About the adventure
Barovia is a land ruled by mist and despair, and nowhere is its curse more twisted than in the Death House — an ancient mansion that traps the unwary and feeds on their fear. In this gothic horror one-shot, you’ll explore its haunted halls, unravel its dark secrets, and fight to escape before the house consumes you. This game is ideal for players who love atmospheric storytelling, dark fantasy, and suspenseful survival horror. We’ll be playing theater of the mind with vivid description and Discord voice chat — no prior Curse of Strahd experience needed. Bring a Level 3 character or concept and prepare to face the terrors lurking behind every door. Will you uncover the truth… or become another ghost in the house’s endless hunger?
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Rules as Written (RaW)
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
2 years on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Rule of Cool, Creativity, Visual Aid
About me
Hello everyone! My name is Matt. I have been playing and DMing for three years now with most of that currently being as a player. All of my experience currently is on 5th Edition and I am one of the rare D&D people that enjoy being a Dungeon Master over being a player as I love crafting stories around players characters and backstories. I have gained the renowned title as a "Deadly DM" and am quite proud of it so please come into my games prepared for character death at any time. While I am deadly, I do like to make my games feel rewarding for overcoming challenges and obstacles so everything you do in game will be well earned. The thing that made me want to start hosting games is somewhat of what I stated above, I love hearing my players reactions when a big reveal is made or take great pride when something I made in game happen receives a lot of recognition as being a loveable thing and want to bring that feeling to as many people as I possibly can! Thank you and see you in game!
View Profile →Reviews (3)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Rule of Cool
Creativity
Visual Aid
Matt was patient as we explored, helped with character creation, very knowledgable, very descriptive of our environment, let us explore on our own time, allowed us to have fun and explore on our own time, generous with his time, came prepared with maps and music that really enhanced our game, balanced player time really well, gave everyone equal attention, and was overall really fun to play with.
Character creation
Creating your character
Characters should be made before session if possible, they will be level 3 with all sources open for use and point buy to generate stats. I can assist with rolling up a character if you are completely new or are having a hard time with it due to not using the software listed. I am open to homebrew and UA content but must have it submitted to me for approval before session start.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Things you will need before the game starts is a mic, discord profile for communication and just general knowhow on combat so things don't come to a crawl.
What Matthew brings to the table
I run challenging, tactical combat via theater of the mind with vivid narration and no battlemaps. I follow RAW/RAI for fairness but apply the Rule of Cool when it enhances the story. While I don’t focus on heavy character voices, I make sure NPCs are clear and distinct during interactions. Expect a game that rewards smart play, encourages creative thinking, and brings gothic horror to life through immersive storytelling over Discord voice chat.
Platforms used
Safety
How Matthew creates a safe table
We use the Open Door Policy — players can leave at any time for any reason, no explanation needed. A quick Session Zero will cover tone (gothic horror, suspense), character setup, and comfort checks. No Lines and Veils document; players can message me if they have sensitive topics. Aftercare is optional but offered for anyone who wants to decompress. We’ll play theater of the mind over Discord voice chat, focusing on rich narration, exploration, and survival horror