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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreLand 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.
Read MoreI remember doing the recording of this episode. I never had so much fun drinking pretend alcohol. There was some kind of giddiness at the table that night. As if players and characters were in synch in letting loose after a harrowing day. It was truly a fantastic session and doing the editing, there was so much that I had to but cut out otherwise it would have been too long, but parts like the “Speak with Oyster” made me laugh all over again. I hope you all enjoyed it as well and it wasn’t too self-referential. I want to point out that after six episodes we are still in the first day and the players haven’t completed a long rest. Resources are going to be stretched thin.
Read MoreAfter a brutal fight, we finally have a description of our protagonists! What did you think? Are they close to what you pictured? Any big surprises? I am super excited to reveal the official portraits of our quartet. They look positively badass.
Read MoreThe log is there to give you information about the setting we are glossing over. The players already know a few things about Ravenloft but you might not. As we progress, I’ll fill you in about the particularities of this world.
If this isn’t the first actual play podcast you’ve listened to, you know each GM likes to do things their own way. We play with our own share of homebrew rules. Some are quite simple but others, like the sanity rules, are more complex. When a house rule has been used during an episode, I’ll explain them to you in the log. Perhaps you’ll want to give them a try at your own table.
And finally, I want to share with you some of my finds like maps, illustrations and other resources. Anything I find and I think is pertinent I will share here with you.
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