Curse of Strahd: The Cycle of Fate
The past doesn't repeat itself in Barovia, but it often rhymes. Penned in blood, this poetry tells of heroes, pawns, and monsters. Which are you?
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 12:00 AM UTC
Apr 16 / Session 4
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
4 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
4/6
About the adventure
For twenty years the dread lord, Strahd von Zarovich, slumbered in his coffin. Still, the Mists have not lifted during those twenty years, ushering in an uneasy peace throughout Barovia. Ireena Kolyana has, in that time, buried her father, buried her brother, wed, borne a son, and served as Barovia Village’s burgomaster faithfully. However, unrest struck the land during this last year. Strahd, awake and hungering for blood, has decimated Ireena’s sense of security. Ireena fears for her son, Ismark, who is eighteen and determined to fight the Devil Strahd. Your party represents her last hope to usher him to safety, as Strahd’s attacks have become more violent and personal in recent months. She prays you can take him to Vallaki and keep him safe. Maybe you can even get him out of the Mists. Ismark is not convinced this strategy will work. No one leaves the Mists except the Vistani. Besides, the Devil Strahd has been killed before, even if only for a little while. Perhaps there is a way to kill him once and for all. His mother thinks she hides it well, but he has heard her cry out in the night. Ismark knows that if something isn’t done to defeat this great evil, Strahd will claim Ireena as his undead bride. Perhaps you can take her to Vallaki or, better yet, join Ismark on his crusade to defend his family and country from the evil that thirsts for their blood. “Curse of Strahd: The Cycle of Fate” is a campaign intended for intermediate-level players, especially those who have played “Curse of Strahd” before and want to play it again with a twist. However, you are not required to have any knowledge of “Curse of Strahd” to play. Together, we will explore themes of cyclical tragedy, generational trauma, Gothic horror, and, of course, all the lush, dark promises a vampire-centric campaign can offer!
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(8)
5 years on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, World Builder
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Even though I specialize in Gothic Horror, I strive to allow my players to feel like heroes. I weave character backstory into the narrative and allow player feedback to shape the story we tell together. I love adding a bit of homebrew and fan content to the beloved module "Curse of Strahd" for unique, Barovian experiences. I pair dark themes with dark humor and fantasy for a little light in the eternal night that is Ravenloft. Above all, I reward creativity, kindness, and interesting choices at my table. I have run "Curse of Strahd" for a variety of tables, including my home group and for an after-school program with heavy modifications to be age-appropriate for high schoolers. My home game is lush, moody, and complex, full of religious symbolism, political intrigue, and character backstory payoffs. My after-school game was full of pop culture references, unexpected levity, and shenanigans akin to letting feral cats loose in a Spirit Halloween store. I know how to tailor a game to my players. I ask for frequent feedback to best serve my groups. As a member of the LGBT+ community, I feel it is important to give a voice to those who feel underrepresented in stories. As an educator, I feel it is important to demonstrate patience to new players who are eager to join the hobby. As a storyteller, I feel it is important to collaborate with my players to create something singular and beautiful. Finally, as a GM, I feel it is important to have fun while respecting boundaries.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation should happen before or during Session 0. I am asking my players to create characters appropriate for a Gothic horror setting. I will provide roll tables to help inspire players who are unsure what direction to take. If you begin creating your character before Session 0, I can work with you to give your character secrets or narrative tie-ins with the world of Barovia. Please create your character on D&D Beyond, since I use it for encounter tracking. Use Point Buy to create your character. We are using the 2014 rules. I will send you a link to our campaign for you to join. Furthermore, please have a short biography of your character. Each biography should contain your character's motivation and any discussed character secrets or narrative tie-ins to the world. These will only be seen by me (unless you share with others. I can't stop you!), and will serve as a reference point for me as we go forward. My ideal would be to conference with you before Session 0 to talk all about your PC. I can set up meeting times with players as needed. Because Barovia can be a bit of a death trap, I would advise you to have a backup character. If you do, please discuss them with me ahead of time, so I can greenlight them. I also know that the dead in Barovia don't tend to stay that way for long, so if you fear losing your character forever, please talk to me about your options!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
To run my games, I use Discord, Roll20, and D&D Beyond. Please have an account for each of these sites to join our campaign. You will also need a picture of your character (can be a Picrew or online art) to represent them for a token. As stated elsewhere in this page, before the session starts, you should talk to me about your character, your character's motivation/goals, and your own goals for the campaign. There will be a Session 0 survey where you can fill this out, along with lines and veils, and other pertinent information.
What Deanna brings to the table
I will provide players with an immersive roleplay experience, full of interesting plots, encounters, and moments. Because I am so thorough before and during Session 0, I plan to provide my players with bespoke roleplay experiences, moments of despair, and moments of great triumph. I will provide my players with a Discord channel where they can mingle with other players out of session, answer weekly character development questions, and post their memes and (written) reactions to moments in-game without stepping on another player's spotlight. I will provide my players with narratives that deeply understand conventions of Gothic horror and adjacent genres, while still providing opportunities for levity and joy despite the horrors.
Homebrew rules
I keep track of your Nat 1s. After 10 in a row, an encounter with Strahd will trigger.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How Deanna creates a safe table
We begin with a Session 0 document, which you will fill out prior to the actual Session 0. One of the tools it will contain is a place for you to confidentially list your lines ("hard nos") and veils (topics you would be willing to allude to/fade-to-black, but not roleplay in full). I will collect everyone's lines and veils. If you've put something game-breaking, you and I will have a one-on-one conversation before Session 0 to determine whether this is the table for you. Then, we will have Session 0, during which I will reveal what topics we are putting lines through and veils over, without revealing who has said what. I will also provide the party with a list of triggers that may come up in the game. At any time, you can privately message me to tell me if your stance on a topic has changed. I will also implement breaks. I believe that we should take 1-2 scheduled breaks during any given session. I also have an open door policy. If you need a break, you can take one. After each game, I would like to debrief with the players by discussing what went well, what they wish for (stars and wishes would be lovely!), and what could have been done better. I don't want to take too much of your time, so we'll keep it short, but I am happy to hear from you outside of the game!
Content warnings
Safety tools used