Do you like designing, playing, and reading indie TTRPGs? Do you ever find yourself trying to explain to a distant cousin or aunt what exactly the hobby is?

The Holiday Card RPG jam is a game jam about sharing a fondness for TTRPGs with loved ones—even the ones who are much further from the hobby than us.

What is a Holiday Card RPG?

A Holiday Card RPG is a game that can be tucked into an envelope alongside a holiday card that you might mail to family and friends. There are a few guiding design principles that form my definition. They should aim to be:

• Small: It doesn't have to fit on one page, but it should be of such a size that you could print it out, fold or trim it, and tuck it into an envelope alongside a holiday card that you'd send to your friends and family.
• Approachable: Holiday card games are a way of inviting the farthest flung parts of our social groups into the wonderful world of indie TTRPGs. Whenever possible, design with the uninitiated in mind. Keep a playthrough as brief as possible. Lean on the most familiar and available tools, like playing cards or simple board game mechanics.
• Reflective: Holiday card games might be on a mantle or shelf when family or friends gather, so consider making them games that invite people to talk about their lives and the year they've had. Maybe your game invites players to share memories or talk about real life milestones. This isn't hard and fast; as long as you get players being creative and conversational together.
• Personal: Your work does not need to be associated with any particular holiday or celebration or weather or aesthetic. The end-of-year holidays are an occasion, not an overt theme. If you do theme it around the holidays, it's always awesome to make something culturally specific to you.

If you'd like to chat about your ideas or get some early feedback on your thoughts, feel free to join the Discord and say hello.

Is there a theme?

This is the first time I've ever run a jam, and the assignment is already somewhat specific, so I've decided on no additional theme. If this goes well, I'll run it back next year and cook up a theme.

Rules

1. No Generative AI for any part of the process. We're talking about something you'd mail to your loved ones, don't embarrass yourself by offloading any aspect of it to a machine.
2. Submissions must be TTRPG documents, not software.
3. Limit submissions to work done within the jam period. This isn't overly strict: dusting off an old idea is fine, and you can always work past the buzzer. But submissions should in some way reflect where you're at right now as the year winds down, the same way a holiday card might.
4. Submit games that you could print and assemble at home (or at a library) and fit into an envelope. There's no firm limits to page count or format, just try to keep it compact and print-friendly.
5. You don't have to print and mail your game to anyone, but it's certainly encouraged! Sending out cards is a nice thing to do if you can manage it.
6. Games can be priced however you like. There's no voting or judging, but contributors are encouraged to engage with each others' work.

Note from the Organizer

I started dedicating a lot more time to  TTRPG design a few years ago, and it was an odd thing to explain to some corners of my social sphere who aren't at all familiar. I started this tradition of holiday card games in my own life as a way to share a little snippet of something that I'm passionate about with the farthest reaches of my family and friends, and in a context where they're free to make of it what they will.

Here's the first two I made:

• 2024 - Sleighing Time
• 2025 - PHOTOMANCERS

I had a lot of fun making these, and now that I'm preparing to do it for a third year in a row, I wanted to share it with a wider community and see what folks come up with!