A Holiday Break and a Special Winter One-Shot Surprise

With the holidays around the corner and our families playing catchup, the Ball and Chain Games team is taking a well-deserved two-week vacation. We’ve been hard at work all year—from designing new games to testing fun mechanics—and now it’s time to rest, recharge, and celebrate with our loved ones. Before we go, though, we wanted to leave you with a parting gift to help bring some festive cheer to your gaming table.

That’s why we’re excited to present our first-ever public “Digital” Lazy DM Card—an easy-to-run, wintry one-shot adventure just in time for the holiday season. Whether you’re looking for a quick side quest for your current campaign or a standalone session to entertain your friends and family over hot cocoa, this one-shot is designed to fit snugly into your schedule.

Why a “Lazy DM Card”?

If you’re new to Lazy DM Cards, they’re essentially bite-sized quest outlines on a single sheet (front and back). They keep all your essential information—quest title, overview, encounters, boss, rewards—in one easy-to-scan format. No more flipping through pages of notes! You can read about our approach to Lazy DM Cards in previous posts, but trust us: the convenience speaks for itself when you’re juggling family gatherings, holiday stress, and a desire to sneak in a bit of gaming.

Your Holiday One-Shot: “The Krampus’ Claws”

In this winter-themed adventure, a terrifying figure—Krampus—is snatching away children (naughty or nice) from the snowy town of Frostbridge. As the party investigates, they’ll uncover the dark folklore behind this horned spirit who punishes wrongdoers and discover why he’s targeting innocent children this year. The quest is designed to be run in 2–4 hours (depending on your group’s pace) and is suitable for a variety of character levels (just scale the monsters accordingly).

Below is your free “Digital” Lazy DM Card. Download it, print it, or keep it on your tablet for instant reference. We hope it adds some spooky seasonal spice to your holiday game night!

Lazy DM Card: “The Krampus’ Claws”

From everyone at Ball and Chain Games, thank you for your ongoing support and have a wonderful holiday season. We can’t wait to see what you create and hear about your party’s heroics. We’ll be back in two weeks—rested and ready to roll more dice with all of you!