Covenant of Salt - GM Log

Cameron was a bit annoyed because the group did not know what “actionable” I offered. He was correct in a sense…I had not offered any. The only task that was given was: if something is manipulating the mind of the miners down in the mine, get rid of it. There were no specific actions to be taken, no specific NPC to talk to, no timetable, no clear goal even. Open investigation. And all of it was intentional.

GM Log, UncreatedMyriam RondeauDecember 28, 2023D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Arc 2, arc ii, trade, Poetry, translation, Russia, Russian, Marina Tsvetaeva, Salt of the Earth, meta, actionable, DMing, DM, skills, storytelling, collaborative storytelling, roleplaying, crazy, trope, madness, player frustrationComment

See the Light - GM Log

Compared to the events on the Asperity where things were happening without the players having any control, here the situation was at a standstill, and it was the stillness that caused the tension. I particularly like the Trade story arc as I think it has all the good elements of a good gothic horror story.

GM Log, UncreatedMyriam RondeauDecember 16, 2023D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Arc 2, arc ii, Vatyr, salt, mining, gothic, darkvision, human, Dusk Elf, barovian, Barovia, Strahd, Curse of Strahd, low-light, gear room, Battlemap, Battle map, elevator, Mechanics, animated dungeon maps, animated mapComment

Dart About - GM Log

The episode itself is still very light in tone – if you like gallows humor and bad taste, that is. But to be honest, I do like the end product. We get to see a lot of individuality in the characters and what their values are. Now that the players are used to their characters, their roleplay is stepping up a notch and I can take a step back and let them take the wheel.

GM Log, UncreatedMyriam RondeauDecember 16, 2023D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Arc 2, arc ii, Barovia, barovia, religion, superstition, Vistani, evil eye, Curse of Strahd, curse, vodka, Morlinglord, Mother Night, Father Light, Baba Lysaga, Ravenloft, Unspoken Pact, Dark Powers, LamordiaComment

Worth One's Salt - GM Log

The grandfather clock (or pendulum clock) in Lord Georgiy’s sitting room is a bit of an anachronism as Lamordia’s setting is close to our 1550s and the first pendulum clock was built in 1656, but I am keeping it to contrast once more how much of a technological gap there is between Barovia and Lamordia. Galileo’s studies on pendulums were key to reducing the size of clocks.

GM Log, UncreatedMyriam RondeauJune 17, 2023D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Arc 2, arc ii, setting, Barovia, barovian, barovia, Wizard of the Wines, Food, agriculture, Empire, Boyar, Grand Duke, Technology, VatyrComment

Whistle in the Dark - GM Log

Land at last! Nothing I could throw, not even a gulag, could dampen the relief and optimism of the players. I was quite happy at Hunter’s quick catch when I was slowly revealing the true nature of Vatyr. Indeed, no one goes to work in a salt mine at the end of the world of their own volition. One goes to the salt mine because they were forced to.

Running on Empty & Put to the Torch

Traveling over ice and having one character with exhaustion level 2 (speed halved) slowed the party to a dangerous level. In regular conditions, the Player’s Handbook (PHB) tells us you can travel 24 miles in a day. In difficult conditions, however, “you move at half speed in difficult terrain – moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed – so you can cover half the normal distance in a minute, an hour, a day. (PHB p.182)” I reduced the speed furthermore because they are traveling on ice without proper equipment. The players found me rough, but I am being generous, considering.