From the article archive
Horror Game My....
The problem with many horror games is that they just are not scary. I am unsure about the exact wording of the definition of “horror,” but I know that it involves an overwhelming sense of fear. After playing a game of Call of Cthulhu, I have never jumped when the cat rubs up against my leg before the lights get turned on. I have never been nervous when a strange car pulls into my driveway.
Below, we will explore what makes a horror game scary (or not). More specifically, we will look into actually scaring the player, and not just the character.
Why Scare the Players?
Why indeed? When playing a character, it is easiest to identify with that character if you are sharing the emotions and mental state that the character is in. Basically, when a character is sad, it is easier to role play it out if you, as the player, are saddened, too, even if it’s not because of the same reason. It is by no means impossible to play a character if you aren’t sharing the same emotion; it’s just a lot more difficult.
But fear is a little different. A character will get scared long before the player will. Why is that? The character is actually experiencing the sensations described to the player. The character is dealing with taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. The player is only able to use his hearing; it’s a lot less personal.
For example: when a character has a dragon bearing down on him, he is looking down the throat of the dragon. He also feels the breath of the dragon, and can smell what the dragon ate. He hears the whoosh of the dragon flying through the air. He tastes the nervous sweat collecting on his upper lip. And of this, what does the players get? “The green dragon is bearing down on you, what do you do?” See the difference? The player is very distanced from the situation.
No, if there is a way that you could rattle the player himself, he is a little more likely to slip, just like the character. Stand very close to the player, invading his personal space. That alone rattles just about anyone. The dragon isn’t welcome, and neither are you. Speak very quickly. This will get the player to think quickly, good pacing for this example. The player just got a taste of what the character is going through.
So, back to the question of “why?” Getting the players closer to the characters will get everyone more involved. In turn, this will help create a much more memorable session. In the end, isn’t that what we all want as players (and GMs)?
Setting the Environment
If you are going to be running a horror game, the most important thing you can possibly do is to set a disturbing environment. This requires a very large amount of planning and work (and sometimes money), but in the end it’s worth it.
The easiest thing to do is to lower the lights. There is a balancing act on this. You want the lights low enough so that the players have to work to see things, but everyone also needs to be able to read their character sheets, notes, dice, etc.
Some say that visual aids will help, too. In a horror game, I disagree. A picture of the monster makes the experience less personal. How can I get scared of a few lines on a piece of paper? That’s all a picture amounts to. Besides, not everyone can draw, either. What should take place of the picture? Your voice. When you describe the creature, avoid a monotone description. Vary your tone, rate and amount of detail according to the situation and creature. A creature that is attacking the characters deserves a fast rate and only a little detail. If the characters are spying on the creature, describe it in hushed tones, a deep, throaty voice, and in large detail.
For smell, play around with various incenses, scented candles and sprays. You will find that combinations will work out best. If the characters are in a sewer, try to simulate that. The lingering smell is nothing that a fan can’t take care of.
You can have some fun with taste, but this takes a lot of planning. If the characters are going to be looking at something VERY grotesque, look into various recipes on the internet. And if something has the right texture to it, add some food coloring. And if you really want to disturb some players, eat some of the stuff. But don’t just eat it, pick a player, look him straight in the eye and eat it slowly and deliberately. Make no reaction to the taste or texture, either.
Sound is one of the easiest things to work with, but is also one of the easiest to screw up. Music can be arguably the most effective way to get a player scared. Watch a movie and specifically listen to the music. It starts to get faster and louder during the tense parts. The music you choose should do this. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to anticipate when the music will come into play. And when it does come into play, will the song be long enough? Probably not. As good as music is for getting people in a certain mindset, there are just too many variables to work with. I never use mood music.
How about sound effects? Those are quite effective, but again, be careful. Play sounds on the best sound system you have available. Also, play the sounds at the appropriate volume (or as close as you can). No matter how authentic the sound is, a train wreck does not sound the same on a cheap boom box. Use CDs, not tapes. Being able to jump right to the correct track is incredibly important. Playing parts of 6 different sounds before you get to the right one hurts the desired effect.
What Makes a Game Scary?
There are only a few genuinely scary games out there. Actually, I can only think of one: Little Fears. There are two sources of fear in RPGs: environments and monsters. Unfortunately, most games that are good at one horrible fail at the other.
By far, monsters are the most common things that are used to scare the PCs. Most, if not all, horror RPGs use monsters to scare. They are all very gruesome, hideous, violent, and powerful. But the best part is, is that many are based off of existing legends, urban and otherwise. So the monsters are something that the player can already relate to. The games based on “monster-based” fear are the easiest to run.
Unfortunately, those same games also grow stale after just a few sessions. It is nearly impossible to scare the players with monsters all the time. If you have too long of a campaign where the PCs are basically monster hunters, the adventures will degrade into the players saying “all right, zombies!” This is not good.
The GM can do things to keep a monster RPG from getting stale quickly, but it delays the inevitable. The best way I can think of is to focus on the buildup instead of the actual encounter. Part of what made the movie Scream so intriguing is that you had no idea who the killer was until the end. If they would have said who it was right away, the movie would have sucked.
Environmental horror is another thing used in some RPGs. The most common example of this is the World of Darkness from White Wolf. The scary environment is something that the PCs can not get away from, no matter how hard they try. They may have some haven that makes them feel safe, like music, but they will never actually BE safe. Nothing induces fear more than paranoia.
Though, like monsters, environment gets stale, too. The players will get used to the hopeless world that surrounds them. The PCs may not, but the players will. The best way to show how tough the world is in a horror game is to take something away from the character, like a girlfriend/wife/child/etc. Select what you take away from the PC with care. It has to be something that the player makes a conscious effort to protect (like a child).
The best way is to combine the two types of horror. A hopeless world that has a local serial killer on the loose may not do much to the PC. But if all of the serial killer’s victims have something in common, the PC may get involved, making himself a target. But what if the PC has the same thing that the other victims got killed over? And that car has been parked out there for an awful long time…
The PC just got scared. Now, relate it to the player. Use the tone of your voice, dramatic pauses, and speaking rate to tell the player what’s going on. Knocking a player off balance is a very difficult thing to do. But if you can do it, you have just created the best horror session the player may ever experience.
Horror Games
Below, I have a few games that I consider horror games. I will also tell you my opinion of them. Exclusion of any game simply means I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion. I will also leave system gripes out of this section.
Unknown Armies: UA is a good game with a great setting. In fact, the game has one of the best horror settings I have ever seen. My gripe with it is that there is so much in the world that is intertwined. That in itself is not bad, but if I want to change something I don’t like, it may get to be a little too much work.
Call of Cthulhu: I love HP Lovecraft, and CoC portrays his works quite well. But whenever I play the game, I feel like there’s something missing about it. Lovecraft managed to paint a very tense picture with his words; you never knew exactly what was going to happen. CoC is just a little…predictable. And the environment in Lovecraft’s work is more hopeless. The character in the story always has this feeling that no matter what he does, it will not matter. CoC just doesn’t have that. And my final complaint: all the characters are essentially Kenny.
Dark Conspiracy: This game will always have a special place in my heart. This is the game that got me into horror gaming. But it does have flaws. The environment is a little outdated and it focuses a little too much on the monster aspect of horror. The GM can mess with that formula a bit, though. Another game done very well. Unfortunately, it’s out of print.
Dark Matter: This is a setting for the out of print Alternity. Another setting that is done well, but I don’t like the idea of an organized resistance to an alien invasion. It does not emote that fear effect which is required for a horror game. Throw away the institute, and I think that there may be something to this game.
World of Darkness: What was once cutting edge is now cliché. The WoD is in serious need of an update. All the clanbooks in the world will not make the game scary again. What makes the WoD so…not scary is that the characters are too powerful. Why should I be scared of a world that I can conquer? I have never played in a game of Vampire that the masquerade was actually kept. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great setting. I like it. But it does need to get updated into the 2000’s instead of the early to mid 90’s.
Little Fears: Little Fears actually manages to strike that balance between monsters and environment. Playing an 8 year old is a unique experience in itself. Little Fears successfully manages to make a scary enough environment. And the monsters in the game are the most flexible out there, able to fit any situation. Be careful when you run this. Make sure you know all of the players’ backgrounds so you don’t hit a soft spot. The game is meant for scary fun, not sending someone to counseling.
In Closing
There are many games of the horror genre out there. But even more have passed on, and only one has caught on. The horror genre is one of the most versatile out there. So why are there so few successful horror games out there? I’m not sure too many people know how to run them. I may not have helped you with this, but at least you may have a few fresh ideas to test out in your campaign.