Twas the Krampusnacht Before Christmas
T WAS THE KRAMPUSNACHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS It’s beginning to look a lot like Now we have all been threatened with Christmas, and Pete Brown In Germanic folklore, St Nicholas has a the ubiquitous ‘lump of coal in your introduces us to a seasonal bad guy dark counterpart, the half-goat demonic stocking’ if you don’t behave in the run for use in our skirmish games…. human known as the Krampus. It is up to Christmas. This bit of emotional thought that he originated from the Pagan blackmail is an excellent parenting tradition of the horned god, and was tool which has worked wonders for Christmas is, as Bing Crosby was fond appropriated by the expanding Christian generations. However, I am not sure that of reminding us, “the most wonderful faith sometime around the eleventh scaring the bejeebers out of kids with the time of the year”. Religious aspects century. threat of birch thrashings by a demonic aside, most of us spend it full of turkey half goat demon is in keeping with the and Xmas pudding, passed out under a These days this nasty chap purportedly Christmas atmosphere, but, hey, they mountain of wrapping paper in front of a shows up in towns on the night of raise them hard in Germany! re-run of The Great Escape on the telly. December 5th, known as Krampus Night This has always presented something (Krampusnacht) and roams the streets, What the Krampus does give us is of a problem for wargamers, as this leaving presents for children. On the the perfect bad guy for our Christmas general spirit of “good will to all men” morning of December 6th, or St Nicholas wargame, or even a longer lasting and ‘merry making’ makes it hard to Day, German children look outside Christmas themed warband for games design wargames scenarios set during the their door to see if the shoe or boot they such as Frostgrave.
[Show full text]