Comments on: Heroes in Horror: When GM expectations and PC design don’t mix

By: rwenderlich

rwenderlich — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:01:18 +0000

The thing I find rough about horror games is often one of the main reasons to play a RPG game is so that you can be a hero, kicking ass. In horror RPGs, it's all about things being a lot tougher than you are - and you have to turn tail and run. Which doesn't make you feel like much of a badass hero. I guess it's all about frame of mind - sometimes it is interesting to feel a bit scared in a game, rather than feeling constantly invulnerable, it increases the tension.

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By: Walt Ciechanowski

Walt Ciechanowski — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:49:47 +0000

@ Koldhaart – You reminded me of the point 6 that I forgot to add: Show the effect of the horror several times before finally revealing the horror. Creatures are scarier when they attack from the shadows quickly, quietly, and lethally than if they just pop up and snarl at the PCs.

@Lucas – I agree with you entirely. If I had a party of people like you around the table, I wouldn’t have needed to write this article at all.

By: BryanB

BryanB — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:54:38 +0000

I’ve also had little success in running or playing in horror games. Even when I tried to emphasize the gothic horror elements of the Ravenloft Campaign Setting, the players would dismiss the horror elements by treating the game as little more than hack and slash affair with a different overlay.

I did play in a Call of Chuthulu game years ago that was a very good effort on the part of the GM. But again, the players I gamed with tried to treat it as nothing more than gun enthusiasts hunting down monsters. That was a sure fire way to get everyone killed using that system and the party didn’t it make it out of the first session of play. Fun? Yes. Long-term? Not at all.

By: Lucas Mannell

Lucas Mannell — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:05:16 +0000

While I've never actually run a horror game, I thought I should point out that a careful choice of game system can greatly increase the chances of the GM's vision surviving contact with the PCs. As a quick example, point-based systems such as GURPS can provide an upper limit for PC ability by limiting the ability for the players to buff their characters. I'd also disagree with point 1; while it is a fact that a Navy SEAL has an astronomically better chance of surviving a Horror scenario than an overweight accountant does, I would argue that role-playing as the accountant would be far more enjoyable. To the Accountant, each challenge would provide a greater sense of danger and each success would provide a greater sense of accomplishment. Part of what made Buffy or Shaun of the Dead so interesting was that the protagonists were so normal (well, the Scooby gang was fairly normal...).

By: Koldhaart

Koldhaart — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:58:27 +0000

I honestly love horror-themed scenarios and campaigns, but I have a hard time finding a group in my area who shares the enthusiasm for more than a couple of play sessions. In my experience, though, I've found that in addition to the things you wrote in your article, taking time to explain in detail just *what* is horrific about the situation or the creatures they're up against normally works best. In a quick-fix manner, you basically just give a lot of detail when the PCs actually square off against the threat, or run from it. My favorite solution is to have a short scene where the PCs are in relative safety and can afford some time to look out of a window or from out of some underbrush to see the monsters wreak havoc. However, in that case, you sometimes inadvertently encourage a PC to try and be a hero, either for the sake of killing a monster for XP or saving an innocent you had already created a beautiful, gory death scene for, them thinking they're only witnessing the scene so they can stop it. Of course, if the PC should actually survive the attempt, or even more impossibly, save your doomed NPC, there's a good chance they'll get a taste first-hand of exactly why they *should* be running.

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:02:32 +0000

I haven't had a lot of success running horror games-- I haven't even played in many. Often, it's the superficially normal scenarios that go wrong that prove horrific... I know that I have struggled with getting characters to align with horror movie ideals the few times I have tried it. I like your advice, particularly to accept the action hero... and show that it's a threat that not even a bazooka can solve. And that the nebbish kid who reads Enochian might be the real hero after all.