So I have been DMing CoS for a while, at the start I was able to get a bit of horror and tension but the party is very lighthearted so most horror becomes comedy and once the party had levelled up they were smashing combat. I don’t have issues with these, everyone is having fun and they enjoy the combat.
I implemented the a more adventure day logic, so they might smash the first combat but if they don’t manage their resources then the second or third combat would be very difficult. This worked very well but I don’t want to overuse it as it will turn the game into a slog of combats.
A lot of CoS reviews suggest letting the party explore Ravenloft at least once before facing Strahd so they can map it. There’s less tension and they aren’t just trying to find Strahd to finish the story. Since I didn’t want the castle to be a slog, I decided to try and add tension with oppression, Strahd was playing the organ whilst using greater invisibility, he used sleep to knock out a lookout when they were guests and tried to charm another. When the party split and one player was out of a wee combat I had strahd just chat to them to reinforce he omnipresent nature in the castle.
after the session, one player gave some feedback saying they disliked the castle because it felt oppressive and they couldn’t do anything because Strahd would know. This feeling of being watched is exactly what I was aiming for but now I’m not sure I missed the mark?
any advice on how to rectify the situation, or if it needs rectifying?
I'd ask "What makes you think Strahd isn't watching when you're not in the castle?"
He is watching them. Either directly or having his spies reporting to him. When the party reaches Yester Hill, Strahd is supposed to be there atop his nightmare steed. All of Barovia is his lair.
But as far as the castle itself, the players are naturally going to want to avoid Castle Ravenloft. The group I DM'd for wanted to send in only one person and I had to force them to send in the entire party because otherwise that character could never get out. Then they went in, got exactly what they were looking for and left.
That’s a good point. As DM, I know Strahd is everywhere but I think this may have been the first time my player realised it. I think the party are likely to leave the castle soon so it may not be an ongoing problem. I should probably sprinkle in some subtle hints it’s happening everywhere though, rather than just the castle
Not having Strahd showing up was my mistake the first time I DM'd it. If you've got a player with a high passive perception they should occasionally see ravens (day), bats (outside at night) or even just wolf's eyes from deep in the impenetrable forest watching them. Otherwise perception rolls to see if someone spots them. And anytime it is feasible for Strahd to show up he should and interact with the party. Discussion if they don't attack. Amusement if they do. Strahd summoned the party there to find a replacement to rule over Barovia, so he watches them, silently judging them. And also playing the occasional tricks as in Argynvostholt's illusions. But none are good enough for him.
That's also a great way to introduce a new character should the need arise. "They are not worthy. Perhaps you shall be better." With no elaboration will give them a nice "wtf?" moment.
I think that it is a good thing if players can explore the castle... the adventure kind of assumes they'll check the place out at least once before the final assault. I think the hardest problem is that, for the most part... why would you go there when the big scary vampire guy could bump into you and kill you at any moment?
The trick to it is... Strahd is entertained by the party. He'll invite them to the castle. He might even tell them to feel free to explore... might even direct them toward something. He's an incredibly bored 1000 year old sociopath who can basically casually annihilate just about anyone he feels like in his Kingdom at any moment. The fact that he hasn't already killed the party the moment he becomes aware of them is because they're providing some form of entertainment.
So instead of having Strahd peep on them from the shadows... have Strahd just talk to them. Taunt them, tease them... whatever. Once the party knows that they don't have to tip toe everywhere they can relax and explore a bit. Hell... Strahd might just follow them around for a little bit just to see what they do.
So I used a combination of reasons to get them to the castle. Firstly Strahd invited them after the events in Valaki, second during the vampire attack a couple broke off and managed to track down Ireena and spirited her to Ravenloft , and third a player who has been absent got cornered “off stage” and captured. So the players have had their meeting with strahd, reunited with their fellow adventurer but not found Ireena yet. This last bit is only a small point as the party never had much buy in to escort her around Barovia and i had already tweaked the story so she plays a smaller role.
So technically it’s up to the party if they want to rescue Ireena or leave her, explore ravenloft or leave. The party are aware of Kresk, and the Amber temple so hopefully they’ll want to explore at some point.
As you said strahd is monitoring the party and in ravenloft this has become more obvious, outside the party don’t have that feeling of paranoia to be keeping lookout during the day and asking for perception checks so he has been monitoring them outside the castle but they have yet to notice.
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Hi everyone, sorry for the long post
So I have been DMing CoS for a while, at the start I was able to get a bit of horror and tension but the party is very lighthearted so most horror becomes comedy and once the party had levelled up they were smashing combat. I don’t have issues with these, everyone is having fun and they enjoy the combat.
I implemented the a more adventure day logic, so they might smash the first combat but if they don’t manage their resources then the second or third combat would be very difficult. This worked very well but I don’t want to overuse it as it will turn the game into a slog of combats.
A lot of CoS reviews suggest letting the party explore Ravenloft at least once before facing Strahd so they can map it. There’s less tension and they aren’t just trying to find Strahd to finish the story. Since I didn’t want the castle to be a slog, I decided to try and add tension with oppression, Strahd was playing the organ whilst using greater invisibility, he used sleep to knock out a lookout when they were guests and tried to charm another. When the party split and one player was out of a wee combat I had strahd just chat to them to reinforce he omnipresent nature in the castle.
after the session, one player gave some feedback saying they disliked the castle because it felt oppressive and they couldn’t do anything because Strahd would know. This feeling of being watched is exactly what I was aiming for but now I’m not sure I missed the mark?
any advice on how to rectify the situation, or if it needs rectifying?
I'd ask "What makes you think Strahd isn't watching when you're not in the castle?"
He is watching them. Either directly or having his spies reporting to him. When the party reaches Yester Hill, Strahd is supposed to be there atop his nightmare steed. All of Barovia is his lair.
But as far as the castle itself, the players are naturally going to want to avoid Castle Ravenloft. The group I DM'd for wanted to send in only one person and I had to force them to send in the entire party because otherwise that character could never get out. Then they went in, got exactly what they were looking for and left.
That’s a good point. As DM, I know Strahd is everywhere but I think this may have been the first time my player realised it. I think the party are likely to leave the castle soon so it may not be an ongoing problem. I should probably sprinkle in some subtle hints it’s happening everywhere though, rather than just the castle
Not having Strahd showing up was my mistake the first time I DM'd it. If you've got a player with a high passive perception they should occasionally see ravens (day), bats (outside at night) or even just wolf's eyes from deep in the impenetrable forest watching them. Otherwise perception rolls to see if someone spots them. And anytime it is feasible for Strahd to show up he should and interact with the party. Discussion if they don't attack. Amusement if they do. Strahd summoned the party there to find a replacement to rule over Barovia, so he watches them, silently judging them. And also playing the occasional tricks as in Argynvostholt's illusions. But none are good enough for him.
That's also a great way to introduce a new character should the need arise. "They are not worthy. Perhaps you shall be better." With no elaboration will give them a nice "wtf?" moment.
I think that it is a good thing if players can explore the castle... the adventure kind of assumes they'll check the place out at least once before the final assault. I think the hardest problem is that, for the most part... why would you go there when the big scary vampire guy could bump into you and kill you at any moment?
The trick to it is... Strahd is entertained by the party. He'll invite them to the castle. He might even tell them to feel free to explore... might even direct them toward something. He's an incredibly bored 1000 year old sociopath who can basically casually annihilate just about anyone he feels like in his Kingdom at any moment. The fact that he hasn't already killed the party the moment he becomes aware of them is because they're providing some form of entertainment.
So instead of having Strahd peep on them from the shadows... have Strahd just talk to them. Taunt them, tease them... whatever. Once the party knows that they don't have to tip toe everywhere they can relax and explore a bit. Hell... Strahd might just follow them around for a little bit just to see what they do.
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So I used a combination of reasons to get them to the castle. Firstly Strahd invited them after the events in Valaki, second during the vampire attack a couple broke off and managed to track down Ireena and spirited her to Ravenloft , and third a player who has been absent got cornered “off stage” and captured. So the players have had their meeting with strahd, reunited with their fellow adventurer but not found Ireena yet. This last bit is only a small point as the party never had much buy in to escort her around Barovia and i had already tweaked the story so she plays a smaller role.
So technically it’s up to the party if they want to rescue Ireena or leave her, explore ravenloft or leave. The party are aware of Kresk, and the Amber temple so hopefully they’ll want to explore at some point.
As you said strahd is monitoring the party and in ravenloft this has become more obvious, outside the party don’t have that feeling of paranoia to be keeping lookout during the day and asking for perception checks so he has been monitoring them outside the castle but they have yet to notice.