[Twilight Time] 10 Instant Holiday Plot-Hooks

[Heather Grove]

December 30, 2002 - 10 Instant Holiday Plot-Hooks
Volume 3, Issue 18

This is the Twilight Time zine, the free zine of the Burning Void: 
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Copyright 2002 by Burning Void Publishing and Heather Grove, except 
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Good morning!

On December 19th we got our one-thousandth subscriber. We made 
cupcakes to celebrate; unfortunately it's kind of hard to email you 
cupcakes, or I would. It would also take a long time to make 1,000 
cupcakes. ;) Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this zine 
far more successful than I imagined when I started it!

Now I'm looking forward to our two-thousandth subscriber... sometime 
in 2010 or so. *grin*

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, celebration, or whatever. 
Here are a few holiday plots to surprise your players with when they 
come back from vacation.

Happy New Year!
Heather

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10 Instant Holiday Plot-Hooks

It's the time of the year when lots of holidays happen. Even for 
people who aren't religious it can be a time of beauty and terrible 
shopping conditions. So, in the spirit of the season, here are a 
handful of instant plot hooks designed to bring a touch of holiday 
cheer (or madness) to your game. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

NOTE: I'm sure most of you have seen one or more of our instant plot 
hook articles by now. But just in case, for you new folks, here's the 
original article:
http://www.burningvoid.com/pipermail/void/2001q1/000009.html
And here's the "create your own instant plot hook" follow-on:
http://two.pairlist.net/pipermail/twilighttime/2002/000004.html


#1. The Gift

Everyone in the party gets a gift. Each gift is elaborately wrapped; 
each card says something mysterious, or simply has a recipient's name 
on it. Each gift is tailored specifically to its recipient's 
interests. These aren't powerful things, but they are meaningful things.

Who sent the gifts? Was it someone the party helped? Is it someone who 
wants to start an alliance with them who can't afford to reveal his 
interest yet? How did the mysterious ally find out exactly what gifts 
to give? How can the party find out who sent the gifts - and why were 
they sent anonymously?


#2. The Apocalypse

A gloom-and-doom cult predicts the end of the world at the end of the 
year. Are they lunatics or prophets? How can the party find out? And 
what can they do about the situation? (What if the cult is *partially* 
right? The end of the world isn't coming, but something horrible is.)


#3. Vacation!

Plenty of companies hold end-of-the-year contests and sweepstakes. 
Have a player character (PC) win a trip to an exotic locale for [the 
number of people in the group, plus or minus one or two]. The whole 
thing could be a set-up and trap. It could be an attempt by someone 
distant to get help from the PCs in solving their problems. Fate could 
be leading the party to something it needs. Or the party could simply 
encounter some unusual things while on vacation.


#4. The Charity Drive

A local organization collected toys for orphans and poor families. 
Someone stole those toys, or they vanished mysteriously. Can the party 
find the presents and retrieve them before the holiday? [Hint: don't 
use this one on a party that's wealthy enough to buy all-new toys.]

In a second version of this plot hook, an organization collected money 
with which to buy food for needy families. Then the guy running the 
show skipped off with the money. Can the party find him and recover 
the holiday for all those families?


#5. The Charity Drive: Aftermath

A charitable organization gave lots of toys to needy children. Now 
those children are disappearing. Where did the children go? Is there a 
link to the toys, and if so, what is it? Can the party figure out 
what's going on before all the children disappear? And can they find 
the children who have already vanished?


#6. 'Tis the Season

An apparent rash of suicides hits the news. Everyone thinks it's just 
the holiday blues, but there's a clue that makes the PCs think that 
something's going on. Perhaps they knew one of the people who died, 
and just know he wouldn't have killed himself.

Are the deaths really suicides? If not, what's the connection between 
the deceased? Does the party have a serial killer on its hands, a 
dastardly cover-up, or something more bizarre?


#7. It's a Miracle!

Many TV shows and movies center around the traditional holiday 
miracle. Create a miracle of your own - then twist it. The "miracle" 
was arranged by someone, who wants payment now. The source of the 
miracle was supernatural, alien, or demonic rather than celestial and 
the recipient has become tainted in some way. Is there a way to fix 
things? Does the cure require giving up the miracle, or can there be a 
happy ending after all?


#8. Cancel the Holidays

The holidays are fast approaching, but a mysterious illness results in 
quarantine and widespread panic. Can the party figure out what's going 
on and find a cure (or help someone else to do so) in time to keep the 
holidays from getting canceled? Even more importantly - can they do it 
in time for people to get a few shopping days in?!


#9. Only 5 Shopping Days Left...

The party needs to impress a potential ally. Can they find out what 
the perfect gift would be? Can they get their hands on it once they 
know what it is? And what do they have to do or pay to get it?


#10. Prized Possession

An ally sends the party on a wild chase for a mysterious, important 
item. He won't tell them what it is, but he can describe the 
distinctive package it's wrapped up in. The party finds this task 
surprisingly difficult. The bad guys seek to take the same item. Other 
good guys seem desperate to obtain it. What could it be?

Finally the party gets the package [or they fail and have to tell 
their ally of their failure]. That's when they find out what the whole 
thing was about: the latest, greatest holiday toy that all the parents 
want. It's a present for their ally's son.


I hope you've enjoyed our little spread of twisted holiday plots, and 
even more - I hope you're enjoying the holidays! Best wishes for a 
happy new year from the Burning Void!


What's Your Opinion?:

Comments on this issue's topic? Suggestions? Tips? Special topic 
requests? Drop me a line at (heather at burningvoid.com). If I pass any 
of your suggestions on (either through the newsletter or the RPG 
resources page), I'll attribute them to you. Be sure to tell me if you 
don't want me to use your name and/or comments!

The next issue is coming in just a few weeks - mid- to late January.

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SITE UPDATE:

Burning Void Roleplaying Resources:
http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/roleplaying/resources.html

http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/roleplaying/Essays/gingersnaps.html
Gingersnap Magic - an unusual type of magic item for "HackMaster"!

http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/roleplaying/Essays/barakah6.html
Sand and Dreams VI: Barakah Influences
This time we provide sample strengths and weaknesses for our 
human/jinn cross-breeds. I promise I didn't go nearly as far overboard 
this time. ;)

http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/roleplaying/Essays/barakah7.html
Sand and Dreams VII: Barakah Vestiges
Vestiges are the small traces of jinn heritage that taint the Barakah. 
Here we give you more than 20 samples and a few hints for customizing 
them to your character.


Burning Void Writers' Resources:
http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/writing/resources.html

http://www.burningvoid.com/users/heather/writing/ms/essay/writeforself.html
Write for Yourself
On the value of knowing why you write, and remembering that, either 
way, it's good to write for yourself. Also, how "write for yourself" 
can be made compatible with "write professionally"!

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READER TIPS:
(Copyright remains with the author of the tip)

 From Martin L. Shoemaker:

Lesson #4 has a dark side.

Heinlein once advised: "Never rewrite except to direct editorial 
order." I thought that was awfully egotistical. Heinlein sold his very 
first SF story, and almost everything else he ever wrote. So that 
seemed egotistical, AND it seemed like poor advice for those of us not 
so lucky/talented.

Now I'm working on my first book (on software design); and I'm 
learning what Heinlein REALLY meant. Someone who likes to write (me, 
for one) can rewrite every word of every sentence of every page, every 
single day. It's not always getting BETTER, just DIFFERENT, as I have 
different moods on different days. But if I do this, progress slows to 
a crawl. So I need the editor to tell me when I NEED to rewrite. It's 
not that rewriting is bad, but it can be a seductive trap.

Very good article, by the way.

Martin L. Shoemaker
http://www.MartinLShoemaker.com
http://www.UMLBootCamp.com

[Editor's note: It's true, endless revision can be a real problem for 
many writers! The trick lies in learning to tell when you're treading 
water and when you really need to revise. But don't let that little 
statement fool you - this is a VERY difficult thing to learn. Some 
writers can't learn it at all. Sometimes you can learn it by taking 
classes that require you to critique others' writing. Sometimes you 
can learn it by reading books that help you to get a better handle on 
what needs revision and what doesn't. Sometimes you learn it through 
the long, hard road of experience. Failing that, you might find 
another writer to partner up with whose opinion you trust, and who can 
tell you when to stop revising (or an editor who can do the same). 
Some writers have set themselves hard schedules - dates by which they 
*must* stop revising and actually send their work to an editor. It 
isn't always possible to stop on your own!]


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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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ANNOUNCING THE GAME MECHANICS!

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The Game Mechanics, Inc. will offer downloadable, printer-ready 
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The goal at The Game Mechanics, Inc. is to take what we've learned 
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Check us out at http://www.TheGameMechanics.com/ !

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