Halloween

So outside of working today, I managed to drive home, finish off some miniatures and ponder what, if anything, I could speak of on my blog.

For example, today is Halloween. I'm not expert on the roots of the holiday or where its origins are or even some of the more interesting things that series like Ghostbusters with Samhain.

And that in and of itself was my idea.

Today's populace isn't versed in the origins and roots of the holidays. In a fantasy setting or in a setting that's old and incredibly ancient, this can be a dangerous hubris. It may be during these holidays that the dances and celebrations and rituals are designed to keep things our or to keep things the way they've always been. They may be times when things from outside push against the boundries of reality in terms of being ready willing and able to serve.

For example, in Warhammer, demons are pure magic. The reason they don't dominate the world is that the world is magic poor. During certain holidays, perhaps that's no longer true and on those times, the demons are out.

There could be visitations by ancient entities from those origin points. If something dark and horrible and cyclopean staggered through time into our era, in America, would it be pleased to see how commercialized it's all become? Would it ponder why another holiday is already in mid celebration even though another holiday is before that? Or would it simply shrug it's shoulders and go looking for some candy?

Anyway, when thinking about the holidays in your campaign, don't forget their real origins for your campaign and what the current people think those holidays mean. The two aren't necessarily one and the same.