Get into the Christmas Spirit Through a Solo RPG Advent Calendar

Welcome to the issue for July 21, 2026. Today, we’re taking a look at Becky Annison at Black Armada and its latest project: Advent Adventures. These are a pair of solo TTRPGs designed for people to use during Christmas for journaling prompts. Players will open each prompt alongside the traditional Advent schedule in December.

You heard me. An Advent calendar of solo journaling prompts. Two of them, actually!

There’s the Advent of Adventure, a solo experience aimed at a more whimsical, jolly experience that families can enjoy together.

Then there’s the Advent of Abomination, a horror experience influenced by historic folk horror of yore for adults of darker tastes

TTRPG Insider sat down with Black Armada Games’ Josh Fox and Becky Annison to talk about the inspiration behind the product and why players may enjoy it as a new way to embrace the holiday season. And it’s just in time for Christmas in July!¹

1. What inspired the notion of connecting Advent and journaling prompts?

Black Armada Games: It felt like such a natural pairing. There are many wonderful prompt-a-day-style solo journaling games because the format of solo RPGs lends itself so well to that experience. A door a day just works perfectly with that. And combining it with the tactile feeling you get when opening an Advent calendar takes the experience to another level. The surprise of the daily prompt combined with the nostalgia of a daily treat for Advent just feels lovely.

2. Why make a version of this for children and adults?

Black Armada Games: We have two calendars. In Advent of Adventure, a lone elf is saving Christmas from the Dragon who’s invaded the North Pole. It’s great for adults who love fantasy-adventure games, but it’s also a perfect fit for kids, thanks to its cozy, cute design. Let’s face it, solo journaling games are a great way to get kids into roleplaying because most kids love to write stories, so it really would be a crime if we hadn’t used the kid-oriented Advent calendar idea for that.

In Advent of Abomination, you spend a creepy festive holiday alone in a cabin in the woods. That was actually the first Advent calendar game I wrote, because that's squarely in line with mine and Becky's tastes (and lots of our friends) who love a Christmas ghost story or want everything to have a bit of Folk Horror in it or who are just not ready to say goodbye to Halloween by Advent.

Lots of grown-ups will love the cozy tale, and I bet more than a few kids are firmly in Team Abomination! But we wanted to guide parents (especially those with younger kids) to Advent of Adventure first.

But the coloring sheets and sticker packs you can buy with the game are definitely for everyone!

3.  What are the ways you hope to help incentivize children to journal through this experience?

Black Armada Games: Journaling games and creative writing are a great way to enjoy your own company and make something truly your own. It is so easy in this age to only see what algorithms want you see and to forget to check in with your own wild and wonderful brain. Solo journaling does that for us, and that is what we hope children will get to experience and enjoy through playing the game.

I tend to think that kids don’t really need an incentive or excuse to tell stories and be creative. Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” I think we are hoping kids won’t ever forget to create cool, weird stuff, and anything that helps with that is awesome. We’re also trying to encourage folks who play these games to think about drawing and cartooning as options, both because it’s fun and because not everyone loves to write, so for kids (and adults) who are more visual, that’s a great option.

This game will get the imagination of kids fired up and keep giving them a bit more of that spark every day until they get to the end and realise they have finished a whole story all their own. A story you can make any way you like because no-one else ever has to see it.

4. How do the two pathways of journaling prompts compare and contrast? Do you have to purchase both, or could you buy only one set of prompts?

Black Armada Games: You can absolutely buy only one calendar – your choice of Team Adventure or Team Abomination! They’re telling very different stories. Advent of Adventure is more about a thrilling (and maybe funny) game of cat-and-mouse, sort of like Die Hard or Home Alone but with goblins and dragons. Advent of Abomination is bleaker and more creepy, you’re telling a doom-laden horror story after all.

The system for both games is very similar, although there are a couple of extra weird elements to Advent of Abomination so look out for the special symbols.

The main difference is the genre and themes, of the two Advent of Adventure leans more heavily in the Christmas side of things. If you want to go all in on the festive period that is the one to pick.

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Getting into the Season With TTRPGs

5. Is this only intended for those who celebrate Christmas?

Black Armada Games: Absolutely not! This is a great RPG for anyone who wants a solo journaling game in little chunks over a 30-day period. In fact, while Advent of Adventure is strongly Christmas-themed (you are trying to save Santa!), Advent of Abomination could take place at any time of year; it’s a classic cabin-in-the-woods horror story.

Whether or not you practice Christmas, most people in Western countries will notice that the pace picks up around December, we hope everyone gets on board with the idea of carving out time every day to do something quiet and slow before they head back out into the busy period.

6. Beyond the pacing of Advent, are there any other holiday-themed elements or mechanics that make the experience more holiday-oriented?

Black Armada Games:Aside from the form factor, the Christmas theming is all in the story elements. With the Advent of Adventure, that’s very direct and obvious: you’re a Christmas elf at the North Pole in Santa’s workshop! The story is very much about sneaking around, trying to evade capture, and getting to the point where you can rescue Santa, but you also have opportunities to bring to life your vision of that Christmassy setting.

With the Advent of Abomination, the Christmas theming is more subtle. It’s about the feelings and memories that being alone in a cabin provokes, in the context of celebrating Christmas on your own- and juxtaposed with the horror elements.

7. What's something you are excited for fans to discover?

Black Armada Games: The small joy of opening a little door and finding out what happens to your character next.

I don’t want to spoil what’s behind those doors, but one of the delights for me is creating certain characters and items that will feature in your story, while you put your personal creative stamp on the ideas in the game. During playtesting, it was really lovely to see how people came up with very different visions of Christmas wonder and horror, so I’m excited to see what imaginative ideas emerge from this.

A great example from Advent of Adventure is "you unlock a secret weapon, resource, or trick known only to the elves" - there are so many different directions you could take that. I imagine everyone will come up with something unique.

There are similar prompts in Advent of Abomination, but they have a very different feel. For example, "a local legend, fairy story or wild tale” is very much an invitation to come up with a possible blueprint for the rest of the horror story, but sets you up for future horror rather than future success!

There are lots of twists and turns in the prompts for people to enjoy but most of all I want people to get to the end of a busy season of consuming and feel great that they gifted themselves the time to make something!

While the game is crowdfunding out of season, Annison hopes to have it ready in time for the holiday season. You can back the campaign on Kickstarter beginning on July 21, 2026.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to [email protected].

1  I still don’t understand why Christmas in July is a thing. Very capitalistic idea. But hey, if it gets you good deals, good for you.