Last week Mike Tresca took an American perspective on the best holidays for dropping fireballs on your friends and family, but how do things fare for those of us living beyond the reach of star-spangled banners and thanksgiving turkeys? Well, here’s the resident Brit to fill you in on how we do it in the land of cinematic fog, hot tea and indecipherable regional accents.
Like the earlier piece this is written from a fairly limited and thoroughly British personal perspective, so it’s completely possible that your experiences will vary significantly. And with that out of the way, let’s get started.
[h=3]Christmas, Easter & Other Family-Filled Holidays[/h] Unless your family is rather different to mine, it’s probably going to be a little tricky to persuade grandma to follow up Christmas dinner with a quick jaunt to the Tomb of Horrors. However, that doesn’t mean that big gatherings always need to devolve into Monopoly-inspired fist-fights.
If you can get folks around the table on Boxing Day or Easter Monday and persuade them to try something new, there are plenty of RPG-in-a-box titles that can scratch your roleplaying itch while still providing a fairly traditional board game experience. Mice & Mystics and Stuffed Fables are great, cutesy introductions to the idea that stories and games can co-exist, while Legacy of Dragonholt can draw folks closer to actual roleplaying. Just make sure you know the rules before trying to puzzle it out with three glasses of wine working their way through you.
Of course, if you’re going to be spending a good amount of time chilling out with cousins, siblings and family friends who seem inclined to a little casual nerdiness, then all bets are off. Grab something with pre-gen characters and a smooth introductory adventure, such as the Legend of the Five Rings or Star Wars: Age of Rebellion starter sets, and see if you can’t convert a few of them to the hobby.
Finally, you can earn yourself a few thousand favours by distracting the inevitable horde of excited children by running them through something like Hero Kids or Tails of Equestria. If nothing else, this is a great way to get out of doing the washing-up…
[h=3]May Day, August Bank Holiday & Anything Else That Gives You a Random Monday/Friday Off[/h] You know what is bloody wonderful? Spending the entire weekend burning through most of a campaign with your buddies. The only problem is that once you hit your mid-20s it’s hard enough to get a half-dozen people in the same room for a couple of hours without reality selfishly getting in the way, let alone a weekend.
This is where those odd days off can come in handy. Even if you don’t take advantage of the full three-day weekend for getting your nerd on, it removes the pressure from having to head off on Sunday afternoon with thoughts turning back to work and responsibility.
From personal experience, however, make sure you schedule in some time to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Aging backs do not appreciate two full days sat at the table, no matter how good the game may be.
[h=3]Guy Fawkes’ Night[/h] Finally, we turn to something thoroughly British – a night of beautiful fireworks, hot alcohol and burning someone in effigy for the crime of attempted regicide. Which, now I come to write it out, sounds a little weird.
Anyway, thanks to Alan Moore and a sudden fashion for those grinning masks, the spirit of quiet rebellion has begun to creep over this fiery little holiday. I can think of no better way to celebrate this by coming in from a night by the bonfire, shrugging off your coat and gloves, and plotting a little bit of anarchy ‘til the early hours.
If your tastes don’t quite stretch to armed insurrection, you can always vent your frustrations with the majestic Spire, a politically-charged game of elven rebellion set in a city brimming with weird magic and bizarre technology.
This article was contributed by Richard Jansen-Parkes (Winghorn) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
Like the earlier piece this is written from a fairly limited and thoroughly British personal perspective, so it’s completely possible that your experiences will vary significantly. And with that out of the way, let’s get started.
[h=3]Christmas, Easter & Other Family-Filled Holidays[/h] Unless your family is rather different to mine, it’s probably going to be a little tricky to persuade grandma to follow up Christmas dinner with a quick jaunt to the Tomb of Horrors. However, that doesn’t mean that big gatherings always need to devolve into Monopoly-inspired fist-fights.
If you can get folks around the table on Boxing Day or Easter Monday and persuade them to try something new, there are plenty of RPG-in-a-box titles that can scratch your roleplaying itch while still providing a fairly traditional board game experience. Mice & Mystics and Stuffed Fables are great, cutesy introductions to the idea that stories and games can co-exist, while Legacy of Dragonholt can draw folks closer to actual roleplaying. Just make sure you know the rules before trying to puzzle it out with three glasses of wine working their way through you.
Of course, if you’re going to be spending a good amount of time chilling out with cousins, siblings and family friends who seem inclined to a little casual nerdiness, then all bets are off. Grab something with pre-gen characters and a smooth introductory adventure, such as the Legend of the Five Rings or Star Wars: Age of Rebellion starter sets, and see if you can’t convert a few of them to the hobby.
Finally, you can earn yourself a few thousand favours by distracting the inevitable horde of excited children by running them through something like Hero Kids or Tails of Equestria. If nothing else, this is a great way to get out of doing the washing-up…
[h=3]May Day, August Bank Holiday & Anything Else That Gives You a Random Monday/Friday Off[/h] You know what is bloody wonderful? Spending the entire weekend burning through most of a campaign with your buddies. The only problem is that once you hit your mid-20s it’s hard enough to get a half-dozen people in the same room for a couple of hours without reality selfishly getting in the way, let alone a weekend.
This is where those odd days off can come in handy. Even if you don’t take advantage of the full three-day weekend for getting your nerd on, it removes the pressure from having to head off on Sunday afternoon with thoughts turning back to work and responsibility.
From personal experience, however, make sure you schedule in some time to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Aging backs do not appreciate two full days sat at the table, no matter how good the game may be.
[h=3]Guy Fawkes’ Night[/h] Finally, we turn to something thoroughly British – a night of beautiful fireworks, hot alcohol and burning someone in effigy for the crime of attempted regicide. Which, now I come to write it out, sounds a little weird.
Anyway, thanks to Alan Moore and a sudden fashion for those grinning masks, the spirit of quiet rebellion has begun to creep over this fiery little holiday. I can think of no better way to celebrate this by coming in from a night by the bonfire, shrugging off your coat and gloves, and plotting a little bit of anarchy ‘til the early hours.
If your tastes don’t quite stretch to armed insurrection, you can always vent your frustrations with the majestic Spire, a politically-charged game of elven rebellion set in a city brimming with weird magic and bizarre technology.
This article was contributed by Richard Jansen-Parkes (Winghorn) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. If you enjoy the daily news and articles from EN World, please consider contributing to our Patreon!
