Curse of Strahd: True Gothic Edition (LGBTQ+ friendly)
Delving into the mists might be dangerous. Perhaps you'll come across the horrors within your own soul...
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday - 1:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
2 / 4 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
2/4
About the adventure
This is not a game about heroes, but about victims. Hell has opened before us and it has sucked us in, guided by a cursed master that plays with the threads of our fate as if we were puppets. Finding ourselves in a world of hopelessness and tragedy, our own personal demons will awaken; we may only hope they do not drag us screaming into the pits that lie at the darkest corners of our souls. Curse of Strahd: Gothic Edition is a soft reinterpretation of D&D 5E's most popular adventure, based on nineteenth century romantic literature, such as Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, or the Picture of Dorian Gray. Roleplaying takes center stage as our characters investigate a way to escape this demiplane, which seeks to consume every bit of light in their being. Sooner than later, the player characters will get involved into the personal horror and tragedy of those that suffer under the Curse of Strahd. The Darklord of Barovia himself will be crucial in these events, being at the same time an antagonist and the tempting voice of oblivion. Prepare for a gothic setting in which things like magic are looked upon with horror and disdain, and where looking strange to the villagers might be enough to grant you a lynching-or a burning. The supernatural is, rather than an everyday element, the manifestation of the evil forces at the core of this world. More things will be suggested rather than shown, although there will absolutely will be place for fantasy... Or a twisted shadow of itself, rather. The players need not read any lore, although I recommend that, instead of Van Richten's guide to Ravenloft, they take a look at the old Ravenloft Gazetteers that I will provide, and which I believe to be truer to the gothic tradition. However, while Ravenloft has many issues, the game I offer has no space for discrimination, and all players are welcome to enter and enjoy the experience of fear and anguish. This table is LGBTQ+ friendly, and any sort of triggers that players might have will be discussed during character creation as to tailor the game to theri tastes. Most things in the Content Warnings can be avoided. The opinions and actions of Ravenloft's characters do not represent the GM's, of course.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Theater of the Mind
Combat Lite
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
24 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Storytelling
About me
Greetings! I’m Tonio, and storytelling is my greatest passion. I specialize in narrative games, with tons of drama, feeling, and cinematic narration. I worked at ND Hobbies as a writer (and sometimes editor) for D&D and OSR Content -if you look for me in there, things will be published with my legal name, Mauricio R. C. I’ve been running RPGs for almost half my life. I’ve also participated in theater, taken voice acting courses with renowned professionals in Latin America, and won awards in both short story and poetry competitions. Spanish is my native language, but I have got a Cambridge Certificate for advanced English skills. I’ve also designed my own roleplaying games (See my Itchio page https://spooksong-studio.itch.io) I run the Doctor Who RPG, D&D 5E, some OSR Games, Vampire 20th, Werewolf 20th, Mage 20th and 2e, Changeling 20th, Wraith 20th, Hunter 1e, Fate, some indie games, and more. Ask me about your favorite system! I'm also a defender of Changeling: The Dreaming. Along with CtD, my other favorite game is Ars Magica.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
While we may have a free Session Zero to discuss characters, for this kind of game I want to have a particular approach that doesn't require one: Guiding the creation of a backstory through certain questions made especially for this game, which will help define aspects of the character that will be vital for our gothic narrative, such as deep flaws, regrets, and future anxieties. All of this can be done over text (I have done it previously a couple times). Players are encouraged to discuss between them their possible character dynamics and interaction. Since this is a game centered around horror, roleplay, and the experience of anguish in a merciless world of sublime emotion, combat will receive little focus. Characters will be created following the standard rules, without extra feats. Additional rules to strenghten the horror experience might also be discussed during this stage of the game, although players should know that the more vulnerable and weak a character they make, the better the horror experience will be. Possible alternate rules are a much slower regeneration of hit points, no starting gear safe for the clothes on one's back, and other settings to turn a game about heroes into a game about victims-or survivors.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
I have run this game solely through the use of discord before, although if the players so decide, Foundry can be implemented. A discord account is needed. There is no need for a particularly good microphone as long as I and the other players may understand you. Webcams are a possibility for those who want to use them, but not an obligation by any means.
What Tonio The Storyteller brings to the table
Foundry VTT, Discord, Custom Tokens.
Equipment needed to play
Microphone
Computer
Internet
Platforms used
Safety
How Tonio The Storyteller creates a safe table
I will ask the players to write down their lines and veils at the start so I may prepare the game in such a way that their triggers appear as little as possible. The X card can be activated merely by saying "X card" during the game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used