No Strings Attached | A Curse of Strahd Puppet Misadventure

About the adventure

The night air chills your very soul, as mist and shadow clings to your flesh. Moments ago, you were... home, safely tucked in bed, resting and preparing for tomorrow. You are uncertain of how you wound up in a dark forest, and, uncertain of what else to do, you follow the moonlight, hoping to find respite, or a road back home. Instead, you find a clear pond, reflecting back your reflection. Your new reflection. By all the gods above, you're... a puppet! No Strings Attached is a wild take on the classic Curse of Strahd adventure, following the module published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016, but with a twist: you, and all the other inhabitants of Barovia, have been turned into puppets! Survive the horrors of the night, unravel the mystery of the Count of Barovia, and find a way to return home to your original form, or be taken by the mysterious puppeteer that looms over you all. What brought you to Barovia? Why does no one here seem concerned with their new forms? What does the Count know, and is there even a cure to the condition? Can you escape with your sanity (and your limbs) attached?

Additional Details

How to prepare

You'll want to have a good microphone and a discord and Roll20 account already made and ready. If you're unfamiliar with dnd 5e, feel free to reach out ahead of time for tips and tricks. Once you've narrowed down a character you'd like to play, consider what they would have looked like before Barovia, and what features may have been exaggerated upon their sudden change. Remember, Curse of Strahd is a DARK adventure, but the overall silliness of the puppets will cause some thematic whiplash frequently. Also, make sure you have access to a computer that you can play the game on. I know this seems like a silly specification, but I've had people try to use Roll20 on mobile devices and trust me, it simply doesn't work.

What I provide

You can expect a plethora of Roll20 maps, all gathered from various corners of the internet, as well as mood music. Be prepared for things to jump from comical and absurd to dark and horrifying with little to no warning. Curse of Strahd is a dark, gritty game, and this experience will be expressive of that world. If you've already played/ran Curse of Strahd, great! Glad to have you back to Barovia, friend. BUT, nobody likes a spoiler, or somebody that uses their prior knowledge to abuse the game. It ruins the fun for everybody, including me, and if such behavior becomes a problem, I'm not afraid to remove problem players from the game. Please don't join the game if you're planning on creating a broken character that can destroy planets by level 4. Strategy, creativity, and optimization are fun! Metagaming, main-character syndrome, and extreme minmaxing are not fun. Please be mindful of remote etiquette. Play in a space that is relatively quiet, and have either push to speak or mute active while you are not engaged in the scene. Please refrain from jumping onto another device, even when you aren't the one speaking or participating in the moment. It helps the entire table stay focused, have fun, and allows you to jump in with quips and laughs without missing anything. Any homophobic, racist, sexist, or other problematic behavior will not be tolerated. If you are concerned with the behavior of another player, I am available to talk, and will be willing to discuss problems with problem players. If problem behavior repeats after discussions and warnings, problem individuals will be removed from the game.

Gameplay details

Personally, I try not to get too deep into the graphic descriptions of violence, but with this being a game focused around puppets, there will likely be comical and dark scenes centered around the absurdity of the puppet trauma. Expect mystery, fast combat, and danger around every corner...

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Session 0
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

At session 0 (which will be free), we will cover the basics of character creation and establish a couple house rules as needed. PLEASE NOTE that if you come into the game with a character in mind, that's awesome, but remember three very important things. 1. Your character is a humanoid, transformed into their puppet form only upon entering Barovia. They know that they were once not a puppet, and probably wish to correct that. 2. Your character, in their puppet form, will have the exact same stats as their regular version, and still count as humanoid for the purpose of abilities and effects. 3. Your character may die a grisly, horrible, adorable death. I don't plan on killing characters for the fun of it, but what's a game without stakes? We will be starting at level 1, rolling for stats at session 0. Official dnd content is permitted, but do try to keep to the theme of the game (no plasmoids or autognomes, for example). If you find some homebrew that you'd like to use instead, feel free to ask! This game is primarily supposed to be FUN. You should expect a lot of homebrew from me, so it's only fair that I let some unofficial content apply to y'all, too.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.