![]() In-person, in-game, or both, here are some ideas to give your players (and yourself) a gift to start the New Year strong. The Resolution Jar Out with the old, in with the new. That’s the theme of many New Year’s traditions throughout the world. In the United States (and elsewhere) that often takes the form of setting New Year’s Resolutions. While we here at T3 think time of year be darned, if you want to make a change in your life, there’s no time like the present, it is a convenient start date. The Resolution Jar can work in two ways: you can either write down everything you want to accomplish on slips of paper and put them in the jar (invite your friends to add their own well-wishes for things they want to see you accomplish), or start with an empty jar, and every time you accomplish something, write it down on a slip of paper and add it to the jar (why not do both?). At the end of the year, everyone opens their jars to see what they’ve accomplished and/or if they accomplished the goals they made at the beginning of the year. In-Game This can work as your players setting down goals for their character in a long-term campaign, or setting down goals for what they want to play/accomplish at the table in general. Put these in a jar, or in a digital document, or VTT journal entry that everyone can access and review as the year of gaming commences! In-Person Make, or have your players make, Resolution Jars! Supplies 1 bottle or jar per person (fun shapes and sizes can be found at craft/hobby stores) 1 sticky label per person (make sure it will fit the jar) Sheets of paper (cut into 1 or 2 inch strips) Step 1 : Write your name on the sticky label. Step 2: Place sticky label on jar/bottle. Step 3: Write down as many New Year’s resolutions as you’d like, but try and aim for 4 or 5 at a minimum. Step 4: Roll, fold, or just chaotically shove the slips into the bottle. Optional Step: decorate your Resolution Jar with paint, stickers, glitter, etc. If you’re doing both versions of the Resolution Jar, make sure you have double the supplies! Toshikoshi Soba Noodles(According to the internet), the Japanese celebrate the New Year by eating a bowl of Toshikoshi Soba noodles (noodles traditionally made of buckwheat). In-Game Your players can enjoy a delicious bowl of Toshikoshi Soba noodles and gain the following buffs: They can re-roll 5 rolls of their choice and take the better number. If they still fail, the effects of that failure are lessened, if able. In-Person Check your local Asian market for either “cup of ramen” style soba noodles (check the ingredients and get buckwheat version if they have it!). Or, if you have the kitchen skills and the wherewithal, buy some soba noodles from the self-same Asian market and make your own! (The internet abounds in recipes). Berliner PfannkuchenIn Germany, they like to enjoy these tasty treats on New Year’s! And I guess sometimes one of the donuts is filled with mustard or some other odiferous substance as a practical joke. In-Game Your players can enjoy a pfannkuchen (may I suggest with a warm mug of Gluhwein?) and gain the following buffs: As the sweet, hearty, and deliciously filled donut swells within you, your holiday cheer swells as well. All your rolls for talking situations get a +4 buff (because, even if you’re trying to intimidate someone, you’re channeling that Deutsche energy to do so). In-Person If you’re skilled in baking and have the time (and the wherewithal), make your own Berliner Pfannkuchen (the internet abounds in recipes). OR, if don’t have the skill or wherewithal, buy some filled jelly donuts and those will work just fine. Enjoy while gaming! VassilopitaVassilopita is a New Year’s cake they serve in Greece! Traditionally, a coin is hidden within the cake, a piece is cut for Jesus, another for the Virgin Mary, and a third for the house. After that, everyone receives a slice of the cake and, whoever has the coin in their slice is said to have good fortune for the rest of the year! In-Game To top off their New Year’s feasting, your players enjoy a slice of Vassilopita. Roll a dice that equates to the number of players you have at your table (or the nearest dice rounding up). For example, if there are 5 players, roll a 6-sided dice. Establish which number is the re-roll number, and then assign a number to each player. Roll the dice, and the associated player of the resulting number gets The Lucky Coin. An item they can use for the rest of the year that allows them to re-roll one dice roll of their choice, per game session, and take whichever result they prefer. In-Person If you have the skill, time, and wherewithal, make your own Vassilopita! (the internet truly abounds in recipes). Or, if you have neither, then get yourself a nice pound cake-style cake to share with your group! If you want to add a physical coin to the cake (to keep with tradition), then use your best judgement on whether to add a real (CLEAN) quarter to the cake or a fake chocolate coin, or maybe some plastic game coin, or something.
Pro-Gamer Tip: if you have players who are crafty, or skilled in cooking or baking, ask them to help make these festive foods/treats instead of doing it all yourself.
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