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Hey Fumoffu,
I just finished running CC for a group. It was a great time. Harrowstone and the Trial were the two favored books. They have some great mechanics, flavor, and pacing. Here are my answers to your questions:
1) This is really up to you as a GM. I like to prepare a lot. I bought a big pad of 1 inch grid paper. You can get them at an office supply store. They are about the size of a DM mat, but you can draw on them and trash them when you're done. I drew out all of Harrowstone. 1 floor per paper. I used pieces of square felt to cover the rooms in a fog-of-war style. As they explored, I uncovered the room. You could also try theater of the mind style and describe as they explore and just have encounter rooms drawn. I avoid this because it can get meta-gamey. They know its an encounter when you have it drawn. This is all assuming you're using minis, of course.
2) I trashed the planchette. I didnt care for the mechanic. Instead, people learned about haunts through knowledge tests. They didnt commune with the haunt spirits, though.
3) Let them die. I tell all my players that the world is lived in, meaning that there are areas that may be too dangerous. Its on them to realize this and retreat. In the case of Harrowstone, you're rewarded XP for research-- it could be framed as gaining more knowledge to be better prepared for the dangers that await (this translates into levels). I roll most saves, damage, and attacks in the open so players know I'm not fudging.
4) Knowledge religion can glean that they area appears to be haunted. Then, channeling disperses positive energy into the air. I also allowed targeted positive energy (holy water, cure spells) and for these it was either touching the haunted object, or discharging it in the area. Melee touch attack needing to hit a 10 AC. Otherwise, they lose the charge if touching an object or hold the charge if they were trying to discharge it into the environment.
5) I didnt adhere rigidly to the trust system. Instead, I got a general sense of how the town viewed them based on their behavior. I used some of the trust suggestions for guidance, but my group was mostly well-meaning and invested in helping, which meant I didnt have to worry about trust fluctuating too much. As for individuating trust... I would say that unless someone sets him/herself apart from the group, the town probably isnt that discerning.
1. I use a combination of describing what they see coupled with a map on graph paper (8.5x11). When combat starts, I draw out the room on the battlemat and place the minis where the characters were.
2. I use the planchette differently than written. The further the distance to the spirit with the answer and it's general temperament, the higher the Will Save DC. If they fail, they get no reply. If they roll a 1, bad things will happen.
3. I would let them die if they decided to bum rush the entire prison. However, they should realize they are well over their heads in the first room below. Also, the fact that they have to climb down might convince them to clear out the first floor (at least) before heading down.
4. I did the same thing as Jeremy.
5. The Trust system is broken. You can either just wing it depending on the actions of your players, or there are two third party modules that fit in nicely to boost trust (The Murmuring Fountain and Fiddler's Lament).
Before you go much further, I would read the entire GM thread for the module. There are always lots of good ideas in those threads as well as identifying issues with the modules such as Trust and when to introduce the BBEG behind the whole affair.
1. I tend to draw everything out on a battle mat, even if there won't be a fight. Downside is it takes a bit more time, but the player's get a clear idea of the area and don't know when a fight will pop up.
2. I don't remember if my player's tried to use the planchette, but my intent was to use as written. I think there are suggestions in the GM thread.
3. Depends on the experience of the players. But I would hit them up with a big hit, or make it clear they aren't doing much damage to whatever they encounter first. I distracted the player's with the Legendary Games modules that Griffyn mentioned (Murmuring Fountain and Fiddler's Lament). They ended up being level 2 by they time they really explored the first floor.
4. I did roughly the same thing as the above posters. I think I allowed Kn:Local or Religion to learn about it and offer clues to destroy it.
5. Used the Legendary Games supplements as Griffyn mentioned. I also threw in a few "bulletin board" quests (suggested by someone in these forums) to allow the party to help the townsfolk with minor things (had something like a pet rabbit went missing).
I second Griffyn: definitively recommend looking into setting up the BBEG early. I didn't introduce him until the 2nd book. I wish I had set him up as early as the funeral. Highly recommend Loki_Thief's letters.
Yes, the letters from the BBEG are great! I highly recommend them as well. I changed the signature to just one letter to throw the players off. They just finished Broken Moon and found a letter for them in AV's pocket. :)
I agree with Ben: introduce the BBEG as soon as possible. It'll make it more personal later.
I hadn't thought about using Roll20 at the table for the overall map. That's a really good idea. Seems that it would make mapping during game a lot smoother and give us more play time. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the idea.