Tales Of Terror

Generating Horror in RPGs

By Paul White

Let's Get Scary

"But I don't play any horror games," you might well be thinking, "so I'll just skip this article and read the game reviews instead. After all, why would you be interested in generating horror in your average AD&D game, for example, or Cyberpunk 2020, or Champions, or Toon?

Because you want to get the most out of your game, that's why. You want to explore the full potential of your campaign, and you want to provide your players with a diet of exciting, stimulating, challenging, and above all varied scenarios. That is what you want to do, right?

Don't get drawn into the trap of thinking that all fantasy scenarios must revolve around some grand quest, all cyberpunk games begin with a visit from a man named Johnson, and all superheroes wear luminescent tights with matching cape. As a GM you should always be looking for new and exciting directions to take your games, and though some systems and settings are obviously better suited than others, virtually any game can be enhanced by the occasional chilling scenario. (With the possible exception of Toon)

By exploring your world's dark side, you will find your NPCs becoming more complex, and thus more intriguing, their motivations and methods less predictable, their impact on the players more profound. The horror genre forces us to examine the aspects of our character we'd rather not face, aspects that make us the fully rounded people we are. In game terms, it becomes less straightforward to differentiate between the good guys and the baddies, and absolute victory is as elusive as a decent combat system.

Supernatural creatures become more than the sum of their hit dice, retaining the essential enigmatic qualities so easily forgotten when beings whose very nature we cannot comprehend are reduced to mere statistics; and the world as a whole becomes a less certain, and therefore more challenging and in my opinion more interesting place to visit.

But above all else, the most compelling reason for wanting to introduce horror scenarios into your exising campaign is the degree of emotional intensity you can generate. Sure, you can laugh at regular in-jokes, you can get angry at the villain over his blatant disregard for your heroic intent. Hell, some of you might even have shed a tear over the untimely demise of a favourite character (a bit sad, but it happens).

However, nothing comes to, or is as memorable as, the nail-biting, gut-wrenching, pants-wetting touch of the cold hand of fear. It's the ultimate indication of thorough suspension of disbelief, and is also immensely satisfying if you can pull it off. When you get right down to it, most of us actually like being scared, in a peculiar sort of way, so maybe you should give serious thought to how you could integrate a little horror into your campaign.

Campaign vs. Scenario

It is possible to run a horror scenario as a one-off, but it will lack the emotional element you can develop in a involved, ongoing campaign. Not only does a campaign allow players to get to know their own characters, and grow to care about what happens to them, it also gives them the opportunity to learn about the campaign world. And the more they learn about the world around them, the more they'll come to realise just how little they really know, and that's how the horror begins.

The most important factor in developing an atmosphere conducive to horror gaming is controlling the pace of the campaign, and the rate at which the players acquire information. Have NPCs who will only become significant much later make innocent cameo appearances, allow the players to meet characters you want them to feel compassion towards later, so that they can get to know something about them. When players start to recognise shady NPCs from previous adventures, they will wonder if they are important. Let them wonder. Speculation only fuels the uncertainty you are trying to engender.

You can also use news items, possibly hidden alongside reports directly relevant to the current scenario, or casual rumours overheard in a bar (which is where most PCs spend the vast majority of their time anyway) to make the players dimly aware of upcoming events. A planned visit by an enigmatic foreign dignitary, the exhibition of recently discovered artefacts, the emergence of a new and highly virulent disease, or the controversial research of a maverick scientist.

By advance introduction of future plot elements, you not only provide a rational link between seemingly disparate scenarios, creating the feeling of a real world where events happen outside the PCs control, but more importantly you keep the players on their toes. The appearance of notorious individuals remembered from past encounters will immediately set the pulses racing, and imaginations working overtime, as the players try to second-guess your next move. Make sure you stay one step ahead. Vary the style of your scenarios, even in a predominantly horror-genre game. Not all Call of Cthulhu scenarios should involve the Mythos, or any supernatural elements at all for that matter. For something to be horrific, it must first be unexpected, but more of that later.

One final thought on the integration of horrific elements into your campaign. Be aware of how your players view you as GM, what they know of your style, and what (they think) they can predict in what you do. If you can evolve a reputation as the sort of GM who never gives too much away, avoids streotypes (or uses them wisely), never uses creature statistics straight from the book, rarely does anything without a reason (albeit a cryptic one) and for whom things are rarely as straightforward as they seem - in short, a GM to be trusted about as far as you can be thrown - then your players will already be looking out for hidden clues, subtle hints, and misleading information. They will automatically assume the worst in any situation where they are unsure, and as a GM of a horror scenario, a large part of your work is already done.

What is your worst nightmare?

Written in Blood

What is it that makes a thrilling horror scenario? Sure, it will contain much the same basic plot elements as any other adventure: the initial hook, a mystery, enigma, or other means of engaging the players' attention; a combination of encounters, involving interaction with major and minor NPCs, action scenes, research and information gathering, clues and red herrings, building inexorably towards the denouement; and the final, dramatic confrontation.

But that much you already know. What you need to do now is think about how best to present these basic elements so as to generate tension, suspense, and fear.

The easiest mistake to make is to overwhelm the players with horrific situations, so that every encounter involves battling blood-crazed vampires, exorcising tortured spirits, or infiltrating sinister cults. If this sort of encounter becomes the norm, then it will no longer inspire fear and horror. The majority of encounters should be of a more mundane nature, though they might allude to a less straightforward explanation. When the horrific revelation comes along, it should always be something of a surprise.

There are essentially two distinct styles of horror that you should consider implementing in your scenarios. The first, and most simple, is visual horror. The players stumble across a badly mutilated corpse, bones and sinews torn apart as if by some creature of unnatural strength; the inhabitants of an entire village find their bodies decaying at an alarming rate, flesh dripping from their features like melting wax; a friend undergoes a terrible transformation into a half-man half-insect right before their eyes. Use powerful images to shock and horrify the players, but again the important thing is not to overdo it.

Depending on your flair for extravagant description, and the strength of your players' stomachs, it is possible to conjure some pretty horrifying scenes. You can have the players witness people being eaten alive by killer ants, tortured to death by members of a demonist circle, or stalked and repeatedly attacked in a vicious manner by a vengeful ghost. Read up on human anatomy; prey upon players' own claustrophobia, arachnaphobia, scotophobia (fear of the dark), or monophobia (fear of being alone); and use blood, lots of it.

Of course, players are a notoriously bloodthirsty lot, so you might have a bit of difficulty shocking them with purely visual horror. That is where the second style comes in, psychological horror.

Contrary to the popular cliche, it is not the unknown we fear most. We cannot fear what we don't know. A small child holds no fear for us, even though it could be the devil himself in disguise. Fear is as much a product of the imagination as of the intellect, and the imagination requires some seed to give it life. We fear what we cannot control, what we cannot overcome, what we cannot fully understand, but which we perceive as a threat to our fragile mortality.

Consequently, the most powerful tool in the generation of horror is suggestion. That is why you have to carefully control the influx of horrific elements into your campaign. If you want to frighten players, give them something to think about.

That is why it is particularly effective to have introduced certain scenario elements into the campaign prior to the start of the adventure. The recognition and gradual realisation of some of the true significance of current events is at heart of psychological horror. It creeps up on you, unseen, and by the time you realise the mess you're in, it's usually too late to escape unscathed.

Use incidents from the PCs' past from time to time, either from a previous investigation, or from a character's own background. If you create a fascinating NPC who the players then defeat, try and concoct a means of preserving them, possibly with an uncertain death where the body is never found, or a vengeful "I'll be back", so you can use them again. Identifying the trademark of a particularly fearful nemesis - he always cuts off the left hand of his victims, in imitation of his own missing appendage; or Tarot cards guide her murderous activities - will spark fear and excitement in any player.

Whenever the PCs enter a new and potentially dangerous location, make sure they have a vague awareness of the type of danger that lurks behind the doors, so that they have something to occupy their minds as they slowly open the creaking door. Then make full use of the environment to feed their overactive imaginations and fuel the tension that will inevitably build throughout the encounter.

There is a very good reason why so many horror stories take place at night, in overcast or stormy weather, and in huge old houses or ancient sites of significance. Such situations stimulate our imaginations, they get us thinking dark thoughts. And the absence of light, combined with labyrinthine corridors and confusing sounds from unseen sources together blur our perception, ensure that we cannot rely on our senses, and therefore make us afraid.

As players explore locations, assail their senses with grotesques such as arcane symbols, fearsome statues, walls that bleed, paintings that cry, or age, or alter their appearance. Strange sounds echo, disguising their true nature and source: footsteps approaching a closed door; rafters that creak against the elements; indistinct wails and moans that could be tricks of the wind, but might not be; bestial snarling and howling; a child weeping; running water; and sudden slamming doors. Strange musty smells that suggest great age, toxic gases that induce drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, memory loss, or even hallucinations.

As you can see, the possibilities for suggestive horror are virtually limitless, and the great thing is it actually works. Once you get your players believing that there are forces at work they can neither see nor understand, the mere thought of entering an unlit room alone will send shivers down their spines.

What is inspirational source material?

Pulling the Strings

Of course, it doesn't matter how good a scenario you write if you make a botch of it in practice. OK, so you can have written a scenario which builds slowly and inexorably towards a dramatic climax, which incorporates shady aspects of the PCs' past, which makes subtle and effective use of the environment, and which blends visual and psychological horror without going overboard with either. But the most important factor in a horror scenario is the atmosphere, and while the content of the scenario does have a part to play in creating some of the necesary tension, it is the presentation which really sets the tone of any game.

Pacing and timing are everything. When GMing a horror scenario you will probably talk less than in any other style of game. You want to provide the players with just enough information at just the right time to really stir their imaginative juices, and it is as much about what you don't say as what you do. Pause after giving significant information, allowing time for it to sink in, and make judicial use of silence. Let them stew, force them to speculate, meet their inquiries with a stony countenance, and make them reach their own conclusions.

As a GM you have to make judgement calls throughout a game: do you give the players a little extra help, a hint or a useful clue? Will a particular NPC turn against the PCs, or just disappear into the background? Should you continue with an encounter when it is almost certain to result in PC fatalities? Whereas normally you might err on the side of generosity, in a horror game you should be reluctant to come to the PCs aid. The players should be made all too aware of their characters' weakness and vulnerability in the face of supernatural opposition, and this fear of death should hang over them as they uncover forbidden secrets.

A good horror scenario needs a memorable villain, one that is enigmatic, charismatic, and above all bloody impossible to kill. Make your villains intriguing, and don't assume that all villains must necessarily be wholly evil. Detailed backgrounds, fractured psyches, and complex motivations should make it difficult to readily identify the villain, at least initially. They might appear charming, wise, eccentric, perhaps vulnerable and in need of friendship. The idea of a sympathetic villain might not be easy to accept, but if you can capture a sense of wekness, of misfortune, that the villain too was once a victim, then you force players to confront difficult moral questions. Who can not feel deep sympathy for Frankenstein's creation, who did not ask to live, and yet was forced to come to terms with the horror of his own existence?

If you are looking for alternative methods of presenting your scenario, there are a number of techniques you might like to experiment with, to give the game a slightly different perspective. There may be times when the PC group becomes divided, and you want to make one player feel truly isolated and alone. At this point you can make use of the other players, who are just kicking their heels and waiting for their turn to come. Give each of them a minor NPC to play for the duration of the encounter, with brief coaching on how you would like them to be played. The remaining player will have no-one to turn to when things get hairy, and you'd be amazed how readily and enthusiastically players will turn against their own.

Along similar lines, you might call for a pause in proceedings, possibly while the PCs sleep, to play out a scene from one or more PCs past. This flashback might involve some or all of the group, with anyone not involved taking the role of an NPC from that time. The flashback should have some cryptic relevance to the current scenario, and be stimulated by some relatively innocuous incident, such as sight of a picture, the first line of a song, or a distinctive accent or phrase which is reminiscent of the past.

Likewise, dream sequences, waking dreams, or sudden visions that appear precognitive could be played out. You might provide a player with a glimpse of their character's impending demise, or they could witness an atrocity that will take place some time soon.

Finally, if the PCs are researching historical sources and come across events which relate directly to their present predicament, you might have them replay those events even though none of them were present, possibly playing an ancestor or even a famous historical figure. Inaccurate historical reports allow for some variation in events from those recorded, and you can allow the players to experience life in an alternative time.

All of these ideas can add to the distinct atmosphere of a horror scenario, if used imaginatively and wisely. But what they don't cater for is the actual style of presentation. Because of the emphasis on creating the right atmosphere, you don't want to break up the flow of the game by constantly checking rulebooks, or looking up character descriptions. It is therefore essential that you are fully conversant with the basic rules of whatever game you play. Or, more importantly, that you know how to wing it convincingly, and are prepared to do so. Know where your scenario is headed, and understand the personality and motivation of your NPCs. Have confidence in yourself, and don't be afraid to improvise.

Who are the masters of fear?

The Gothic Kitchen

It would be great if we could all use an old haunted house or gothic castle for our game sessions, but unfortunately most of us have to make do with the humble kitchen or similarly uninspiring location. But there are ways in which you can modify your gaming environment to make it more suitable for a horror game, and hopefully enhance that creepy atmosphere.

Dim the lights for starters. You still need to be able to see character sheets, notes and such like, of course, but you can use table lamps, or better still candles or oil lamps to provide an eerie half-light. A little background music can also be effective, though you don't want to be stopping in the middle of a crucial scene just to change the CD over. Go for general atmosphere rather than matching pieces to particular scenes, and keep the volume low and unobtrusive. I would recommend soundtrack albums, from movies such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Hallowe'en series, and The Crow, which are readily available in music shops.

If you're feeling ambitious, you could pre-record sound effects and then play them at the right moment, sounds such as blood-curdling screams, loud footsteps, creaking floorboards, ghostly wails, and slamming doors. Alternatively, enlist a willing accomplice to perform said noises, walk silently past a window, appear suddenly without warning, that sort of thing.

More standard ideas include using prepared handouts (you all remember how to coffee-stain your paper and burn the edges, right?), maps, and other props such as hats, jewellery, and the like. Having players read texts and handouts, and decipher codes and old maps, has a more immediate effect than reading it aloud yourself, and they tend to take more notice if they have something visual to latch onto. Creating a history for an item you own can provide a useful focus, and a means of creating an authentic feel.

But before you rush off and record the soundtrack to your next game, start wasting all your coffee, and pinching your parents antiques, be warned. These suggestions are just that; they are by no means essential, and can easily ruin game atmosphere instead of enhancing it. By all means experiment with different ideas of presentation, but don't overdo it. Don't try too hard to create an authentic environment; roleplaying lives and thrives in the realm of the imagination, after all.