How to Choose Your Next 5e Dungeons and Dragons Campaign: Curse of Strahd

I've been DMing, playing, and reading fifth edition adventures since the launch of the edition. I decided to write some guides that DMs can use to can use to choose their next adventure. I'll post one at a time, then tackle them as a whole at the end. 

Curse of Strahd

Summary

Curse of Strahd was released in March 2016 as an official adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, and is designed for player characters of levels 1-10. This critically acclaimed campaign takes adventurers through a thrilling, horror-inspired journey across the mysterious land of Barovia, where they face numerous challenges and ultimately confront the formidable vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich. It is a reimagining of the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure I6 Castle Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman.

My Experience

I ran a Curse of Strahd campaign for my co-workers. It stalled for a couple years due to the pandemic, but I finally finished it last year in a halloween Strahd Must Die Tonight that resulted in Strahd living and all the players dying. Before the pause we had played through everything except the Amber Temple, so I have ran 90% of the adventure. I've also ran the aforementioned Strahd Must Die Tonight for the last three years at Halloween for a combination of players from different groups. 

Why You Should Run It

• Its the best 5e adventure, and I don't think it is close. I think that is also the a common opinion in the dnd community at large. 
• Why is it the best? Its a big sandbox that is just constrained enough to give the players incredible agency and freedom, and features an incredible villain who has reason to show up regularly and torment the players without killing them.  
• The randomization element of the adventure hides clues and tools the characters can use around the setting, and makes it both replayable and dynamic. 
• Castle Ravenloft is a great dungeon. The heart, the interesting NPCs, the catacombs, the deep story...its a lot of fun to run.  

Why You Should Skip It

• It can be brutal to the players. Death House, the opening adventure, has the potential to kill a few PCs, and at least one encounter with a decent chance for a TPK. And because of the sandbox nature, the PCs can wander into some very difficult encounters. If your players don't like a relatively high risk of character death for a 5e adventure, CoS isn't for you.  
• It is hard to run. Because it is a sandbox, the characters have a lot of freedom to go in different directions at all times. The size of the sandbox is just big enough that it is hard to keep all of it in your head as a DM to be able to serve up the connections that make the campaign sing. I read the adventure several times, watched Dice, Camera, Action, and used Sean McGovern's Guide to a Curse of Strahd, and still struggled to keep everything straight. 
• If you are a new DM, I would not make this my first campaign due to the bullet directly above. It's too challenging to run while also learning how to DM. 
• The isometric Castle Ravenloft map can be challenging, but there are plenty of non-isometric versions on DM's Guild.

What You Should Repurpose From It

I mentioned Strahd Must Die Tonight earlier - I think everyone who plays dnd regularly should try to run it when they want a one shot around Halloween. I've greatly enjoyed it every time I have ran it, and it feels different every time. Everything else feels of a piece with the adventure, and isn't incredibly portable to adventures outside Ravenloft, though its all high enough quality that you could steal any piece you like.