Jingle All the Way: Christmas One-Offs

The Christmas season is a time for cheer, goodwill, and of course, tabletop games. If you’re an avid TTRPG gamer looking for a way to add a bit of festivity to your sessions, consider planning a Christmas themed adventure. A well-crafted holiday story can bring your party closer together by immersing them in a festive world of holiday magic and wonder. With a little creativity and careful planning, you can bring the yuletide spirit to your tabletop and make this Christmas one your gaming group will never forget.

Unwrap the Magic: Into the Heart of Christmas Gaming

1. Choose Your Festive Setting!

When planning a Christmas-themed tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), the first step is to decide on the setting. Will your adventure take place in a traditional winter wonderland, or will it be set in a dystopian future where Christmas has been outlawed by a cruel dictator? The possibilities are endless, so choose a setting that will engage your players and fit your narrative goals.

2. Create Festive NPCs

Non-player characters (NPCs) can help enhance the holiday atmosphere of the game by adding a touch of Christmas cheer. Consider adding a jolly toymaker, a magical Christmas elf, or even a curmudgeonly Scrooge-style character to provide a unique twist on the holiday theme.

3. Add Christmas-Themed Encounters

Your game can be filled with Christmas-themed encounters such as reindeer stampeding, children ice skating, or practice runs by the local fire brigade. These incidents can be used to add a sense of realism and make the players feel as if they were actually part of the party they are playing in. For example, players could be tasked with helping Rudolph deliver presents to kids for Santa, or saving a village from the Grinch and his band of merry mischief makers.

4. Incorporate Christmas Elements into Combat

Combat is a crucial aspect of any TTRPG adventure, and games set around Christmas need to have a unique flavor to make them special. Players could be up against an army of gingerbread men sent by a mad chef, or they could be engaged in a snowball battle against a neighboring town. The challenge lies in making the combat both fun and challenging while still remaining true to the holiday theme.

5. Use Your Players’ Real-Life Experiences

TTRPG sessions can be the best when players are given opportunities to anchor the story in their real-life experiences. Therefore, consider crafting a game that takes place in their favorite Christmas film or that incorporates their unique family traditions. This twist could be something as simple as finding a specific ornament in their campaign, or it could be a bigger storytelling point like interacting with famous characters like Scrooge (Christmas Carol) or George Bailey (It’s A Wonderful Life).

10 Original Christmas Pulp-Hero Story Hooks:

As the maker of Worlds of Pulp! We’ve got you covered with some awesome hooks to get you started on your adventure. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can dive right in and get started!

1. Christmas in Cocktails: Set in 1940’s, adventurers trail a series of daring robberies throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods and meet a mysterious woman while catching Christmas cocktails at a Holiday Bar.

2. Present Pirates: Fairy Tale rules over Christmas when players are not interested in presents but instead, are assigned to meet swashbucklers who have been stealing gifts from Santa’s workshop.

3. Gingerbread Man vs. Santa Claus: The Gingerbread Man has created an army of robot gingerbread men to take over the North Pole and claim Christmas as his own. The players must team up with Santa Claus to take down the robotic army and save Christmas.

4. Saving the Nutcracker World: The Nutcracker’s world is under attack by a group of evil holiday spirits and it is up to the players to set things right and save the Nutcracker’s kingdom.

5. The Krampus Khaos: The Krampus is wreaking havoc in a town, destroying holiday decorations and stealing presents. The players must team up with the townspeople to take down the Krampus before he ruins Christmas for everyone.

6. The Twelve Thieves of Christmas: A group of 12 deadly burglars are stealing presents right out of the houses and ruin homeowners’ Christmas mornings- the players have been hired to track them down and take their items back before it’s too late.

7. Christmas Monsters: Santa Clause is feeling low on confidence when he discovers some magical monsters have kidnapped his reindeer and locked them up in dungeons that players will help scale and free.

8. The Miracle on Christmas Street: The players are sent to investigate the mystery of Renowned and Beloved Neighborhood Christmas Decoration getting hijacked.

9. The culprit may surprise you!

10. The Snowball Slinger: A madman has created an oversized, automated snowball launcher which players need to deactivate before a group of school children on a field trip come into harm’s way.

Remember, most of all have fun. Happy Holiday Gaming!

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