It’s been a while since our last one, but finally we could all hop on and do another Curse of Strahd session!

In this series, I’m writing about how I prep my monthly CoS sessions and the results of that preparation. I’ve been able to learn a lot about how I need to prep generally and for this specific group.

What was prepped:

  • Recap

Since we had a longer break between sessions, this recap ran on the long side. The players were ready to go, though, so that helped get the session rolling soon after we all got online!

  • Vampire Spawn NPC

I made stats for a hostile NPC the player characters encountered in this session. This NPC was a former adventurer turned into a vampire spawn by Strahd. So, I gave them class levels and stats like a player character and used the vampire spawn stat block like a template.

The NPC, Alexander Alighieri, is one of Strahd’s agents sent to observe the player characters and figure out what’s kept them alive for so long. They fought this NPC and used the holy symbol of ravenkind to stun him for quite a few rounds, so he barely escaped with his (un)life. Now, it’s possible that Strahd is aware of this trick the PCs have up their sleeve.

  • Map of the Martikov house/winery

I looked over the map of the area the PCs were in, and this helped me orient myself and the players throughout the session. I’m growing more and more familiar with the maps in CoS, so I think I’ve improved in how I interpret the maps and describe the surroundings to the players.

  • Yester Hill area

I wasn’t sure how long the players would take to deal with the NPC, so I read over Yester Hill again. They arrived at the hill at the end of the session, but I didn’t have to use my prep for it at that point. But at least I was prepared!

What was improvised:

  • Roleplaying members of the Martikov family

Some of the Martikov family members don’t have many canonical personality details. This allowed me some freedom to customize these NPCs as fit the scenario.

Once the players send the vampire spawn NPC running, I also improvised a little celebration dinner event that the family did for the player characters. The PCs have helped the Keepers of the Feather and the Martikov family a few times now, so the family is friendly towards them and shares their food and drink with them. It was a fun moment of levity after CoS’s normal darkness, and the players were ready to roleplay some lighter moments.

What I need to prep for next time:

  • Yester Hill events

It’s happening for realsies this time. The PCs have made it to their planned destination for this part of their quest through Barovia!

I’ve read this section over several times now, so I can focus on getting the details down. I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters approach this scenario!

  • Korina’s report

The characters have reunited with a friendly NPC, who has some information for them. I’ll need to figure out what exactly this NPC knows and how she’ll communicate that information. The characters have uncovered some of Barovia’s secrets, but there are still some mysteries remaining…

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!