The Hook:
Atop the pillar stone of Balinok Mountain rests a darkened castle, a dark and stormy sky darkening its already gray stone. Castle Ravenloft, built of an old fortress looms over the lands of Barovia. Within it, the lord of the lands resides, gazing from a balcony over what he has made his own. Below him, the land was cloaked in shadow and the Svalich Woods. His eyes focused on the town of Barovia and to the people he had not just ruled but owned. Lightning flashed and came with the pattering of rain as he watched the people of the village scurry within their homes like ants. But, his eye caught one, the jewel of his desire and torment, running into the house of her brother, the Burgomaster. Right before she went inside she felt watched as her eyes turned to the castle, squinting in search of the source seeing him but for a glance before the crash of lightning had him vanish just as quickly. For as was part of the ancient rite, "He was Strahd, he was the land."
Introductions:
Hello, everyone, and thank you for reading the hook of my listing. I have always been a fan of Ravenloft and Strahd as a character since I first started playing and DMing a bit more than 8 years ago. I have DM'd Curse of Strahd a handful of times, however typically falling short due to scheduling issues from players. Over the years though I have read more about how Strahd is in various other editions, having just finished reading I, Strahd. I will be combining the lore of older editions with the modern material as well as some other pop culture influences to make my own Curse of Strahd for you to enjoy, going further than the normal adventure entails in both the history and the aftermath. I have also tried to DM it in various other systems and, as you may have seen, this will be an attempt to DM it in SWADE (Savage Worlds Adventure Edition), this will be my first time DMing something in SWADE and so, I have no issue with people applying who have no experience in the system either because then we can all learn together in an environment without the fear of intense ruleslawyering. I will also be teaching everyone how to play before the game begins so any questions can be smoothed out.
The Vibe:
- I want something a little bit more low fantasy than the typical D&D high fantasy adventure. There is magic, but it's rather rare in a controlled sense. It's more likely you see the forest shift behind you than you are to see a wizard slinging fireballs constantly. (But don't let that deter you from playing a caster)
- I am going for something that is more inline with Gothic Fantasy, and I would like that to be kept in mind when you build your characters, feel free to play with it though and go as deep into it as you desire.
The Rules:
- All characters must be adults or equivalent for their races.
- All characters must be humanoid. i.e. No animals, probably no centaurs because that feels more mythic, drider are allowed because it fits more, albeit they're on the line.
- No rotting undead, this feels self explanatory. Rotting undead are in essence zombies, skeletons, draugr, ghasts probably. Things like ghosts, dhampyr, not rotted mummies, etc. are allowed though.
- Reasonably sized, nothing taller than like... 8-9ft? Yeah 9ft / 3M feels like a good cut off for that.
As long as you follow these rules, and I like your application, you'll move onto the interview and like 90% of people I interview tend to get in. Play a monster if you want, go wild. The more passion and interest I see in an application the more likely I am to like it. Don't make me need to add additional rules, please.
Finally, if you have any questions, don't be shy, feel free to DM me if you want something that would work more in the setting, I am very accommodating. I will add this is a PBP, but don't let that discourage your applications, I have more than enough free time. And the kodeword will be your favorite horror movie, if you don't have one put your favorite monster. (Do not just put that verbatim). And one last thing before I forget, this game will be played on Discord on a server I have made for it.