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Age target for Dice the Halls, made for all ages of TTRPG players

Dice the Halls is an all-ages TTRPG adventure that is made specifically to be playable with kids.

And this is important to clarify despite it being a holiday TTRPG. There are a lot of holiday TTRPGs out there, but most full holiday adventures that I have found are made for campaigns for older kids or adults are spun as such (which is totally fine, it’s just also been hard to find ones that I know are OK for kiddo).

This TTRPG adventure is made specifically for playing with young kids, has a very cheery vibe, focuses on exploration and fun encounters (like a snowball fight), uses mechanics that are easy to learn, and was what my kid was looking for (fun, a little silly, and interactive).

For mechanics, it uses the d12go system, so players may need to count up to 12 and add small modifiers, however, we have used this system here and in a previous review, and they are pretty intuitive and easy for a grown up to help with, if needed, so I don’t see them as being a significant barrier to most groups.

Setting for Dice the Halls is in the North Pole… in peril!

Dice the Halls is set in the North Pole… and Santa is missing on Christmas Eve! You have been called upon to find him before it’s too late! You’ll meet the reindeer, explore the Gonk cave, and chat with the Sugarplum Fairies as you explore the area and search for Santa signs.

The North Pole is a familiar setting to most kids, so it doesn’t require a ton of explination to get them into the adventure quickly, which is GREAT for utilizing gametime for actually playing out the story. That said, there’s some fun and unique locations to check out (like Gonkville and the Christmas Tree Forest) that can leave a lot to the imagination in a very good way. They feel new, but still familiar, and the game asks questions, like what Gonk houses are made out of, to help fill the scenes and let kids have ownership.

Your character in Dice the Halls is a denizen of the winter wonderland!

Your character in Dice the Halls comes from the North Pole and comes with a lot of personality! There’s a variety of pre-made characters to choose one (you can make your own, but the pre-mades are great), and they all have great stories to help highlight their unique elements.

Character mechanics ALSO tie in very well with accentuating a PC’s particular flavor and are easy to follow. There’s 6 stats to track that each get a small modifier between -3 and +3, plus they get a few special abilities that give extra modifier bonuses. These bonus abilities could be something like… Shouty Elf gets a +3 bonus when being loud or Amy the Christmas Angel gets a +2 when singing (there’s no singing mentioned in her story, but we now know she likes this).

For our characters, kiddo played as Gingerbread Jerry, a chaotic and fun-loving sentient cookie who LOVES hot cocoa and is great at running and hiding, and I played as Poppy the Polar Bear, a snuggly shy sweater-wearing bear who is strong but cute. I liked having Poppy try to hide behind Jerry when she got scared, which usually gave away Jerry’s hiding spot in a very funny way that kiddo started asking for by the end, and we had a good time filling these characters’ shoes.

Mechanics for Dice the Halls use d12go

Dice the Halls uses d12go for it’s mechanics, which is a system I’ve previously played and reviewed here (if you want some extra detail/explinations).

Esentially, you will roll a d12 and apply the modifiers on your character sheet or teamwork bonuses then compare the total to a table explaining the outcomes for the type of roll you’re doing (i.e. getting a 6-8 on an uncontested roll could be a questionable success, getting a 1-3 on a contested roll lets you do 1 limit damage to an opponent or object).

There’s a quick reference rules breakdown that comes with the game to get you up to speed on the d12go system, and it is pretty easy to follow, especially with having pre-made characters as examples for how to set it all up. The quickstart rules take one full spread (equating to one 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper) to explain and then have one half-sheet that covers the outcome tables.

Overall thoughts on Dice the Halls

We definitely liked Dice the Halls, and it was just the right attitude and speed for what kiddo and I wanted in a holiday TTRPG adventure. The pre-made characters were a blast, the story was fun to explore, and the mechanics definitely facilitated play in a fun way and did not act as any kind of complex barrier to that play. I think this TTRPG is great for any age, but it would be particularly great for young players who want a lighthearted adventure and new players who are excited to tell a Christmas themed story together.

Find a copy of Dice the Halls

You can find a copy of Dice the Halls on DriveThruRPG!

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