TEXT: The War On
  CHRISTMAS
  The True(ish) Hiſtory of
  PUBLISHING
  
  Command is given, we must obey, and quite forget old Christmas day:
  Kill a thousand men, or a Town regain, we will give thanks and praise amain.
  The wine pot shall clinke, we will feast and drinke.
  And then strange motions will abound.
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
  The War on Christmas is an historically-themed Christmas module for 
  Lamentations of the Flame Princess and other old school roleplaying 
  games, set in England during the Civil War/Commonwealth period 
  (1644-1657). It should challenge low to medium level characters.
  GALOTFP05
  
  The Late and
  Lamentable
  True1 Story of
  1 
  ish
  The War On
  CHRISTMAS
  during that time when Puritans did rule in England,
  and good old Chriſtmas and all other holy-days were outlawed as
  popish and Pagan superſtition, told by that papiſt malignant
  Andrew Marrington
  in the form of an adventure for Lamentations of the Flame Princeſs  
  (of all the ridiculous and unſuitable ways to tell the ſtory) 
  and other roleplaying games of the old school.
  PUBLISHING
  
  Copyright
  Village map by Kristian Richards, used with permission.
  Weapon and helmet artwork by Carlos Castilho, used with permission.
  Other artwork not listed from the public domain.
  Parliamentary Ordinances reproduced from
  Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum, 1642-1660, ed. C H Firth and R S Rait 
  (London, 1911), as reproduced online at British History Online http://www.brit-
  ish-history.ac.uk/no-series/acts-ordinances-interregnum/
  This product is an independent production by Grimm Aramil Publishing and is not 
  affiliated with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Lamentations of the Flame Prin-
  cess is a registered trademark owned by James Edward Raggi IV.
  
  3
  Synopsis
  The player characters are spending Christmas in a small village in England sometime 
  between 1644 and 1657. A troop of Roundhead cavalry passes through the village 
  and, finding the people observing Christmas with the customary games and revelry, 
  they attack the villagers and loot their homes. If the player characters intervene, they 
  may drive off the riders, but then a second wave will come to hunt down the malig-
  nants, and, if driven back, the entire troop will attack the village in a third and final 
  wave.
  Introduction
  The War on Christmas is one of those rare adventures for Lamentations of the Flame 
  Princess which doesn’t derive its horror from weird fantasy. The horror of The War 
  on Christmas is entirely mundane in origin. A group of heavily armed religious 
  fundamentalists who have not been paid for sometime come across an unsuspecting 
  village celebrating Christmas in its traditional fashion - through feasting, drinking, 
  dancing, and playing games. They resolve to teach the revellers a lesson in good 
  Christian propriety and address their shortfall in salary at the same time - by looting 
  the town. Will the player characters let these heavily armed Grinches steal Christmas? 
  Or will they intervene?
  An intervention, if it occurs, will have consequences. There is a price do-gooders 
  must pay to do good. In all likelihood, your player characters are superior to the Pu-
  ritan soldiers on a one to one basis, even with their arms and armour. The first wave 
  of sermonizing looters should be easy enough for the player characters to repel. The 
  second wave will be more difficult to repel. The third wave is, through sheer weight of 
  numbers, likely to be downright fatal. How do the players win, then? 
  What constitutes winning? Do they abandon the Christmas revellers to their fate at 
  the outset, reasoning it isn’t a good idea to upset an armed band of religious fanatics? 
  It’s not very heroic, but it’s the surest way to get out alive. If they take this route, 
  I’m sorry you wasted money on this adventure. Assuming that they at least play the 
  heroes when the odds seem reasonable enough, the player characters may provoke the 
  troopers into attacking with more numbers, but still manage to get away before they 
  assault the town with their full weight of numbers and religious fury. That’s probably 
  a reasonable mix of heroism with playing it smart. With clever tactics and a few handy 
  spells, it’s possible for a party to prevail even against the third and final wave of attack-
  ers, especially if they killed or captured almost all the troopers involved in the first two 
  assaults. It will not be easy, but that’s their problem anyway!
  Introduction
  
  4
  The War on Christmas
  An Ordinance for the better observation of the monethly 
  Fast; and more especially the next Wednesday, commonly 
  called The Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Thorowout the 
  Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales.
  19 December, 1644
  Public notice to be given for observation of Monthly Fast till further order.; And on the 
  next day, being Christmas Day, in particular.
  Whereas some doubts have been raised whether the next Fast shall be celebrated, 
  because it falleth on the day which heretofore was usually called the feast of the 
  Nativity of our Saviour. The Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled doe 
  order and ordaine that publique notice be given that the Fast appointed to be kept 
  on the last Wednesday in every moneth ought to be observed untill it be otherwise 
  ordered by both Houses of Parliament: And that this day in particular is to be kept 
  with the more solemne humiliation, because it may call to remembrance our sinnes, 
  and the sinnes of our forefathers, who have turned this Feast, pretending the memory 
  of Christ into an extreame forgetfulnesse of him, by giving liberty to carnall and sen-
  suall delights, being contrary to the life which Christ himselfe led here upon earth, 
  and to the spirituall life of Christ in our soules for the sanctifying and saving whereof 
  Christ was pleased both to take a humane life, and to lay it down againe.
  Christmas Day
  In the 17th Century, England still used the Julian Calendar, whereas today the world 
  uses the Gregorian Calendar, as did most of continental Europe at that time. The 
  table below shows on which day of the week Christmas fell for the Julian years 1644 
  through to 1657.
  Year
  Christmas was a...
  Year
  Christmas was a...
  1644
  Wednesday
  1651
  Thursday
  1645
  Thursday
  1652
  Saturday
  1646
  Friday
  1653
  Sunday
  1647
  Saturday
  1654
  Monday
  1648
  Monday
  1655
  Tuesday
  1649
  Tuesday
  1656
  Thursday
  1650
  Wednesday
  1657
  Friday
  
  5
  An Ordinance for Abolishing of Festivals
  8 June 1647
  All Festivals and Holy Days abolished,; Time allotted for Recreation.
  Forasmuch as the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ, Easter and Whitsuntide, and other 
  Festivals commonly called Holy-Dayes, have been heretofore superstitiously used and 
  observed 
  Be it Ordained, by the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, That the said 
  Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Easter and Whitsuntide, and all other Festival dayes, 
  commonly called Holy-dayes, be no longer observed as Festivals or Holy-dayes within 
  this Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales, any Law, Statute, Custome, 
  Constitution, or Cannon to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding: And to the 
  end that there may be a convenient time allotted to Scholars, Apprentices, and other 
  Servants for their Recreation:
  Be it Ordained by the authority aforesaid, That all Scholars, Apprentices, and other 
  Servants shall, with the leave and approbation of their Masters respectively first had 
  and obtained, have such convenient reasonable Recreation and Relaxation from their 
  constant and ordinary Labours on every second Tuesday in the moneth throughout 
  the year, as formerly they have used to have on such aforesaid Festivals, commonly 
  called Holy-dayes. And that Masters of all Scholars, Apprentices, and Servants, shall 
  grant unto them respectively such time for their Recreations on the aforesaid second 
  Tuesdaies in every moneth, as they may conveniently spare from their extraordinary 
  and necessary Services and Occasions. And it is further Ordained by the said Lords 
  and Commons, That if any difference shall arise between any Master and Servant 
  concerning the Liberty hereby granted, the next Justice of the Peace shall have power 
  to hear and determine the same.
  Parliamentary Ordnances
  
  6
  The War on Christmas
  A Village in England
  This adventure can be set in any village in England during the English Civil War or 
  Commonwealth period, really. The only real requirement is that the primary religious 
  sympathy of the village not be Puritan - a village of more mainstream Anglicans is far 
  more likely to observe Christmas in the traditional fashion: through feasting, getting 
  drunk, and playing games. We will henceforth refer to the village simply as “the 
  village”, and you may assign it a name from the region in England where your party is 
  presently adventuring, or invent a name of your own if you prefer.
  Each listed location has loot and payment listed for it. The first of these is all the loot 
  which could be found in a thorough ransacking of the building, and the second is the 
  proportion of the loot the household would be willing to offer the Roundheads to 
  leave them in peace (see details in the Second and Third Waves listed later).
  Also listed under each location are the villagers who live at that location. Each NPC 
  is listed with a name, age, and short description. Each is a level 0 character, and can be 
  assumed to be Anglican (or close enough).
  1. St Mary’s Church
  St Mary’s Church is the largest single 
  building structure in the village. It 
  sits atop a modest hill, a little higher 
  than the other buildings. The original 
  church dates from the 14th century 
  and was made of wood - this forms 
  the nave of the existing church. Two 
  brick aisles were added to either side 
  late in the 16th century. Most recently, 
  a modest wooden belltower/vestibule 
  has been added in the last few decades 
  as the new entrance into the church.
  On the interior, most of the church is sparsely decorated, with simple whitewashed 
  walls and windows of thick but clear glass replacing older decoration during the early 
  stages of the Reformation. The chancel has been redecorated in a more lavish style 
  as part of the Laudian campaign of beautification. The chancel is separated from 
  the nave by a communion rail, and the altar boasts two large silver candlesticks (each 
  worth 360sp), and engraved silver church plate (collectively worth 960sp for the silver 
  alone - and perhaps twice that for someone in the very narrow niche of black market 
  church plate collectors) - all purchased for the church in the late 1630s. If allowed, 
  the troopers will certainly loot this church plate at their earliest opportunity.
  Loot: two large silver candlesticks (360sp each), engraved church plate (960sp)
  Payment: two large silver candlesticks (360sp each)
  
  7
  2. Bakery
  The village’s baker (Christopher Brown) 
  lives and works in this modest building 
  with his wife Jane and teenage daughter 
  Lucy. They bake brown bread from the 
  local corn (a word which at this stage 
  describes any grain). The grain is milled at 
  a windmill on a hill just off the map to the 
  east.
  The Village
  Archbishop Laud
  William Laud was Archbishop of Can-
  terbury under King Charles I. He was an 
  opponent of Calvinism, and led a campaign 
  against Puritanism in the Church of Eng-
  land. He pushed for liturgical uniformity 
  and episcopacy, i.e. an hierarchical, ritu-
  alistic Church of England led by bishops, 
  similar in its outward appearances to the 
  Church prior to the Reformation. Laud’s 
  vision for the Church of England was what 
  would be termed a “high church” vision 
  in the Anglican Communion worldwide 
  today. Puritans opposed these things, 
  dismissing them as “popish idolatry”, and 
  generally refused to conform to Laud’s 
  changes. Parliament supported Presbyterian 
  and Puritan sensibilities over Laudianism, 
  and arrested him prior to the war. He was 
  executed in 1645, after which time the See 
  of Canterbury was left vacant until the 
  Restoration in 1660.
  Loot: 52sp, ribbons (worth a total of 2sp), prayer book (worth 12sp), nice cloth to make a 
  new dress for Lucy to be given as a gift on 1 January (worth 10sp)
  Payment: 36sp
  Christopher Brown, age 39, is the village baker. His father was the village baker 
  before him. His younger brother, Luke, left the village nearly twenty years ago with 
  the intention to join the navy, and never returned - Christopher has never heard from 
  him since.
  Jane Brown (née Joyce), age 35, is 
  Christopher’s wife. She is from a village 
  a few miles south west of the village. 
  Although she is friendly with everyone 
  in the village, she is close friends with 
  Mary Cowper, who grew up with her.
  Lucy Brown, age 16, is the only sur-
  viving child of Christopher and Jane. 
  She dreams of moving to London or 
  another city because she imagines life 
  would be much more interesting with 
  lots of other people around. The rib-
  bons belong to her, and she will wear 
  them for the benefit of any visitors to 
  the village.
  
  The War on Christmas
  The War on Christmas
  8
  
  9
  3. The Cowper Family
  The Cowpers are copyholding farmers. Although not 
  wealthy or especially prosperous, they are productive and 
  secure, with a three-life lease on their farm valid for the dura-
  tion of the lives of Thomas Cowper, his wife Mary, and their 
  eldest son Humphrey. They have two other living children, 
  their daughters Anne and Joan. A farmhand named Jack 
  Done also lives with the family. The Cowper house is the 
  newest in the village - the old farmhouse was badly dam-
  aged by a fire which started in the barn a decade ago which 
  claimed the lives of the last copyholder and his wife.
  The Village
  Loot: 156sp, quattro edition of the King James Bible (worth 336sp), prayer book (worth 
  12sp), a fine dress with lace (20sp) now too small for Mary but still too large for the girls
  Payment: 132sp
  Thomas Cowper, age 36, is a copyholding farmer, who moved to the village from 
  the nearby market town and took over the copyhold lease for what used to be the 
  Reed family’s farm about a decade ago. Although new to farming when he moved 
  to the village, with the help of his wife and neighbours he has learned enough that 
  it is almost as if he grew up on the farm. He complains that town life was too busy, 
  and that towns have too many people in them for a man to thrive and prosper, so he 
  prefers life as a farmer.
  Mary Cowper (née Ellis), age 35, was born in the village a few miles south west of the 
  village, where her family lived next door to the Joyce family. She grew up playing with 
  Jane Joyce (now Brown) and the two remain firm friends. When she first married 
  Thomas Cowper, the couple lived in the nearest market town, but struggled finan-
  cially. She feels secure and settled in the village. 
  Anne Cowper, age 12, is the eldest child of Thomas and Mary Cowper. She is a 
  happy but hardworking child, doing many of the jobs about the Cowper farmhouse 
  which the maid servants do in the wealthier farms in the village.
  Humphrey Cowper, age 11, is the eldest son of Thomas and Mary Cowper. He is an 
  active child who can always be found outdoors in the warmer months, playing games 
  and throwing rocks at birds. His parents complain he is insufficiently attentive to 
  chores and prayers.
  Joan Cowper, age 8, is the youngest child of Thomas and Mary Cowper. She is a 
  precocious child who is undoubtedly her father’s favourite. Her older sister Anne 
  sometimes complains to neighbours that she had chores when she was Joan’s age.
  Jack Done, age 30, is a farm hand, from another village in the county. He has worked 
  for Thomas Cowper since Thomas became the copyholder, and is proud of how he 
  and his master have restored the farm to productivity after the disaster which befell 
  the Reeds.
  
  10
  The War on Christmas
  4. The Lambe Family
  Reverend Bartholomew Lambe is the village vicar, and 
  he lives here with his wife Margaret, her daughter by a 
  previous marriage, Agnes Waide, their youngest daughter 
  Elizabeth, and maid servant named Jane White. The home 
  is part of the vicarage, which includes the nearby buildings 
  and fields.
  Loot: 84sp, fine new clothes for the family members to be giv-
  en as gifts on 1 January (worth 60sp), silver crucifix necklace 
  (worth 50sp), wardrobe of religious vestments (worth 120sp), a small library of religious 
  books (worth 840sp), most of which the Roundheads would simply burn
  Payment: 84sp
  Reverend Bartholomew Lambe, age 47, is the vicar of St Mary’s Church. He is a 
  Laudian and a Royalist, although he rarely opines on these topics as the bitter politics 
  of the era have not been discussed much in the village since the outbreak of the Civil 
  War. He believes in the importance of rituals and the patterns of life, and loves the 
  slow pace of change in the village, a haven from the upheaval of the rest of the Three 
  Kingdoms in this tumultuous time. He is originally from the county town.
  Margaret Lambe (née Rich, previously Waide), age 32, is the vicar’s wife. A daughter 
  of a merchant in the county town, she married young and has one surviving child 
  from that marriage, her daughter Agnes. Her first husband died while she was still in 
  her early twenties, and she remarried the much older Bartholomew Lambe so that she 
  and her daughter could be provided for. Over time, the relationship has developed 
  into genuine mutual affection, and she is now very content with her life in the village.
  Agnes Waide, age 13, is Margaret Lambe’s daughter by her first husband, Philip 
  Waide, who died when Agnes was very young. She is Anne Cowper’s friend and play-
  mate whenever Anne can be pried away from chores to come and play. Agnes knows 
  the best hiding spots about the village, and she often plays “hide and seek” with her 
  little sister.
  Elizabeth Lambe, age 7, is the youngest child of Margaret Lambe, and the only child 
  by birth of Bartholomew Lambe. She loves to play games and is often indulged by 
  her half-sister Agnes. Other than her sister, Emma Sympson is her main playmate. 
  She introduces herself to other children and adults alike as “Elizabeth, like the great 
  Queen”.
  Jane White, age 20, is the Lambe family’s maid servant. She has been with the family 
  since she was the same age Agnes is now. Reverend Lambe hired her from the local 
  manor house, and the village gossip would have people believe that she is the natu-
  ral daughter of the lord of the manor, and that the vicar was obliged to take her in. 
  Reverend Lambe dismisses these rumours as scurrilous and if pressed Jane insists she 
  was born in wedlock but that her father died when she was very young. Indeed, that is 
  what her mother always told her - but the older Jane gets the less she actually believes 
  it.
  
  11
  The Village
  5. Blacksmith
  The village blacksmith, Toby Smith, lives and 
  works here with his apprentice Sam Blackburn. 
  Toby is a widower with no surviving children, 
  and the people of the village are especially sym-
  pathetic to him during the Christmas season.
  Loot: 53sp, horseshoes and nails and other black-
  smith goods (worth a total of 64sp)
  Payment: 48sp
  Toby Smith, age 40, is the village blacksmith. 
  He grew up in the village and took over the smithy from his father after serving an 
  apprenticeship in the nearest market town. He is a “strong, silent type” and has been 
  since the death of his wife and children from tuberculosis six years ago.
  Sam Blackburn, age 19, is an apprentice blacksmith from a village to the north. He 
  is tall and well-built, and probably overestimates his ability to defend himself and the 
  village against professional killers like the troopers (or the player characters for that 
  matter).
  
  12
  The War on Christmas
  6. The Nicolson Family
  The Nicolsons are the wealthiest family in the 
  village. They hold their farm through customary 
  freehold and have been established here since time 
  immemorial. Gilbert Nicolson is a shrewd and 
  widely respected farmer, and lives here with his 
  second wife, Alice, his two daughters by his late first 
  wife, Katherine and Dorothy, and Alice’s young son 
  by her previous marriage, Jacob Stout. Gilbert lost 
  two sons in the First Civil War - his eldest, Gilbert, 
  who died fighting for the King at the First Battle of 
  Newbury, and his youngest, Peter, who predeceased 
  his elder brother by a few months, dying of his wounds received fighting for Parlia-
  ment at the Battle of Roundway Down. The family has two maid servants, Phyllis 
  Reed and Mabel Jackson, and two farm hands, Joseph Willey and Elijah French, 
  although the latter two live in a separate building on the farm.
  Loot: 560sp, a library of mundane secular and religious books (worth a total of 1152sp), 
  lace for the girls to be given 1 January (worth 40sp), wooden toys for Jacob to be given 1 
  January (worth 12sp)
  Payment: 480sp
  Gilbert Nicolson, age 49, is the richest farmer in the village. He and his first wife, 
  Blanche, had seven children, three of whom died as infants, before she died of fever 
  13 years ago. When his neighbour Henry Reed and his wife died in a fire on their 
  farm a few years later, he took the couple’s daughters in as maids to give them a place 
  and support them until they could marry. He married a young widow, Alice Stout 
  (his current wife), not long after, both because he was quite taken with her and 
  because he wanted his children to have a mother. Gilbert is personally kindly and gen-
  erous, but he is also shrewd in all matters of business. The loss of his sons in the Civil 
  War nearly broke his spirit, and he finds solace in reading books on religious topics.
  Alice Nicolson (née Ponds, previously Stout), age 34, is the second wife of Gilbert 
  Nicolson. She is from a market town on the other side of the county, and both her 
  own family and her first husband were wealthier than Gilbert, even if Gilbert is the 
  wealthiest man in the village. From the earliest days of her marriage to Gilbert she 
  thought that the Reed girls were over-familiar with her husband, playing on his sym-
  pathies so that he treated them more like stepdaughters than servants, and she is still 
  hard on Phyllis Reed to keep her in her place. She is liberal, kind and generous to her 
  stepdaughters, however, and absolutely doting on her son Jacob.
  
  13
  The Village
  Katherine Nicolson, age 18, is the eldest daughter of Gilbert Nicolson and oldest 
  surviving child by his first wife, Blanche. She is an intelligent, strong-willed young 
  woman. To indulge her (and her sister Dorothy), her father often buys loose leaf 
  books of poetry along with his more somber reading materials, and Katherine reads 
  them voraciously. She keeps a journal in which she often composes poems of her own 
  - they are not yet accomplished but are improving.
  Dorothy Nicolson, age 16, is the youngest surviving child of Gilbert Nicolson and 
  his first wife, Blanche. She is bright but less intellectually inclined than her sister 
  Katherine, and is an enthusiastic consumer of poetry, but is not a poet herself - nor 
  does she aspire to be. She loves music and dancing, and complains that there is too 
  little of both in the village.
  Jacob Stout, age 9, is the son of Alice Nicolson by her late husband, John Stout, who 
  died of consumption when Jacob was a toddler. The boy has only the faintest mem-
  ories of his father, and is affectionate towards his stepfather, Gilbert Nicolson. He 
  is a bossy little boy, who tries to boss around his stepsisters and succeeds at bossing 
  around the family’s maids.
  Phyllis Reed, age 19, is a maid servant. She is the younger sister of Bessie Arrowsmith. 
  Phyllis and Bessie have lived in the village all of their lives - their parents died fighting 
  a fire in their barn when Phyllis was 10, when the Nicolsons took both girls in. The 
  Cowpers now hold the lease over the old Reed farm, whose buildings were pulled 
  down due to damage from the fatal fire. Phyllis is very careful around Alice Nicolson, 
  who always finds fault with her.
  Mabel Jackson, age 23, is a maid servant. She is from the other side of the county, and 
  visits her parents every month on her day off and gives them the bulk of her mod-
  est salary. For the past six months she has been secretly having an affair with Grace 
  Sympson.
  Joseph Willey, age 24, is a farm hand. He was born two counties away and roamed 
  England trying to avoid being pressed into military service for one faction or another 
  while trying to find consistent work.
  Elijah French, age 26, is a farm hand. He was born in the same county as the village, 
  and boasts that his family comes from Calais originally. He is always trying to flirt 
  with the maids of the village, and doesn’t understand why Mabel finds it so irritating. 
  He boasts of his success with the ladies to Joseph and other men of his social class, 
  but never reveals names.
  
  14
  The War on Christmas
  7. Sawhouse
  This semi-open structure is a saw house with saws and lumber 
  for use in common by the village.
  Loot: An axe, a long saw, two mallets, a shovel, 15 nails
  Payment: Not applicable
  8. The Sympson Family
  The Sympsons are the second wealthiest family in the 
  village. Like the Cowpers, they hold their farm through a 
  three-life copyhold lease originally granted to John Symp-
  son’s late father, and now valid through the duration of his 
  life and of his spinster sister Grace. John Sympson is married 
  to Mariana, and the pair have four living young children, 
  named Emma, John, Mary, and Mark. They have a maid 
  servant, Judith Granger, who also lives with them.
  Loot: 432sp, wooden toys for the children to be given on 1 January (together worth 32sp), 
  a measure of lace (worth 14sp), “New Englands plantation” by Francis Higginson and 
  a map of the colony (together worth 12sp) and four books of poetry (together worth 88sp)
  Payment: 360sp
  John Sympson the Elder, age 30, is the copyholder of the farm. He is a hard-working 
  family man, who values the farm all the more because it has been in his family since 
  time out of mind - in a way, the farm is as much a part of his family as the people 
  living on it. John’s great aspiration is to leave the farm to his children as it was left to 
  him. 
  Mariana Sympson (née Graye), age 29, is John Sympson’s wife and the elder sister of 
  Henry and Rebecca Graye. With four children and a house to keep, she is every bit as 
  hard working as her husband, and being born in the village, she is equally committed 
  to the place. She is aware that her brother had a hard time of negotiating the new lease 
  for her family farm upon her father’s death, though, and this makes her anxious that 
  her children will find the same difficulty.
  Grace Sympson, age 28, is the sister of John Sympson. She has never wanted to 
  marry, which suits her brother because she is named as a life on the lease, and has 
  often been dismissed by the men of the village as “tall and awkward” and cold. Grace 
  has always been attracted to other women. She is presently having a secret affair with 
  Mabel Jackson - this has been her only long term relationship. Nobody else in the 
  village knows and she will do whatever she can to keep the secret.
  
  15
  The Village
  Emma Sympson, age 7, is the eldest surviving child of John and Mariana Sympson. 
  Her best friend in the village is Elizabeth Lambe, the vicar’s daughter. She is bossy 
  around other children, but always polite to adults, even servants.
  John Sympson the Younger, age 5, is the son of John and Mariana Sympson and pre-
  sumptive heir to the farm, although when that day comes, he will have to negotiate a 
  new copyhold lease with the lord of the manor. He is easily led by his older sister and 
  other older children in play.
  Mary Sympson, age 4, is the youngest daughter of John and Mariana Sympson. She 
  has trouble making the “r” sound.
  Mark Sympson, age 2, is the youngest child of John and Mariana Sympson, and 
  requires nearly constant supervision as he toddles around the farm.
  Judith Granger, age 21, is a maid servant, originally from the nearest market town. 
  Last Christmas, after a little too much to drink, she went for a tumble with Elijah 
  French in her master’s barn, a secret she has managed to conceal and which Elijah has 
  so far kept. She avoids drinking too much this year to avoid similar indiscretions.
  
  16
  The War on Christmas
  9. Alehouse
  The village alehouse is operated by Denis and 
  Constance Hopper, who live here with their 
  twin teenagers Daniel and Esther, both of whom 
  assist their parents in the alehouse especially on 
  busy days like Christmas. The alehouse has a 
  guest room with two beds (each of which could 
  comfortably sleep two or uncomfortably sleep three) available to rent to lodgers at 
  5cp per person per night.
  Loot: 256sp, bottles of wine of divers types and qualities (worth a total of 180sp), 8 
  barrels of beer (worth 230sp), 2 barrels of ale (worth 58sp), cheeses (counts as rations for 
  20 days)
  Payment: 240sp, 7 barrels of beer, 1 barrel of ale, and all the cheese.
  Denis Hopper, age 38, is a licensed ale brewer who has lived in the village since he was 
  a teenager. He brews all the ale he sells, and some excess which he trades with a brewer 
  in a nearby village for beer (i.e. with hops). Denis leaves most of the “front of house” 
  and book work to Constance, but deals with suppliers and brewers, and any guests 
  who get too rowdy.
  Constance Hopper (née Readhead), age 37, is the daughter of Edmund Readhead 
  and sister of Martin Readhead. She is an attentive landlady and manages the ac-
  counts, keeping written records of how much everyone in the village owes and for 
  what. Despite that she is well-liked in the village, because of her convivial nature.
  Daniel Hopper, age 16, is the son of Denis and Constance Hopper, and the twin 
  brother of Esther. He is rather fond of Lucy Brown, but laments that she doesn’t 
  seem to know he exists. He keeps no secrets from his sister Esther.
  Esther Hopper, age 16, is the daughter of Denis and Constance Hopper, and the 
  twin sister of Daniel. She is rather fond of Sam Blackburn, although they’ve never 
  done more than make innocent smalltalk with each other. She keeps no secrets from 
  her brother Daniel - but if Sam kissed her under the mistletoe, she might not rush to 
  tell Daniel about it.
  
  17
  10. The Arrowsmith Family
  The Arrowsmith family live in this house, which 
  is part of the vicarage. Barnard and Bessie Ar-
  rowsmith pay rent to the vicar to live in the house 
  and work some of the vicarage’s fields. They are 
  poor farmers but grateful to have a roof over their 
  head and food to eat in these troubled times. They 
  have one living child, a son named Jarrad.
  The Village
  Loot: 38sp, prayer book (worth 12sp), wooden toy to be given as a gift to Jarrad on 1 
  January (worth 6sp)
  Payment: 24sp
  Barnard Arrowsmith, age 27, is a hard-working man, who is borderline obsequious 
  in his dealings with Reverend Lambe and the wealthier families. He moved to the 
  village eight years ago, taking up the lease for the empty farmhouse and vicarage fields, 
  and fell in love with Bessie, then a maid in the employ of Gilbert Nicolson, almost at 
  first sight. He wants to get his young family established in the village, and is willing to 
  work very hard now in the hope of future prosperity.
  Bessie Arrowsmith (née Reed), age 23, is the older sister of Phyllis Reed (a maid 
  employed by the Nicolsons). Her parents died fighting a fire when she was fourteen, 
  and the Nicolsons took her and her sister in as maids. She will always be grateful to 
  Gilbert Nicolson, but resents his wife Alice, who was a strict mistress. Bessie was 
  quick to accept Barnard’s proposal of marriage in part to escape Alice Nicolson’s 
  rebukes. She is currently 6 months pregnant.
  Jarrad Arrowsmith, age 4, is currently the only living child of Barnard and Bessie. 
  He is excited that soon he will have a new sibling. He is sure that his mother will have 
  another boy.
  
  18
  The War on Christmas
  12. The Readhead Family
  The Readhead Family are copyhold farm-
  ers. The head of the family is old Edmund 
  Readhead, who is the last life on the family’s 
  three-life lease - which causes much anxiety 
  for his son and heir Martin Readhead, who 
  fears the next lease will be on considerably 
  worse terms than the one agreed upon when 
  his grandfather was the tenant. In addition to 
  old Edmund and anxious Martin, Martin’s 
  wife Eleanor and their children Susan, 
  Bridget and Charles all live on the farm.
  11. Labourer’s House
  The labourer’s house is part of the vicarage. Seven 
  men live here - all migrants from other parts of 
  the country who have roamed from village to 
  village looking for work and a place to earn a good 
  enough living to settle. All have been in the village 
  for at least nine months and many longer than 
  that, and are generally able to find consistent work 
  on the farms in the village or in the surrounding 
  area. They each pay a modest rent to the vicar, which, in order to model Christian 
  charity to his congregation, he only collects when he knows the tenants are working 
  and thus able to pay. The house is cramped but could accommodate more lodgers, 
  if the party expresses the desire to stay in the village for work. A bunk in the single 
  shared bedroom will cost 7sp 5cp per month - the vicar will not pro-rate this as he 
  doesn’t want short term lodgers and itinerants in the house, or to compete with the 
  Hoppers.
  Loot: 25sp
  Payment: 14sp
  The men who live here have fled poverty in other villages across the county and 
  beyond. They are all eager for work and for money, but will not accept work which 
  involves taking up arms (they might have joined the army if they were willing to do 
  that). Their first names are Matthew, Patrick, Robert, William, Nathaniel, Wendall, 
  and Eddie.
  Loot: 356sp, new cloth, lace and ribbons for new clothes to be given on 1 January (worth 
  80sp), prayer book (worth 12sp), “A New Almanack and Prognostication for the yeere of 
  our Lord God 1642” by Richard Allestree (worth 6sp - considerably less than it once was 
  now that 1643 is passed) 
  Payment: 340sp
  
  19
  The Village
  Edmund Readhead, age 64, is the patriarch of the Readhead family and the oldest 
  person in the village. His joints ache from a long life spent working hard in the field, 
  and he is dreadfully short sighted. He likes telling Rebecca Graye and anybody else 
  who will listen to him about the days of his youth, when a Jesuit was found in a priest 
  hole in the manor house, and when folk were much more modest and prayerful than 
  today, and when the Queen had good courtiers who did good for the people and 
  Parliament was rightfully obedient and there was no war, and how much better the 
  old England was than this new England.
  Martin Readhead, age 38, already effectively manages all of the family business, and 
  will one day inherit the farm, assuming a new copyhold lease can be arranged with the 
  lord of the manor. He is very interested to talk with any visitor who knows anything 
  about the law, and will understandably be obsessed with inheritance. He doesn’t have 
  opinions about the grand political and religious debates of the day, and tells anybody 
  who asks him for his opinion that he does pray daily for peace in England, but that is 
  all.
  Eleanor Readhead (née Hibbert), age 35, is a diligent housekeeper who often finds 
  herself frustrated with her father-in-law’s long-winded stories about the old days, 
  especially when they hold Rebecca Graye from helping her with house work. She was 
  born in a nearby village to the north west, and has very strong opinions about most 
  topics. She disapproves of all Roundheads and their institutions and believes God 
  will punish England for its disobedience to the King, His representative on Earth.
  Susan Readhead, age 13, is the eldest child of Martin and Eleanor Readhead. She is 
  intensely interested in all news from outside the village, although there is very little of 
  it, and finds the village boring by comparison with the few stories she hears of the rest 
  of the world. Although she is untrained, she sings very well.
  Bridget Readhead, age 11, is the daughter of Martin and Eleanor Readhead. Bridget 
  is a very active girl, and in the warmer months is always coming home with scrapes 
  and bruises and dirt from running around and playing with the boys of the village, 
  for which her parents chide her.
  Charles Readhead, age 6, is the youngest child of Martin and Eleanor Readhead. He 
  was named for the King by his Royalist mother.
  
  20
  The War on Christmas
  13. The Graye Family
  Henry Graye is a newlywed copyhold farmer, who lives 
  here with his wife Sarah, and his unwed sister Rebecca. 
  Henry has only a lifetime lease on the farm, and on con-
  siderably worse terms than his parents and grandparents 
  had the same farm, but he is determined to prosper re-
  gardless. Rebecca is employed as a nurse and maidservant 
  to assist the elderly Edmund Readhead. The two families 
  have been neighbours for three generations.
  Loot: 83sp, a modest library of divers books (worth 220sp), new cloth, lace and ribbons 
  for new clothes to be given on 1 January (worth 55sp), a fiddle (worth 24sp) 
  Payment: 72sp
  Henry Graye, age 22, has recently inherited the farm from his father, but on consid-
  erably worse terms than the previous generations of copyhold tenants. He resents 
  his landlord’s “man of business” for this injustice, and has warned his neighbours to 
  expect to be shabbily treated when their leases expire despite their families living in 
  the villages since time immemorial. He is young and fit, and a good rider, and will 
  actively assist in schemes to resist the Roundheads.
  Sarah Graye (née Ford), age 21, is from a nearby village to the east. She is a very good 
  dancer and knows how to play the fiddle, both of which she plans to do a lot of over 
  the Christmas season. Like her husband she is young and fit, and will actively assist in 
  schemes to resist the Roundheads.
  Rebecca Graye, age 20, is the youngest Graye sibling. She works as maid servant for 
  the Readhead family, and a nurse to Edmund Readhead in particular.
  Off Map - the Mill
  The mill is off the map, on a modest hill just to the east of the village so as to best 
  catch the wind.
  Reginald Miller, age 32, is the village miller, like his father and grandfather before 
  him, and their forefathers too, going back longer than anyone can remember. He 
  receives a portion of all grain he mills for the farmers of the village, but receives no 
  money from them directly. He complains that he is now obliged to pay a higher rent 
  and that if the village wants to have a miller it may need to start paying him in coin 
  too or at least increase his share of grain. The village’s farmers are consequently disin-
  terested in his opinions.
  Clare Miller (née Barke), age 26, is married to Reginald and complains both of his 
  poverty and his miserly nature to the other wives of the village, whom she always 
  thinks better dressed than her, although an impartial observer would be hard pressed 
  to notice any difference on this front. She is from another village where she assures 
  the miller is paid in coin as well as a larger customary share of grain, and where all the 
  rest of the village better prospers thereby. The village’s farmers are even less interested 
  in her opinions than in her husband’s.
  
  21
  The Roundheads
  Captain Ezekiel Walker’s Troop of Horse
  During the Civil War, cavalry was organised into regiments commanded by a Colo-
  nel, and consisted of one or more smaller formations called troops, each commanded 
  by a Captain and consisting of 50 to 150 cavalry. In this adventure, the village is 
  threatened by a troop of horse which has suffered some casualties and is on the small-
  er side of that range - Captain Ezekiel Walker’s Troop of Horse.
  You may be asked for the name of the regiment to which the troop which threatens 
  the village belongs. If pushed, you may use the Col. Bartholomew Vermuyden’s 
  Regiment of Horse (a real regiment which existed in the Earl of Manchester’s Army 
  and then in the New Model Army), although if you have a military history buff in 
  your group, then you may wish instead to find a Parliamentary regiment of horse 
  (cavalry) which was active in the region of the village at the time this adventure takes 
  place. There was no Captain Ezekiel Walker commanding any troop of horse in Col. 
  Vermuyden’s Regiment of Horse, and the details given here do not conform to those 
  of a real unit. If this upsets your resident military history buff, maybe they’d like to 
  referee instead? I didn’t think so.
  Captain Ezekiel Walker
  Level 5 Fighter, Lawful Puritan Roundhead
  Notable Abilities: Charisma 15
  HD 5 (28 hp), Armour 17, AB +6, Morale 10, Movement 60’(20’) unmounted or 
  180’(60’) mounted, equipped with 2 flintlock pistols, an estoc sword (medium weap-
  on with +1 to hit vs Armour 15 or greater), buff coat, breast and back plate (Pike-
  man’s armour), tassets, lobster tail pot helm (+2 to physical damage saving throws), a 
  powderhorn of gunpowder and ample shot, waterskin, The Souldiers Pocket Bible, and 
  a fanatical hatred of popish superstitions like Christmas. Mounted on a warhorse.
  Captain Ezekiel Walker is an experienced professional soldier, hardened by years 
  of Civil War in England and mercenary work on the continent before that. To this 
  formidable experience he brings ruthless fanaticism and dedication to the cause - the 
  creation of a new England governed by the godly elect, and the completion and per-
  fection of the Reformation. He is convinced that Christmas and other holidays are 
  actually pagan in origin, their appropriation by the early Christian church a worldly 
  and cynical error, and that their observance through unrighteous behaviour like 
  feasting and drinking is a debauchery of the true Christian religion. He and his men, 
  and the rest of the Parliament’s armies, have been chosen by heaven to bring England 
  to order. Generally a strict disciplinarian as a commander, he sees no sin nor failing 
  in violence and looting done to popish/Arminian/Laudian idolators - rather, it is the 
  work of the righteous elect. He can be relied upon to quote scripture out of context 
  in the thick of battle and pillage alike.
  
  22
  The War on Christmas
  The Troop
  The troop has a total of four sergeants, each commanding twelve troopers. These are 
  all veteran soldiers who have fought in numerous battles across the Three Kingdoms. 
  Their beliefs are staunchly Puritan and increasingly republican. The troop has 
  suffered heavy casualties in recent battles, for which reason they have been assigned 
  a primarily scouting role, and many troopers will be looking to avenge their fallen 
  comrades on “the enemy” as violently as possible, and will be none too picky about 
  definitions of who should constitute the enemy. It’s always hard to tell in a civil war 
  anyway, is it not? 
  The last page of this module (before the Open Game License) has a casualty tracker 
  for Captain Walker’s Troop of Horse.
  Morale
  The morale of the troopers starts the adventure relatively low, and increases with each 
  “wave” as they shift from expecting no serious resistance to being filled with righteous 
  fury. If Captain Walker or a Sergeant is present, then all troopers test morale as a 
  group, using Walker or the Sergeant’s morale.
  Wave
  Trooper Morale
  Sergeant Morale
  First
  7
  7
  Second
  8
  9
  Third
  9
  10
  Sergeants
  Level 2 Fighter, Lawful (1 in 4) or Neutral (3 in 4) Puritan Roundhead
  HD 2 (12, 13, 14, 11 hp), Armour 17, AB +3, Morale Special, Movement 60’(20’) 
  unmounted or 180’(60’) mounted, equipped with 2 flintlock pistols, flintlock 
  carbine (treat as an arquebus), sword (medium weapon), buff coat, breast and back 
  plate (Pikeman’s armour), tassets, lobster tail pot helm (+2 to physical damage saving 
  throws), a powderhorn of gunpowder and ample shot, waterskin, The Souldiers Pock-
  et Bible, mounted on a war horse.
  Troopers
  Level 1 Fighter, Lawful (1 in 4) or Neutral (3 in 4) Puritan Roundhead
  HD 1 (8 hp), Armour 17, AB +2, Morale Special, Movement 60’(20’) unmounted 
  or 180’(60’) mounted, equipped with 2 flintlock pistols, flintlock carbine (treat as 
  an arquebus), sword (medium weapon), buff coat, breast and back plate (Pikeman’s 
  armour), tassets, lobster tail pot helm (+2 to physical damage saving throws), a 
  powderhorn of gunpowder and ample shot, waterskin, The Souldiers Pocket Bible, 
  mounted on a war horse.
  
  23
  Baggage Train
  Captain Walker’s Troop of Horse 
  also has a modest baggage train, 
  consisting of 24 non-combatants 
  and six horse-drawn carts. The carts 
  are loaded with gunpowder, supplies 
  and loot taken from surrounding 
  The Roundheads
  Mounted Combat Reminder
  Remember, as per Rules & Magic, mounted 
  combatants receive a +1 to hit (unless using 
  minor or small weapons) and a +1 to Armour 
  when in melee combat against infantry. They 
  have a -5 penalty to hit with missile weapons.
  villages and estates. The baggage train is located on the roadside, about one mile east 
  of the village. If any injured soldiers return from the village, they will be treated at the 
  baggage train in a tent set up for that purpose. Until the third wave of attacks on the 
  village, Captain Walker is present at the baggage train with four troopers throughout 
  Christmas Day.
  If the baggage train is captured, it has 8d20 days of rations, 2d4 barrels of beer, 2d6 
  barrels of gunpowder and as much shot as any party could want, goods and loot 
  worth 1000sp, plus any loot the troopers have taken away from the village during the 
  course of the adventure. If the soldiers know that their baggage train is under attack 
  (and bear in mind that any gunshot is likely to be heard in the village and beyond), 
  they will rally to its defence at once.
  
  24
  The War on Christmas
  Christmas in the Village
  On Christmas Day, the overwhelming majority of the village will attend Reverend 
  Lambe’s morning service at St Mary’s Church. After that, they will return to their 
  homes to feast. There are three feasts in the village, attended as follows: 
  A. The Nicolsons will host the Browns and Cowpers, their house festooned with 
  evergreens (holly, mistletoe and the like), and they will serve a feast of roast beef, 
  roast lamb, geese, mince pies, custard and plum porridge, and mulled wine and 
  buttered beer to drink (even for the children). 
  B. The Sympsons will host Toby Smith, the Arrowsmiths, and the Grayes, and will 
  serve a feast of turkey, capon, mince pies, and mutton, and serve plenty of warm 
  beer. 
  C. The Readheads and Hoppers will host Sam Blackburn, the Millers, and most of 
  the labourers together at the Hoppers’ alehouse, where there’ll be beef, chicken, 
  and mince pies, and as much beer and ale as both the other feasts combined. 
  The Lambes will move between each of these three feasts, since obviously everyone 
  wants to invite the vicar and he would not want to offend anybody.
  If the party is staying in the town, then they are probably staying at the alehouse, and 
  will probably join the celebrations there. If they are staying with a family then they 
  would be invited to the same feast as their hosts. If they are simply passing through 
  the village, then they will see the houses gaily decorated, and will see children running 
  between houses to play games with their friends.
  All of this feasting will take a long time, clearly. After they’ve had their fill, the chil-
  dren of the village will go out to play. Finding it cold outside, they go to the Nicol-
  sons’ home to play games there. As the adults feast and drink, the children play Blind 
  Man’s Bluff (also called Hoodman’s Blind). As the adults get more drunk, they join 
  in on the games.
  Around 2pm on Christmas Day, the first wave of Roundhead troopers attacks the 
  village...
  
  25
  Christmas in the Village
  Location of the divers Christmas Day feasts in the village
  
  26
  The War on Christmas
  First Wave
  Take as many six-sided dice as there are party members, and roll/drop them on the 
  village map. Each die represents a group of Roundhead troopers. If a die lands on a 
  building, that indicates that the group it represents is headed to that building. If a die 
  lands somewhere else, then the group it represents heads to the nearest building. If a 
  building is so unlucky as to have multiple dice land on it, then all the troopers indi-
  cated go together to that building. This “die-drop” method shows where the troopers 
  go first. The number on the die shows the number of troopers in the group - if the 
  number is a six, then there are five troopers and one sergeant in that group (up to the 
  maximum number of sergeants).
  The troopers can see the evergreen decorations on doors and in windows, and hear 
  the singing and drinking and games going on, and know at once the village to be 
  corrupted by the Romish, pagan holiday of Christmas, and so feel entirely justified in 
  looting the place. 
  If they come to a building which is not presently hosting a feast, the troopers will 
  tie their horses up outside, then break open the door and start ransacking the house, 
  seizing anything valuable they can find (see the loot indicated in each house). The rev-
  ellers will not notice them over the noise of their own feasting - but player characters 
  who are alert, looking out windows, or blessed with better than normal hearing may 
  notice them. Player characters who are outside in the village will certainly notice the 
  troopers!
  If they come to a building which is hosting a feast, then the troopers tie their horses 
  up outside, then bang on the door until somebody lets them in. If a player character 
  is present in the feasting house and wishes to open the door, let them - the NPCs are 
  distracted with their celebrations after all. Otherwise, a servant will open the door. 
  The troopers will brandish their weapons at the celebrating occupants, and will shout 
  insults at them and berate them for their impious debauchery. They will overturn 
  tables, pour out people’s drinks, and shove people around, but they won’t actually 
  deliberately injure somebody unless they are challenged by a player character. If there 
  are no player characters present, then after cowing the NPCs, the troopers will loot 
  whatever they can carry out under one arm.
  If, after looting a building, a group of troopers has not been interrupted by the player 
  characters, and can still carry more loot without heavily encumbering their horse, 
  then they will move on to the next nearest building which has not been looted, and 
  repeat the process. They do this until they can carry away no more loot, and then 
  leave.
  
  27
  The First Wave
  If the player characters do interrupt the Roundhead troopers while they loot the 
  village, the reaction of the Roundheads should generally be clear from the situation:
  • 
  If the player characters are visibly armed, and they equal or outnumber the 
  Roundheads present, and seem prepared to stand up for themselves or the 
  villagers, the Roundheads will withdraw from the building, then call to their 
  fellows about the village for help. Any trooper elsewhere in the village who is not 
  indoors in a feasting building will hear that call for help. If, once reinforced, the 
  Roundheads outnumber the party, they will attack the player characters.
  • 
  If the player characters are not visibly armed, but are prepared to stand up for 
  themselves or the villagers anyway, then the Roundheads will generally strike 
  them with the butts of their pistols or swords. If that is insufficient to deter 
  them, then they will attack the troublemakers with full lethality.
  • 
  If a player character casts a magic-user spell in front of a Roundhead, they will 
  watch in stunned amazement until it goes off. After the spell has been cast, 
  whether it has visible effects or not, the Roundheads will shout “Witch! Witch!” 
  and attack.
  • 
  If the player characters try to convince the Roundheads to leave the village alone 
  and employ some sort of clever deception or other social trick, and the Referee is 
  unclear about whether this would be effective or not, then make a Reaction Roll 
  for the Roundheads.
  The sound of any gunshot will be heard through the whole village by everyone, 
  whether they are feasting or not, and the Roundheads will abandon their looting 
  and make haste to the source of the sound. Likewise, any trooper in an empty house 
  or outside in the village will hear any melee combat or shouts for help taking place 
  outdoors, and will rush to investigate.
  Make sure to follow the morale rules and remember that the Roundheads only have a 
  Morale score of 7 during the first wave as they are not expecting serious resistance. If 
  they fail their morale checks, they will withdraw, dropping any loot they are carrying 
  and running for their horses, then riding their horses east out of the village and back 
  towards their baggage train. If for some reason a trooper cannot get to his horse, or 
  the horses have been slain or stolen or let loose and scared off, then the troopers will 
  run away on foot if they can. Only if a trooper absolutely cannot escape will they sur-
  render. Make sure to track the Roundhead casualties closely so that subsequent waves 
  do not “double count” troopers who should already be dead or incapacitated.
  
  28
  The War on Christmas
  After the First Wave
  After the end of the first wave, assuming the villagers have been disrupted and 
  threatened by the Roundheads, there will be much distress about the village. If the 
  player characters drove off the troopers they will be lauded as heroes and defenders, 
  and much a fuss will be made over them irrespective of whatever attitudes the NPCs 
  had towards them before, and given whatever food and drink they want. Even while 
  expressing their sincerest gratitude, though, the villagers fret that the Roundheads 
  will be back, and worry themselves about the defence of their village. If the player 
  characters instruct them in the defence of their village, they will take any reasonable 
  direction. The Nicolsons, Sympsons, Cowpers, Readheads, Grayes, and Hoppers 
  will all be prepared to defend their homes if the player characters encourage them in 
  it - otherwise they will also be prepared to gather whatever money they can to offer 
  the Roundheads should they return in exchange for not looting their goods if the 
  player characters seem pessimistic about their chances. Reverend Lambe prefers to 
  pay off the Roundheads to protect both the church and his home, although he will 
  not attempt to dissuade anyone else from fighting in defence of the village. He will 
  hide the church plate if it has not yet been looted, and attempt to use the candlesticks 
  to pay off would be looters. The Browns and labourers have little worth fighting to 
  keep, and Toby Smith will do whatever seems likely to keep his apprentice Sam safe, 
  and if that is impossible, he will fight to defend the village without much sense of 
  self-preservation.
  If the player characters did nothing to stop the first wave, then they are not blamed or 
  reproved by the villagers, who after all did nothing either. In this situation, the villag-
  ers are most inclined to offer payment to the troopers to avoid losing everything, but 
  the player characters could still talk them into putting up a fight if they are especially 
  convincing.
  
  29
  The Second Wave
  Second Wave
  Unless the Roundhead Troop of Horse has less than twenty troopers remaining, then 
  an hour after the first wave (whether it returned fully laden with loot, or was driven 
  off, or was entirely killed or captured), two sergeants (assuming two sergeants are left) 
  ride into town, at the head of twenty troopers. If the first wave encountered armed 
  resistance or witchcraft, then they come with pistols drawn, ready to fight. If they did 
  not encounter armed resistance in the first wave, they will still come, but be more at 
  ease, and will resume looting houses and carrying away as much as they can much as 
  they did before.
  Assuming the second wave does expect armed resistance, they stay mounted and ride 
  about the village, splitting into two groups to ride around the blacksmithy, looking 
  for signs of resistance outdoors, or signs of people hiding in any of the buildings 
  they pass. If they are not challenges while riding through, then one sergeant and ten 
  troopers will dismount, leaving their horses with the still-mounted troopers, and 
  will assault the alehouse first, and then will go building to building in a clockwise 
  direction. Any unarmed villager they find indoors hiding who does not resist will be 
  dragged out into the street by the mounted troopers, until either the troopers on foot 
  encounter resistance, or they have dragged the whole village outdoors. In the latter 
  case, they will keep them standing out in the cold, at pistol point, while the troopers 
  on foot then go about systematically looting the village, taking all they can, loading 
  up all the horses up to the point of being heavily encumbered, and then they will 
  leave. If the villagers attempt to parley or bargain, the troopers will only accept the 
  offered payment if it is accompanied also by the village handing over “all malignants, 
  witches, papists, wantons, rogues” and so on who were involved in any fight with the 
  first wave, along with any prisoners they took during the first wave. If the Round-
  heads came expecting resistance, they will only leave peacefully if they have prisoners 
  and each household’s offered payment. If the player characters are not there to be 
  handed over, or do not surrender themselves, then the troopers will loot everything 
  the village has. The villagers are unlikely to hand over the player characters unless the 
  player characters have been particularly obnoxious towards them. If the troopers are 
  challenged, or encounter resistance, then, of course, combat will ensue.
  Once again, the numbers of troopers should be carefully tracked, and the morale 
  rules should be followed closely. Remember that during the second wave, the Round-
  heads have higher morale than they had in the first wave, and can use the morale of 
  their sergeants if they are in their proximity. If they fail a morale roll then they will 
  retreat to the baggage train, falling back to their horses if unmounted, mounting up, 
  and then riding off eastwards, abandoning any loot which they need to abandon to 
  guarantee that they can get away. A Roundhead will only surrender if they cannot 
  reach their horse and cannot run away on foot.
  
  30
  The War on Christmas
  Third Wave
  There will only be a third wave if the Roundheads encountered resistance to the 
  second wave. Half an hour after the second wave’s retreat or its failure to report in, all 
  of the remaining able-bodied Roundheads will assault the village under the personal 
  leadership of Captain Ezekiel Walker. They will come with pistols drawn, and will kill 
  any adult man on sight regardless of whether he is armed or not, and any woman or 
  child who carries a weapon. If they are not all killed or driven off, they will not stop 
  until everyone they regard as a potential threat in the village is dead. Unarmed women 
  and children will be spared, but will be made to stand outside in the frosty mud of 
  the street while the fanatical Roundheads loot everything that is not nailed down, 
  and burn down any building in which they encountered resistance. Presuming any 
  buildings are left standing, the surviving villagers will be allowed to huddle in there 
  against the coldest night which ever followed Christmas Day in their lives.
  Epilogue
  Even if the Roundheads are driven away, the long term consequences for the village 
  of any show of resistance is likely to be severe. The poor labourers will start leaving 
  the village when the weather warms up. If Captain Ezekiel Walker’s Troop of Horse 
  took heavy casualties or Captain Walker himself was killed, then the Roundhead 
  army will eventually return to the town. They will not loot it like Walker’s troopers 
  did, but they will arrest anyone they suspect of involvement in any resistance and try 
  them as malignants. The severity of sentencing would likely depend on body count. 
  If the entire troop, baggage train and camp followers included, was to be slain and the 
  evidence concealed though, then the village might be spared a visit from the army and 
  the imprisonment of its inhabitants.
  Depending on the party’s level, it is likely that the party will be driven away from 
  the village by the second or third wave, reasoning that continuing any defence of the 
  village would likely be suicidal. They will become wanted criminals, sought by the 
  army. If any Roundhead troopers saw the faces of the party members and survived, 
  some reasonably accurate descriptions of them will start to circulate in pamphlets 
  and correspondence between Roundhead commanders and officials, advising that 
  they are wanted for arrest as malignants. Depending on the size of the body count the 
  player characters left behind, this period of being hunted by the Roundhead army 
  may last just a few months, or may go on for years to come.
  
  31
  The Roundheads Attack
  
  32
  The War on Christmas
  The World Turned Upside Down
  Listen to me and you shall hear, news hath not been this thousand year:
  Since Herod, Caesar, and many more, you never heard the like before.
  Holy-dayes are despis’d, new fashions are devis’d.
  Old Christmas is kickt out of Town.
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
  The wise men did rejoyce to see our Savior Christs Nativity:
  The Angels did good tidings bring, the Sheepheards did rejoyce and sing.
  Let all honest men, take example by them.
  Why should we from good Laws be bound?
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
   
  Command is given, we must obey, and quite forget old Christmas day:
  Kill a thousand men, or a Town regain, we will give thanks and praise amain.
  The wine pot shall clinke, we will feast and drinke.
  And then strange motions will abound.
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
   
  Our Lords and Knights, and Gentry too, doe mean old fashions to forgoe:
  They set a porter at the gate, that none must enter in thereat.
  They count it a sin, when poor people come in.
  Hospitality it selfe is drown’d.
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
   
  The serving men doe sit and whine, and thinke it long ere dinner time:
  The Butler’s still out of the way, or else my Lady keeps the key,
  The poor old cook, in the larder doth look,
  Where is no goodnesse to be found,
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
   
  To conclude, I’le tell you news that’s right, Christmas was kil’d at Naseby fight:
  Charity was slain at that same time, Jack Tell troth too, a friend of mine,
  Likewise then did die, rost beef and shred pie,
  Pig, Goose and Capon no quarter found.
  Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
  (Anonymous, 1646)
  
  33
  Roundhead Casualty Tracker
  When each Roundhead is killed, cross off a silhouette here.
  Captain Walker
  Sergeants
  Troopers
  
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  Author Andrew Marrington.
   
  DESIGNATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT:
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Lamentations of the Flame Princess/LotFP Adventures and Settings/The War on Christmas (LotFP).pdf