First Love: Ravenloft

This past weekend, I jumped back into the pool of GMing by running the first part of the 5e Epic Curse of Strahd.

This adventure, which I played back in '86 with Louis-G as the GM. At the time we played during our lunch hour, squeezing however long we could out of a quick hour. Louis-G was the one of us who spoke the best English and he bought this classic. I6 Ravenloft was us twelve and thirteen year old boy wanting to beat the crap out of a vampire. Pfff Strahd had nothing on us.

To make things worse, we each had two or three characters. I had two myself: Ibut the Gnome who was a fighter/illusionist (level 1/1) and Sir Parish (Paladin 3 or 4). Now Ibut was the first character I built when I first bought my PHB, back in 1986...

Here are a number of high points (it has been 35 years...)

- Ibut was killed by worgs, which Louis-G kept referring to as "worg wolves" (with a thick accent) that I kept hearing "werewolf". It took me years to get what a worg was.

- Sir Parish had a romance with Ireena.

- J-M-Scaz played a druid who decided to "get it on" with the old gypsy lady, and caught an STD that forced us to get him some magical healing for his "lower body".

- This led to the events I spoke of in another post.

- Perhaps, the best part was the ending, when after we threw everything we had at Strahd: every spell, every ability, and then he opens a portal and jumps through. Of course, without thinking we charge through, intent on slaying the vile beast.

- The next scene has us wake up in comfortable beds without weapons or armor as a warm sun filters through the window. An old maid jumps up "Oh! You are awake! Wait here" and she walks out. A moment later, a charming blonde man enters the room. "Good to see you are awake. Welcome to my home, I am Count Strahd von Zarovich!" Mike drop. (It was the start of Ravenloft II)

That was one of the times that made me fall in love with gaming. It was one of the moment when the dopamine high got me going through years of less-than-stellar gaming as I discovered what I wanted out of the game itself.

Over thirty years ago... Wow... We were all kids. Good times.

Now get off my lawn!

JP