Questions tagged [horror]
For questions regarding the horror genre, and horror themed games, campaigns, adventures and so on.
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How can I invoke actual fear in my players?
I'm a DM that focuses heavily on story, description and setting. My goal is to send players home wanting — no, longing — to actually be part of the mythos I've created.
The ultimate goal for me as a ...
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6
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Preventing saturation in a horror campaign
I am currently designing my first horror campaign and what I've come up with so far is pretty dark and gruesome. I worry that if it is gut wrenching the whole way through, eventually the players will ...
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Why wouldn’t I just run away from the eldritch horror?
I am struggling with character motivations in Call of Cthulhu or similarly investigative horror settings. For some reason I seem to have issues imagining the reasoning behind characters who really ...
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What is the Five Layer Model of horror scenario design?
I'm designing a horror part of my campaign. I've heard of the Five Layer Model for horror scenario design but I'm not sure what it is. Has anyone heard of it and if so can you either explain it or ...
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12
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Tried all the existing advice, but players still never roleplay fear
I've read some other posts on here about how to telegraph danger to my PCs and how to make them flee. The problem is, I believe I am actively using all the strategies in both of the posts and my PCs ...
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16
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How do I get the PCs to visit scary places at night?
Sometimes when I design scenarios, I realize that my mental image of the adventure is only exciting because it takes place at night. When the players actually play through the adventure, they might ...
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How to make combat encounters terrifying?
I'm running a 5e, self-written, horror/psychological themed adventure for a group of experienced players this weekend. Noting that many players have the mindset of "meh, if this character dies I'll ...
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How to make a dense, immersive horror atmosphere?
I'm currently narrating a horror-esque campaign set in a dystopian future based on the Lovecraft Mythos.
My problem is that my players break their own sense of immersion often, making the game seem ...
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3
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How to deal with players breaking the game mood by overplaying their characters
Following this question
Imagine, that you are trying to create a dark and scary situation: haunted mansion, spooky forest, ancient crypt... There is something out there that definitely is malevolent ...
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23
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6
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How to fight the unseen, and still keep things interesting?
In a horror themed campaign with a Lovecraftian feeling, a big part of the game is a constant feeling of threat, but without any visual stimuli other than glimpses, or sounds vaguely heard of things ...
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6
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How to implicate the players in the horror?
Good horror implicates the watcher/reader, at least in drama. There is always moment when the audience should cry out, "no, stop, don't!" but of course we don't because we're a well-behaved audience, ...
anon186
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How can I deal with a "goof-ball" player in my WoD group?
I am a storyteller in a World of Darkness group, and I'm about to start designing a new scenario. However one of my players (let's call him Eric) is worrying me. Eric usually goes the goofball route ...
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17
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4
answers
538
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Isolation and the unknown in modern horror/investigative scenarios
I am currently planning my next long term game and intend to run a Cthulhu based campaign set in the modern era. I have experience of writing scenarios for the 1920's, but am having issues with some ...
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5
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What could replace the fear of dying in a spirit world?
I'm planning an adventure where after death, the PCs go to a kind of shadow world, as spirits. What would replace the fear of dying when you're already dead?
What should I do to avoid a horror ...
- 243
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4
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What kind of SF horror does Eclipse Phase lend itself to?
Assume I know only the barest minimum about Eclipse Phase: just read a blurb or two.
What kinds of horror stories does Eclipse Phase lend itself to?
(What are the 'signature' horror elements of the ...
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13
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Can Lovecraftesque do one-room horror?
I'm planning an adventure which seems very suited to Lovecraftesque except for this one thing: all the horror takes place in a confined space which the Witness never leaves.
This seems like a problem,...
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How can I convey and sustain a level of realism in a given horror campaign? [closed]
TL;DR:
How to convey to the players, beyond explicit statements (which sometimes doesn't work), a level of realism that you as GM expect for a given horror campaign? How could this level of realism be ...
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5
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How can I discover if players would react positively to a change of tone for a game without them knowing of the change?
I'm currently running a game of Cyberpunk 2020 for a couple of friends. Things are incredibly silly so far and the group seems to really like it. To get an idea of what I've run them through so far:
...
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13
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2
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887
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How do I set up an atmosphere of alienation and horror for a halloween game?
It is Halloween soon and I am planning to run a horror game featuring zombies. Lots of zombies. In fact, hordes of zombies. The setting is more akin to Walking Dead than Shawn of the Dead and is ...
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How do I design a Christmas-themed horror adventure?
'Tis soon the season and I want to treat my players to a Christmas-themed adventure as part of my ongoing horror campaign. I want to keep the horror element, but I don't mind mixing in a bit of humor ...
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12
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3
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What can I have the players do in my surreal horror scenario?
I'm gonna have the vast majority of my campaign take place in a large strange misty forest and I'm not gonna have any friendly human NPCs around too explain things.
Here is the premise:
After a ...
- 1,531
11
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9
answers
688
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What monsters can be interesting as PCs? [closed]
I believe that the premise of the player as the monster of the game quite compelling. Vampire: The Masquerade is obviously the pioneer in this genre, and other creatures such as werewolves, ghosts and ...
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What is this 1990s horror game of otherworldly PCs dealing with monsters on modern Earth?
In the 1990s I once played a horror RPG. I'd like to track it down again but I'm unable to figure out what it was. As best I can remember:
The PCs are powerful, almost alien beings. Players had a ...
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11
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2
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860
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How to execute horror when there is safety in numbers
Questions such as this one and this one cover how to execute horror in a role-playing game fairly thoroughly. This process must be modified, however, when the traditional trappings of a game session ...
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3
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How do I keep a horror-like feeling with supernatural powered PCs?
I'm going to use Savage Worlds to run a horror campaign in a modern day setting; think X-Files or Supernatural.
My players all agree and are excited about the horror concept, but they want to be able ...
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10
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5
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12k
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How to GM a zombie-apocalypse game? [closed]
I was asked, not a long time ago, to GM a zombie-apocalypse one-shot. Being versed in horror-GMing, I decided to approach the genre as I approach most other genres of horror, but I've encountered a ...
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10
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2
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Where can I find a horror adventure/campaign writing guide?
I seem to remember an old (ebook format?) book I read, with instructions on how to write a quality adventure based in the Ravenloft universe. The book was distinguished by writing in a general style, ...
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2
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Do consent forms genuinely contribute to safer playing environments in practice?
The new hype this year seems to be consent forms for RPG Sessions, especially in the contexts of horror games. There are many kinds of consent forms, but their function is in letting people provide a ...
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Where can I find a non-Lovecraftian medieval religious horror game that will inspire dread in my players?
I am looking for a game which explores the Horror genre, specifically by instilling Dread in my players, I also need the game to focus on religous horror and Magic Realism. I would like the mechanics ...
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Are there any mechanics for tracking sanity or performing sanity checks?
I am playing DnD since 3e and recently my fellas and I bought the 5e books. I already DM them in some eldritch-horror style campaigns.
Back in the days of 3 and 3.5, characters used to have sanity ...
- 1,047
7
votes
5
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602
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Modern or future polar horror adventure [closed]
I'm looking for a contemporary or sci-fi horror adventure (for any such rpg), set in a polar – Arctic or Antarctic or alternate planet – environment.
Mind you, I'll be trying to come up with my own ...
- 39.3k
6
votes
2
answers
710
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How can I simulate paranoia in a Call of Cthulhu One-Shot?
I'm a new GM to Call of Cthulhu. I want to play a One-Shot where paranoia and hallucinations play a big role (English isn’t my first language, so sorry if some phrases are weird).
My idea is ...
6
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1
answer
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Creating Horror Atmosphere [closed]
I'm relatively new to DMing/GMing. All the people that I play with have DMed at least a few times. The only thing I've run is a prefab from Tales of the Yawning Portal.
My problem
I want to make a ...
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6
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2
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Are the dreamlands compatible with the Cthulhu Mythos-like RPG?
Reading the stories of H. P. Lovecraft always felt like glimpsing a dark realm in which mankind is insignificant. The greater powers (mythos creatures) at work are so powerful and alien to us that the ...
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1
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Where can I find free horror-themed stock audio for zombie campaigns? [closed]
Does anyone know where I can find free stock audio to enhance my campaign? I am working of my first zombie RPG and all the places I normally go for stock sounds don't have any horror stuff.
I'm ...
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4
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0
answers
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Looking for a specific horror gaming podcast
This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but I'm trying to find a specific horror gaming podcast I listened to a few episodes of way, way back.
Things I know about it:
It had one, male, speaker.
It ...
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3
votes
0
answers
178
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Good system for Jekyll and Hyde games? [closed]
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Two-Face in Batman. The Incredible Hulk. Jekyll and Hyde. Green Goblin.
I'm looking to build a game revolving ...
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0
answers
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Looking for a system: Epidemic Outbreak [closed]
What system could suit a short-term survival-horror campaign focused on a "realistic" epidemic outbreak scenario? (Realistic as in crunchy or gritty-ish, I know it's pretty vague, sorry)
I'm thinking ...
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vote
1
answer
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What is a thematic way for a Horror Antagonist to wager with a PC? [closed]
The PC's need to get some information from an information broker in a Horror game. (Think of it as an information demon.) The stakes are dire but not deadly. I want some way for them to compete/wager/...
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vote
0
answers
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What mechanics from other rpgs could I introduce into my Call of Cthulhu game to make it scarier? [closed]
I will use an example to illustrate my question. If I wanted to make my player`s characters more complex and support/motivate my players to actually role-play, then I would take the char belief ...
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Could the Banishment spell be used to separate an NPC from an aberration growing inside it? [duplicate]
Backdrop: A horror-themed campaign that heavily draws upon the Lovecraft mythos, using the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset.
Situation: The party has encountered a story arc inspired by the ...
