Savage Strahd: "Curse of Strahd" in the Savage Worlds rules

Creating your character

While I encourage players to come to the table with some concepts in mind, I like to do character creation collaboratively during Session Zero. This helps ensure that everyone has an opportunity to incorporate something unique into their character design, and that the party is more likely to form (or at least come together through their adventuring) as a cohesive group. NOTE: In "Curse of Strahd," the characters will be taken far from their homes and will not be able to return until the end of the campaign... if at all! Consider this when thinking of your backstory ideas.

Preparing for the session

🎥 WILL YOU NEED A WEBCAM AND/OR MIC? --Short answer: Microphone yes, Webcam no. --Longer answer: I always keep my own webcam on when I GM, and although I don't require webcam use from my players, I do strongly encourage it. Let me explain why. 1) A lot of roleplaying takes place through facial expression and non-verbal communication. Playing without a video image can sometimes be an obstacle to that. 2) As a safety tool, being able to see someone's face and read their expression can offer me (and other players) cues that something is wrong or that a player may be uncomfortable with where the game is going - which then gives me (or others) an opportunity to call for a break and check in with that player privately. 3) It is much easier to check in on engagement when I can see my players and visually gauge their reception to the situations I have presented to them. However, I completely understand any player's hesitancy to use a webcam for whatever reason, either personal, technological, or otherwise. For instance, I use multiple monitors so I can easily swap between Discord and Foundry, but I recognize that this is not standard - particularly for players connecting on a laptop. Bottom line: Use cameras if you wish, and I do encourage it... but should you choose not to, please feel no pressure to change or even to explain yourself. It is entirely up to you. 🎤 While Foundry is a robust and versatile virtual tabletop, I have learned that it doesn't handle simultaneous voice/video particularly well. To that end, we will use Discord for voice. Once players register for the game, they will receive a link to my Discord server. 📝 WILL YOU NEED ANY ACCOUNTS OR LOGINS? ---Yes. I use Foundry VTT, but hosted online through The Forge. You will need to register for a free account at https://forge-vtt.com/ if you don't already have one. You will also need Discord. 🃏 WILL YOU NEED TO READ THE RULES AHEAD OF TIME? ---Ideally yes - but this isn't an absolute essential. I am happy to teach the Savage Worlds system as we go if necessary. Alternately, I can recommend this series of tutorial videos that do a good job of explaining the system: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgb1VYGaaaMS8Y8znq_oaPrbPhlG9RBwR Ultimately, it would be preferable to at least have a basic idea of the rules before signing up - but when it comes down to it, any experience level is always welcome. 🎭 WILL YOU NEED TO CREATE CHARACTERS? --We'll be doing character creation together, collaboratively. See elsewhere her for more details on this.

What Mikey brings to the table

I love immersion in my games! Through the Foundry VTT platform, I frequently incorporate music and sound cues, visual animations, and atmospheric special effects into my games. 😎📜 In terms of play style, I like to blend the Rule of Cool with Rules as Written... it is important to know and understand the game system and have a degree of consistency (so that everyone at the table has a good idea of what to expect from it), but it is equally important to know when the rules are getting in the way of a good story. I am always willing to adjust and modify things based on the needs of my players, especially when it results in some epic roleplaying situations. My primary philosophy as a GM is to stay flexible and adaptable; no matter what planning has gone into a game, be prepared to change course in an instant if it makes for a better experience. 🗺️🧠 I vary from Theater of the Mind to detailed battle maps, depending on the situation. When I do use battle maps, I like to make them as immersive as possible by incorporating walls/visibility, lighting, animations, sounds, etc., as mentioned above.

Homebrew rules

Although I have a number of house rules that I like to use, for this setting (since I'm hoping to attract players who may be new to the system) I'm going to keep things pretty vanilla for the most part. Having said that, there are a few "play style" methods I use that don't actually change the rules themselves, but rather alter how they are applied for maximum engagement and enjoyment. I'll explain these methods during our Session Zero.

How Mikey creates a safe table

🦺 During Session Zero (and individually, for players who may join afterwards), we will have a discussion about the Luxton Technique and how we will use it to address - in a supportive and non-dismissive way - any triggering situations that may arise in-game. ☕ Scheduled and unscheduled breaks are welcome, for ANY reason, and I always have an open-door policy for all my games (meaning any player can step away from the game for any reason at all without recrimination or criticism, and be able to return if/when they feel they are ready/willing to.) ANYONE can call a break (for themselves or on behalf of another player), without needing to explain why. 🏳️‍🌈 I strive to make my tables always inclusive and safe spaces that are LGBTQIA+ friendly. 🧛 CONTENT WARNING: "Curse of Strahd" is, first and foremost, a gothic horror/mystery story that draws significantly from Bram Stoker's genre-defining masterpiece "Dracula." It leans in HEAVILY on the horror aspect, and as such features a lot of potentially disturbing content. Players should expect that and be generally ready for this kind of game. Check the "CONTENT WARNING" section below for more specifics, and understand that this is by no means an exhaustive list. However, there is one area of content that I will ABSOLUTELY NOT include in this (or any other) game: "Savage Strahd" will not feature any depictions of SA. I consider that a firm line for all my games.