![](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125518981/940388407.jpg)
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Curse of Strahd Review & Synopsis Hello, this is the RPG Crawler, and welcome to a tabletop review of Curse of Strahd: the new horror adventure released by Wizards of the Coast based on the old AD&D I6: Ravenloft module and the AD&D 2nd edition Ravenloft material. Roll20 Review: Curse of Strahd. Curse of Strahd released last year as an updated remake to the classic gothic horror RPG world of Ravenloft, ruled by the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. The new campaign recreates the Valley of Barovia as a sandbox adventure, culminating in a Castlevania -like dungeon crawl inside Castle Ravenloft.
Start by marking “Curse of Strahd (Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition)” as Want to Read:
Rate this book
See a Problem?
We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Curse of Strahd by Christopher Perkins.
Not the book you’re looking for?Preview — Curse of Strahd by Christopher Perkins
(Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition)
Unravel the mysteries of Ravenloft® in this dread adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, y...more
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, y...more
Published March 15th 2016 by Wizards of the Coast
To see what your friends thought of this book,please sign up.
To ask other readers questions aboutCurse of Strahd,please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Curse of Strahd
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition 23 books — 24 voters
More lists with this book...
Rating details
|
May 23, 2016Shadowdenizen rated it really liked it
Open disclosure: I'm an avowed 'Ravenloft' fan, from the 1E module, to the 2E and 3E Setting line, and everything in between.
That said, this is a surprisingly decent adaptation (and homage to) the classic 1st Edition AD+D module 'Ravenloft.'
'Ravenloft' was a module that was ahead of it's time in many ways, including being much more open-ended and 'Sand-Boxy' than other adventure modules of the time. It also featured a fully fleshed-out antagonist in Strahd Von Zarovich, complete with specific (b...more
That said, this is a surprisingly decent adaptation (and homage to) the classic 1st Edition AD+D module 'Ravenloft.'
'Ravenloft' was a module that was ahead of it's time in many ways, including being much more open-ended and 'Sand-Boxy' than other adventure modules of the time. It also featured a fully fleshed-out antagonist in Strahd Von Zarovich, complete with specific (b...more
Dec 17, 2017Benedict Patrick rated it it was amazing
Currently running (and recording) this game with a bunch of fellow fantasy authors. Look out for a podcast of our game in early 2018!
Doesn't really count as a 'proper' book but I've been doing plenty of reading through it as I'm currently running a Curse of Strahd campaign so I figure I should say something about it.
It's the first time I've run a full campaign module and I've got to say, I think I would struggle to find one that I would enjoy to run more as a first adventure. It's very good. There's plenty of detail given for every area as well as some nice looking maps, NPCs are nicely described (though I think there could b...more
Jul 09, 2017Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης rated it it was amazingIt's the first time I've run a full campaign module and I've got to say, I think I would struggle to find one that I would enjoy to run more as a first adventure. It's very good. There's plenty of detail given for every area as well as some nice looking maps, NPCs are nicely described (though I think there could b...more
Shelves: mystery, fantasy, rpg, horror, dnd-5th-edition
Finally, story over mechanics. It really comes as no surprise that the first setting to be tackled in 5th Edition after the Forgotten Realms is Ravenloft. Though the campaign focuses entirely on Barovia and quite a bit of it on Strahd von Zarovich, this is still the closest any of the new installments has come to capturing the story feel I always loved about D&D. Even the introductory adventure, 'Death House', has its twists and turns and macabre truths to discover.
My only peeve is they felt...more
My only peeve is they felt...more
Mar 10, 2016Tor.com Publishing rated it it was amazing
The one that got away! I've made two attempts at Castle Ravenloft, in both AD&D & 3e, & both times were thwarted. In the 3e adventure, it was a real PC grinder; I was the only one who didn't die. The AD&D campaign I had to leave early, but I kept my character & took them to the Temple of Elemental Evil as an ethnic Barovian... --MK
The return of Ravenloft has me more excited to run a D&D game than I've been in years—and unlike the last time this happened (Dark Sun 4E), I'm dealing with a system I'm actually excited to use!
Curse of Strahd is an old-school horror adventure: dungeon maps, traps, a sandbox world for the players to navigate, rather than a branching story. Which is good! Easy enough to retrofit a story *onto* the provided material.
Most GMs will want to reconsider and revise the book's material about the Vist...more
Curse of Strahd is an old-school horror adventure: dungeon maps, traps, a sandbox world for the players to navigate, rather than a branching story. Which is good! Easy enough to retrofit a story *onto* the provided material.
Most GMs will want to reconsider and revise the book's material about the Vist...more
Mar 30, 2016Ryan Stewart rated it it was amazing
Re-read. Looking very much forward to running my group through this. Amazing sourcebook.
Oct 30, 2018Katie rated it it was amazing
i'm gonna let my players fuck strahd and no one can stop me not even god
Nov 22, 2017Richard Radgoski rated it really liked it
Brilliant module expanded perhaps a tad too much for 5e. The land of Barovia partly funnels players to certain locations, and partly leaves other places open for exploration...but why would you go over there when the castle is calling to you? I think this could have been stronger with a bit more of a binding storyline.
Still, the brilliance that is Castle Ravenloft and Strahd earns this grade.
Still, the brilliance that is Castle Ravenloft and Strahd earns this grade.
Jun 13, 2018Jasmine rated it really liked it
A of all, I will never be able to run this game, it needs way higher levels of both charisma and evil than I have.
B of all, this is amazing.
C of all, I am delighted by how if the book says at any point “[character] kindly [x]” it is followed IMMEDIATELY by a betrayal.
Gothic.
B of all, this is amazing.
C of all, I am delighted by how if the book says at any point “[character] kindly [x]” it is followed IMMEDIATELY by a betrayal.
Gothic.
Mar 24, 2016Taddow rated it it was amazing
Nearly three decades ago my Ranger character, Jerrak Kreene, and his band of adventures were pulled into Barovia by the mists and sought to rid the land of its vampire lord, Strahd. Alas, (like many others I'm sure) they failed in their quest (the closest they came was an epic session that ended with a failed attempt to destroy the vampire by holding him down submerged in the nearby river). Despite this defeat, the Ravenloft adventure and its terrible villain, Strahd von Zarovich, would be the h...more
May 28, 2017Maurizio rated it it was amazing
It's been a while since I read a D&D adventure (or for any other system for that matter) that was so well writen and structured. Chapter after chapter, the local lore described within is interwoven with the other sections to make a full panorama of the situation in Barovia when the characters arrive. The world is consistent in itself and there is no need to know anything about the old Ravenloft campaign to enjoy this book as both a story to be played with friends as a simple read.
This is a wonderful campaign setting for 5e. It was my first time DM'ing, and even though the challenge was daunting at times, the overall product of this campaign was wonderful. My biggest gripe with the book is the amount of flipping back and forth required, as the layout isn't the best (though I've heart Storm King's Thunder is much, much better).
If you've got a party interested in the gothic horror theme, I highly recommend Curse of Strahd. It was a ton of fun.
If you've got a party interested in the gothic horror theme, I highly recommend Curse of Strahd. It was a ton of fun.
Jun 30, 2018Espen rated it really liked it
![Curse Of Strahd Review Curse Of Strahd Review](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125518981/580023820.png)
Generally, this is great stuff. My rating is something like 84%.
So here, I will focus on the negatives, the nitpicks, the things anyone going to DM this should be aware of.
1) It's bad 5th edition, especially as concerns skills. You can especially note this in the way they use ability checks throughout, but it pervades the entire product. I'm actually wondering if they started production of this book while 5e was still 'Next' in testing.
Concrete examples: Perception checks are used at all times,...more
So here, I will focus on the negatives, the nitpicks, the things anyone going to DM this should be aware of.
1) It's bad 5th edition, especially as concerns skills. You can especially note this in the way they use ability checks throughout, but it pervades the entire product. I'm actually wondering if they started production of this book while 5e was still 'Next' in testing.
Concrete examples: Perception checks are used at all times,...more
Apr 05, 2018James Bowman rated it liked it
So this is good, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.
What I expected was an adventure path that would guide the players to Castle Ravenloft, throw fearsome and memorable challenges at them once they arrived, and culminate in a big setpiece battle with the legendary Strahd von Zarovich. Instead, what I got was a detailed (and possibly too open) Barovia campaign setting, a version of Castle Ravenloft that feels surprisingly tame (there are even cheesy jokes in the catacombs), and far too li...more
What I expected was an adventure path that would guide the players to Castle Ravenloft, throw fearsome and memorable challenges at them once they arrived, and culminate in a big setpiece battle with the legendary Strahd von Zarovich. Instead, what I got was a detailed (and possibly too open) Barovia campaign setting, a version of Castle Ravenloft that feels surprisingly tame (there are even cheesy jokes in the catacombs), and far too li...more
Further proof that Wizards of the Coast has gotten D&D absolutely perfected with this latest edition. Curse of Strahd is, as the name and cover might suggest, a Gothic horror spin on the traditional D&D campaign, and when the writers decided to do that, they went for it with gusto. This campaign has a little bit of every trope you'd hope to see, all of it handled with both respect for its literary origins and an appropriate helping of that classic D&D flavor; the locations and NPCs a...more
I did not play the original Ravenloft module, but when I was toying with the idea of diving into D&D at the beginning of 2017, I increasingly found myself drawn to this setting with all of the Gothic sensibilities and quiet melancholy that it offers. This was one of the first 5th Edition books that I looked at in a comic book store, and the first chapter's image of Strahd in all of his majesty in front of a mirror with no reflection was enough to keep the book in my mind, and probably played...more
I would happily run a D&D campaign based on Curse of Strahd. It provides myriad features to excite, intrigue and terrify player characters. But to an RPG fan looking for a casual read, I really wouldn't recommend this.
The structure is peculiar, organised not with any sense of narrative or likely path of exploration, meaning that what should be the climax of the adventure - the exploration of Castle Ravenloft - occurs relatively early in the book. Other, more succinct and frequently more inte...more
The structure is peculiar, organised not with any sense of narrative or likely path of exploration, meaning that what should be the climax of the adventure - the exploration of Castle Ravenloft - occurs relatively early in the book. Other, more succinct and frequently more inte...more
The proof of the adventure will be in the playing, of course, and I have just started DMing this campaign for a group of four friends. We've had two sessions so far, and they've just gotten through the 'Death House' introductory adventure. But I have read through the book and really like it on the whole. The Gothic atmosphere of Barovia/Ravenloft is very well written, and Strahd is a great antagonist. Prepping for this campaign also got me to read Bram Stoker's _Dracula_, which was pretty good....more
Absolutely love this book. Running the campaign now....it is extremely open ended and it's fun as hell to run. I'm not a very experienced GM, so if you're newish to running things take this campaign one session at a time. There is SO MUCH awesome and fun and cool as hell info packed into this book. Let your players choose where to go at the end of each session. Play short sessions (3 hours) as there's simply too much to keep track of for epicly long DnD sessions.
The book gives you TONS of struct...more
The book gives you TONS of struct...more
I'm about to finish up running this Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition module before the end of 2018, so it's safe to say that I've read this thing cover to cover many times -- just not necessarily in order. It's a very non-linear adventure, which is both its greatest strength and weakness. The story can be customized, even randomized in the Ravenloft tradition, giving a lot of flexibility in running it. However, the module would benefit from the guides for scaling encounters that were useful in p...more
May 31, 2019Eric Smith rated it it was amazing
Probably the best Ravenloft adventure ever written and this is coming from someone who owned and ran many of the Ravenloft adventures from the AD&D 2nd edition days. Ravenloft was always my favorite campaign setting with Planescape and Dragonlance being close second and third but there is something about the bleak gothic horror roots of Ravenloft that always drew me to it and this book is perfect for running a campaign that brings that to life. Absolutely terrific and I hope to run it with m...more
Apr 28, 2018S.M.M. Lindström rated it really liked it
Your adventuring party end up in Barovia, a land of mist and creeping death. They need to find away to defeat the local despot, Lord Strahd, to find a way out of this trap, or they will perish.
Easy to follow game with a lot of interesting mini-adventures included. The updates to the setting are definitely a perk, though still including a group of 'traveling people' allied with the bad guy is...yeah, that is why this loses a star. But you as the DM can of course change things as you please. Defin...more
Easy to follow game with a lot of interesting mini-adventures included. The updates to the setting are definitely a perk, though still including a group of 'traveling people' allied with the bad guy is...yeah, that is why this loses a star. But you as the DM can of course change things as you please. Defin...more
Amazing book. Such vivid writing and so inspiring for DMs to make a fantastic scenario for the players. When I started reading the book, I almost felt sorry for the players that they didn't get to read this great, great book. Curse of Strahd was for us a good way into dnd, it doesn't require much (if any) previous dnd experience.
Feb 01, 2019Frobeg Ochaeta rated it it was amazing
Such a well written adventure, loved the main storyline and the alternate paths. The places and the characters were all very nicely created and all the resources were absolutely perfect.
This has been one of the best books launched for 5e that I have read.
I specially enjoyed all the Russian Mythology references and inspiration.
Perfection.
This has been one of the best books launched for 5e that I have read.
I specially enjoyed all the Russian Mythology references and inspiration.
Perfection.
I got interested in this story by watching Dice, Camera, Action. I have been playing the adventure as a DM for a year now and my plyers are enjoying it quite a lot. There are a wide variety of experiences the players can encounter. Strahd is an interesting character to portray as the DM. A great adventure, a great story and a great tool set for the DM.
Jul 09, 2018Rob rated it really liked it
The book is very good and in-depth, providing ample cues for how to run combat and interactions. The organization leaves much to be desired, since it's by location and not by theme or with an index of related plot points. The time scale is also strange--my game took 2 weeks in-game, otherwise it would lose steam.
An incredible story with so much to offer players. I found it hard to be able to differentiate my voices for characters in this world. You also have to read carefully, I found myself missing out some flavor that made some incredible connections in the story.
Oct 12, 2017Rosey Waters rated it really liked it
Bah humbug, I really wanna run a campaign in this world. Anyone want to join me?
Not my thing. Too open ended. And I don't really like the ravenloft terribly well from the get go. But I thought I would give it a shot.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.Be the first to start one »
Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates
See similar books…
See top shelves…
25followers
Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition(10 books)
![](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125518981/940388407.jpg)