GREATGM: How to run a horror setting in your roleplaying game
How to be a Great GM
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How to run a horror setting in your roleplaying game
UPLOAD SCHEDULE:
Wednesday there is a new How To Be A Great GM.
I also upload a series called How to Be a Great PC on the channel where all the Roleplaying happens with the Bacon Battalion which you can find here: @greatgmlive
I use questions and comments from my subscribers to create the campaign that will be played on this channel , so check it out.
To Stalk the Roleplaying group and myself go here:
Website: https://www.greatgamemaster.com
Facebook: Facebook: Bacon-Battalion-RPG-436480696560037
Twitter: Twitter: BaconRPG
20 Comments
@inomad1313 7 years ago
(Call Of Cthulhu) I once created the feeling of paranoia by having the party watched by the “pet” of an NPC.
I introduced the pet to each of the characters...always while they were alone. Every one of the characters missed the first few perception checks. I would roll my die and ask for a perception check. I just shrugged, “Never mind. What are you doing?” This went on for several sessions until some were paranoid and others were “Meh. Whatever”.
The first time one of them saw it (nat 20), I described it.
I pulled the player away from the others.
Me: “Across the street in the darkness between the street lights, right at the mouth of an ally, you see what appears to be a statue of a small, black dog sitting, about a foot tall facing directly at you. You can see only the faintest outline of its silhouette. It’s ears are triangular and pointed straight up and open towards you. It’s muzzle is long, narrow and ends in a sharp nose. It’s front legs are thin and spindly. It’s tiny little eyes glint red as the last of the street light reflects off of them.
Player: “ I walk towards it.”
Me: “Watching the statue intently, you take a step out into the street. It is then that you realize there is a growing light coming from your left. Roll a reflex save. A car swerves around you. You hear the driver yelling as the car drives off past you. You look back at the ally. The statue is gone.”
A couple of sessions later they had all seen the pet individually. None of the PCs spoke of it to any of the others. I finally allowed all of them to see it sitting under a street light when they were all together. As one of them approached it, it sprinted off and vanished into the shadows.
And that was one of the “good guys” watching/evaluating the PCs. Soon after they garnered the attention of the “bad guys” who they sent their “pet” to watch them. It was not so mundane in its appearance.
But, that’s another story.
I introduced the pet to each of the characters...always while they were alone. Every one of the characters missed the first few perception checks. I would roll my die and ask for a perception check. I just shrugged, “Never mind. What are you doing?” This went on for several sessions until some were paranoid and others were “Meh. Whatever”.
The first time one of them saw it (nat 20), I described it.
I pulled the player away from the others.
Me: “Across the street in the darkness between the street lights, right at the mouth of an ally, you see what appears to be a statue of a small, black dog sitting, about a foot tall facing directly at you. You can see only the faintest outline of its silhouette. It’s ears are triangular and pointed straight up and open towards you. It’s muzzle is long, narrow and ends in a sharp nose. It’s front legs are thin and spindly. It’s tiny little eyes glint red as the last of the street light reflects off of them.
Player: “ I walk towards it.”
Me: “Watching the statue intently, you take a step out into the street. It is then that you realize there is a growing light coming from your left. Roll a reflex save. A car swerves around you. You hear the driver yelling as the car drives off past you. You look back at the ally. The statue is gone.”
A couple of sessions later they had all seen the pet individually. None of the PCs spoke of it to any of the others. I finally allowed all of them to see it sitting under a street light when they were all together. As one of them approached it, it sprinted off and vanished into the shadows.
And that was one of the “good guys” watching/evaluating the PCs. Soon after they garnered the attention of the “bad guys” who they sent their “pet” to watch them. It was not so mundane in its appearance.
But, that’s another story.
@DeadaussieGamer 9 years ago
Something just as important as adding those senses to a horror game, is making a point of their absence. You enter a clearing in the field of corn, the once tall stalks flattened in a strange circular pattern. Upon setting foot in the clearning, the usual sounds of the country-side, the wind, the river and the nearby town fall deathly quiet. You turn and see birds in the trees but can't hear their song.
@heatrez1518 4 years ago
I find that describing some of the 5 senses while avoiding using the words see, hear, smell, feel, touch can make for a more immersive description. Not that I'm great at illustrating a scene, but here's what I mean.
As you enter the cave, you could almost choke on the humid air. Drops of water falling on cold stone pierce the quietness as you descend. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you find yourself in an open chamber.
That at least has a couple senses. You feel the humidity and coldness, hear the drops of water and see darkness of the cave.
As you enter the cave, you could almost choke on the humid air. Drops of water falling on cold stone pierce the quietness as you descend. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you find yourself in an open chamber.
That at least has a couple senses. You feel the humidity and coldness, hear the drops of water and see darkness of the cave.
@charlesluhmann 7 years ago
Story time.
note: I don't enjoy killing party members.
The party of five had just climbed up the side of a mountain (nearly dying in the process) and found a protruding ledge to a cave entrance.
Their informant from the village (few days travel from the mountain) had said that cave was the way to the Ancient Cartographer.
Nature check revealed that the cave was old, unstable, and shouldn't be traversed by anyone.
Wisdom saves revealed that if they didn't go through the cave slowly, it would collapse on top of them.
They camped that night outside the mouth of the cave; in the morning they went in single file (lead by a person with dark vision).
I dimmed the lights and turned on dripping cave sounds.
As they've been walking through, a smell like that of a dying thing began to linger in the air, getting more and more potent as they continued.
Eventually their torches began dying as the damp air of the cave snuffed them out slowly.
They had two people who could use light, but it was still very dim.
I had the leader roll perception.
16
I had the player leave the room with me. I showed him a fraction of the thing stalking them.
He came back.
"Guys, we need to get out of here NOW"
I quieted the sound of the dripping caves and played a new sound. Grotesque breathing.
"We gotta move faster."
I gave them my best guttural scream.
"Roll initiative".
They swung in the dark at the creatures, I showed the ones that could see the creatures what they were fighting.
Their horrified reactions made the other three party members concerned since they were not really being sure as to what they were fighting.
There were only two that they fought but I made their movement speed 50 and made them very powerful, so it seemed like more.
Nearly TPKing them, three of the five party members went unconscious, they finally killed the creatures and found out there were only two.
Upon inspection of the corpses, I showed them a picture. (google necromorph slasher)
None of them had seen those creatures before and were appalled.
After the battle I had them all roll Wisdom saves. (That will come into play later)
They found a latter and climbed it.
It leads to an old door with light pouring through it.
They opened it to find a bunch of monks training on top of the mountain; their master was the powerful Ancient Cartographer.
The Cartographer, dressed as a monk, gave them the map they sought after.
They asked about the creatures in the cave.
He explained that long ago, there was a plague that transformed people into abominations, even more so than the most infamous necromancers had accomplished. It had been able to nearly wiped out all life on the planet and so the Cartographer and his people came up to this mountain to escape it's devouring power. When the plague had been banished by ancient great heroes, the Cartographer and his followers decided to stay up there and start a martial arts school.
They asked to stay and rest before returning.
The Cartographer declined because his senses revealed that some of the party had become infected with a plague.
The party left and returned to the cave.
They continued through the cave again in single file.
Another perception check by the member in the back.
14
"You hear it behind you and above you too".
"Above us?"
He sends a light Cantrip above the party.
There was a fissure in the ceiling of the cave.
They start seriously considering running through the cave.
As they talked it over something happened:
Another one of the creatures swooped down from the ceiling, and attempted to grapple the person in the middle of the party.
He contested but rolled a critical fail.
His torso was impaled by both its' claws and it attempted pulling him into the ceiling.
I kid you not, it rolled a nat 20 for strength to pull him into the hole in the ceiling of the cave.
The creature was now pulling him through an extremely narrow tunnel in the ceiling of the cave.
He tried fighting it but rolled poorly.
The creature rolled really well.
It killed him.
Everyone was shocked.
I explained to them, "You watch through the dim light as one of the creatures swoops down, impales Norrak, and pulls him into the ceiling. You hear him screaming and struggling but then he goes quiet".
"Alright we're getting the f**k out of here". -- Paladin
They ran to the exit, those things chasing them and the cave collapsing behind them.
They narrowly escaped as the cave entrance crumbled behind them.
note: I don't enjoy killing party members.
The party of five had just climbed up the side of a mountain (nearly dying in the process) and found a protruding ledge to a cave entrance.
Their informant from the village (few days travel from the mountain) had said that cave was the way to the Ancient Cartographer.
Nature check revealed that the cave was old, unstable, and shouldn't be traversed by anyone.
Wisdom saves revealed that if they didn't go through the cave slowly, it would collapse on top of them.
They camped that night outside the mouth of the cave; in the morning they went in single file (lead by a person with dark vision).
I dimmed the lights and turned on dripping cave sounds.
As they've been walking through, a smell like that of a dying thing began to linger in the air, getting more and more potent as they continued.
Eventually their torches began dying as the damp air of the cave snuffed them out slowly.
They had two people who could use light, but it was still very dim.
I had the leader roll perception.
16
I had the player leave the room with me. I showed him a fraction of the thing stalking them.
He came back.
"Guys, we need to get out of here NOW"
I quieted the sound of the dripping caves and played a new sound. Grotesque breathing.
"We gotta move faster."
I gave them my best guttural scream.
"Roll initiative".
They swung in the dark at the creatures, I showed the ones that could see the creatures what they were fighting.
Their horrified reactions made the other three party members concerned since they were not really being sure as to what they were fighting.
There were only two that they fought but I made their movement speed 50 and made them very powerful, so it seemed like more.
Nearly TPKing them, three of the five party members went unconscious, they finally killed the creatures and found out there were only two.
Upon inspection of the corpses, I showed them a picture. (google necromorph slasher)
None of them had seen those creatures before and were appalled.
After the battle I had them all roll Wisdom saves. (That will come into play later)
They found a latter and climbed it.
It leads to an old door with light pouring through it.
They opened it to find a bunch of monks training on top of the mountain; their master was the powerful Ancient Cartographer.
The Cartographer, dressed as a monk, gave them the map they sought after.
They asked about the creatures in the cave.
He explained that long ago, there was a plague that transformed people into abominations, even more so than the most infamous necromancers had accomplished. It had been able to nearly wiped out all life on the planet and so the Cartographer and his people came up to this mountain to escape it's devouring power. When the plague had been banished by ancient great heroes, the Cartographer and his followers decided to stay up there and start a martial arts school.
They asked to stay and rest before returning.
The Cartographer declined because his senses revealed that some of the party had become infected with a plague.
The party left and returned to the cave.
They continued through the cave again in single file.
Another perception check by the member in the back.
14
"You hear it behind you and above you too".
"Above us?"
He sends a light Cantrip above the party.
There was a fissure in the ceiling of the cave.
They start seriously considering running through the cave.
As they talked it over something happened:
Another one of the creatures swooped down from the ceiling, and attempted to grapple the person in the middle of the party.
He contested but rolled a critical fail.
His torso was impaled by both its' claws and it attempted pulling him into the ceiling.
I kid you not, it rolled a nat 20 for strength to pull him into the hole in the ceiling of the cave.
The creature was now pulling him through an extremely narrow tunnel in the ceiling of the cave.
He tried fighting it but rolled poorly.
The creature rolled really well.
It killed him.
Everyone was shocked.
I explained to them, "You watch through the dim light as one of the creatures swoops down, impales Norrak, and pulls him into the ceiling. You hear him screaming and struggling but then he goes quiet".
"Alright we're getting the f**k out of here". -- Paladin
They ran to the exit, those things chasing them and the cave collapsing behind them.
They narrowly escaped as the cave entrance crumbled behind them.
@Jetwolf 6 years ago (edited)
The best thing about running horror, is that even if the PCs DO goof off a bit (especially with gallows humor) the horror can actually still creep in with the mirth, and tension will often still ramp up and catch them unawares. So don't freak out if some humor does creep into your horror game! One liners from players can often also suggest they are nervous and you're doing a good job.
@VisonsofFalseTruths 8 years ago
"Hey man you want a glass of water?"
"Nah man, your tap water taste like jizz."
"Nah man, your tap water taste like jizz."
@chdmann 10 years ago (edited)
For a Horror-orientated Campaign, I actually have my players make multiple characters... and then had the party locked in a Mansion (Giant Mimic) that changes room interiors to subtly begin to digest the party...
"The roof begins to slowly drip with a warm liquid. A loud hiss and warmth on your arm is felt as an acrid smell fills the air... A tendril juts out of the floor and rolls die ensnares (PC) before rolls die trying to drag them down within the floor..."
"The roof begins to slowly drip with a warm liquid. A loud hiss and warmth on your arm is felt as an acrid smell fills the air... A tendril juts out of the floor and rolls die ensnares (PC) before rolls die trying to drag them down within the floor..."
@jesternario 9 years ago
The problem I've always had with horror is the element of disempowerment. Horror is about helplessness; the protagonists must feel that they cannot overcome the evil ultimately. It is key to the genre, and almost all successful horror movies deal with individuals that slowly realize that they are incapable when it comes to dealing with whatever is after them.
The problem with this is that players do not WANT to be disempowered. They do not want to feel helpless. They want to overcome, they want to defeat the evil. They want to WIN. Even the ones that agree that the game is about stories and there is no real winner want to WIN. They want to be the big powerful hero against the evil. They don't mind starting
powerless, but they want to ultimately want to gain a super amount of power and be the gods they see themselves as. And when you take that from them, they bitch and moan and decide to go play a game of 40k.
I'm not saying that all players are like this, but all the ones I've dealt with are. I would love to hear suggestions about dealing with this problem.
The problem with this is that players do not WANT to be disempowered. They do not want to feel helpless. They want to overcome, they want to defeat the evil. They want to WIN. Even the ones that agree that the game is about stories and there is no real winner want to WIN. They want to be the big powerful hero against the evil. They don't mind starting
powerless, but they want to ultimately want to gain a super amount of power and be the gods they see themselves as. And when you take that from them, they bitch and moan and decide to go play a game of 40k.
I'm not saying that all players are like this, but all the ones I've dealt with are. I would love to hear suggestions about dealing with this problem.
@LrdAsmodeous 8 years ago
I disagree with your description of Horror. I tend to follow Stephen King's breakdown of the 3 types of terror:
The Gross-out (what you set up the premise talking about, needs no further description).
Horror: The unnatural. Spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm.
And Terror (imo, the best): when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact replica. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around there's nothing there.
As a GM I always try to err towards the last one, with some of the second. I find the former - the gross out - to be cheap thrills and not really... effective in maintaining a feeling of true horror.
Personal preference, though.
The Gross-out (what you set up the premise talking about, needs no further description).
Horror: The unnatural. Spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm.
And Terror (imo, the best): when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact replica. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around there's nothing there.
As a GM I always try to err towards the last one, with some of the second. I find the former - the gross out - to be cheap thrills and not really... effective in maintaining a feeling of true horror.
Personal preference, though.
@poorme1art 3 years ago
5:33 or an invisible force that won't stop tickling you until you die due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
@AlluMan96 8 years ago
Of course, as a particular fan of horror personally, scripting and writing an appropriate horror story is also about understanding what kind of horror you want to convey. Horror is a fascinating genre, as it is very rich in it's development and the interesting angles people have taken with it.
My personal favorite is the Classical horror setup. One that is less horrific and visceral, but more moody, eerie and sort of a cross-breed of drama and thriller. You look at alot of older horror stories like Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man or even War of the Worlds to an extent, the idea is reflection. We use the horrific creatures and the grotesque displays to explore the human condition, painting humanity in a dark light. Sorta using inhumanity as a message of the faults of humanity. Vampires are not just bloodsucking half-bats, they are an allegory for unrestricted hedonism and the predatory nature of how people will use others for their own gain, hurting them and destroying them as they go, then discarding them aside when they've outlived their use.
With classic horror, however, using an excess in gore and overtly disturbing situations can end up hurting you, because the idea is an unsettled mood as opposed to an oppressively panic-inducing mood. Classic horror relies on foggy cemetaries and the hypnotizing gaze of a killer paralyzing you as he goes for the kill. Not "The rotting, rancid corpse begins to boil under it's skin, before erupting in a stream of blood and maggots, spraying each of you with scalding blood as maggots begin biting on your skin."
Another great one is Lovecraftian horror, because this is where the horrific get's to shine brightest. In it's simplest terms, Lovecraftian horror is all about the realization that you are insignificant and truly helpless against forces alien and beyond you. It doesn't have to rely on sci-fi, although the pricipals are best served by a sci-fi setting. Lovecraftian horror is simply about taking all hope away from your players, as even trying to comprehend the situation you've found yourself in is enough to drive one to suicide. Here's where you really get to flaunt some gore and horrific concepts, as it's all about being oppressively dark and dismal next to the subtly brooding and eerie classic horror.
Of course, horror elements can also be spliced into many genres. From Dusk Till Dawn, American Psycho, Brain Dead, Resident Evil, there is proof across most media that there is room for horror being fun as well. An almost comedic engine for how fucked you can end up in life, drawing upon miserable things in the world and cranking them so far into lunacy that they become entertainment.
My personal favorite is the Classical horror setup. One that is less horrific and visceral, but more moody, eerie and sort of a cross-breed of drama and thriller. You look at alot of older horror stories like Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man or even War of the Worlds to an extent, the idea is reflection. We use the horrific creatures and the grotesque displays to explore the human condition, painting humanity in a dark light. Sorta using inhumanity as a message of the faults of humanity. Vampires are not just bloodsucking half-bats, they are an allegory for unrestricted hedonism and the predatory nature of how people will use others for their own gain, hurting them and destroying them as they go, then discarding them aside when they've outlived their use.
With classic horror, however, using an excess in gore and overtly disturbing situations can end up hurting you, because the idea is an unsettled mood as opposed to an oppressively panic-inducing mood. Classic horror relies on foggy cemetaries and the hypnotizing gaze of a killer paralyzing you as he goes for the kill. Not "The rotting, rancid corpse begins to boil under it's skin, before erupting in a stream of blood and maggots, spraying each of you with scalding blood as maggots begin biting on your skin."
Another great one is Lovecraftian horror, because this is where the horrific get's to shine brightest. In it's simplest terms, Lovecraftian horror is all about the realization that you are insignificant and truly helpless against forces alien and beyond you. It doesn't have to rely on sci-fi, although the pricipals are best served by a sci-fi setting. Lovecraftian horror is simply about taking all hope away from your players, as even trying to comprehend the situation you've found yourself in is enough to drive one to suicide. Here's where you really get to flaunt some gore and horrific concepts, as it's all about being oppressively dark and dismal next to the subtly brooding and eerie classic horror.
Of course, horror elements can also be spliced into many genres. From Dusk Till Dawn, American Psycho, Brain Dead, Resident Evil, there is proof across most media that there is room for horror being fun as well. An almost comedic engine for how fucked you can end up in life, drawing upon miserable things in the world and cranking them so far into lunacy that they become entertainment.
@nolanddean5680 7 years ago
I don't know what you were feeling, but I was definitly horrorfied by the alien.
@BerntBaloney13 7 years ago
I'm actually GMing for the first time and I've had a lot of horror influences in it
@leftistadvocate9718 8 years ago
why stop at the 5.
6 sense of pain. the difference to a sense of pain and the sense of touch is you feel pain after the knife has touched you
7 sense of temperature, different nerve endings. and you don't need something to touch you to feel heat
8 sense of time. this can be fun if you know what you're doing
9 sense of balance
6 sense of pain. the difference to a sense of pain and the sense of touch is you feel pain after the knife has touched you
7 sense of temperature, different nerve endings. and you don't need something to touch you to feel heat
8 sense of time. this can be fun if you know what you're doing
9 sense of balance
GREATGM: How to run a horror setting in your roleplaying game
How to be a Great GM
124,591 views
How to run a horror setting in your roleplaying game
UPLOAD SCHEDULE:
Wednesday there is a new How To Be A Great GM.
I also upload a series called How to Be a Great PC on the channel where all the Roleplaying happens with the Bacon Battalion which you can find here: @greatgmlive
I use questions and comments from my subscribers to create the campaign that will be played on this channel , so check it out.
To Stalk the Roleplaying group and myself go here:
Website: https://www.greatgamemaster.com
Facebook: Facebook: Bacon-Battalion-RPG-436480696560037
Twitter: Twitter: BaconRPG
Hopelessness - there must be an element that the thing (whatever it is) removes hope. Whether it's a virus, a man-eating swarm of insects, a shape-shifting alien creature, whatever - it has to be able to generate a sense of being confined. If you have a dimmer switch to control the lighting in your gaming area, dim the lights very very slightly. Enough so that it's noticeable to the perceptive, but not so much as to be obvious. If it's pointed out, shrug and say things look normal to you. Lighting has a strong effect on emotion. Use it.
Paranoia - relating to the emotion above, there has to be a prevalent feeling that the foe could be anywhere. Including the person next to you. If you can describe the onset of a disease that turns your fellow player into a zombie with an itch - just wait - someone will scratch. Then your players will go nuts.
Doubt - The players need to question themselves. Only the truly heroic or truly obtuse never question themselves. Everyone else has doubt. The GM needs to use words like "maybe", "perhaps" or "possibly" when asked questions.
Disgust - Whatever brings "the end" to a player must generate an instant feeling of disgust and revulsion. Descriptions have to be accurate - but it's also important that it's not overdone. Over-description just numbs the players to it.
Bait and Switch - Make danger look like it comes from somewhere obvious. When the players investigate, nothing is out of the normal. Then, when they leave the room, the "monster" is standing right outside the door out of sight, or is the kindly matron who was claiming to be the victim of the monster in the first place. Again, over-use is dangerous. The players will just avoid or kill everything after that.