Comments on: Suspense, or something like it… http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.php Never Adventure Alone Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:02:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Reid http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.php/comment-page-1#comment-208 Reid Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:10:00 +0000 http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.html#comment-208 I've had good luck with Dread for RPG horror. It's very, very different from D&D. It uses a Jenga tower as its only resolution system (pull from the tower to succeed at a hard task, if the tower falls, your character dies/is eliminated in some other way). Webiste and quick rules are at http://www.tiltingatwindmills.net/dread/ I’ve had good luck with Dread for RPG horror. It’s very, very different from D&D. It uses a Jenga tower as its only resolution system (pull from the tower to succeed at a hard task, if the tower falls, your character dies/is eliminated in some other way). Webiste and quick rules are at http://www.tiltingatwindmills.net/dread/

]]> By: Benjamin http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.php/comment-page-1#comment-203 Benjamin Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:09:00 +0000 http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.html#comment-203 I successfully ran part 1 of my D&D Halloween game last night for eight players. We played by candle light, used a spooky, custom soundtrack, opened with a scary cutscene and eerie details, and enacted a system of notes and taking players to the next room for spot rolls, knowledge checks, sanity, and the like. The whole adventure is one of isolation (the setting is a haunted dungeon the party got sealed into); the rules aren't helping them make sense of the situation when the dungeon itself is out to get them; the ghosts of past adventurers that haunt it don't follow the rules of reality; and in a one shot game like this one, there is no mercy in the deadliness of the encounters. What really has them scared, however, is the unknown. There are some monsters from the Monster Manual, but the harmless ghosts that are leading them into harms way and the Amityville-House nature of the dungeon are the most eerie aspects of the adventure. I successfully ran part 1 of my D&D Halloween game last night for eight players. We played by candle light, used a spooky, custom soundtrack, opened with a scary cutscene and eerie details, and enacted a system of notes and taking players to the next room for spot rolls, knowledge checks, sanity, and the like. The whole adventure is one of isolation (the setting is a haunted dungeon the party got sealed into); the rules aren’t helping them make sense of the situation when the dungeon itself is out to get them; the ghosts of past adventurers that haunt it don’t follow the rules of reality; and in a one shot game like this one, there is no mercy in the deadliness of the encounters. What really has them scared, however, is the unknown. There are some monsters from the Monster Manual, but the harmless ghosts that are leading them into harms way and the Amityville-House nature of the dungeon are the most eerie aspects of the adventure.

]]> By: Vanir http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.php/comment-page-1#comment-199 Vanir Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:03:00 +0000 http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.html#comment-199 The thought occurs to me that perhaps Sanity/Fear should be handled by the GM and the players shouldn't necessarily know how sane they still are.<br/><br/>That way when something crazy happens, and they start seeing things, they're not sure what's real and what's not, or if their party memeber is actually a bloodsucking ghoul from hell aaaahhhhhhhhhh The thought occurs to me that perhaps Sanity/Fear should be handled by the GM and the players shouldn’t necessarily know how sane they still are.

That way when something crazy happens, and they start seeing things, they’re not sure what’s real and what’s not, or if their party memeber is actually a bloodsucking ghoul from hell aaaahhhhhhhhhh

]]> By: Doug Hagler http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.php/comment-page-1#comment-196 Doug Hagler Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:42:00 +0000 http://www.stupidranger.com/2007/10/suspense-or-something-like-it.html#comment-196 Horror is by far the hardest genre of game to pull off well. I think its a little harder in D&D than in some other games, because part of horror is powerlessness and the fear of the unknown, and D&D characters are almost never really powerless, and D&D players are usually pretty familiar with what monsters are out there. At the very least, monsters in D&D are everyday encounters.<br/><br/>I like Call of Cthulhu in most of its incarnations, but the Sanity/Fear system can just be tossed. What I've found works well is rewarding players who roleplay fear actively. This encourages everyone to get into the situation, and before you know it they begin to feel afraid. This can be as simple as little tokens that allow re-rolls, just given out as the game progresses, or whatever other kind of point or whatever that makes sense in the game. The subtle reinforcement helps bring people out of their shells and ideally players start feeding off of each other. Horror is by far the hardest genre of game to pull off well. I think its a little harder in D&D than in some other games, because part of horror is powerlessness and the fear of the unknown, and D&D characters are almost never really powerless, and D&D players are usually pretty familiar with what monsters are out there. At the very least, monsters in D&D are everyday encounters.

I like Call of Cthulhu in most of its incarnations, but the Sanity/Fear system can just be tossed. What I’ve found works well is rewarding players who roleplay fear actively. This encourages everyone to get into the situation, and before you know it they begin to feel afraid. This can be as simple as little tokens that allow re-rolls, just given out as the game progresses, or whatever other kind of point or whatever that makes sense in the game. The subtle reinforcement helps bring people out of their shells and ideally players start feeding off of each other.

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