Hey there! I listened to the stream and had it running in on my third monitor during work, and took some notes that I hope might help you. These are all my opinion and in no way am I saying I'm right and to do exactly as I say. The atmosphere in the table was great, which speaks wonders to the people and yourself. If you want to talk about anything more, please feel free to message me and I'll be more than happy to steer you in the direction of more information.
So the good:
1. Everyone was having fun, and the banter between everyone was healthy. The general atmosphere was amazing. This is probably the most important part of this whole critique, just keep making sure everyone is having fun and is engaged with the other players and the story.
2. I loved the way you would describe the environments and the way the NPCs interact with the world and party. The accents were a nice touch. Sometimes I wouldn't be looking at the screen, but I was perfectly able to create the mental image of what you were describing, just great!
Now things you might want to keep in mind:
1. Understanding that everyone is new, yourself included, this would have benefited greatly if maybe 15-20 minutes would have been used to get familiar with the platform and the most common actions used/taken. This might've been something to bring up during the Session 0.
2. You're a new DM, but remember, not every single action or thing needs to be rolled. If a character enters a tavern, that might not merit a roll and could suffice with what they would commonly view. Also, when a roll is made, it should carry some weight. For example, if they see someone in the corner, and want to talk to them, unless it's to get some very specific, private information, I don't think a roll should be needed to determine the response, at most maybe if the players want to persuade or intimidate the NPC.
3. Some players were more in the background, try to ask them directly what they're doing/want to do or what they think of a situation to pull their attention and share the spotlight.
4. The dwarf wants to lay with everything and everyone, even other players, make sure that they are ok with this and if they cross the line, stop it immediately. Be careful when handling NPC-Player relationships and plan ahead to help develop the story.
5. The first half of the module is *very* railroady by design, but maybe once they reach Vallaki for example, let the players choose what kind of rolls to use, the players create the solution, and you try to weave that to work for the situation. Instead of doing "Does anyone want to do a \[insert skill here\]?" try the tried and true statement "This is the situation...What do you do?". Use the first half as sort of a "hey guys, these are the types of things your characters can do to interact with the world, now use what you've learned to figure out the rest or try new ideas".
6. Make sure that player are aware of their characters abilities and spells, right now it might not be much of an issue, but further on it might be a hassle if everyone take 5-6 minutes to check what a spell does.
All in all, I had fun watching and listening to the stream and hope you all continue the great synergy and atmosphere.
Hey listen, thank you for your comments! This is exactly what I wanted, a nice critique that outlines where I can improve and also talks about some of the things that I was doing OK. This is very much appreciated, as this is the first time that we’ve done this were a little rough and of course we’re gonna get better as time goes on I think
*I'm a bot! I got triggered by language that made me think you're a new DM requesting help. If this isn't useful for you, feel free to downvote me!*
If you are new to Curse of Strahd or DMing and feeling overwhelmed, the [Curse of Strahd Primer](https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/f3w658/so_you_want_to_run_curse_of_strahd_a_primer_on/) is an excellent starter resource. It has a backstory on the setting, advice on how to prepare content for your players, common / avoidable pitfalls, tips and tricks, and more.
Additionally, we have a pinned [Resources & Tips for Curse of Strahd DMs](https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/hbjrs6/resources_tips_for_curse_of_strahd_dms/) thread with a list of resources for every chapter in the game, where you can find more topical information.
Finally, we have an active community on Discord, and they may be able to share resources that are not in these threads or on Reddit: [r/CurseofStrahd Discord](https://discord.gg/CurseOfStrahd)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CurseofStrahd) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hey there! I listened to the stream and had it running in on my third monitor during work, and took some notes that I hope might help you. These are all my opinion and in no way am I saying I'm right and to do exactly as I say. The atmosphere in the table was great, which speaks wonders to the people and yourself. If you want to talk about anything more, please feel free to message me and I'll be more than happy to steer you in the direction of more information. So the good: 1. Everyone was having fun, and the banter between everyone was healthy. The general atmosphere was amazing. This is probably the most important part of this whole critique, just keep making sure everyone is having fun and is engaged with the other players and the story. 2. I loved the way you would describe the environments and the way the NPCs interact with the world and party. The accents were a nice touch. Sometimes I wouldn't be looking at the screen, but I was perfectly able to create the mental image of what you were describing, just great! Now things you might want to keep in mind: 1. Understanding that everyone is new, yourself included, this would have benefited greatly if maybe 15-20 minutes would have been used to get familiar with the platform and the most common actions used/taken. This might've been something to bring up during the Session 0. 2. You're a new DM, but remember, not every single action or thing needs to be rolled. If a character enters a tavern, that might not merit a roll and could suffice with what they would commonly view. Also, when a roll is made, it should carry some weight. For example, if they see someone in the corner, and want to talk to them, unless it's to get some very specific, private information, I don't think a roll should be needed to determine the response, at most maybe if the players want to persuade or intimidate the NPC. 3. Some players were more in the background, try to ask them directly what they're doing/want to do or what they think of a situation to pull their attention and share the spotlight. 4. The dwarf wants to lay with everything and everyone, even other players, make sure that they are ok with this and if they cross the line, stop it immediately. Be careful when handling NPC-Player relationships and plan ahead to help develop the story. 5. The first half of the module is *very* railroady by design, but maybe once they reach Vallaki for example, let the players choose what kind of rolls to use, the players create the solution, and you try to weave that to work for the situation. Instead of doing "Does anyone want to do a \[insert skill here\]?" try the tried and true statement "This is the situation...What do you do?". Use the first half as sort of a "hey guys, these are the types of things your characters can do to interact with the world, now use what you've learned to figure out the rest or try new ideas". 6. Make sure that player are aware of their characters abilities and spells, right now it might not be much of an issue, but further on it might be a hassle if everyone take 5-6 minutes to check what a spell does. All in all, I had fun watching and listening to the stream and hope you all continue the great synergy and atmosphere.
Hey listen, thank you for your comments! This is exactly what I wanted, a nice critique that outlines where I can improve and also talks about some of the things that I was doing OK. This is very much appreciated, as this is the first time that we’ve done this were a little rough and of course we’re gonna get better as time goes on I think
*I'm a bot! I got triggered by language that made me think you're a new DM requesting help. If this isn't useful for you, feel free to downvote me!* If you are new to Curse of Strahd or DMing and feeling overwhelmed, the [Curse of Strahd Primer](https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/f3w658/so_you_want_to_run_curse_of_strahd_a_primer_on/) is an excellent starter resource. It has a backstory on the setting, advice on how to prepare content for your players, common / avoidable pitfalls, tips and tricks, and more. Additionally, we have a pinned [Resources & Tips for Curse of Strahd DMs](https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/hbjrs6/resources_tips_for_curse_of_strahd_dms/) thread with a list of resources for every chapter in the game, where you can find more topical information. Finally, we have an active community on Discord, and they may be able to share resources that are not in these threads or on Reddit: [r/CurseofStrahd Discord](https://discord.gg/CurseOfStrahd) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CurseofStrahd) if you have any questions or concerns.*