12/25/2025

Merry Christmas, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!

Happy Thursday, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!

This week’s Thursday Drop-In is a dark little holiday nightmare called The Gifts Under the Tree. It’s written for Shadowdark RPG and meant for low-level characters who are brave, desperate, or unlucky enough to wander into an isolated village just before a winter tradition goes terribly, horribly wrong.

On the surface, Northvale looks cozy. Every home has a small evergreen tree inside, carefully decorated with gifts of food, tools, and handmade toys. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll notice the whispers, the fear, and the way children never go outside after dark. The villagers know what’s coming—they just don’t say it out loud.

The Night of Red Footsteps isn’t a fight, it’s a harvest. Redcaps come in overwhelming numbers, collecting offerings for their master, Klaus. If a gift is judged wanting, a child is taken instead. This drop-in is very intentionally about helplessness and hard choices: the party can save someone, but never everyone.

Klaus is the heart of the horror here. He isn’t a mustache-twirling villain—he’s a judge bound by old winter pacts, generosity, and cruel logic. Bargains are offered, none of them clean. He never lies, never explains the full cost, and every deal shifts the suffering somewhere else. It’s moral horror in its purest form.

This adventure shines when you lean into consequences. Saving one home marks the party. Breaking the pact saves future children but dooms the village to harsher winters. Even success leaves scars. It’s a perfect Drop-In if you want a session your players will still be talking about next winter.

If you’re looking for a one-night adventure that trades combat-heavy heroics for dread, impossible decisions, and the sound of iron boots in the snow… The Gifts Under the Tree is waiting under the lights.

Keep on gaming!