His passion and knowledge always inspire!
Just a note: Dracula didn’t have a wife in the novel. That theme of resurrection and connection with Mina was from the Francis Ford Coppola movie. In the novel he uses Mina to get back at Van Helsing and company.
The confusion between definitions of the Village of Borovia, the Valley of Borovia, and the Land of Ravenloft get quite confusing. Nice to have some clarification and history behind it.
i never thought about having the soulless dissapear that would have been an Epic ending.. this has been my absolute favorite campaign yet and my first time as the DM, Thank you DnD and Chris for an epic story, Need a sequel soon please :D
right!?! I think it would make it even more heartbreaking to kinda homebrew it and change it from how it was intended in the module so that certain NPCs don't have souls but still seem like normal people (like Ismark or the vintners). I like the aesthetic of blank faces and dour mood but I think the ending pay off that Chris was talking about would be even more heartbreaking if there were NPCs that the PCs got attached to (like Peter Parker in Avengers: Infinity War) and they fade away when the characters defeat Strahd.
What I wouldn't give to play in a Perkins campaign. I love Hickman-Weis creations. I love the anthology that is Thieve's World. I love all the Lieber novels and DCC Lankhmar. I love the Mythos and Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft as per Petersons Call of Cthulhu RPG. I might be a Barovian at heart as I have certain coping mechanisms along with certain talents.. For my money Mr. Perkins is the Apex DM regardless of set or setting. (edit) Thanks, Chris, for all you have done for D&D!
i remeber that campaign setting well also from 2nd edition, it was krynn and toriel and grayhawk back then and spelljammer, soon came dark sun and planescape
Bram Stokers dracula doesn't deal with rebirth? Dracula doesn't have a wife he had three vampire brides(who he feeds a baby too). When Dracula gets to England, he turns Lucy Minas friend. The group of friends kill Lucy because she is attacking people. And then Dracula turns Mina as a way to get back at them.
Interesting Vid guys, but who was it again that wrote the original Ravenloft...? Perhaps you guys should have a word with some of the people in charge as to how they treat the creators of arguably the best Adventure ever written for DnD, and one of the best Campaign settings.
100 %. I can not understand how it is possible that Chris is such a great guy and genius DM. Same time WotC are terminating a book contract with the creator of Ravenloft and dragonlance for seamingly non-reasons. I mean, Tracy is suing the company if the news are true? It is one thing to put a warning on old products because they are not up to the modern days "diversity standarts", but what I read about this insident is not ok.
@@fenrilorf534 Perkins was one of the lead designers for 4e and he defended it right up to the end. He's a great DM but I'd pause before attaching the "genius" label.
I love this style of chat and banter. Thank you so much for building these and sharing them. I have no twitter, wont, can't with all the censorship going on but wish you all well there.
I wonder what Chris thinks of the lawsuit that the creators of Ravenloft have against WotC. But since he's an employee of WotC, he probably isn't allowed to have an opinion. It's just sad that WotC won't allow the creators of Ravenloft to write a new trilogy for the Dragon Lance novels.
@@cameronpearce5943 Ahhh, that's why the original video was replaced. I was wondering what was said in the original that they decided they didn't like.
One thing that irked me about CoS was the extent at which the writers decided to disregard existing Barovian lore, such as having Strahd conquer the land as a foreigner general instead as the heir of the rulers who were cast out by the Terg barbarians; essentially taking away all the goodness and fairness of his youth (while still mentioning this goodness in the texts that survived from I6 era). About van Richten, something like that happened too. An alternative (more pure and heroic) version of his origin was mixed with the original one, and both explicitly contradicted each other. Not to mention that putting Ireena Kolyana and him in the same century was an innecessary way to render this adventure non compatible with previous canon. Things like these (and a few others) feel like if they went out of their way to spit on the previously published content when it could have been perfectly compatible with just a little documentation and adjustments.
Good stuff! Can you do Krynn next?? Or should we just assume that'll never be spoken of again?? And should we capture this video for future reference?? I can't imagine that Barovia won't eventually get cancelled as well...
Sadly, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have sued Wizards of the Coast for unlawfully ending a contract that involved the creation of a new Dragonlance trilogy. If you do a quick Google search, you should find plenty of info on it. It’s heartbreaking, and AFAIK stops any possibility of there being an updated Dragonlance D&D setting. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but that’s what’s going on.
Why can YT titles almost NEVER be consistent with the content of their respective videos?! I'm 8 minutes in of a 17+ minute video and this isn't about "Lore you should know- Barovia" but about why we all need to buy the new CoS money-grab stuff. This is "marketing" not informative. Ooooh... "Barovia about 30 miles wide." - Yeah, thanks... Now my Ravenloft one-shot next week for Halloween will run so much better!!! Please.
As a first time DM, I decided to run Curse of Strahd as my very first campaign. It's been a blast so far. I have a party of 5 people. I've made my own changes but I say it's a very very interesting and challenging campaign. The subreddit has also been a very helpful place to go if you're a DM and find yourself stuck in how to approach or make better what is in the module.
As a DM for this campaign, I absolutely love the "Avengers" "dissolve into ash" imagery in a post-Strahd Barovia!
As always, Chris is an incredible guest. I could listen to him talk d&d for ages. His passion and knowledge always inspire!
Makes me think of a certain breakfast pastry and an owlbear.
I miss them
@@themanonthewall7029 me too
I remember the waffle crew. I miss em.
@primaacca The waffle crew was the name of the party from the series Dice Camera Action. The show dissolved due to rather unfortunate circumstances.
Evillyn was my favorite paladin of Lathander!
Just a note: Dracula didn’t have a wife in the novel. That theme of resurrection and connection with Mina was from the Francis Ford Coppola movie.
In the novel he uses Mina to get back at Van Helsing and company.
"I am the Ancient, I am the Land..."
The confusion between definitions of the
Village of Borovia, the Valley of Borovia, and the Land of Ravenloft get quite confusing. Nice to have some clarification and history behind it.
The timing for this was perfect, I'm starting CoS right after Halloween. Good info as always.
i never thought about having the soulless dissapear that would have been an Epic ending..
this has been my absolute favorite campaign yet and my first time as the DM, Thank you DnD and Chris for an epic story, Need a sequel soon please :D
right!?! I think it would make it even more heartbreaking to kinda homebrew it and change it from how it was intended in the module so that certain NPCs don't have souls but still seem like normal people (like Ismark or the vintners). I like the aesthetic of blank faces and dour mood but I think the ending pay off that Chris was talking about would be even more heartbreaking if there were NPCs that the PCs got attached to (like Peter Parker in Avengers: Infinity War) and they fade away when the characters defeat Strahd.
How about we get a full Ravenloft Campaign Guide?
What I wouldn't give to play in a Perkins campaign. I love Hickman-Weis creations. I love the anthology that is Thieve's World. I love all the Lieber novels and DCC Lankhmar. I love the Mythos and Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft as per Petersons Call of Cthulhu RPG. I might be a Barovian at heart as I have certain coping mechanisms along with certain talents.. For my money Mr. Perkins is the Apex DM regardless of set or setting. (edit) Thanks, Chris, for all you have done for D&D!
So glad I came across this, I just currently started a game using the realm of terror and Forbidden Lore box sets from the 1990's.
How appropriate a video about CoS Revamped comes out now.
i remeber that campaign setting well also from 2nd edition, it was krynn and toriel and grayhawk back then and spelljammer, soon came dark sun and planescape
More domains of dread coming then? My guess would be the one with Vecna and Kas .. they're big names and haven't had their 15 minutes yet
I know nothing about vecna, and I’d love a 5e campaign so I could learn more about him!
I love these lore dives.
Bram Stokers dracula doesn't deal with rebirth? Dracula doesn't have a wife he had three vampire brides(who he feeds a baby too). When Dracula gets to England, he turns Lucy Minas friend. The group of friends kill Lucy because she is attacking people. And then Dracula turns Mina as a way to get back at them.
I always show up for Chris.
Love you Chris :)
Interesting Vid guys, but who was it again that wrote the original Ravenloft...?
Perhaps you guys should have a word with some of the people in charge as to how they treat the creators of arguably the best Adventure ever written for DnD, and one of the best Campaign settings.
100 %. I can not understand how it is possible that Chris is such a great guy and genius DM. Same time WotC are terminating a book contract with the creator of Ravenloft and dragonlance for seamingly non-reasons.
I mean, Tracy is suing the company if the news are true? It is one thing to put a warning on old products because they are not up to the modern days "diversity standarts", but what I read about this insident is not ok.
@@fenrilorf534 Perkins was one of the lead designers for 4e and he defended it right up to the end. He's a great DM but I'd pause before attaching the "genius" label.
@@backcountry164 Good point. He was 1 of the brains behind 4e as well as the horrible abomination that was the 4e version of the forgotten realms.
what if player characters die in barovia before strahd is defeated? do we get a level 1 baby playthrough?
I love this style of chat and banter. Thank you so much for building these and sharing them. I have no twitter, wont, can't with all the censorship going on but wish you all well there.
Great timing! So excited to play curse of strahd with my friends and this just amps me up even more.
Was this video taken down and re-uploaded?
Apparenntly, there was some mention of the dragonlance lawsuit that was edited out. At least according to comments below.
Does Barovia have seasons?
please do Etharis from Grim Hollow (if you can)
What happened with Soth then? How did he enter that land?
His tale is told in the novel "Knight of the Black Rose".
I wonder what Chris thinks of the lawsuit that the creators of Ravenloft have against WotC. But since he's an employee of WotC, he probably isn't allowed to have an opinion. It's just sad that WotC won't allow the creators of Ravenloft to write a new trilogy for the Dragon Lance novels.
I think this video was reuploaded with the bit where he mentioned something to that effect cut out,, but I haven't seen the whole vid yet
@@cameronpearce5943 Ahhh, that's why the original video was replaced. I was wondering what was said in the original that they decided they didn't like.
First I guess? Love when Perkins talks about Ravenloft 🖤🦇
One thing that irked me about CoS was the extent at which the writers decided to disregard existing Barovian lore, such as having Strahd conquer the land as a foreigner general instead as the heir of the rulers who were cast out by the Terg barbarians; essentially taking away all the goodness and fairness of his youth (while still mentioning this goodness in the texts that survived from I6 era).
About van Richten, something like that happened too. An alternative (more pure and heroic) version of his origin was mixed with the original one, and both explicitly contradicted each other. Not to mention that putting Ireena Kolyana and him in the same century was an innecessary way to render this adventure non compatible with previous canon. Things like these (and a few others) feel like if they went out of their way to spit on the previously published content when it could have been perfectly compatible with just a little documentation and adjustments.
It's a thing the 5e team does. They talk like they are big fans of old d&d stuff but then crap all over old lore.
Hmm.....could strahd's soul be reborn into a new form i wonder
Anyone watching this know if there are spoilers? I'm a player in CoS now.
Potentially yes... I'd avoid
Some minor spoilers.
@@Cameron_Meldahl thank you!
It came out on my birthday huh
Edit: the curse of strahd reVAMPed thing.
Good stuff! Can you do Krynn next?? Or should we just assume that'll never be spoken of again?? And should we capture this video for future reference?? I can't imagine that Barovia won't eventually get cancelled as well...
Sadly, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have sued Wizards of the Coast for unlawfully ending a contract that involved the creation of a new Dragonlance trilogy. If you do a quick Google search, you should find plenty of info on it. It’s heartbreaking, and AFAIK stops any possibility of there being an updated Dragonlance D&D setting. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but that’s what’s going on.
@@duhg599 My comment was a sarcastic reference to this fact...
Barovia is a county, no? So 30 miles across is about right.
Great info. Watch the low ends, Greg, you're really boomy.
Why can YT titles almost NEVER be consistent with the content of their respective videos?! I'm 8 minutes in of a 17+ minute video and this isn't about "Lore you should know- Barovia" but about why we all need to buy the new CoS money-grab stuff.
This is "marketing" not informative.
Ooooh... "Barovia about 30 miles wide." - Yeah, thanks... Now my Ravenloft one-shot next week for Halloween will run so much better!!!
Please.
Greg talks about Revamped for one minute. Immediately afterward, Chris starts talking about the lore.
Just letting know, until Dragonlance is back I'm not watching or buying anything from WotC, Figure it out Wizards.......