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Frozt's Curse of Strahd (LGBTQA+, 18+), Session 0 FREE!!
The mists usher you into Barovia, a dour land where despair can find you around any corner. Can you bring a little hope to this place?
$10.00
/ Session
Details
2 players following this game
Weekly / Tuesday - 1:00 AM UTC
Sep 29 / Session 2
Session Duration / 3 hours
6 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
About the adventure
The mists have claimed you, and there is no way home. Curse of Strahd is a gothic horror campaign filled with ancient secrets, haunted villages, dangerous creatures, and a vampire lord who has ruled this land for centuries. This campaign will lean heavily into the horror and atmosphere of Barovia: oppressive, mysterious, and often genuinely unsettling. But even in a land where hope feels almost impossible, there will always be moments of light. Your characters will have the opportunity to become the heroes that Barovia desperately needs. This campaign isn't about following a predetermined path from one encounter to the next. Barovia is filled with stories, and many of them are hidden in places you might never think to look. Ancient weapons, family heirlooms, forgotten graves, religious relics, and seemingly worthless objects may carry pieces of the land's history. Some will offer power, some will carry curses, and others may simply tell you the story of someone who lived and died here long before you arrived. I want exploration and roleplay to be rewarded just as much as winning a fight. Most importantly, this is your story. You might become monster hunters, investigators, wandering heroes, tragic victims, unlikely allies, or something entirely unexpected. Combat is only one way to overcome the dangers of Barovia, and clever plans, strong roleplay, diplomacy, and creative problem-solving can be just as valuable.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Organized Play
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
1 game hosted
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Storytelling, Rule of Cool
About me
I’ve been passionate about D&D and tabletop games for nearly a decade, both as a player and as a Game Master. Over the years, I’ve spent thousands of hours playing and running games, and I still genuinely adore sitting down at a table and seeing what kind of story we can create together. As a GM, I put a lot of value on being attentive to my players. I want everyone at my table to feel respected, heard, and genuinely involved in the story. I’m happy to work one-on-one with players through character creation and/or solo sessions, and find ways to make each character feel like they truly belong in the world. I also believe that players aren’t simply there to experience my story. They’re creatives at the table with me, and their decisions, ideas, relationships, and unexpected choices are what make the story worth telling. I love thinking outside the box, adapting to the things my players come up with, and finding ways to make their choices matter. I have a strong understanding of the rules, but I also believe the rules should serve the experience rather than get in its way. Whether that means finding a creative interpretation or building a custom solution, I want my players to feel empowered rather than intimidated. I care about the people behind the characters, too. Even as a player, I’ve always tried to help newer or quieter players find their place at the table without putting them on the spot.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Players can create their characters on my DnDCampaign or in Roll20. Players should have it ready before session 1. Players have access to all official content and all partnered content. Starting level: Level 1 Ability scores: Heroic Array (with weAkness) - 17,16,15,13,12,8 Starting equipment: Use your background and class starting equipment. Backgrounds: Players may use an official background or work with me to create a custom background that fits their character. Homebrew: Homebrew character options are not permitted for species, classes, subclasses, feats and spells. Character Concept: I encourage characters with motivations, flaws, relationships, and personal goals that can connect them to the campaign. You don't need a tragic backstory, but your character should have a reason to adventure and a reason to work with the party. Session Zero: We will discuss character concepts, party expectations, boundaries, and how the characters fit into the campaign during Session Zero.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
To prepare, players will need a DnDBeyond account, aswell as Discord and Roll20.com
What Phillip brings to the table
I want every session to feel like stepping into a living world. I put a significant amount of preparation into my games, and my goal is to create an experience that goes beyond simply running the adventure as written. Immersive Atmosphere: Expect ambient music, descriptive narration. Horror is a major part of this campaign, and I will actively work to create tension, dread, and moments of genuine fear while still leaving room for humor and heroic moments. A Living World: Curse of Strahd provides the foundation, but the world will contain additional lore, secrets, encounters, historical relics, and storylines. Seemingly insignificant objects may have histories of their own, and exploring Barovia can uncover stories that aren't immediately apparent. Your actions can change the world and the people living in it. Player Agency: I strongly encourage creative solutions and reward clever thinking. Combat, roleplay, investigation, negotiation, deception, and unconventional plans can all be valid ways to overcome challenges. I embrace the Rule of Cool when it creates an exciting and memorable moment without undermining the game or the other players. Combat: Encounters will generally be run using the rules as written, with reasonable rulings made when something isn't explicitly covered. Combat can be dangerous and tactical, but I am not interested in trying to "beat" the players. Enemies will act according to their abilities, intelligence, motivations, and knowledge rather than being controlled purely to maximize their effectiveness. A Collaborative Story: I am the DM, but the story belongs to everyone at the table. I will provide the world, its inhabitants, mysteries, and challenges; you decide what your characters do with them. My goal is for you to leave each session feeling that your choices genuinely mattered—and that you experienced something worth remembering.
Homebrew rules
Homebrew rules will be discussed at Session Zero.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Phillip creates a safe table
Before the campaign begins, I will provide a Lines & Veils document where players can anonymously indicate subjects they do not want included in the game or subjects they are comfortable having present but do not want explored in detail. These boundaries will be respected throughout the campaign, and players never need to explain or justify a boundary. During Session Zero, we will go over our safety tools together and make sure everyone understands how they work. We will also discuss expectations around horror, roleplay, character conflict, PvP, and other potentially sensitive aspects of the game so everyone knows what they are comfortable with before we begin. We will use X, N, and O cards through private messages during the game. Players can message me an X, N, or O at any time to indicate that something needs to stop, be adjusted, or can continue. No explanation is required. I will also check in with the group when appropriate, particularly after particularly intense scenes, and make adjustments if something isn't landing well. The goal isn't to remove the darkness from Curse of Strahd. The goal is to make sure that the darkness is something we are choosing to explore together. Horror works best when everyone at the table feels comfortable trusting the people they're playing with.
Content warnings
Safety tools used

