Christmas/Holiday Adventures

[wcw43921]

The HERO System Fan Group on Facebook has a post asking for holiday-themed adventures, and I thought it would be fun to do something like that here.  There were my suggestions, reposted from that group--

 

A legal casino (or alternately, a big-name department store) is offering a once in a lifetime prize--a Christmas tree made out of stacks of dollar bills totaling up to one million. Whoever holds the winning raffle ticket gets the tree (actually, a million-dollar check) but Lady Blue has other ideas. She intends to steal the million-dollar tree and distribute the money to various low-level charities around the campaign city. Will the heroes stop her, or will one or more of them be inclined to help her?

 

Brainchild has mass-produced a low-powered mind control device, and has recruited a number of henchmen to pose as street-corner bell ringers, supposedly collecting money for charity. The mind control device induces the targets to give all their money to "charity"--cash, credit cards, and other valuables, and make them believe it was their idea. As the scheme is not as flashy or grandiose as the usual supervillain plot, it may take some time for the authorities to realize something is happening.

 

A Capone-esque (Kingpin-esque) crime boss has set up his own charity kitchen for the holidays and invites anyone in need of a meal to come and eat. Poor and homeless people throughout the city take advantage of his generosity--and then a team of deadly-force vigilantes attacks the place while the boss is paying a visit. Lots of poor and innocent people with get caught in the crossfire unless the heroes intervene.

[Duke Bushido]

Did one last year with the Youth group-  it was part of an on-going campaign that had gotten a bit derailed by a Hunted roll, leading to a Foxbat arc that proved popular enough that we just kept rolling with it.

 

Short version:  FB (one of only 2- Technically 3) published characters I have ever used, ever (I think I mentioned that enemies books aren't really useful to me)) and Leroy (in my universe, Leroy is the only thing that makes FB competent.  Without Leroy, FB is a run-of-the-mill whacko with irritating personal traits) have succesfully stolen the oldest gemstone in the universe, a boring dun-coloured not-quite-transuscent thing with a couple of elements found nowhere else on earth and rumored to be magical (maybe it is; maybe it isn't).  He needed it as a cap for his walking stick so he could complete his Evangelist costume for The Church of Everyone Else is Going to Die.

 

At the climax, the stone was lost.  It resurfaced a couple of months later when, while decorating the record-holdingly-massive pine tree in front of Campaign City Hall, it was found lodged in the higher branches right about the time they workers were done decorating the tree for Christmas.  Having struck most of their equipment, they just left it, planning to "discover" it when undecorating.

 

And once the lights were flipped on to show off the tree--

 

Well, the adventure was called  "Versus the Christmas Treant," if that helps.

 

 

 

Best part (for me) was when Kinetica (whose player decided she was native to the city because none of the other characters were, allowing her periodic grabs of inventing things as a "tour guide" of sorts) felt the ground rumbling and intoned in terror "oh God!  Not _again_!"

 

Which made for some hilarious role playing when the treant ripped free of it's earthly fetters....

Edited December 15, 2023 by Duke Bushido

[Christopher R Taylor]

The only holiday adventures I've ever done for RPGs is Halloween, I had a yearly Halloween one shot I'd do.  I can only remember a couple but everyone had fun.

[Hermit]

I've posted this before, but the basic idea is that this happens during a blizzard or at least heavy snow, so might work for Christmas time

(With apologies to Frozen)

Foxbat will hack into networks, and show his musical challenge!

 

"The Snow glows white on the city tonight

not a hero, to be seen

Gone is my trepidation

because it looks like I get away clean!"

 

 

"The wind is howling and I should stay inside

but can't stop scheming, heaven knows I've tried."

 

"I want to win, I want them to see

that I'm no villain of mediocrity

Steal a mil but they must know

Yes they'll know!"

 

"It's my show, it's my show

Can't hide my genius anymore

It's a show, it's a show

That's what I'm stealing for!"

 

"I don't care

about the pay

let's have some fun!

My Master Plan is making the news today!"

 

"Its sad how the cold sends all the folks away

To get to their warm houses while they can

but I'll never let the weather

thwart my Master Plan!"

 

"It's time to show the world exactly what I can do

Foxbat has no limits, heck I even flew

No right, no wrong, no rules for me... I'll be....

on News 3!!!!"

 

 

"It's my show, it's my show!

I'm the one with the dreams so high!

It's my show, it's my show!

You heroes will never see me cry!"

 

"Here I scheme, come let's play

Forget the storm!

Winter scenes are more climatic anyway!"
 

[Mr. R]

This is a MUCH more serious one from an old Adventurer Club Scenario

 

The team is asked to use their advanced vehicle to get a Heart across the country to a very young transplant patient.

 

BUT...

 

The Patient is a mutant and the IHA desires that he dies as an example.

 

So during the flight they ambush the team flying over the Mountains.  Now the team must get out of the wreckage, evade the kill teams sent after them and get the package to the hospital in time.

 

If you want to modify it, do like in Young Justice.

 

Patient is heir to a throne or company or .....

 

Team attacking are mercs hired by uncle/cousin/ competitor.

[GoldenAge]

From the Crisis on Christmas game I ran a few years ago:
 

Suddenly, the howling wind dies down, the growls and grunts of Desparia’s minions are silenced, and a single voice booms out.

 

“Ho, ho, HO!” laughs the jolly old elf in the red suit trimmed in white fur. “What have we here? You’ve been a very, very bad, sad girl Heather. Do you want to ruin Christmas for all the boys and girls out there?”

 

“Why not?” Desparia cries out, face twisted with anger. “It was ruined for me! Why did my mommy and daddy have to die? Why?”

 

Desparia’s tall, pale form seems to shrink in on itself, becoming more like a thin little girl with a tear-streaked face. In a burst of black smoke smelling of brimstone, a dapper man dressed in a dark suit appears, one eyebrow raised in a sardonic expression.

 

Infamy – “Because life isn’t fair, my dear,” he says. “Not for you, any way, so why should it be for anyone?” 
“Dearest Heather, the truth is obvious. There is no Christmas. This red clad clown is a fake, a fantasy of inanity. You have felt the reality of Christmas. It’s just a day like any other when accidents can happen and parents of an eleven-year-old girl can die. There is NO Santa Clause, no Christmas, no joy…. Only despare.

 

 

Santa’s speech:

 

“HEATHER, your friend is wrong. He’s been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. He does not believe except what he sees. He thinks that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by his little mind. All minds, Heather, whether they be men’s or children’s, or other, are little. In this great multiverse of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

 

Yes, HEATHER, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no HEATHERS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

 

The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

 

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world, which not the strongest woman, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond…

 

Is it all real? Ah, HEATHER, in all this world there is nothing else more real and abiding. Look here, upon ME and see if you must. But better, look outward and embrace the love of those around you, right now. Use your magical might, search their beings, They stand before you ready to help, to give up their very selves — to think only of others — they seek to bring the greatest happiness to you — that is the true meaning of Christmas, Heather. That is the embodiment of Santa Clause.

Mrs. Clause walks up to embrace Santa and stand beside him.

 

Heather: Why did you come here?

Infamy: The truth is simple, Heather – They come to destroy you!

Edited December 18, 2023 by GoldenAge

[Sketchpad]

I once ran a game where the heroes had to stop a robbery during a Black Friday sale at a Walmart-like store. They had to navigate a sea of people to get to the villains and still make sure everyone was safe. Pure chaos, but fun. During my teen campaign I ran some time ago, I had Krampus show up and put the heroes on the defense for some of their foes.