This means decision making will be much slower. It's a big module to begin with, and if done properly, the players should be scared for their characters. You'd have to continually force the players to go faster, skip descriptions, or even make decisions for the players to get them moving. Pre-gen characters that the players don't care about work great, and rather than feeling the entire adventure was a waste even if they defeat Strahd, players can feel like just finishing the adventure alive is a success, even if they are now 2nd level and have contracted lycanthropy.Īs for one session, it's not going to work. Most players won't enjoy watching their favorite character finish the adventure 4 levels lower than when they started. Depending on the player's choices and luck, the module can range from dangerous to deadly, and there's a very good chance that multiple PCs are going to lose one or more levels. Much better, IMO, that inserting it into an existing campaign using normal, long term characters. As a one-off adventure with characters made specifically for the scenario, it works great.
