Glad you could join your old Uncle
MacBaelspar in his family lodge here, just above the treeline. The
fire has been built to warm the hall as we sip heavily nudged
tankards of hot sipping chocolate. Every available surface is
decorated with items that reflect the winter holidays colorful lights
shine where ever they can be placed. Snow is falling outside in
small flurries, blanketing the valley below in glistening whiteness.
Let's think on seasonal gaming, winter edition.
When I game, I like to think that there
are parallels between our world and the game world that exist because
of the way that human nature works. Seasonal festivals have existed
throughout recorded history. Some have remained the same since their
creation. Others have altered and evolved to fit the times.
I have incorporated calendar events
into games as part of the plot. Like having the detailed background
of a locale, having holidays and festivals in the game can give the
setting depths. If such events are similar enough to what we expect,
then we can fill in the details with our own thoughts. So, ways to
bring the holiday to an rpg plot near you.
Some people believe that by being set
around the holidays, a holiday movie is made. “Die Hard” is the
number one element on this list, but there are others: “Batman
Returns,” “Reindeer Games.” Basically, it's the equivalent of
putting a Santa hat on your Cthulhu doll and calling it a Christmas
decoration. Mentioning holiday things that are going on, or having
an NPC paraphrase a holiday classic might fit into this idea. “Crom
bless us, every one.” “Now I have a level 6 IC breaker, ho, ho,
ho.”
I'm a bigger fan of the “Antagonist
Stole Christmas” plot. The festival of the season was going to go
on as normal, but someone has to be a jerk and ruin the festivities.
This really fits in the good, old “stop the bad guy” plot. Stop
the assassins from killing father Christmas. Get the special item
that is used to top the villages central decoration/altar. Deliver a
set of info packets that will help poor hab families. All of these
are directives that can be given to players that doesn't require them
to be any more into the situation than they would need to be for
another quest.
Now, comes the difficult type,
exploring seasonal themes without it being about stopping immanent
doom. Themes like hope for the dark times to pass or seeing that the
neediest among us are protected can be difficult to articulate or may
be seen as more “touchy/feely” than a game group might want to go
into. However, some systems might be suited for it, “Monsterhearts”
or “Fiasco.” Maybe others, and I would be open to
recommendations.
One bad side of such plots is be
conscious of how long they can take to tell. If you are planning
something for the holiday, make sure that it can fit within the plans
of all your players. The holidays may be pulling them elsewhere.
It's hard to leave a game session with a cartload of toys not having
made it to the orphanage yet due to a player having to go hang out
with family. Sometimes, it's even harder to get back to it.
So, as the snow falls (or doesn't as
your temperate zone may vary) think about the depth that can be added
to a world by bringing in holiday events. Think about the ideas you
can explore by looking at the events of others or other holiday
traditions. Most of all have happy holidays, because I don't think
you can reroll this one.
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