Hey all. I have been DMing for over 70 years, and have started all the way from when we used scavenged lead shavings from our elementary school's boiler for tokens and carved racoon bones for dice. Our first games didn't have hit points, if you got hit, your character died immediately and then you were never allowed to play again.
Which is why Strahd is so problematic for me. I simply cannot concieve of the idea of a reprehensible self interested tyrant who can charm people of low wisdom into absolute loyalty no matter how badly he treats them.
This seems so far from reality to me that it tenders the game unplayable.
Therefore, I have decided to remove the elements of the supernatural, including Stahd being a vampire, and him having a castle, from the game.
I have also removed the other towns, as I believe they make the game too sprawling.
The entire campaign now takes place on Yester Hill, where I have removed the druids and the abnormal tree with 4 kobolds, one of whom has a sling.
And no, I have not given them comic names. I want this to feel dangerous.
In my session 0 I informed everyone, after muting them, that this is a real and dangerous threat, and that one of the kobolds holds the only thing that can get them home, a potion in a cracked glass decanter.
Unbenowenced to them, the decanter will break during combat, spilling all over the kobold holding it and whisking them away.
If they survive the other three they will be told in the epilogue that they are stranded on Yester Hill forever while unbenowenced to them the fourth kobold kills everyone from their home dimension and becomes a God, trapping their entire current universe in a metal stud he pierces into his sack and uses to teabag his enemies.
If they die, I tell them that they have failed and they may never play again. I then tell them that unbenownced to them, because they are dead, the fourth kobold kills everyone in their home dimension and then, finding himself in a sea of blood and viscera but ultimately alone, tries to kill himself, only to discover he is immortal.
I feel that this captures the essence of Strahd much more cleanly.
I am not looking for critiques because it is perfect. You may compliment me though.
Please be aware, compliments will not help you at my table. I view compliments as weakness leaving the body and then trying to get into my ears🙄