Sandbox: how should I run it? (Curse of Strahd)

Hi there!

I'm reading Curse of Strahd at the moment and I want it to be the new adventure to play with my friends.

The things is, I've done LMoP and read ToD. Both have pretty linear storylines and they are not real sandbox adventures. However, CoS is the first module I've read that is clearly a sandbox, and I'd like to ask you if you could give me some advices to run it.

Thanks in advance.

Read it cover to cover. Twice.  Use the Tarokka reading to place important NPCs and items and to give your players nudges which way to go to move things along. But you'll need to be roughly familiar with everything in case they get curious and go exploring. If you want to have some control over it, stack the deck for the Tarokka reading so you can drive the players in certain directions. If the players go really far off trail, use Strahd's theatricality and cat-and-mouse villainy; he or Rahadin or some servant or monster can show up to talk to the party, threaten them, attack them, or give them some other nudge to point them back toward an objective when they're lost and don't know which way to go next.

For my money, the best thing you can do with Curse of Strahd in the sandbox mode is to avoid the temptation to play it as a completionist. The Tarokka reading will highlight ~5 locations. Make those locations the significant ones for this playthrough, and if there are other locations you or the players are interested in (*cough* the Amber Temple *cough*), let them wait for the next playthrough.

Expect to need to do some guiding of the PCs, there are a number of encounters that can easily turn into TPKs that aren't that hard to stumble onto, particularly for lower level PCs (and do not trust the level recommendations).

Another warning: neither experience leveling or waypoint leveling works particularly well for this module. If you rely on experience only, the PCs will need to do quite a lot of grinding experience on random monsters because the set encounters in the module are only enough to get them to level 7-8. In the opposite direction, if you use waypoints, the PCs will wind up much too high level.

Quote from eapiv >>

For my money, the best thing you can do with Curse of Strahd in the sandbox mode is to avoid the temptation to play it as a completionist. The Tarokka reading will highlight ~5 locations. Make those locations the significant ones for this playthrough, and if there are other locations you or the players are interested in (*cough* the Amber Temple *cough*), let them wait for the next playthrough.

Is there another way to play Curse of Strahd besides the sandbox mode? 🤔

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Expect to need to do some guiding of the PCs, there are a number of encounters that can easily turn into TPKs that aren't that hard to stumble onto, particularly for lower level PCs (and do not trust the level recommendations).

Another warning: neither experience leveling or waypoint leveling works particularly well for this module. If you rely on experience only, the PCs will need to do quite a lot of grinding experience on random monsters because the set encounters in the module are only enough to get them to level 7-8. In the opposite direction, if you use waypoints, the PCs will wind up much too high level.

You touched several topics that I've been wondering about.

First off, I'm a milestone DM (I particularly dislike the XP system), but the book doesn't tell you when players should level up (I guess it's due to the sandbox nature of the module). So that's a little confusing to me. 

By the time they leave Village of Barovia towards Vallaki they should be level 3 in my opinion. Am I right? Then I've been thinking about giving my players a new level after completing the story of Vallaki. But after that, I'm a little bit lost.

Secondly, are the level recommendations for each zone wrong? Do you mean they are more dangerous than they seem? 🥺

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

Read it cover to cover. Twice.  Use the Tarokka reading to place important NPCs and items and to give your players nudges which way to go to move things along. But you'll need to be roughly familiar with everything in case they get curious and go exploring. If you want to have some control over it, stack the deck for the Tarokka reading so you can drive the players in certain directions. If the players go really far off trail, use Strahd's theatricality and cat-and-mouse villainy; he or Rahadin or some servant or monster can show up to talk to the party, threaten them, attack them, or give them some other nudge to point them back toward an objective when they're lost and don't know which way to go next.

I've actually been thinking about an early encounter with Strahd in which he smashes the party but doesn't kill them, in order to amuse himself a little bit and show how powerful he is. What do you think?

 It's a valid approach.

First advice is if you are running the Death House as an opener tone it down a bit, it's notorious as a party killer and is far too hard for something supposed to get players from level 1 to 3. After that the big milestone levelling suggestions are when they find one of the things predicted by the tarroka reading (the sword, the amulet, the help) and pretty much three others based on vibes and how the story is progressing. 

I'd disagree with the suggestion to not run it as a sandbox. I've played it once and run it once and as soon as you show them the map your players will want to go everywhere. It's designed to do that, it's a fun campaign with lots of cool things to do so why say "no, don't do that"? You're having fun with your friends not speed running it. The one thing I don't think works as a sandbox as written in the book is Castle Ravenloft. The book seems to assume that you'll spend a good middle portion of the campaign wandering around it but in two play throughs I've been involved in the party has been totally unwilling to answer an invitation to go and meet the BBEG when they're only level 3. Funny that. 

There's a youtube channel named Lunch Break Heroes I found invaluable when I ran it, he's done a whole series of videos looking at each location in detail, how to run them, and some story tweaks he thinks improves them. Some of his suggestions I ignored, some I used, but all of them were helpful for getting me thinking

Quote from CunningSmile >>

First advice is if you are running the Death House as an opener tone it down a bit, it's notorious as a party killer and is far too hard for something supposed to get players from level 1 to 3. After that the big milestone levelling suggestions are when they find one of the things predicted by the tarroka reading (the sword, the amulet, the help) and pretty much three others based on vibes and how the story is progressing. 

I'd disagree with the suggestion to not run it as a sandbox. I've played it once and run it once and as soon as you show them the map your players will want to go everywhere. It's designed to do that, it's a fun campaign with lots of cool things to do so why say "no, don't do that"? You're having fun with your friends not speed running it. The one thing I don't think works as a sandbox as written in the book is Castle Ravenloft. The book seems to assume that you'll spend a good middle portion of the campaign wandering around it but in two play throughs I've been involved in the party has been totally unwilling to answer an invitation to go and meet the BBEG when they're only level 3. Funny that. 

There's a youtube channel named Lunch Break Heroes I found invaluable when I ran it, he's done a whole series of videos looking at each location in detail, how to run them, and some story tweaks he thinks improves them. Some of his suggestions I ignored, some I used, but all of them were helpful for getting me thinking

Thank you for your help! ❤️

My problems with Curse of Strahd are these:

- Should I show them the Barovia map straight away or should I use some kind of war fog?

- Sometimes I feel as if the adventure expected players to enter and leave Ravenloft Castle several times. Is this right? Because that doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, I see Castle Ravenloft as the ending chapter of the campaign, where they finally face Strahd—the epic finale—.

- What if my players want to go to a place that has a very high level? I don't see the fun in seeing my players be smashed at the middle of the campaign just because they wanted to explore a place. 

 Thanks again for your answer and your recommendations. I'll have a look at that YouTube channel! 😊

Looking at those specific questions:

1) There's arguments in favour of both ways but I know with my players unrolling a map of the world and letting them see the full thing is one of the moments that get them most hyped for the campaign

2) There's definitely a belief in the campaign that the players will go to Ravenloft at least twice, once near the start in response to an invitation and once at the end. In my two campaigns no one has ever gone there because of the invitation but other players/DMs might have different experiences. The first visit is supposed to introduce Strahd and make him something other than just a vague name so I replaced that encounter with one out in the world with him angry they'd snubbed him and refused his invitation

3)  Make it clear in Session 0 that not every where is safe and running away is not only an option but expected. Then leave them to it. It's part of playing a campaign designed to be slightly tougher. However if you're really worried the encounters generally get tougher the further west you get on the map, you start at one end and work your way to the other and you're mostly encountering things in order. Really tough encounters like the Amber Temple are very much sign posted as tough by being hard to get to in the first place 

Quote from CunningSmile >>

Looking at those specific questions:

1) There's arguments in favour of both ways but I know with my players unrolling a map of the world and letting them see the full thing is one of the moments that get them most hyped for the campaign

2) There's definitely a belief in the campaign that the players will go to Ravenloft at least twice, once near the start in response to an invitation and once at the end. In my two campaigns no one has ever gone there because of the invitation but other players/DMs might have different experiences. The first visit is supposed to introduce Strahd and make him something other than just a vague name so I replaced that encounter with one out in the world with him angry they'd snubbed him and refused his invitation

3)  Make it clear in Session 0 that not every where is safe and running away is not only an option but expected. Then leave them to it. It's part of playing a campaign designed to be slightly tougher. However if you're really worried the encounters generally get tougher the further west you get on the map, you start at one end and work your way to the other and you're mostly encountering things in order. Really tough encounters like the Amber Temple are very much sign posted as tough by being hard to get to in the first place 

Thank you for your response. I do appreciate it.

Regarding Strahd and Ravenloft:

The problem I have with Strahd's invitation is: when should players leave the castle? How much can they explore? Where should they find Strahd? Because if they wander about, they will definitely end up dying. I see that first encounter with Strahd in the organ room (changing the fact that Strahd is an illusion). He chats with them for a while and then attacks, smashing but not killing them, destroying their hope in the process.

The thing is, what if players start exploring the castle? I need help with that, honestly 🥺

Oh! And I have another huge question: how do you make them escape from an encounter? I don't know how to do that, actually.

Thanks again for your help. It's amazing to meet people as helpful as you!