Author Topic: Christmas Special  (Read 3397 times)

Offline Neepling

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Christmas Special
« on: November 26, 2015, 06:17:04 PM »
Hi all

(Anyone playing in Oxford please stop reading now! ☺)

I'm planning on running a 'Christmas Special' session.

I can't help thinking that some kind of bastardisation of Die Hard with Winter Fae might be fun.

So I thought I'd turn to the forums for some brainstorming and such...

Any ideas how I could make this idea fun?

Cheers

John

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2015, 07:10:08 PM »
Christmas-themed stuff from the wiki:

1
2
3

Offline AgentSchneider

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2015, 06:15:19 AM »
Every year around Christmastime my GM now finds a way to incorporate the Krampus into our campaign after our first holiday special went from being a simple dungeon crawl to being a full-on war between Santa Claus and the Krampus over a little dragon girl for the rights to lead Christmas that year (after she had eaten one of Santa's reindeer and another PC successfully tore a hole in Krampus' bag). Imagine the version of the Krampus from that new movie that's supposed to come out, but simultaneously more English gentleman-y yet more terrifying (in a Cthulu spawns-unimaginable-horrors-from-his-body-and-sack-kind-of-way). So if you wanted to make it a combination Christmas-horror event, tossing the Krampus in there would be a good choice (and fit into Winter Fae hierarchy/politics)

Also my character (who was a mortal FBI agent) was roped into becoming his "Tiny Tim" because he was on the Nice list...so now once a year he becomes a terrifyingly goaty Emissary of the Krampus and that makes me very happy.

Offline Shaft

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2015, 11:17:21 PM »
I can't help thinking that some kind of bastardisation of Die Hard with Winter Fae might be fun.

The local Winter Baron and Baroness are throwing the annual ball in celebration of the First Snowfall of the year, at an extravagant palace north of the city.  It's a gala that lasts the entire weekend.  One of the ballroom dance floors is converted into a skating rink, and the Baron/Baroness uses their magical power to coat the venue in what mundane guests would believe is artificial, realistic snow.

The players end up getting invited somehow.  They are guided by a friendly Winter Court changeling who tells them what food is safe to eat and what food should be avoided.  They are given luxurious accommodations and are safe from any Winter Court shenanigans thanks to the rules of hospitality.

A summer court changeling by the name of Sevarius Gruber, assisted by a dozen gruffs, including an older one named Karl, suddenly emerge to take everyone at the ballroom hostage.  If the player's are attending, their gear might not be with them since it's a ball, not a combat zone.

A scuffle emerges, but somehow, Gruber and the gruffs are ignoring the effects of winter. He demands that the Baron and Baroness give him Mab's Fire, a powerful gem that is the anchor for winter's seasonal magic in the area.  Winter is too powerful, and he has taken it upon himself to do what Titania refuses and restore the balance to natural levels.  The Baron refuses, saying that he can't, for the gem is not actually his to give.  Gruber produces a sinister wand that *could* be made of the same material that was used to make the Blackstaff and kills the Winter Baron.  If the players look at it through the Never Never, it will be not quite as bad as looking at a skin walker, but close.

Other winter court fae move to intervene, sacrificing their lives in the process, as the Baroness retreats into the recesses of the palace, possibly assisted by some of the player characters.  Gruber activates a powerful ritual, and the palace is surrounded by a fiery ward that burns with Summer's rage, preventing anyone from leaving.

The player's learn that Gruber's wand can only kill an immortal once per hour, but he threatens to start killing lesser fae that are dear to the Baroness unless she gives him the gem.  In the meantime, his team begins casting rituals to break into the warded vault that is supposed to contain it.

All this activity attracts the White Council, who send in a team of Wardens, led by Warden Johnson and Special Warden Johnson.  They cordon off the area and look for ways to dispel the fiery ward, with anti-summer magic ritual.

The anti-summer ritual will also take out the last of the wards in the vault, which is what was used to protect the Gem from other amibitious Winter Fae. 

The players eventually learn that Gruber isn't a Summer Changeling. He's a powerful, lawbreaking sorcerer that is consorting with an Outsider.  His gruffs are chaotic, shapeshifting abominations and the plans for the gem have nothing to do with restoring the balance.  You might say he's nothing but a common thief, but the truth is that he's an exceptional thief... The wardens know how much lawbreaking he's done, and are prepared to shoot first and not ask questions to ensure that no Outsider influence leaves the premises.  Mab knows the severity of the Outsider threat as well, and is okay with this scorched earth approach since her Winter agents powers have been neutralized.

If some of the players are on the outside, they have to manage the threat on the outside.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2015, 11:21:04 PM by Shaft »

Offline Quantus

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2015, 03:26:25 PM »
Recently I asked Jim during an AMA if Odin being Kringle meant that he was also St Nicholas.  The response was: 2) And Father Christmas and Sinterklaas and a variety of others. But in our modern era, a lot of people wear multiple hats on the job. It made me kind of want to play a game that explored the different versions/aspects of Santa/etc.  One is a Fae, one is a Catholic Saint, one a winter reveler, etc.  It was Sinterklaus that has a magic book of who's good and bad, for example (I smell an IoP).  Then you have the different Companions of Santa clause like the Krampus (Erlking or a Gruff, perhaps?) Zwarte Piet, or the Christmas Lady.
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Offline Neepling

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2015, 06:33:32 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions guys, all very much appreciated  - think I'll try combining The Krampus and Die Hard somehow. Fingers crossed it's not a train wreck!

Offline Shaft

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2015, 01:55:01 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions guys, all very much appreciated  - think I'll try combining The Krampus and Die Hard somehow. Fingers crossed it's not a train wreck!

You could make it that the Krampus takes a juvenile delinquent reform school hostage on the day before Xmas to punish the naughty children within it, but the Krampus is acting in excess of his traditional mandate.

Offline Quantus

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2015, 07:22:12 PM »
You could make it that the Krampus takes a juvenile delinquent reform school hostage on the day before Xmas to punish the naughty children within it, but the Krampus is acting in excess of his traditional mandate.
Attack on a Wall Street mega-corporation HQ, perhaps, instead of Juvy?  Die-hard evokes the image of a High-rise on Lock-down, to my hollywood addled mind. 
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Offline Shaft

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2015, 08:11:00 PM »
Attack on a Wall Street mega-corporation HQ, perhaps, instead of Juvy?  Die-hard evokes the image of a High-rise on Lock-down, to my hollywood addled mind.

Yeah, but the Krampus raison d'etre is to punish the naughty children.  There aren't too many kids on Wall Street. 

Offline dragoonbuster

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2015, 08:16:18 PM »
Yeah, but the Krampus raison d'etre is to punish the naughty children.  There aren't too many kids on Wall Street.

There might be during family-friendly holiday parties.

It could happen....
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Offline Quantus

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2015, 10:39:38 PM »
The threshold age of Adult has been pushed further and further back over the last few generations;once upon a time you'd become a Man at 13, then 16, then most recently 18.  These days you can be 20 years old and still considered an adolescent Bro.  And Bro-Culture is rampant in the financial world.   :D
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Offline Shaft

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2015, 02:12:19 PM »
The threshold age of Adult has been pushed further and further back over the last few generations;once upon a time you'd become a Man at 13, then 16, then most recently 18.  These days you can be 20 years old and still considered an adolescent Bro.  And Bro-Culture is rampant in the financial world.   :D

Yeah, but then there's a good chance the PCs side with the Krampus.  Stock broker bros are worse than some of the vampire courts.

Offline Quantus

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2015, 03:44:53 PM »
Yeah, but then there's a good chance the PCs side with the Krampus.  Stock broker bros are worse than some of the vampire courts.
True.  You'd need something in his MO to make it more blatantly evil. 

Or, since Krampus is specifically associated with the St Nicolas version of santa, you could have Vadderung show up in his Catholic Saint persona and put them on the mission (as a more lingering motivation). 

Alternatively, you could always have this year represent something fishy happening to Krampus, and have the mission be to figure out why the current Krampus is breaking his traditional MO.
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Offline toturi

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Re: Christmas Special
« Reply #13 on: December 23, 2015, 10:22:36 AM »
Hopefully there's a slightly overweight Champion of God of Scottish origin that goes, "Yippekiyay, mother----ers!"
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