It's been years since I've regularly roleplayed in Barovia, and I have to say the recent experiences with NCE there gave me both a new appreciation for Barovia in general; But also some questions, and mild disappointment. I have a few questions, honestly, and a few suggestions.
Vallaki, despite being not of terrible merit in the campaign setting, is a sprawling cityscape that in-module is two areas larger than the Capital of Dementlieu: Port-à-Lucine. It is the central base of player activity in Barovia, and is intended to be the only guard-supported area of the domain. But why is it, that when you visit Vallaki, the streets are flooded with Wererat spawns at night? It seems counter-intuitive to roleplaying in Vallaki for any period of time, despite the disproportionate space it takes up, and precedent set by the behavior of the environment at other Barovian settlements.
Allow me to make my point this way: When you visit...
- Border Outpost Zeklos
- Wachter Estate
- Outpost Krezk
- Village of Barovia
- Midway Haven
- Village of Barovia (Where there's literally wailing in the background)
- Krofburg, and Krofburg Tent City
You see that it not only do the guards remain outdoors at night, but they lock their gates and permit travellers to come through if they hurry when they do so. It makes the areas attractive for night-time roleplay, with things to do in the streets and a sense of mild security given from the walls, and guard NPCs present. However, when you are in Vallaki? The most roleplay heavy area of the server, you find that it the streets are overrun with Wererats, and that it the guard force there is forced to roleplay in shifts with the daylight, or sit around on the city walls.
However, when you go into the Outskirts, short of a player dragging Werewolf spawns over in the middle of the night, you are almost guaranteed safety. There are laws aiming to keep shops, merchants, and activity indoors, and even some discussions of reducing roleplay xp outside in the Outskirts at night.
... But I have a radical proposal for you.
Kill the night spawns in Vallaki, and instead, increase the frequency of lethal spawns in the Outskirts region that roam the walls at night and entice people to go behind the safety of the walls of the city. It gives Guards the chance to be out on the walls, in the streets, and controlled patrols at night, without breaking the narrative of the setting. People already sometimes just go to Zeklos, in such circumstances. There's no other settlement on the entire server that just wholly and completely locks its doors at night and then stuffs all of its guards indoors.
It solves the Outsmirks problem, by far and wide. Who would want to be out there with the wolves, when you can be in the city's walls? Why are the city's walls less safe than sitting outside of an Inn at 2 AM? You tell me.
Let the debate unfold.