I'm a relatively new DM, but starting to get a handle on things I think (I hope)! I'm struggling a little bit though for a new campaign I'm starting with some friends that I'll be DMing. One of my friends is a recovering alcoholic and has asked me not to include alcohol in the game. I'm running Curse of Strahd, which of course features a winery quite prevalently in one of its story arcs. My first (funnier) thought was to have all the bars be milkshake stands and the winery be a milk farm but obviously that doesn't quite fit the aesthetic, so I was curious - does anyone have any ideas on how to approach this in-game? Any substitutions I could make without ruining the aesthetic, but helping my players feel safe at the table? I'm really excited to be joining the forums, and hope you're all having a lovely day!
You could potentially refluff the winery as making cakes that help keep the spirits of the people up. However, this runs into the very similar but nasty tarts made by the folks at the Windmill.
Alternatively, the establishment could make a very good tasting but non-alcoholic beverage that also keeps the spirits up. Perhaps a carbonated beverage in different flavors. Think coke sprite and ginger ale though you don't need to name them. I think you could safely refluff them as soft drinks without breaking the story.
My first thought would be to try and reflavor the winery as a tea estate that specializes in growing a very specialized strain with unique properties, which could be why it would be in such high demand; you could then work in Barovia as having a highly developed tea culture like many real-world countries do, and still keep a serious tone to your campaign.
Whatever change you make, make sure you make it a seamless change. Respecting the player's request is a wonderful thing to do. Making it clear through clumsy narrative that you're changing the game because of the player can put a spotlight on their addiction, which can do more harm than good. Scour all the flavor text and make sure you haven't missed anything. Giving the player a safe place to enjoy their friends and not think about their recovery is a tremendous gift of peace. Shattering that peace with a slip-up, however small, can be really heartbreaking.
Approach it as a homebrew thing. I haven't read Strahd but if his land is cold and gloomy and miserable, then you could easily imagine people getting into tea and coffee for the warmth and the caffeine pick-me-up. They probably wouldn't call it caffeine but just know that they "like" coffee.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Hello!
I'm a relatively new DM, but starting to get a handle on things I think (I hope)! I'm struggling a little bit though for a new campaign I'm starting with some friends that I'll be DMing. One of my friends is a recovering alcoholic and has asked me not to include alcohol in the game. I'm running Curse of Strahd, which of course features a winery quite prevalently in one of its story arcs. My first (funnier) thought was to have all the bars be milkshake stands and the winery be a milk farm but obviously that doesn't quite fit the aesthetic, so I was curious - does anyone have any ideas on how to approach this in-game? Any substitutions I could make without ruining the aesthetic, but helping my players feel safe at the table? I'm really excited to be joining the forums, and hope you're all having a lovely day!
You could potentially refluff the winery as making cakes that help keep the spirits of the people up. However, this runs into the very similar but nasty tarts made by the folks at the Windmill.
Alternatively, the establishment could make a very good tasting but non-alcoholic beverage that also keeps the spirits up. Perhaps a carbonated beverage in different flavors. Think coke sprite and ginger ale though you don't need to name them. I think you could safely refluff them as soft drinks without breaking the story.
My first thought would be to try and reflavor the winery as a tea estate that specializes in growing a very specialized strain with unique properties, which could be why it would be in such high demand; you could then work in Barovia as having a highly developed tea culture like many real-world countries do, and still keep a serious tone to your campaign.
I like the tea suggestion. You could replace alehouses and taverns with tea houses and coffee shops. The caffeine acts as a "pick me up".
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Oh, I love that! Thank you both so much for the help :)
Whatever change you make, make sure you make it a seamless change. Respecting the player's request is a wonderful thing to do. Making it clear through clumsy narrative that you're changing the game because of the player can put a spotlight on their addiction, which can do more harm than good. Scour all the flavor text and make sure you haven't missed anything. Giving the player a safe place to enjoy their friends and not think about their recovery is a tremendous gift of peace. Shattering that peace with a slip-up, however small, can be really heartbreaking.
Approach it as a homebrew thing. I haven't read Strahd but if his land is cold and gloomy and miserable, then you could easily imagine people getting into tea and coffee for the warmth and the caffeine pick-me-up. They probably wouldn't call it caffeine but just know that they "like" coffee.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Well there is a certain sort of pie involved with curse of strahd, perhaps expand the pie industry of barovia, lol