Once again we must interrupt your regularly-scheduled OnTableTop content for an emergency flash bulletin - Santa’s workshop and the village at the North Pole are ONCE AGAIN under attack!

Check Out Previous Carnage Battles Here

It’s become something of a tradition, folks, where for one silly, playful reason or another, a new army musters its forces for an assault on Santa’s north pole retreat. It all started when I noticed that some of my girlfriend’s “Winter Village” decorations and figurines looked a little like wargaming terrain and miniatures, and the rest is history.

To defend against these incursions, Santa has established the brave and elite North Pole Defense Force (NPDF), a highly-trained militia to protect the warm wishes and good cheer of Santa and his winter village during the holiday season.

So far, the NPDF has fended off attacks from early WWII Soviet armor, a 1985 Soviet tank-helicopter task force, a squadron of Clan Ghost Bear battlemechs, a supernatural army of dinosaurs and dragons commanded by Mumm-Ra of Thundercats infamy, and finally, a legion commanded by cephalopod minions of Cthulhu.

Every year the NPDF grows as a few figures are added. This year a few more snowmen are added to the Mammoth Brigade and three new bears are added to the Polar Bear Brigade. At the very of the battle we may see some surprise reinforcements from the Sitrep team!

But this year the threat is perhaps the gravest yet. A platoon of infantry troopers from the Halo universe (perhaps confused as to what universe they’re in) has launched an attack on Santa’s Christmas workshop and village. At the moment no one quite knows why a question will have to wait until after the North Pole is saved!

These Halo figures are actually Mega Bloks toys bought on the cheap. Some had to be re-equipped, some touched up, others repainted from head to toe. Posed and put on simple bases, they made a fast, fun, and inexpensive army … if somewhat oversized (each figure is almost two inches tall). This will be their first “use” on a gaming table.

The battle begins! Now intelligence on this attacking army is incomplete (i.e., Halo 2 is as far as I ever made it in the Halo universe) but surely Santa’s rustic force can’t hold out against a high-tech, armored, highly-trained force of sci-fi super-soldiers armed to the proverbial teeth!

Now what I really wish I had here was a Warthog or an M808B Scorpion or some such, a full-scale Halo vehicle to form the centrepiece of this army. For how this scratch-built battlemech (originally built for a 15mm “Team Yankee-BattleTech” conversion army) will have to fill the role.

Long-time community members will probably remember how these North Pole battles always turn out. Somehow the fulcrum of destiny always comes down to the fearsome Bumble snow monster from the classic “Rudolf” animated movie.

Once again Christmas is saved, and another chapter of “Christmas Carnage” is in the books. I’ve seen Christmas-themed minis in the project threads, so I KNOW some of you have great armies you could easily convert to a temporary Christmas theme. Has anyone else thought of trying something like this for a bit of holiday fun?

It’s been another great year at OnTableTop. Here’s wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season, and of course a great New Year!

By @oriskany

May your 2020 come up with tons of sixes!