Stop Krampus! ...and save Christmas!
Six nights before Christmas, the North Pole should have been humming with cheerful bustle.
Ribbons fluttering, toys clattering, and the familiar clatter of hooves preparing for the long journey ahead. But this year, something felt off. The reindeer were acting… wrong.
One kept pacing in dizzy little circles, unsure which way was forward. Another tried to take a running start but stumbled sideways, as if the ground had tilted beneath its feet. A third stared blankly at the stars, nose twitching like it couldn’t remember why it was there at all. And through every corner of the workshop, the elves whispered a single name with growing dread…
Krampus.
The Christmas trickster had finally decided to meddle, casting a spell so muddled and chaotic that even the most seasoned reindeer couldn’t steady themselves. Santa’s big ride was days away, and unless the elves could break the enchantment, Christmas might not happen at all!
Entry: Before playing the game
First impression
Being a game designer and blogger is a big blessing, especially around the holiday season. Why? You get to try the festive games long before the celebrations begin. My Christmas spirit kicked in during the first week of November when I played Packing Party by Shiny Pigeon Games, and thanks to my friend Parker, I soon stumbled upon Stop Krampus! …and save Christmas!
Something about saving the big day has always enticed me, especially in movies. This is my first attempt at a game that lets me do it. And not just save it. I can ruin it too, mwuahah!
Because in this game you can play as either the protagonist or the antagonist. So to all my anti-hero gamers out there, it’s your time to shine.
A degree of urgency is always there when it comes to saving Christmas, and I hope the game delivers that rush well.
A bit on the game
Stop Krampus! …and save Christmas! is a one-vs-many PNP for Krampus and up to six elves. The game can also be played in cooperative or solo mode. The story takes place six nights before Santa’s big ride, when Krampus has cast a spell on the reindeer and left them dizzy, confused, and unable to fly.
As Santa’s loyal elves, players try to match the magical cookies to break the enchantment for each reindeer. Or, if you choose chaos, you can play as Krampus, jumbling the elves’ plans, gobbling up cookies, and doing everything you can to ruin Christmas.
Across six nights, the elves work together to cure every reindeer while Krampus races around the wreath causing trouble. If the elves succeed, Christmas is saved. If not, Krampus wins, and the holiday falls apart in the most mischievous way possible.
All you need
I printed the game board on cardstock and opted for laser printing, since the stunning artwork absolutely deserved it. The 19 tokens, the six elves, and Krampus all went onto another sheet. You will need standees for the elves and Krampus, and thankfully I had a few 3D printed ones lying around, so that worked perfectly. You will also need three D6 dice, preferably in green, red and white.
What I really appreciated is how Chris, the designer, kept the component requirements incredibly flexible. He has this really cool custom dice-rolling web app in case you don’t have dice of the mentioned color. He also has the STL (3D) files for the tokens and cricut-ready art files for the tokens and standees.
A big shoutout to Chris and team for being so considerate! It’s always great to have options.
Entry: After playing the game
Findings
A magical wreath, indeed!
Who knew the dance of aligning magical cookies and Krampus gobbling them up could be so stimulating? The wreath is the heart of this game, and I loved how my mind raced as I used the six elves to place or shift cookies, healing reindeer one-by-one as Krampus pulled the board back into chaos at the end of each round.
And when I stepped into Krampus’s shoes, the whole rhythm flipped. I wreaked havoc on my friends, snatching cookies and spreading trouble, yet feeling that steady pressure as more and more reindeer slowly broke free from my spell.
Each round ends with a climax, and since the game has six rounds, you get six moments of pure drama, kudos to Krampus. The balance constantly shifts as the elves heal the reindeer and Krampus drags them back under his spell at the same time. It is a perfect little dance of chaos and order.
How Christmas games should be
Purely subjective, but I have a certain benchmark for holiday games. They cannot be overly complicated, must be easy to teach, should appeal to both gamers and non-gamers, and by no means be overwhelming. I’m glad to say that Stop Krampus! …and save Christmas! fits perfectly within that sweet spot.
Having played this game for nearly a week, it took us less than 10 minutes to learn, 15 to 20 minutes to play, and we had a blast taking turns as Krampus. It keeps non-gamers engaged and easily earns a top spot on our list to play again this Christmas!
Solo, 1v1, or 1vMany?
Having tried all three modes, here’s my verdict:
Start with solo to learn the game, especially if you are that friend who is bestowed with walking everyone through the rules.
Opt for 1v1 if you want a cozy, fun little experience. Pick the notorious one for Krampus and double the fun.
For me, 1vMany is the real winner. Get the extrovert or the dramatic one in your group to play Krampus, and team up with up to six friends to take them down. It’s pure chaos and laughs all around!
Degree of urgency?
Before trying the game, I wondered if it would really deliver that rush. Thanks to the back-and-forth of chaos and order and the ticking countdown to Christmas Eve, the sense of urgency stayed with me throughout. Experiencing that save-the-big-day rush for the first time through a game was absolutely spectacular!
Less than a week!
Christmas might be weeks away, but the campaign has less than a week to go. If you’ve already kicked off your festive mode like I have, make sure to give Stop Krampus! …and save Christmas! a try.
Recommended items
Game Overview
Publisher: Stone Age Distractions
Designer: Chris Stone
Artist: Suchada Boonsong & Florentyna Butler
Number of players: 1 to 7
Difficulty level: Easy to Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 round
Game duration: 15-25 minutes
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Worker placement | Saving Christmas
Number of pages and color: 2 (color print)
Assembling difficulty level: Fairly easy
Lamination: Not required
Additional elements required: 3 D6 dice or the dice-rolling web app, 7 standees, and Cricut cutting machine.
Time to learn: Within 20 minutes
Travel-friendly: 9/10
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 8.5/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
