8/28/2023 0 Comments Curse of strahd helm of brilliance![]() ![]() ![]() So what happens to most CoS campaigns, given this disparity between what the adventure offers and what most players want? Most CoS campaigns end up as Standard D&D dressed in a Halloween costume, with powerful heroes hacking their way through Hammer Film monsters. Those are perfectly legitimate desires, but they are completely incompatible with gothic horror. They want their characters to be fearless and strong, they want death to be rare (and temporary, if it happens), and they want victory to be all but assured (with minor setbacks being the worst outcome). Most players (whether they admit to it or not) want a power fantasy. But I'm aware that my opinion isn't shared by the majority. Victory, in my opinion, savors sweeter when failure is more common than success. In a setting full of darkness and pervasive hopelessness, moments of levity and hope feel truly special. As both a player and DM, I prefer it when moments of true victory are few and far between. Most players don't want the Gothic Horror Experience they want the D&D Experience. The reality is that, despite how hugely popular it is, most players aren't interested in playing CoS. That being said, I can't really blame these DMs, because what they're doing is most likely what their players want. Saving yourself and the people that you love is a victory appropriate for gothic horror. Saving the kingdom from a vampire tyrant is a D&D victory. Victories in horror are intentionally small compared to victories in D&D (which is a genre in itself). It isn't about winning it's about surviving. When DMs modify the campaign to make it less deadly or change it to allow Strahd to be permanently killed, they misunderstand what horror is about. Their goal is not to save the day (Baroiva cannot be saved) but to survive and, hopefully, escape with those they've grown to care for over the adventure's course. Players are not heroes in a CoS campaign. CoS is gothic horror done well, hitting on themes of isolation, tragedy, and dread. No other adventure besides Tomb of Annihilation (with its pulpy Lost World theme) rivals CoS in terms of atmosphere. It's a tonal shift from standard D&D heroic fantasy. The gothic horror genre gives the module a compelling and unique identity that's both attractive in itself (everyone loves vampires, amirite?) and attractive in its difference. All the strengths I listed stand out even more compared to other 5e hardcovers. ![]() Let's talk about why, five years after its release, CoS is still the most popular 5e adventure (it isn't even close). That atmosphere of dread is an essential part of gothic horror, and DMs will do well to put the fear of Strahd into their players early on. Strahd feels like a true phantom in this adventure, haunting the party's every step. ![]() Just about every problem in Barovia can be traced back to him, which gives him a sense of omnipresence. Even when he isn't taking center stage, Strahd is always lurking in the background. Players in ToA might go through the whole module without ever discovering who Acererak is! He's just some lich guy who pops in at the end to kill them (if he's played well) or die (if he isn't). Compare him to Acererak in Tomb of Annihilation. He constantly meddles in the party's lives, playing an active role throughout the campaign. Strahd is not your ordinary final boss waiting in his castle for adventurers to come destroy him. By far the best 5e hardcover adventure, Curse of Strahd does a lot of things right: it has a compelling theme and atmosphere, an interesting setting full of complex NPCs, and a dangerous, iconic villain who will play to win. ![]()
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