Category: D&D at Work

It’s the Christmas holidays here at dndatwork.com and we are taking a well earned break. Whether you are wrapped up inside from the cold or down the beach in the sunshine I hope you are having time off to relax. I also hope you got lots of gaming goodies in your stockings!

Having downtime like this can be a great time to reflect on the year gone and the year ahead. Given the scope of this blog, this can work for both gaming and work.

On the gaming side, I’ll be reflecting on my Weds night group our past campaigns and our current Mythic Bastionland game. Where will we be going next. What themes can I include. How can I be purposeful in my leadership of the group. For 40K, I want to consider the club that’s grown, how can I get more involved and what campaigns can I run for maximum engagement. I also want to think about how I can be a better player in the other games that I play in, making sure I support the DM and the players.

Most important to me are the gaming friendships that I’ve made over the years. I want to make sure that I look after these properly in the year to come.

On the work side I need to stay purposeful as a leader and make sure my staff and business are nurtured over the next 12 months. We have a fantastic culture and achieving growth while protecting that is going to be crucial.

So aside from stuffing my face with food and having fun with the kids in the surf, I’ll be giving a lot of thought to the above so that 2026 can be a fun and also productive year all round.

I also want to take a minute to thank all the loyal readers who keep coming back to this blog and reading my articles and to those who interact with my posts and thoughts on social media. I really appreciate the fact that you spend your precious time reading my thoughts. Thank you!

Merry Christmas 2025

If you’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons for any length of time, chances are you’ve had to deal with a player leaving your group. Maybe they moved cities, maybe their schedule no longer aligned, or maybe they simply felt their time at the table had run its course. Whatever the reason, it’s never easy. The same thing happens When someone leaves the workplace. A great employee—someone who’s been part of the team, shaped its culture, and made meaningful contributions—decides it’s time to move on. Whether it’s for a new opportunity, family priorities, or a career shift, their departure can feel like a gap that’s impossible to fill.

But just like in D&D, the way you handle a departure matters. Here are some lessons that apply both at the table and in business.

Acknowledge Their Contribution

At the table, when someone leaves, it’s important to recognize the adventures you’ve shared together. Their character may have been the one who always took the big risks, or the one who brought comic relief when the dice rolled badly. Take a moment to appreciate those memories.

In business, the same principle applies. Celebrate what your employee achieved. A genuine thank you, a farewell lunch, or a written acknowledgment can leave the door open for future collaboration. Recognition shows that their time mattered.

Give Them a Good Exit

Nothing sours a campaign like a character disappearing mid-adventure without explanation. A strong farewell quest or an in-world reason for their departure respects both the player and the story.

In the workplace, helping someone exit well—ensuring knowledge transfer, supporting their transition, and respecting their future plans—builds goodwill. People remember how you handled their departure just as much as how you welcomed them.

Support the Group Left Behind

When someone leaves, the group dynamic shifts. Maybe the party no longer has a healer, or maybe the person who always drove the story forward is gone. You’ll need to rebalance roles, adapt encounters, and give others space to step up.

In business, a departure can feel like a hole in the team. Rather than rushing to replace the person immediately, consider how responsibilities can be shared or redistributed. Sometimes, their leaving creates opportunities for others to grow.

Keep the Door Open

D&D players sometimes come back—after a break, after life circumstances change, or even just for a one-shot reunion. Leaving the invitation open is a sign of respect.

In business, alumni networks, open communication, and goodwill can lead to “boomerang employees”—talented people who return down the line. Even if they don’t come back, they can still be advocates for your business from the outside.

See It as Part of the Journey

Campaigns evolve. Players come and go. What matters is that the story continues.

The same is true in business. A thriving company is never static—people join, contribute, and eventually move on. When you frame departures as part of a healthy cycle, rather than a crisis, it’s easier to stay focused on growth and the future.

Final Thoughts on When Someone Leaves

Losing a player in your D&D group or an employee in your business is never easy. It changes the chemistry, forces adaptation, and can feel like the end of an era. But with appreciation, respect, and a little creativity, departures don’t have to be endings—they can be transitions.

At both the table and in the workplace, the key is the same: honor the past, support the present, and stay open to what the future brings.

The festive season isn’t just for family gatherings, mince pies, and exchanging (hobby related) gifts—it’s also the perfect time to gather around the table for a one-shot adventure full of cheer, chaos, and maybe a little holiday magic. Writing a Christmas themed adventure lets you bring the spirit of the season to your game while giving your players something memorable and lighthearted to enjoy during December.

Here are some tips to craft a holiday adventure that feels like the festive season yet still delivers the excitement of a great RPG session.

Start with a Festive Hook

The heart of a Christmas-themed adventure is the hook that gets your players into the festive spirit. Think of familiar seasonal traditions and twist them into adventure prompts. For example:

• Gift Gone Missing: A magical artifact meant to be gifted has been stolen—can the heroes recover it before sunrise?
• Save the Festival: The annual Yuletide feast is under threat from a band of mischievous goblins.
• Escort the Sleigh: A mysterious traveler with a sack of enchanted toys needs protection on a perilous journey across winter wilderness.

These hooks keep things simple and festive while setting up plenty of fun challenges. If you are looking for further inspiration there are plenty of Christmas movies to draw inspiration from.

• Home Alone: defend the castle from nefarious, yet bumbling bandits.
• Die Hard: save the hostages from the evil terrorists.
• Christmas Chronicles: Help the odd red coated wizard retrieve his lost sleigh and flying steed.

Embrace the Tropes

Like any good one-shot you need to embrace the tropes of the setting. Christmas comes preloaded with heaps of imagery you can play with: twinkling lights, snowstorms, reindeer, candy canes, and towering evergreens. Incorporate these elements as set dressing, monsters, or puzzles:

• Animated nutcracker soldiers guarding a snowy castle.
• Gingerbread golems defending their sugar-frosted fortress.
• A riddle hidden inside a Christmas cracker that must be solved to progress.

Go over the top with the whimsy—it’s a holiday game, after all.

Keep It Short and Sweet

The festive season is a busy time, so plan your adventure as a one-shot and make sure to stick to it. Aim for a session that can be wrapped up in a single evening, ideally with 3–4 encounters. You want something punchy, fun, and easy to fit between Christmas shopping and family visits.

A simple structure like the Five Room Dungeon works perfectly:

1. Entrance/Hook: Snowbound village asking for help.
2. Puzzle/Challenge: A frozen lake that must be crossed.
3. Setback: Rival adventurers also chasing the prize.
4. Climax: A showdown in the lair of the villain (Krampus, Frost Giant, or corrupted elf).
5. Reward/Resolution: Saving the holiday festival, restoring joy to the community.

Balance Humor and Heart

Like all good movies of the season, Christmas-themed adventures work best when they mix humor (silly monsters, over-the-top challenges, festive puns) with heart (themes of giving, kindness, and togetherness). Let the table laugh at a candy cane sword fight, but also give them a chance to do something meaningful, like saving a child’s wish or rekindling hope in a struggling village.

Add a Festive Villain

No Christmas story is complete without a villain threatening the joy of the season. Some ideas could include:

• Krampus or a Mischievous Demon: Punishing the naughty in cruel ways.
• The Winter Witch: Freezing everything to stop the festival.
• A Bitter Toymaker: Creating cursed gifts to spread misery.

Make sure your villain has clear motivations, but don’t be afraid to keep it campy and fun. This isn’t a game to be taken too seriously.

Other Games and Scenarios

If you don’t want to take the time to write your own adventure you could always try one of these adventures and games:

• Hark! it’s Santa a fun oneshot game relying heavily on improvisation
• Santa vs Santa play as one of Santa’s superspy elves
• The Doom of Christmas Town a DCC module easily adapted to other systems
• The Wassailing of Claus Manor play as a servant to the Claus family in this Christmas themed caper

Final Thought on a Christmas Themed Adventure

A Christmas-themed adventure is less about perfect balance or dramatic stakes and more about sharing joy at the table. Everyone will be beginning to feel Christmassy and running a game like this will amplify that. Fill it with festive flourishes, encourage your players to lean into the silliness, and above all, make it something they’ll talk about fondly long after the decorations come down.

So this December, grab your dice, hang some fairy lights around the table, and take your adventurers on a journey full of snow, laughter, and holiday spirit. Who knows—you might even start a new tradition.