Tag Archives: Christmas

Summer Christmas Adventures

Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere is, like in the Northern Hemisphere, a time of family, relaxation, and lots of food. The Oliphant in the room is the very European aesthetic to the celebrations we have here. Mistletoe, snowflakes, skiing Christmas decorations, and snowmen — even though we’re spending our December by the pool. So, if you’re sick of winter, you’ve had it with snowflakes, or you’re enjoying summer in your corner of the world too, here’s our guide to summer Christmas adventures — a mishmash of adventure seeds in the sun and surf for your RPG campaign.

Summer Christmas Adventures
Image credit: Frank Mckenna

Sun & Surf Adventure Seeds

  • A sand elemental is terrorizing the coastline. The locals have dubbed the creature “Sandy Claws.”
  • A selkie druid in human guise seeks help rescuing her cubs from a sahuagin hunting party, deep below the waves.
  • An ancient bronze dragon brings toys and gifts to the local children every summer solstice. The gnomes that usually help him make the toys have run into a problem…
  • A ship disappeared from port during the night, along with its crew. In its place is a strange island of sand. Some say it was the curse of a genie.
  • A whale swallows the adventurers after capsizing their boat.
  • The legendary ningyo has been sighted by pearl divers off the coast. Capturing one of these creatures could bring a handsome reward.
  • An ominous statue is discovered during an unusually low tide. News of the discovery spreads quickly, and nefarious forces are moving to acquire it.
  • A mysterious spell is slowly turning the surface of the sea to glass.
  • An island appears off the coast. When explored, it’s found to be a forgotten temple on the back of an enormous sea turtle.
  • The rising tide brings unusual creatures onto the land.
  • The adventurer’s ship is captured by pirates and burned. The PCs are given a choice: join the pirate crew or walk the plank.
  • An ancient city rises from the ocean.
  • The party discovers a tunnel that leads deep beneath Waterdeep. In a water-filled chamber, they find a massive clockwork crab lying in its berth. Portholes and a hatch indicate something of its intended purpose.
  • A sailor reports having seen a giant undead whale.
  • A coastal town floods during the night. In the morning, the citizens discover that the graves of the town have been emptied.
  • The PCs discover an open portal in the ocean, which draws water through. The portal brings the water to a thriving desert city, but endangers ocean inhabitants.
  • An underwater ritual opens a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water, through which a giant sea monster passes to terrorize the Mortal Realm.

More Summer Christmas Adventures

Looking for more summer goodies? Aurora’s Whole Realms Summer Catalogue has a vast collection of thematic items that will add flavor to your Dungeons & Dragons game, without breaking it.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Rodney Sloan
Rising Phoenix Games

Check out our store, subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates, and visit us on our blog, our Facebook page and on Twitter.

RPG Christmas Stocking Fillers

Ho, (and a ho, ho, ho), Adventurer!

We’ve got four Christmas stocking fillers for the players and GM in your life this festive season.

Aurora’s Whole Realms Summer Catalogue

For D&D fifth edition, Aurora’s Whole Realms Summer Catalogue is a fresh take on Aurora’s Emporium, which some of you might remember from AD&D. The book’s 50 pages include loads of interesting, flavourful, summer-themed items that won’t break your game. And yes, we know it’s probably winter where you are, but here in Africa we’re melting.

Christmas stocking fillers

Griffins – A Field Guide (D&D)

We’ve also got Griffins – A Field Guide, which offers 6 subspecies of griffin, a new paladin archetype, and rules for griffin animal companions and familiars. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout and would make a stunning player aid for a party of griffin riders. The book is $2 off until Christmas.

Christmas stocking fillers

Tentacles of the Deep

Tentacles of the Deep is a PWYW title with statistics for tentacles that act as individual monsters but are connected to a larger creature deep below the ocean’s surface. Grab it free, and if you like it, you can always leave a tip in the tip jar, or a review.

Christmas stocking fillers

Steampunk Musha: Races of Rosuto-Shima

Lastly, for Pathfinder this time, and not from us but from our friends at Fat Goblin Games, is Steampunk Musha: The Races of Rosuto-Shima. The book introduces several East Asian inspired races, such as the tanuki, pandajin, jinteki oni, and kappa, as well as steampunk inspired races such as the clockwork ronin.

Christmas stocking fillers

These Christmas stocking fillers are a great way to show your appreciation for a year of great gaming.

We’ll be back next week with more exciting content, but if we miss you, have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Rodney Sloan
Rising Phoenix Games

Check out our store, subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates, and visit us on our blog, our Facebook page and on Twitter.

Santa’s Spy—Holiday Games

Here’s a little game I play at home over the December holidays. I call it…

Santa’s Spy

Santa has a man on the inside, and it’s your job to coordinate his mission. A day or so after your Christmas tree goes up, he’ll deploy in the field, and just before it’s time to clean away the decorations, he’ll return to base with his valuable intel.

“They’ll never spot me behind these giant balls!”
Photo credit: TJ Holowaychuk

The Operative

I use a 12 inch action figure or, for smaller trees, plastic ninjas, like those plastic army men.

Deployment

One night, just after your tree goes up, and while the rest of the house is asleep, sneak over to the tree and hide your operative inside. The goal is for him to remain unseen, so hide him well.
And don’t tell anyone he’s there, because that would be like M saying, “hey everyone, James Bond is a spy.”

Winning

You win the game if you safely extract the operative before all the decorations get packed away and no one has spotted him.

Losing

“Daddy, daddy, there’s a ninja in the tree!” Sorry bud, you lose.

Bonus

Up the difficulty by hiding your operatives gear inside Christmas tree decorations. Do this some time after deployment and be sure to remove it when you extract your operative.

Have fun.

Do you have any games you play over the holidays? Let us know in the comments below.

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 12

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

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Merry Christmas all and Happy New Year! Today’s the last post in the 12 Geek Days of Christmas series and my last post for the year, so I really want to wish you all the best from the whole Rising Phoenix Games team. Enjoy the holidays.

I hope you’ve been enjoying the 12 Geek Days of Christmas. Of course, Christmas isn’t just about giving and getting cool stuff. For me, it’s a time to spend with family and friends and remember Jesus’s sacrifice, the truest showing of love. So, while I’ve been joking about all things geek, let’s not forget the real significance of this special time. God bless you all!

So now, in it’s entirety, the 12 Geek Days of Christmas:

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A cartridge on a red tee.

On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me

Two turtle doves
And a cartridge on a red tee.

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On the third day of Lootmas
My true love gave to me
Three Star Wars classics
Two turtle doves
And some chocolate made of green tea.

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me…

Four ninja turtles
Three sabres wielded
Two turtle doves
And a cartridge on a green tee

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gifted me
Seven (5?) golden rings
For the Dwarf Kings
In their halls of stone.
And one ring to rule them all.

Four ninja turtles
Three sabres flashing
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

On the sixth day of Christmas
The Internet gifted me
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four ninja squirtles
Three Jedi fan boys
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

On the seventh day of Commercialism
My BFF gifted me
Seven “likes” on Facebook
Six Avenging Heroes
Five Dwarven rings
Four ninja turtles
Three Jedi classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a green tee

On the eighth day of Geekmas
My guild mates gifted me
8d8 + 8 damage
Seven “likes” on Facebook
Six Heroic Avengers
Five Dwarven rings
Four Kung-Fu Turtles
Three Jedi Classics
Two turtle doves
And a cartridge on a red tee

On the ninth day of Christmas
Mr Abrams gifted me
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven “likes” on Fanbook
Six Avenging Heroes
Five Gungan heads
Four Ninja Turtles
Three sabres humming
Two turtle doves
And a cartridge on a red tee.

On the tenth day of Christmas
Peter Jackson gifted me
Ten hobbit toes thieving
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven shares on Twitter
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four Ninja Turtles
Three Star Wars classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
My guild mates gifted me
Eleven LARPers LARPing
Ten hobbit toes thieving
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven shares on Twitter
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four Ninja Turtles
Three Star Wars classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love gave to me
Twelve editions of D&D
Eleven LARPers LARPing
Ten thieving hobbits
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven share on Facebook
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four ninja turtles
Three Star Wars classics
Two flying squirtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

Yay! That really was fun! Merry Christmas all!

Cartridge on a red tee.

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 11

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th This Post 12th

 

And here we are, at the penultimate day of our song. Kind of hard to think that it will all soon be over.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
My guild mates gifted me
Eleven LARPers LARPing
Ten hobbit toes thieving
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven shares on Twitter
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four Ninja Turtles
Three Star Wars classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

LARPer. ©2009-2014 LeoFitzpatrick
LARPer. ©2009-2014 LeoFitzpatrick

See you tomorrow for the final instalment of our great Geek carol.

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 10

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

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The stocking is up, the tree is tinselled and it’s once again time for singing our favourite geek carol.

On the tenth day of Christmas
Peter Jackson gifted me
Ten hobbit toes thieving
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven shares on Twitter
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four Ninja Turtles
Three Star Wars classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

Actually, I still haven’t seen the newest and last movie in the Hobbit trilogy (curse swear curse), but hey. Being a lover of fantasy has never been as good as now.

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 9

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th This Post 10th 11th 12th

 

I can just about hear the bells, or that could just be the jingling of magical items over at Paizo (go vote). But bells do provide the perfect accompaniment to more singing.

On the ninth day of Christmas
Mr Abrams gifted me
90 seconds of Star Wars
8d8+8 damage
Seven “likes” on Fanbook
Six Avenging Heroes
Five Gungan heads
Four Ninja Turtles
Three sabres humming
Two turtle doves
And a cartridge on a red tee.

Yay, Star Wars! Join us tomorrow, same time, same place.

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The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 7

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

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Let the mad dash for gifts begin! But I’m okay, because (sing it, everyone)…

On the seventh day of Commercialism
My BFF gifted me
Seven “likes” on Facebook
Six Avenging Heroes
Five Dwarven rings
Four ninja turtles
Three Jedi classics
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a green tee

Seven down, five to go. Ho ho ho.
Join me tomorrow for more jolliness.

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas – Day 6

The 12 Geek Days of Christmas is a 12 part series. Read the rest of it by clicking on a date below.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th This Post 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

 

Yay, the 12 Geeky Days of Christmas continue, so let’s carolling!

On the sixth day of Christmas
The Internet gifted me
Six Avenging Heroes
Five magic rings
Four ninja squirtles
Three Jedi fan boys
Two flying turtles
And a cartridge on a red tee.

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I wonder what the seventh day has in its store for us?

Stay tuned.

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