With the holiday season well upon us, I like to add a little bit of holiday cheer to my TTRPGs. For the gaming group here at Variant Ventures, this usually includes a holiday-themed one-shot, a weather change in our ongoing game, and sometimes a visit by the jolly guy in a red suit. So if you are interested in adding a bit of holiday cheer to your TTRPG game, here are a few ideas for how.
First and possibly my favorite is the holiday-themed game. I usually run these and have come up with a few wacky ideas over the years. A few winters ago, our party was given a heist mission to take the True Meaning of Christmas from the North Pole. This party included a gingerbread person using a homebrewed race, several disgruntled elves formally employed at the North Pole, a sentient tree, and the Grinch. So you can tell how serious the game was. Using any story about the holidays makes for a great one-shot for some off-the-wall, silly holiday gaming.
The second bit of holiday spice was a tradition started by our very own Variant Kait. In our home game, she had included some magic items for the party as gifts for the players. She had them delivered in-game by a certain jolly, sleigh riding, milk drinker. Adding a cameo from the likes of Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or any other holiday icon can bring just a small extra amount of holiday cheer to a game. This also doesn’t have to be restricted to winter holidays. I have an idea at some point for my party to hunt a dire-turkey for a feast.
If you and your party are looking for some additional holiday cheer this year, I hope this helps. Take some time to relax both in and out of game this holiday season. Most importantly, have fun. On behalf of our family here at Variant Ventures, I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!
