Took the wrong thing for granted.

[grinninfoole]

I have been running a D&D game for eleven years, and for much of that I have been using Strahd von Zarovich from the old I6 Ravenloft adventure (©1983) as a campaign resource. Now my players are in Barovia for a visit with him, so I just had a close look through of the old adventure, which I was planning to use pretty much as is, with perhaps a little tweaking. To my surprise and dismay, that's not gonna work.

I had chosen Ravenloft because I really liked the floor plan and the maps. When I played it 20 years ago, it was a really cool, creepy adventure. Now, I just shake my head and wonder: 'where did Strahd find four red dragons to hang out in his front court yard?' 'where did he get two iron golems?' 'how can there be tombs for all his ancestors when the adventure specifies that he built the keep himself?' and 'why do so many of the tombs have really obnoxious joke names, like Stahbal Indi-bak (advisor from the east) or Americo Standardski (inventor) or Tatsaul Eris (last of the line)?' I'm going to have to completely redo the setting. If I had time, I'd redraw the damn map, too, because I have trouble taking seriously a castle design that puts the kitchen forty feet down in the basement in a 20 x 40 room with no fireplace...and no chimney. How do they cook? Also, shouldn't a building originally built to house more than100 people have latrines somewhere?

Comments

[millari.livejournal.com]

Now, I just shake my head and wonder: 'where did Strahd find four red dragons to hang out in his front court yard?' 'where did he get two iron golems?'

Where else but Staples: "Red Dragons? Iron Golems? We got that."

'how can there be tombs for all his ancestors when the adventure specifies that he built the keep himself?'

He has a rare form of temporal paradox ADD. Doom should know all about that....

and 'why do so many of the tombs have really obnoxious joke names, like Stahbal Indi-bak (advisor from the east) or Americo Standardski (inventor) or Tatsaul Eris (last of the line)?'

I agree. Ugh. Not to defend them, but I will say that plenty of otherwise impressive, intelligent people have fallen to the crafty, heady lure of the pun. Owen was a great example. Wait. Come to think of it, so are you. ;-)

How do they cook? Also, shouldn't a building originally built to house more than 100 people have latrines somewhere?

And you thought it was the curse on the Southlands that drove them all out....