It wouldn’t be Christmas around here without a seasonal scenario by Tim Harford, but we’re trying something a bit different this year. Normally Tim gives me his notes and I lick them into shape so that it’s possible for someone else to run a game from them. Last December, though, there was a fly in the ointment.
As Tim put it, “This one was very skimpy on notes, even by my standards. I was in rebellion against our current D&D game, which has many good qualities, particularly the vividness of the NPCs, but which is overprepared and thus plays too much like a bravura performance from the GM, with not enough player agency. So I really wanted to push the other way and challenge myself to see how far I could get with minimal prep.”
Tim is also a very busy man, so he could hardly take time out to meticulously plot a six-hour roleplaying special just for one use with half a dozen friends. His notes in full were:
Tim adds: “Not much to go on I realise. There is an old scenario for Flashing Blades (‘The Grand Theatre’ in Parisian Adventures) which involves an actor who's also a spy who has stolen secret documents, and two teams of musketeers battling it out backstage. That was a direct inspiration for the Grand Theatre section, although in truth you really only need the premise, don't you? I also had in mind the image of Ferromaine's canals freezing under a supernatural cold, and the thought that a chase scene or a fight scene on ice would be a good challenge if the antagonists were equipped with skates. That's really it.”
That’s quite a challenge. My thinking for a scenario is that if you’re going to go in with a lot of plot elements then you need to work them out in advance, ideally to the extent of having a timeline of everything that would happen if the player-characters did nothing. You need to know those details (if they are going to be there at all) because the players will be trying to make them fit into a coherent picture.
For instance, imagine trying to play a murder mystery game in which all the clues were randomly generated independently of each other; it would be a complete waste of the players’ time because the clues couldn’t be assembled into any logical solution.
But once the game starts, everything can and should be improvised in response to what the players do – and that improvisation works because you had a clear idea of the NPCs and their actions and intentions to begin with. In short: plan your story as tightly as the writer of a novel or movie ought to, and then be perfectly happy to let that planned story disintegrate in response to the interpretations (correct or otherwise) and consequent actions of the player-characters.
Remember von Moltke’s advice: “No operational plan extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy force. Only the layman believes that in the course of a campaign he sees the consistent implementation of an original idea that has been conceived in advance, thought through in every detail, and retained to the end.”
All right, so how are we going to do this? I’ll kick off by describing how it played out in our last Christmas game.
Act One
(Yes, I hate all that Hollywood three-act guff, but we're going to need some structure to get through this bit.)
The characters are in the service of the Cotulio family of Ferromaine. Specifically they have lodgings at an orphanage run by the Abbess Emerentia, sister of Count Saltado Cutulio, who tells them to go and fetch a pine tree from the Drakken forests. Not just any pine tree, either. Rival families are contending to raise the Yule tree in the Piazza San Paolo. The tallest tree will be chosen. And off they go.
In the game as run we went upriver to a town in northern Kurland, so we must have been on the Arakose river. Another option would be to take the Liederkehn river, but that would involve passing through Tamor which the characters may prefer to avoid – and we might expect timber prices to be much higher in the New Selentine Empire. (If you opt for that, there's a possible tie-in to "The God in the Bowl" adventure, which also takes place in the New Selentine Empire.)
It’s also possible to set the whole adventure elsewhere. The characters could be hired in Brymstone to fetch a tree across the Mergeld Sea from Mercania. But let’s not make this any more complicated than we need to. Tim ran it as a Blades in the Dark heist game in Ferromaine; we’ll stick with that for now.
The complication: when they reach the town of the timber merchants, it turns out the best two trees have already been sold to representatives of the Senfriti and Vassilvio families. The merchants say there is no hope of finding another tree taller or finer than either of those. The Senfriti barge has already set off the day before. The Vassilvio barge is loaded and ready to depart the next morning.
A couple of strange incidents occurred. First we noticed a white star or comet in the sky. White Light, often seen this close to Krarth? It seemed not, for this star shimmered in and out of vision. The other incident was the arrival of a mechanical bird, inside whose beak was a clay effigy of Parcelus Pike’s face (see below) telling us that he had a lucrative job for us if we would return at once to Ferromaine. But that meant abandoning the Yule tree errand so we declined.
The barges descend the river by means of locks that bypass the occasional rapids. At each lock there are customs officers – more organized if this is the New Selentine Empire, more lackadaisical in Kurland, both susceptible to bribery. Tim’s notes suggest the officials have already been bribed, so perhaps they will hold up the player-characters or demand excessive tolls to use the locks.
In our session we masqueraded as tax officials inspecting the locks. The obstacles you might consider would be that in Kurland those tollkeepers would be locally recruited under the jurisdiction of a local duke-elector and would know each other personally. Selentine officials would be identified by seals and documents (literacy being higher there) and the penalty for forging such seals or pretending to be an imperial officer is painful and brief. Directly targeting the other families’ barges, on the other hand, is mere affray and not of any great importance to either Kurlanders or Selentines.
The first “act” ended with the tallest (in fact sole remaining) tree being delivered to the Cotulio family and set up in St Paul’s Square.
Act Two
Oliver Trout is a clown whose fame has preceded him around the Coradian Sea. He’s now arrived in Ferromaine where he is booked to perform for five nights at the Grand Theatre. In our game the Abbess asked us to go to the Grand Theatre while the show is on and steal an object from Trout’s dressing-room: a wooden puzzle box.
Some of the player-characters also spoke to Parcelus Pike, a local sorcerer and curio collector, about stealing the puzzle box for him. He wasn’t interested, having already hired another team (we had disregarded his message conveyed by the mechanical bird in Act One), but left the matter open in case we should obtain the box instead of them.
We went to the theatre that night, all with the goal of stealing the box but not all with the same buyer in mind. We waited for the show to start and then sneaked backstage. The complication this time was that somebody got there first; Trout’s dressing-room had already been ransacked. The other team of thieves had not found the box, however. The player-characters did, and on the way out were ambushed by the other thieves, eight Chaubrettians who were no match under the favouritism of the Blades in the Dark rules for two murder hoboes – er, player-character fighters, rather.
The player-characters got away with the puzzle box and then cast lots to decide who should get it. The Abbess, our patron? Parcelus Pike, never very trustworthy but at least offering cash now that his other team were all dead? Or return it to Oliver Trout, whose performance most of us hadn’t even stayed to watch?
One of us (my character, Arnaud -- aka Flambeau, le Stégologue de Vyônes) objected to the way one of the murder hoboes had bullied the others during the vote, so hid the puzzle box in the mouth of a gargoyle on the roof of the church overlooking St Paul’s Square.
All through this, the white star/comet continued to grow larger in the night sky. At the same time it was growing unseasonably cold in Ferromaine. There were even some flakes of snow.
Act Three
The snow is falling steadily now, piling up in drifts around the city. Few citizens of the Ferromaine League remember living through a blizzard like this. Is it "an elfin-storm from faery land"? The player-characters may think so. Most people huddle inside by the fire.
It gets colder. Much colder. Through the driving snow a single light shines in the night sky: the strange star, bathing the whole city in an icy white radiance.
The snow stops. The star descends and settles on the top of the Yule tree. A creaking sound is heard, a little like the soft skittering of hordes of insects. It’s the unprecedented noise of the city’s canals freezing over.
Seven white-clad hooded figures are seen skating towards St Paul’s Square.
In our game, the player-characters climbing up to retrieve the puzzle box were beset by scuttling sprites with bodies of ice. On the ground, the seven hooded skaters arrived at the square, along with a tall white-clad woman who emanated waves of freezing cold that our murder hoboes were hard pressed to deal with – though they managed, of course, this being Blades in the Dark rules, and when they slew the Frost Witch she turned into flakes of ice.
One of the player-characters, a psoriatic pilgrim named Dropskin, ignited the tree with the aid of a flaming torch and fervent prayer. It was consumed in roaring orange flames accompanied by the sharp tarry tang of burning pine needles.
Meanwhile Oliver Trout ambled into the square and cheerfully received the puzzle box back from Flambeau. With a few deft twists he converted it into a stellated polyhedron which drew all of the snow and ice (including the sprites and the hooded figures) into itself, banishing the unnatural winter and restoring the city to normal.
Assumptions
After the game I told Tim my interpretations of these events:
(1) That the Frost Witch came in the white star/comet from Krarth and would have plunged Ferromaine into an eternal winter.
Tim said: “That's much better than what I had, which was that she was a supernatural antagonist who wanted the puzzle box for reasons unknown.”
(2) That Oliver Trout was a wizard or mythic being who opposed her and his puzzle box gave him some means to counter her ice magic.
Tim said: “Oliver Trout is a Santa Claus-like figure, of course – an avuncular spirit of all that is jolly and numinous about the bleak midwinter. Thank goodness I watched an episode of The Box of Delights the evening before the game.”
(3) That the white skaters on the frozen canal were her emissaries and their job was to kill Oliver Trout before he could stop her.
Tim said: “They were her emissaries. I had in mind that they would steal the box and there would be a chase scene along the grand canal. But you didn't stash the box where I expected and it became a set-piece confrontation rather than a chase.”
Here’s what ChatGPT thought:
Assumption 1: The Frost Witch and the Comet
Your Assumption: The Frost Witch came in the white star/comet from Krarth and would have plunged Ferromaine into eternal winter.
Refinement: The comet could be more than just her mode of travel—it might be her prison. Long ago, a cosmic force (perhaps linked to Oliver Trout or the city itself) sealed her in the icy heart of the comet. The comet's proximity to Ferromaine was drawn by the Yule tree ritual, corrupted by the rival families’ selfish motives. This not only makes her arrival more meaningful but also ties her deeply to the scenario's events.
She might not want to destroy Ferromaine outright but instead transform it into her icy domain, drawing its magic and culture into her eternal kingdom. This makes her a more nuanced antagonist with a vision, albeit a chilling one.
Assumption 2: Oliver Trout as the Frost Witch’s Opponent
Your Assumption: Oliver Trout was a wizard or mythic being whose puzzle box allowed him to counter the Frost Witch's ice magic.
Refinement: Oliver Trout is perfect as a mythic "spirit of midwinter," embodying the warmth and hope needed to survive the harsh season. Rather than being solely a wizard, he could be an ancient protector whose jovial demeanour hides immense power. The puzzle box could symbolize the delicate balance of winter—it holds the key to containing the Frost Witch but must be wielded with wisdom and care. To deepen their rivalry, Trout might have been the one who originally imprisoned her. She now seeks both vengeance and the box, which could free her fully. This personal connection raises the stakes of their confrontation.
Oliver Trout might not be omnipotent. His reliance on humour and goodwill could mean his power wanes in the face of despair. This would explain why he leaves the puzzle box unattended—he can’t directly confront the Frost Witch without gathering enough "light-hearted energy," which is why he was performing on stage at the Grand Theatre – but the wintry weather meant smaller audiences, making the PCs’ intervention crucial.
Assumption 3: The White Skaters and Their Mission
Your Assumption: The white skaters were emissaries of the Frost Witch sent to kill Oliver Trout before he could stop her.
Refinement: Rather than simply assassins, the skaters could have a dual purpose: to retrieve the puzzle box and prevent Trout from using it, as well as to sow terror and chaos in the city. They might represent different facets of the Frost Witch’s will (eg, cold precision, relentless pursuit, and icy despair), making them thematic extensions of her power. The skaters could be former residents of other cities she has conquered, now turned into icy thralls. This twist would highlight the stakes for Ferromaine—failure means the citizens could share the same fate.
The puzzle box could be tied to the very nature of winter—when solved correctly, it harmonizes the forces of cold and warmth, sealing the Frost Witch while allowing winter to remain balanced. Solved incorrectly, it could unleash an eternal winter or destroy Trout's protective powers, adding a moral or tactical dilemma for the PCs.
Explanations
These were the things I still wasn’t sure about after the game. What was actually going on? Players are going to ferret away at the details looking for an advantage, so you’ll want the answers at the ready even if they’re never needed.
What was it that invited the Frost Witch into Ferromaine? (The tree in some way, perhaps?)
Tim answered: “My initial premise was merely that the Frost Witch wanted the puzzle box, but in truth that's a fairly flimsy idea – and almost immediately came the idea (Christmassy, but also ominous) that she had a celestial body that steadily approached as the adventure progressed.”
ChatGPT suggested: “The Yule tree seems a strong candidate. It could serve as a mystical beacon tied to ancient traditions, perhaps imbued with ceremonial significance that inadvertently opened a pathway for the Frost Witch when it was raised in St. Paul’s Square. Maybe Ferromaine’s people used to perform protective rituals tied to the tree, but these have been forgotten in recent years. Alternatively, the comet/star might have been drawn to the competitive, somewhat self-serving motives of the rival families vying for the tallest tree, allowing the Frost Witch to exploit this discord.”
Why was Oliver Trout performing at the theatre?
Tim said: “I love these questions but I have no answers to any of the rest of them – the perils of the improvised game. Any answers you can dream up will be better than anything I had.”
ChatGPT’s answer: “Oliver Trout’s performance could have been part of a larger plan to mask his true purpose in the city. He might have been drawn to Ferromaine because he sensed the Frost Witch’s growing presence, and the show was an excuse to stay nearby without arousing suspicion. Alternatively, the theatre could hold symbolic power, such as being a historic cultural heart of the city where his magic would be stronger. Or see above, the idea that his performances at the theatre were parts of a magical ritual intended to build up a ‘charge’ of good-natured warmth to counter the winter spell."
Why did Trout leave the box unguarded?
ChatGPT: “Oliver Trout likely underestimated the Frost Witch’s influence—or overestimated the secrecy of the box’s location. He might have thought his jovial reputation or distractions like the theatre performance would deter any would-be thieves. Another possibility: he intended the box to act as bait, drawing her agents into a trap. It would also add tension if he intended for the PCs to become involved but misjudged their chaotic methods.”
What would have happened if the characters had failed to act? (The white skaters would have killed Trout?)
ChatGPT: “If the PCs failed, the white skaters might have killed Oliver Trout or captured the puzzle box, allowing the Frost Witch to solidify her hold on Ferromaine. This could mean the city plunging into eternal winter, its citizens slowly frozen into lifeless statues as her icy dominion spread across the region. The PCs' intervention was likely the only thing standing between the city and its doom, adding weight to their actions.”
Would burning the tree have had any effect once the frost had already taken hold of the city?
ChatGPT: “Burning the tree could have served as a powerful symbolic or magical act, disrupting the Frost Witch’s anchor in Ferromaine. If the tree was the conduit for her power, destroying it could sever her connection and weaken her ice magic. However, the tree might also act as a focal point for Oliver Trout’s magic, meaning its destruction could have been a desperate gamble—potentially undermining his efforts to banish her unless done at the right moment. This ambiguity could leave the PCs wondering if they helped or hindered.”
Time for the robots to take over
ChatGPT was doing sterling work, so I thought I should let it off the leash. How would it have improved on the scenario? This is what it said:
1. Tie the Frost Witch to the Yule Tree More Strongly
The Yule tree could be central to her power. Perhaps it is the "World Tree" in miniature, a mystical link between realms, and raising it without proper rites allowed her to invade. The rival families’ selfish competition could amplify the magical imbalance. You could use the apples and wafers used to decorate the base of the tree to symbolize temptation, sin and redemption. The Frost Witch might need the tree to fully merge her icy domain with Ferromaine, giving the PCs a clear reason to stop her.
2. Oliver Trout’s Purpose
Oliver Trout can have a more defined backstory. He might be an ancient protector, akin to a winter guardian or even a rival to the Frost Witch in a cosmic balance between light and cold. His performances could be a way to gather joy and goodwill—essential to his magic—and the puzzle box might store that energy, which he intends to use against her.
3. The Puzzle Box’s Role
The puzzle box could act as both a key and a trap. It might be the only thing capable of sealing the Frost Witch away but is equally coveted by her because it could seal Oliver Trout’s power if twisted incorrectly. This would give the PCs a tough moral choice, especially if factions try to sway them.
4. Escalate Tension With a Chase Scene
Instead of a static confrontation, you could add a thrilling chase along the frozen canals [I'm pretty sure it got that idea from Tim's notes. - DM] as the white-clad emissaries pursue the PCs, trying to retrieve the puzzle box. Ice sprites could create hazards, and Oliver Trout might aid from afar, giving cryptic advice.
5. Make the Burning Tree a Gamble
Destroying the tree could weaken the Frost Witch but at a high cost, such as damaging the city’s spiritual defenses for years to come. Alternatively, the PCs might need to perform a complex ritual at the tree to channel its power against her, adding urgency to their decisions.
And how about some stats? This is ChatGPT’s response, using D&D rather than Blades in the Dark. I haven’t played enough D&D 5e (just one session) to know if any of this makes any sense, but it looks creative and it kept spelling "fay" wrong, which is probably a D&D mistake as ChatGPT is usually right about things like that.
D&D 5e Stats Suggestions
The Frost Witch
- CR: 10
- Type: Medium Fay (or Elemental)
- Abilities:
- Legendary Actions: Use Cone of Cold, summon ice sprites, or freeze enemies in place.
- Lair Actions: Intensify cold damage in her lair (e.g., the area around the tree), create difficult terrain with ice, or summon blizzards.
- Unique Ability: Shatterstar Descend – Once per day, create an icy storm that deals 6d10 cold damage in a 60-ft radius and reduces visibility to 10 feet.
- Defences: High AC (18) from icy armour, resistances to nonmagical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing, immunity to cold.
White-Clad Emissaries
- CR: 4
- Type: Medium Humanoids (Icebound Knights)
- Abilities:
- Frostbite Blade – Melee weapon attacks deal 2d6 cold damage.
- Glide on Ice – Move effortlessly over difficult icy terrain.
- Aura of Chill – Enemies within 10 feet take 1d6 cold damage at the start of their turn.
Ice Sprites
- CR: 1/2
- Type: Tiny Elementals
- Abilities:
- Freezing Touch – Touch attack deals 1d6 cold damage and reduces movement speed.
- Frosty Mischief – Use actions to create minor hazards (slick ice, frosty fog).
Oliver Trout
- CR: 7
- Type: Medium Humanoid (Mythic)
- Abilities:
- Puzzle Box Mastery – As an action, manipulate the puzzle box to unleash bursts of radiant light (6d6 damage to undead/fay).
- Aura of Merriment – Allies within 30 feet gain advantage on saving throws against fear and charm.
- Spellcasting: Casts Wall of Force, Greater Restoration, and Daylight as innate abilities.
Incidentally, I do hope "Frosty Mischief" is a real D&D ability. Finally, ChatGPT had some ideas about how to integrate all this into Legend's medieval setting where the real force is religion, not D&D-style fantasy:
1. The Yule Tree as the “Tree of Paradise”
The Yule tree in St. Paul’s Square could explicitly represent the "tree of paradise," decorated with symbols of humanity’s fall (apples) and redemption (buns standing in for eucharist wafers). These decorations might play a magical role in the story, either as a defence against the Frost Witch or as something she seeks to corrupt.
The apples could represent temptation, tying into the rivalry among Ferromaine's families. Perhaps the tree is adorned with gilded apples to symbolize the city’s prosperity, which the Frost Witch views as a hubristic affront to her dominion over winter. She might aim to corrupt the apples into frozen fruit that spreads despair or frostbite to those who touch them.
The white wafers could become a mystical ward against her influence. If the PCs retrieve the puzzle box and return it to the tree, the wafers might glow, symbolizing humanity's capacity for redemption and banishing her icy hold.
2. The Frost Witch as a “Tempter”
The Frost Witch could serve as a supernatural force akin to the serpent in Eden, embodying temptation and humanity's darker impulses. Her emissaries might offer subtle deals or promises to the PCs and city officials: wealth, power, or eternal life in exchange for cooperation. She might try to claim that eternal winter represents purity and perfection, twisting the tree’s symbolism of paradise into her own vision of a frozen utopia.
3. The Puzzle Box as the Fruit of Knowledge
The puzzle box could represent the forbidden fruit, a mystical object that must be handled with care to prevent disaster. Just as Adam and Eve’s choice brought consequences, solving the puzzle box could trigger a significant moral choice for the PCs:
- Correct Solution: Harmonizes the balance of winter and seals the Frost Witch.
- Incorrect Solution: Unleashes eternal winter or destroys Oliver Trout’s ability to fight her.
This creates tension as the PCs grapple with whether they can (or should) wield such power.
4. The Role of the Nobles and Clergy
The Cotulio and rival families could reflect the pride and materialism that the Frost Witch exploits. Of course Abbess Emerentia’s and Count Saltado's loyalty is to themselves and their family, but lower ranks in the Church might represent humanity’s spiritual side, trying to remind the city of the tree’s true symbolic meaning and rallying the PCs to act with virtue.
The clergy might have an old ritual involving the tree of paradise. If forgotten or corrupted, this might explain why Ferromaine was vulnerable to the Frost Witch’s influence. The PCs could discover fragments of this ritual, such as chants or blessings, that must be restored to banish her. However, this would work better in a northern setting as it’s unlikely that Ferromaine would have ever had any problems with winter magic in the past.
5. The Frozen “Garden of Eden”
When the Frost Witch descends, her icy magic could transform the city into a twisted, frozen garden—a parody of Eden. The canals might become shimmering paths of ice, trees could bear crystalline, inedible fruit, and the citizens might begin to freeze into statues.
The characters could face a challenge to “restore” the true paradise by reigniting the Yule tree’s warmth through symbolic acts of kindness or sacrifice.
6. A Winter Solstice Play
Integrate a play into the Grand Theatre performance that reenacts the Fall and Redemption story, echoing the medieval mystery plays. Oliver Trout might be secretly manipulating events to parallel the play’s themes with the PCs’ struggle, subtly guiding them toward the right choices.
Sources that I suspect influenced Tim and that may be useful are The Box of Delights and The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. TV/movie versions here for those in a hurry. The old Santa-like character from The Box of Delights was apparently based on Ramon Llull, but I have only Wikipedia's word for that.
If you play the adventure, do let us know in the comments how you got on. I will just add that Tim's gaming group use Blades in the Dark, which casts every adventure in the form of a heist. Perhaps your heart sinks at the thought of heist games, or indeed any preset story-pattern in roleplaying, in which case you would normally get wholehearted agreement from me, but Christmas gaming makes its own rules. After a couple of mince pies I just sat back and went with the rompy flow.
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