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Synopsis: We’ve been talking about adventure and campaign design lately, so we thought it would be appropriate for an episode on horror campaigns and how to run them. The pacing for a horror campaign is different because characters in these games tend to wear down through attrition. Thus, you have to take into account their reduced capabilities when designing adventures or plan for a new way to insert new player characters when the existing ones die or go mad. Furthermore, less is more when it comes to horror. A slight aberration from the mundane is often more terrifying than random tentacle monsters. Tom did not write a letter but we do have shout outs and anecdotes.

Shout outs:

Song: Forest of Fear by Bob Dean

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:25 — 53.9MB)

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Halloween is right around the corner so we are once again talking about running terrifying games. RPGs can’t really provide shocks like film or TV, but it’s still possible to run a truly scary game by keeping a few principles in mind. Specifically, a GM should focus on presenting ambigious information, giving players some but not total control and characterizing NPCs and monsters well. Tom finally has a letter and some shout outs and a reader letter.

Shout outs:

  • Night of the Hunter: A brilliant and terrifying film blending film noir and fairy tales. Robert Mitchum’s preacher is legendary as the villain.
  • Virus: A 1980 Japanese post apocalyptic sci-fi film. Sonny Chiba’s in it! Hard to find though.
  • Four Dragons: A new Stargate novel written by Diana Botsford.
  • Smother Brothers’ Comedy Hour: Comedy in an era of censorship. Funny stuff.
  • Salvage: A British horror film with great acting and very gameable material.
  • Ghost Stories: a horror-comedy anime series.

Music: Danse Macabre by David Kempers

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:26:58 — 59.7MB)

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A group of prisoners has been shipped to a remote laboratory in Nazi Germany during the final days of World War 2. But when they arrive, their guards disappear and they are left to their own devices. The lab is deep within the wilderness and a raging snowstorm makes escape on foot impossible. What happened to the lab’s personnel and what is still inside? Find out in Tom’s second playtest of Divine Fire, a WW2 Call of Cthulhu scenario.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:15:01 — 67.0MB)

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