If at least one of your players isn’t trying to fuck or romance Strahd…you may be playing Strahd wrong.

That’s kind of his deal. Consider the following: Count Strahd von Zarovich…

is an immortal silver fox with a tragic backstory

is a charmer

AND an affable dad type

loves animals

is a king

is a wizard

is a battle-weary warrior

is a vampire!

has a castle

…that he filled with novelty Halloween decorations like a total dork

is most likely bisexual

invites you to dinner like a proper gent

is actively interested in hearing your character’s backstory

And on top of all that…he’s the villain! So he’s got a bunch of that sexy bad guy appeal to boot!

I dunno about you, but for me that’s like a dozen ideal men rolled into one!

If you’re still on the fence about this (for my non-male attracted followers), try gender-swapping him.

Imagine in your mind…Countess Strahd von Zarovich, immortal vampire queen, with all of the above traits…and now imagine how your players might react to her.

(t-that is not the gif I wanted. Tumblr no. I said ‘vampire queen’. I mean that’s technically- nevermind).

Male, female, or otherwise, Strahd is a villain who’s intended to be appealing. He’s not Tiamat or Acererak or another generic fantasy bad guy that’s only there to oppose the player characters. He’s everything that’s romantically and sexually appealing about Dracula…and then some!

“But he’s the bad guy! The characters are supposed to kill him!”



I hear you, I hear you. And yes, that is ultimately the goal of the campaign: to kill Strahd and end his curse. But consider that the Dark Powers are the ultimate villain of Ravenloft, and all they really desire is to be amused by Strahd, his people, and the player characters caught in the middle. They desire conflict and suffering and tough decisions.

Romancing and pursuing the villain of campaign, turning his interests against himself while potentially dividing the interests of the party is something they’d want to see.

Is it a good idea to romance/fuck Strahd?

Probably not…but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t try ;D