I really enjoyed running this module and my players had a ton of fun, so keep that in mind even though I may sound really critical with some of my comments below...
Considered one of the greatest D&D villains, Strahd maintains a special place in D&D lore. Despite that, I found myself upset when Wizards of the Coast originally announced this module because my multiverse already dealt with Strahd (many times). I know WotC markets to millions of people and my campaign stands out as a rare, special situation in which we actually include over 1,000 sessions as part of a continuing multigenerational storyline, but I wished WotC used a new/different story.
How difficult would it have been for WotC to connect the Strahd lore to something new? Not very. I considered re-flavoring and modifying the campaign for a different character and just using the stats and similar maps, but in the end I gave into the Strahd-craze once again. Luckily, WotC announces their upcoming releases months in advance and I was able to plant the seeds to bring back ancient Barovia into my multiverse (because it had already been destroyed and Strahd was supposedly permanently killed). Having taken care of that, I prepared to re-introduce the setting to the current group.
The module was designed for levels 1-10, but not really. The levels 1-3 part belongs to the "Death House" chapter that they added (in what looks like an after thought - though it is a fun spooky house module within itself). The experience point leveling system in the book relies on "story-based" "milestone" leveling more than actual XP calculation; I prefer actual XP calculation, which means I have to add more into the campaign or weave other modules in with it (which is what I did). If I had the time, I would make a spreadsheet and show the numbers, but it's a busy week; using the monsters and situations in the book, the XP would not equal out to progress a group of 4-5 characters from level 1 to 10, even with a few random encounters thrown in. Other than Death House, I think the book is really just enough material for levels 7-10.
As a positive note - once the group ends up in Ravenloft, it's possible to play the campaign as a horror sandbox and that's what we did. WotC included some nice new locations. Our group had the most fun at Old Bonegrinder and the Amber Temple. The Amber Temple almost wiped the party and, for many groups that know how to strategically fight vampires, that location will be more of a challenge than Strahd's castle (which means the challenge progression is off in the module). That location also includes some fascinating lore regarding the Dark Powers of the Domains of Dread (but not really, because it's only hinted at). See below:
The ultimate end of the campaign is still to confront Strahd at Castle Ravenloft. I realize some groups may struggle with the combat options there, but my players hardcore plan and the campaign provides all of the magic items they needed to take him down. Honestly, Strahd comes across as a weaker main villain to me because vampires have so many weaknesses built in.
Some of our funniest moments came when Strahd got annoyed with the players and started charming their allies. The NPCs would give themselves away by referring to him as "Lord Count Master Strahd" in conversations with the players; I was inspired to do that based on Xander's behavior on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Dracula showed up and charmed him. After all, Strahd is basically a clone of Dracula.
Overall, I want to rate this campaign module book lower because it forced me to rework my multiverse to bring back Barovia and Strahd (and WotC needs to move on to new material instead of relying on the nostalgia factor and proven success of the past modules), but my players enjoyed it so much that I will give it a 7 out of 10. If someone wanted to just steal locations from this module and plop them into a campaign for fun combat situations, I would highly recommend: Death House, the Bonegrinder, the Amber Temple, and the Baba Lysaga battle.
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