Christmas Themed Role-playing Game
The winter holidays are rich with Urban Legends including Santa Claus, Jack Frost, Krampus, and animated snowmen. These modern myths and legends are so popular every year new media is annually created with fresh interpretations. As you sit next to the Christmas tree this holiday, consider a solo or GMless campaign using NPCs from your favorite holiday stories.
Santa Claus for your Role-Playing Games
According to Wikipedia, Santa Claus has been around since the 4th century (those are dates starting with 301 AD). The Roman Empire and the Jin Dynasty were still around. A Christian bishop named Nicholas in Turkey may be the man the legends are developed around. Nicholas was known for his generosity and assistance to the poor.
Odin and Santa Claus
Many traditions have a ‘Santa Claus’ figure that has contributed to the modern version of Santa Claus. The Belgians have St. Nick who brought toys to children on December 5. German myths of Odin might be the source for how Santa Claus appears — an elderly man with a great beard that rides through the night.
Modern Santa
Two poems from the early 1800s painted the image of a smiling man driving a sleigh.
“Old Santeclaus with Much Delight” was published in 1821. It may be the first representation of Santa driving a sleigh. The lithograph illustrations reflecting earlier drawings from Charles Dicken’s Father Christmas.
Two years later, the poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement Clarke Moore solidified our modern version of Santa Claus as a ‘jolly little elf’ delivering toys to girls and boys around the globe.
“When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.”
This poem is often heard during the holiday season read by Don McLean of American Pie fame. The Rankin/Bass Productions ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas‘ uses this poem as its base.
Other Characters and Creatures for your Campaign
The winter holidays are so packed with urban legends and cryptids, you could run an Untrodden Ways campaign that lasted an entire year.
Flying Reindeer
Animated snowmen
Winter queens
Snow sorcerers
Ghosts
Elves
Trees with lights
Mice
Dark Spirits
Candy canes
Gnomes
Ghostly trains
Nutcrackers
Miserly rich men
Jack Frost
Animated toys
An Origin Story for Santa Claus
L. Frank Baum, the master storyteller best known for the Wizard of Oz, wrote an origin story for Santa Claus. You can read The Life and Adventures of Santa Clausfor free on Project Gutenberg. The story weaves a rich tapestry of characters and rationale for all things 'Claus'. It is a quick and fun read and will provide hours of potential campaign resources.
Movies with Santa
If you are having trouble imagining a story or location for your holiday adventure, consider one of these movies as a starting point. You could recast the protagonist as your character from the Untrodden Ways. Maybe your character is staring in the sequel.
For instance, Santa and Mrs. Claus become sick, and it is up to you to fly the sleigh through the treacherous skies controlled by angry elemental spirits.
- The Christmas Chronicles by Netflix
- Klaus by Netflix
- Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town on Peacock by Rankin/Bass Productions
- Rise of the Guardians by Dreamworks
- Violent Night on Peacock
- Red One by Amazon
- The Year Without a Santa Claus by Rankin/Bass Productions
- The Santa Clause on Disney+
- Elf on Amazon
RPG Games with Christmas Themes
If you need a quick reference for new characters, check out these add-on adventures and character guides from DriveThruRPG. These publications are not Ironsworn compatible, but they could provide maps and creature motivations for you to use.
A Christmas Carol Adventure & Maps
Bells of Eversnug, A Christmas Sidequest
The Christmas Grimoire
Christmas Bestiary
Role-playing on your Day Off
As the song [ It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ] says "There'll be scary ghost stories. And tales of the glories. Of Christmases long, long ago". Create a few stories of your own this holiday season with a role-playing campaign set in The Untrodden Ways or Ironsworn.
References
Artists
Images composed of photographs from Pixabay and Morguefile.com including imelenchon, aleksandr-unikovskiy, cottonbro, hasan-zahra, ihor-lypnytskyi, maksim-orlianskii, sejio402, todd-trapani, dpawatts, frans-van-heerden, mizunokozuki, unlime, xenia-shtreter