Catching Up with Christmas: Build Toys, Collect Gifts, and Visit Your Imaginary Pals

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by W. Eric Martin Yes, I know that Christmas took place several days ago, but what of it? Here are a few Christmas-related games and expansions that designer and publishers have released in December 2023: • Each year, designer...

by W. Eric Martin

Yes, I know that Christmas took place several days ago, but what of it? Here are a few Christmas-related games and expansions that designer and publishers have released in December 2023:

• Each year, designer Michael Schacht creates a bonus item for one of his games, usually Zooloretto, which won the Spiel des Jahres in 2007 and continues selling to this day. The world has a lot of animal species in it, after all, and not all of them have been incorporated into the game yet.

Publisher ABACUSSPIELE released the single tile Zooloretto: Stork expansion at SPIEL Essen 23, but if you missed it at that show, you can download it from the Christmas section of Schacht's website.

CMON regularly publishes new Zombicide scenarios online on "Zombifriday", and December 22, 2023 brought the "Delivery Warranty" scenario (PDF) for Zombicide: Undead or Alive in which survivors become Santa's assistants and players must keep them safe, while also collecting gifts.


• Designer Jason Kotarski published rules and components for Santa's Summer Break, a game he created for his kids many years ago that later inspired Fidelitas, which he co-designed with Philip duBarry.


What does Santa do on his break? Visit his pals Cupid, the Easter Bunny, Jack O'Lantern, and Lizzy the Leprechaun. Each player uses Santa to lure those characters from their own homes to assemble at the player's house. Get all five characters together at your place to win.

• Given Santa's intense one-day work schedule — which would, in reality, kill him — he's understandably taking breaks ahead of time, even when it's not summer.

Brazilian publisher Ludens Spirit has released a design from André Domicciano called Santa Kaos in which 2-4 players must do their best to fill Santa's void:
Santa Claus has decided he needs to take a vacation with one week left until Christmas! Now the elves must race against time to make toys and ensure the happiness of the world's children before Santa returns — but what if it's all a test to see who will take on the mantle of Santa Claus on Christmas nights for years to come?

Santa Kaos is a family-friendly dice-sorting game in which players must collect resources, invest in their workshops, and enlist the help of Christmas folklore characters to complete as many wish cards as possible.

Image: Rodrigo Rahmati
Dice of different colors are rolled each round, then players take turns collecting one of the dice, which they can use to perform the action of that die's color or the action of the location from which the die was collected. Through these actions, players can collect raw materials, build toys, and fulfill contracts, receiving victory points.


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