Looking for a new D&D campaign to run

Hey duders,

About 6 months ago, I started running a game locally. I'd been playing D&D since like....Third Edition, but this last year, I finally decided to start my own game. I play with my partner, and two local dads who are pretty experienced in older versions like me.

We've got one more session left in Lost Mines of Phandelver, and then I'm ready to run a new game. But I can;t decide which one to run.

I've heard Curse of Strahd is brilliant, and I like Ravenloft. But I hear a lot of the 'Out of the box' campaigns from 5e are brilliant, like Storm King's Thunder and Saltmarsh for example.

Now, my dream game would be running Red Hand of Doom, but I know it's mired in being a 3e campaign, and I wouldn't have the time to convert it.

I've played a Tomb of Annihilation game with some friends over eighteen months, which was remarkable, but it looks really detailed, and I worry that with only three players, it wouldn't be enough manpower to get through the jungles of Chult.

If anyone has any ideas for great 5e campaigns, I would really appreciate hearing from you. I'd like to play a game that's like....from about level 5 onwards, as I think prior to that in 5e, you're just too weak.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

I’ve been running the Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign for family members over the last 9ish months. It’s partitioned into levels pretty nicely, with level 4 being when you explore further out from Ten-Towns. It would be fairly easy to start a group at level 5 and just wait until two of the recommended thresholds are hit before bumping them up to level 6. Things kick into high gear at level 7 (I think), and the campaign takes you through level 11 by the end. From a mechanical perspective only, seems like it fits your need.

Personally, Icewind Dale and Tomb of Annihilation were the only campaign settings of 5e that grabbed me. Icewind Dale still has survival stuff, but that can be brushed aside most of the time once you have heavy winter clothing. I also eliminated a number of the “secrets” cards I didn’t really feel like engaging with, mostly to ensure that everyone would continue having fun. Maybe someone out there wants to hand their DM an instant-kill via Slaad tadpole, but I don’t really want to wield that power.

It sounds like you and your group have been having a blast with D&D. Choosing the next campaign can be tough, but it's great that you have so many options to consider. As for Tomb of Annihilation, don't worry too much about the jungle being too much for three players. You never know what kind of creative solutions your group will come up with! And if all else fails, just make sure they pack plenty of bug spray. Best of luck with your next adventure!

Curse of Strahd is pretty cool to run because its so small and tight. As a DM I felt like I could consume the scope of the world within my mind and then run a really robust storytelling simulation without any railroading that I feel is often a criticism of purchased campaigns. I dont have a lot of experience with other campaigns so my opinion might not hold much water. I've typically just created my own homebrew or storylines set in Forgotten Realms, a setting I've been immersed in enough to simulate without much effort.

Different for everyone but for me the beauty and fun of DnD is player choice and seeing how they run with whatever narrative I've constructed, but also making sure they have the freedom to engage with whatever aspect of the universe they can imagine. The constraints of Curse of Strahd (essentially being a prison for Strahd) kind of create this really cool meta/groundhog-day esque narrative that really embraces the limitations of a campaign book, at least how I view them. Curse of Strahd also has a strong cast of NPC side characters that also have reasons or can be given reasons for joining the party if you're concerned about difficulty.

These exact circumstances never arose for me but I always thought it would be exceptionally fun that if the party ever failed and perished in the adventure (which if you play RAW Strahd is entirely possible and likely) that the party is just trapped and forced to relive the nightmare over again, just like Strahd, though this time the players are maybe a little more empowered by their previous attempts knowledge. Just knowing that there are three sleeping vampires in the warehouse this time isnt going make defeating them any less risky - and what new challenges might arise if they overcompensate from the knowledge of a previous defeat? Also if the horror element is leaned into heavily having a more light hearted, Army of Darkness powerfantasy on the second (or third!?) lap might be a fun way to wring some extra juice out of the module.

Curse of Strahd is essentially a game of DnD being played on Strahd by a malevolant DM, he's the player and the Forces of Darkness are running the show.

Overall I'd say go with whatever premise gets your creativity brewing the most.