How to Run a Horror Game

How to Run a Horror Game - Running RPGs

Рет қаралды 133,537

Күн бұрын

Effective horror adventures are more than tentacles and haunted castles. Here's some tips and ideas on how to create a horror scenario for your players and avoid some of the common mistakes that Game Masters can make.
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Guest starring The Gang.
#ttrpg
00:00 Intro
01:43 What is Horror?
03:37 Give the Details
05:04 Tell Them This is Horror
06:21 Let Them Laugh
07:18 Set the Mood
07:48 Campaigns vs 1-Shots
08:46 Large vs Small Groups
09:14 Isolate the Party
09:51 Isolate the PCs
13:18 Make Them Feel Helpless
15:47 Leave an Unknown
18:50 Twist the Familiar
20:11 Show the Horror but Know When to Pull Away
21:28 Don’t Cross the Line
23:25 Using the Players Own Fears
28:16 Closing

Пікірлер: 720

@sarahcb3142 3 жыл бұрын

The rule of laughter that I have with my players when I'm running a horror game is that I ask them to not laugh at or make fun of the horror. They can tell jokes, make nervous wise cracks and it's all good. But the moment they start calling Cthulhu "tentacle hentai boy" the mood is gone for the rest of the game. So joke all you want but keep the horror sacred.

@Thundarr100 Ай бұрын

That was pretty much the rule in making Friday The 13th Part 6: Jason Lives. The director watched all five previous movies back to back and said "There's no way that I can make a sequel to this and do it seriously. Is it okay if I were to make the movie funny?" To which the producers said, "That's okay. Just don't make fun of Jason." And the director said, "I won't. That's why it'll work. Jason's been dead so long that he's thought of as an urban legend. The kids at the lake don't think he really exists, they think that he's just a campfire story. So they laugh and joke with each other, but Jason is super serious." And it worked. Most Friday The 13th fans name Part 6 as one of, if not their top, favourite movie in the franchise.

@andrewrobinson4019 3 жыл бұрын

*Hurriedly scribbles down "Ancient Roman coins bursting from peoples eyes"*

@justinsaunders4068 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah thats gold, almost a shame I dont run cthulu

@AzureIV 3 жыл бұрын

@@justinsaunders4068 "Yeah that's gold" ACTUALLY Ancient Roman coins were silver and bronze. /s

@jamesmilton8308 3 жыл бұрын

A few more ideas: Heart exploding out of a chest, target turning into a swarm of flesh eating scarab, flesh turned to glass that begins to break as target moves, chains ripping apart the target, crushed by unseen hand,etc.

@clockworkpotato9892 3 жыл бұрын

@Jing Bot Everybody gangstar until the floor eats 1 of ya friends and gives another an epileptic fit.

@thebolas000 3 жыл бұрын

If you ever end up using this, please call it "Denar-eye".

@scottgray4602 3 жыл бұрын

I just realized that Ducktales is essentially Pulp Cthulhu with Disney Characters...

@andrewrobinson4019 3 жыл бұрын

And Tail Spin is Hollow Earth Expedition with Disney Characters :D

@kingduckie9135 3 жыл бұрын

Looney Toons is what a show would be like if Cthulhu was the main character, Bugs Bunny is a truly terrifying and powerful being

@nokomarie1963 3 жыл бұрын

@@kingduckie9135 Bugs is a capricious god.

@FinbarGallagher 2 жыл бұрын

@@kingduckie9135 What do you mean? Bugs Bunny is an avatar of Nyarlathotep

@peterrants9634 Жыл бұрын

Ya might've solved ah mystery there? Or at the very least rewrote history....

@Jessymandias 3 жыл бұрын

The first monster I set my PCs against in ravenloft campaign was a ghoul. not a hoard of ghouls, just one. they defeated it easily--it just ran away from them. but when they defeated him they found out his name, his family, something of who he was before he became a ghoul. The only treasure on the ghoul was a doll made out of hair that he used as a substitute for his child. a horde of zombies is threatening, one zombie is scary, a zombie with a backstory is horror.

@TNTtheinsane 11 ай бұрын

I had a campaign I was running before, the players came across a cursed church full of zombies with the priests having been turned into ghouls. The party had a bard, the player was rather new to the game and wasn't sure about a lot of stuff, asked if she could cast Hideous Laughter on a ghoul, I encouraged her to try. No one in the game knew that ghouls had enough intelligence to be effected by that spell, or that they could talk. The look on their faces as I gave a hacking screaming laugh before screeching "FUN-NEEEE" was real something. They focused that one down just to stop the laughter.

@Colouroutofspace4 3 жыл бұрын

The scariest moment I ever ran in RPGs was in Temple of Elemental Evil. They were in the room with the two Leucrotta. The game said that they mimiced the voice of their last victims. I had them crawl out of their lair speaking in a child's voice saying "mommy, mommy I'm scared" while a second one creeped after it saying "get behind me, and close your eyes" and whie they fought they would scream the agony of their last victims and their cries as they lept around the room. I wasn't intending horror but as my players reacted I just fed into it more.

@nolgroth 3 жыл бұрын

Okay, yeah. That would be horrible. Like that bear from that Natalie Portman movie.

@dane3038 3 жыл бұрын

I've had TOEE evil in the shop for a while. Took out the elemental theme and installed demon cults. This baby begs for more horror so that's what I'm giving her. He's one for fun: Have a newlywed couple beg the players to find their missing baby ( it should be the talk of the town ) , then when they find that baby skeleton on the ground floor... they will know.

@jameshendricks5626 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the idea

@LordVader1094 3 жыл бұрын

@@nolgroth Annihilation. A damn good cosmic horror film.

@trequor Жыл бұрын

@@nolgroth Lest we forget the original horror from Fullmetal Alchemist

@Joshuazx 3 жыл бұрын

I like Berserk. The creator of berserk said he didn't think monsters should be angry, he said he thought they should be sad. His monsters therefore have a subtle lonesome melancholy quality or a woe-some expression and it's kinda freaky.

@cameronsims4108 3 жыл бұрын

Today is the day Jack the NPC finally gets his answer on why Seth has a strange interest in adding bathrooms and npc's needing to use the bathroom.

@ethanlocke3604 3 жыл бұрын

Jajajaja

@fraidnaught9067 3 жыл бұрын

Probably why Jack isn't in the video, he would have busted in with an "Ah-ha!"

@AuntLoopy123 3 жыл бұрын

I always thought it was the same reason I write them into my stories: I use it a lot, and it just feels wrong that it never gets mentioned, at all, in most stories. Heck, Runescape and Stardew Valley, two of my favorite games, don't even have toilets existing in the game, at all. Someone actually made a mod to add bathrooms to houses in Stardew Valley, just because humans poop, darn it! But now, I learned that I can have that (for me), and USE that (also for me, I suppose), and Yay! Thanks, Seth!

@jamesmilton8308 3 жыл бұрын

Just roll a con check to see who gets ambushed in the bathroom

@kingduckie9135 3 жыл бұрын

I always have bathrooms be there but my player don't use them when we play something like DnD they just shit in the woods. So they get Wolves and Plant monsters trying to bite their ass off instead

@txbluesguy 3 жыл бұрын

My daughter is absolutely creeped out by anything zombie/undead related. Unfortunately, we didn't discover this until I had started a campaign where the big villain was a necromancer. The campaign took three years of real-time to play out and the undead showed up in the first 6 months of the campaign. In the next campaign I ran I promised her "No Undead". Well until they ran into a very old vampire. She was able to handle that better than zombies and skeletons.

@polishedpebble4111 3 жыл бұрын

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown... and of the Irish." -Lovecraft

@polishedpebble4111 3 жыл бұрын

"Outside the door you hear a loud thump, and then something heavy being dragged like... like... LIKE A BAG OF POTATOES!"

@thebolas000 3 жыл бұрын

@@polishedpebble4111 H. P. Lovecraft: the man that had a panic attack when he found out his grandmother was Welsh

@ArawnNox 3 жыл бұрын

And math... and fish.

@Meatball996 3 жыл бұрын

@@thebolas000 My grandma broke down crying when she learnt our last name came from scotland

@jakesgenuineanarchy5955 3 жыл бұрын

@@Meatball996 bruh

@jgr7487 3 жыл бұрын

Children giggling has become a trope in horror. if something will be terrifying, small kids will be giggling.

@wardkerr2456 3 жыл бұрын

Have you ever seen the old 1960's Village of The Damned? Not a lot of giggling, but no shortage of creepy children.

@kevingooley9628 3 жыл бұрын

@@wardkerr2456 great movie.

@AuntLoopy123 3 жыл бұрын

I hereby pledge to add old people giggling to my next horror adventure. I'm planning on doing Curse of Strand, after the current game. Any ideas where to add old-person giggling?

@jamesmilton8308 3 жыл бұрын

I had a split party run into child ghost. It haunted one pc for several days. Nothing like a disembodied voice demanding you play with it.

@jamesmilton8308 3 жыл бұрын

@@AuntLoopy123 Have a old man cackle the PCs are doomed before falling over dead. And have vermin crawl from the corpse before scattering to the winds.

@sebbychou 3 жыл бұрын

That shower room cliffhanger was perfect and I learned a lot from it. The old simpsons treehouse of horror with the zombies was the most terrified I ever been I think. I was 5, and the idea that people you love or know could suddenly want to kill you (or your friends) in your own house just... messed me up for two weeks. And two weeks when you're 5 feels like forever.

@ArawnNox 3 жыл бұрын

The one that terrfied me for months after was Terror at 4 1/2 feet. The one with the gremlin on the side of the buss and nobody believed Bart that it was happening. I'd stick my head out the window of any car I was in to make sure nothing was there.

@sebbychou 3 жыл бұрын

@@ArawnNox That one was scary too, I would do the same. Though it wasn't the same kind of fear since you *could* do something about it if you did see it.

@Taricus 3 жыл бұрын

@@ArawnNox That one was a nod to the Twillight Zone, when the dude saw the creature on the wing of the airplane :P

@ArawnNox 3 жыл бұрын

@@Taricus I know.

@drawfiend3104 3 жыл бұрын

Me as the DM: "Okay guys, we're doing a horror game this week, but that doesn't mean we can't crack a joke now and again." The Players: *emulate their inner Adam Sandler that's deadlier to their health than any monster short of Nyarlathotep*

@injetavel279 2 жыл бұрын

My friends always manage to make any situation into an Adam Sandler movie scene, we always end up getting screwed because of it

@luketfer 3 жыл бұрын

As a director, wish I could remember them, said with regards to why he included funny moments in horror films was because, as you said, it's natural for humans to just suddenly break out in laughter at the most inopportune times as a natural coping mechanism, when all your surrounded with is horror, eventually you crack and just burst out laughing, you won't know why you find it funny, it's a natural brain response. So by including those breaks in the horror for levity he can control WHEN you laugh and it acts as a release valve for it rather than having you suddenly laugh at a deeply tragic scene.

@robpegler6545 3 жыл бұрын

The funny character in a tense, scary story is usually the one who voices what the audience is thinking. They're the one who thinks that going into the creepy cabin at sunset is a terrible idea, but they're overruled because the more serious, capable characters don't take them seriously. It's a way of lampshading the illogical behaviour of horror characters by making the goofy/cowardly member of the group be the only one saying "Hang on a minute..." That's why Hudson is the comic relief in ALIENS, and why Marty the stoner is the most sensible one in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (although that film also provides an in-universe explanation for why he's the only one thinking straight).

@boone6605 2 жыл бұрын

James Wan is who you're thinking. He said that about Insidious

@bigmonkey1254 5 ай бұрын

Or it's when you know they're gone so far that all they can do is laugh at how wrong everything is. "In the end, I alone fled laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity." - The Ancestor, Darkest Dungeon

@originaluddite 3 жыл бұрын

Chillies evolved to repel animals from eating them but then along came humans ... a horror story for capsicum audiences.

@leerv. 3 жыл бұрын

"I don't think zombies are an actual threat that I'm gonna have to face."-- Seth Skorkowsky I'm just going to write this down on a slip of paper and hold on to it. Just in case.

@spacedinosaur8733 3 жыл бұрын

All too true.

@Fangoros 3 жыл бұрын

Oh he is aware that he will face zombies. They just aren't an actual threat for him.

@cryofpaine 3 жыл бұрын

You mean you think that he might someday have to fight a soulless monster that consumes people's brains and spread disease and violence? That seems highly unlikely....

@krysdagger 3 жыл бұрын

I was totally looking for this comment the moment he said this .... :)

@kevinsullivan3448 2 жыл бұрын

All it would take is for the internet to go away. All those unsocialized people without phones...

@dominicparker6124 3 жыл бұрын

Am i weird in that i'd happily watch a """live""" play of an RPG with Seth as every player + GM?

@forksknivesstudios513 3 жыл бұрын

No, and now that you mentioned this I need it now.

@GamesbyMarcWolff 3 жыл бұрын

@Seth Skorkowsky This needs to happen

@AuntLoopy123 3 жыл бұрын

Weird? Yes. Common, and definitely going to start a trend of people demanding it? Absolutely! I mean, everyone who subscribes to his channel is "weird," right? We're all gamers, and gamers are, by definition (according to the rest of society, at least), weirdos. And, yes, I would watch the heck out of that! I freely admit that while I love all the advice, and game reviews, my absolute top favorite part of all his videos is The Gang. Also Jack. Jack and The Gang. And his War Stories. Featuring: The Gang! For Thor! For Thor! For Thor! I have actually started shouting that, just randomly, sometimes. Fortunately, everyone in the house saw the story, so they know what's up. I just thought of it, and had to say it, because DANG! Either that, or I'm only "shouting" in the "Did I say that out loud? Or was it just in my head? Or did I whisper?" sort of way that leaves you feeling very vulnerable in public, because you suddenly don't know if everyone THINKS you're nuts, or KNOWS it. Maybe that's why I've had the motto, for decades, "Never trust a man who never talks to himself.."

@Christopheromoan 3 жыл бұрын

No I do believe that’d be an enjoyable game as well lol

@briancline7349 3 жыл бұрын

Lol I would watch that too... 👍🏻

@johnf.kennedy5454 3 жыл бұрын

Years ago a friend and I were discussing the 80s version of movie The Thing. The head stretching off the body, sprouting out legs and running off didn't bother him because it was too weird and unrelatable, but the cutting of their hands with the xacto knife terrified him because he CAN imagine his hand being cut. I think that was part of the reason old Stephen King's stories worked. He placed common people in everyday setting facing the bizarre and unknown horror.

@SSkorkowsky 3 жыл бұрын

It's also why you can watch a movie where someone gets hacked up with a machete and be all "Meh" but then a character gets a papercut 2 minutes later and everyone winces in sympathetic pain.

@youcantbeatk7006 3 жыл бұрын

IT is the most unscary thing I've ever seen.

@japevicho3117 3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I just rewatch Seth's videos to feel the tranquility, safety and fun he somehow manages to always convey.

@--enyo-- Жыл бұрын

Yup. They’re a comfort watch for me, for sure. I’m probably on my fifth watch of this video alone.

@ProfBoggs 3 жыл бұрын

I love your example of the re-skinned Fireball spell. This makes it so much easier to create new, level appropriate spells, too.

@Bloodyshinta1 Жыл бұрын

there isn't anything fireball can't fix

@dustinhill7956 3 жыл бұрын

2:40 I often refer to horror as "spicy fiction."

@DaJan1509 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for including Delaware. But why is it yellow? You guys are pretty hard core! Delaware is usually a hard line in my groups.

@hondawilky 3 жыл бұрын

I lol’d at that, too.

@vampthethief 3 жыл бұрын

Is that a reference to another video?

@TalonBrush 3 жыл бұрын

@@vampthethief you'll find the answer at 22:41

@terrybeal2252 3 жыл бұрын

Have you seen the yellow sign? 😱

@reverie02 2 жыл бұрын

what is delaware?

@mauriciomonsalvespino2214 3 жыл бұрын

I've said it before and I'll say it again: i see Seth, i smash like. This is seriously one of the best rpg channels on the tube. Great to see you again, Seth

@JabAtLife 3 жыл бұрын

Definitely deserves a like, unless I reach the end of the video

@Mr.Beauregarde 3 жыл бұрын

The scariest movie monster I ever saw, even ahead of the recurring nightmare gremlins, was 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. That is some existential horror to lay on a kid. And between Artax and Gmork they frame that shit so a preschooler'll grok it.

@spacedinosaur8733 3 жыл бұрын

The things that freaked me out were people being taken over by another alien being, like Planet of the Spiders (Den Who episode originally1974, but released in the states much later) & Invaders from Mars (1986)....a PG film I saw at a friend's house with no parental guidance included.

@liaml.e.5964 3 жыл бұрын

"I have waited a loooong time for this moment..."

@alexestrada-palma8031 3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to have to use that coins coming out of the eyes thing. "The old man keeps rubbing his eyes, letting out out of cough you see a single gold coin fly from his mouth and strike the floor with a high pitched *PING*."

@Dreigonix 3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like Greed from The Binding Of Isaac.

@TinyPirate 3 жыл бұрын

One of my favorite RPG-specific horror things to do is to set up situations where the characters would want to go look, but the players absolutely know not too. That tension is funny.

@fredricknoe3114 3 жыл бұрын

The scariest horror RPG is probably FATAL.

@scottplumer3668 3 жыл бұрын

13 Candles.

@Tony-dh7mz 3 жыл бұрын

And the scariest movie is "Last Jedi"

@fredricknoe3114 3 жыл бұрын

@@Tony-dh7mz I'd say that's more stupid than uncomfortable.

@madsam7582 3 жыл бұрын

@@Tony-dh7mz Wasn't really a "Movie" just nothing happening, with bad pacing, and a decent duel scene.

@MonkeyJedi99 3 жыл бұрын

According to Jayne Cobb, pain is scary.

@helgaratbone1691 3 жыл бұрын

You want horror?! Try playing with my 8 and 10 year olds! Cheetos covered fingers touching dice and character sheets! Dice flying everywhere causing difficult terrain! Spilt drinks on dads new hand drawn map! Pencils with teeth marks and missing erasers! Icy dagger like stares across the table when deciding who gets to pouch the latest potion of healing! Wandering mom on crumb and mess patrol could enter the room at any moment! Good thing dad likes horror!!!

@TheGiantRobot 3 жыл бұрын

Haha, that was so triggering I almost couldn't finish reading past the Cheeto covered fingers. I hope you keep the books behind the GM screen.

@pkamingusu7094 3 жыл бұрын

[SHUDDERS]

@mauricewalshe8234 3 жыл бұрын

Rule one in our irl group is drinks on a side table

@vincentseeger9367 3 жыл бұрын

Good on you to face that horror to bring a new generation of players into the hobby. I salute you.

@AuntLoopy123 3 жыл бұрын

Oh, which episode was it on Critical Role where Taliesin spilled his coffee all over his paperwork? "What are the stats on this magical item? I don't know!" Unexpected horror. This is why, when I'm at home, I ALWAYS use one of those insulated cups with a lid and straw. Because I am clumsy. Can't do that when I'm dining out, of course, or visiting friends. But I can make sure that Cheetos is not the snack I bring to game night. I love Cheetos, but those are a special-time treat, when you won't be touching anything but your mouth. Maybe break them, in bag, with a dull knife, and then eat them with a spoon? Hmmmm, I'll have to try that, next time I buy a snack-bag, instead of full sized bag. Soooo, like, never.

@Glaswalker1001 3 жыл бұрын

Man, a bit to late, I just finished my post apocalyptic horror adventure with my group. But this video was still great to watch and to take a look where I could improve. If someone is interested: my group tried raiding an old hospital that had been nearly covered by a landslide. And every level had its unique horror setting. Psychological horror, body horror, slasher horror and science fiction horror. Were currently playing online so that was a challenge, but also a great opportunity to feed the players with different information. Like soundclips only certain players could hear or pictures that appeared differently to some members of the group. Long story short it was a blast and I had to relearn a bunch of stuff about storytelling.

@davidhobbs6292 3 жыл бұрын

It was amazing how easy it was to shift my game group into the horror mood when I tried. I had 1 new and 2 inexperienced players, so it was an intro to roleplaying type adventure. I picked the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh for the setting... By the time they got done with the phantom noises, pictures whose eyes may have been following them...eerie noises and other factors... they almost burnt the place down before instead of continuing to investigate. Everyone was very happy with the adventure... but letting imaginations fill in blanks and giving people time to think can do wonders.

@forksknivesstudios513 3 жыл бұрын

I just noticed that Todd wears a Ramones shirt. Todd’s got good taste in music.

@sketty5069 3 жыл бұрын

so do you bud, cheers! aha

@BlueDemon77 3 жыл бұрын

He does also wear a Total Chaos tshirt occasionally...so I'm not sure about his tastes! :D (Ok, now I can't remember was it Total Chaos or The Casualties. Either which way....)

@terrybeal2252 3 жыл бұрын

Yep! The Ramones are awesome. 😎😁

@monkeytime9851 3 жыл бұрын

This may sound odd. I have never run or played in a D&D or other roleplaying campaign, yet I very much enjoy Seth's videos about them. I wonder if I'm the only one.

@goadfang 3 жыл бұрын

Dude, you really can't leave us hanging on that story. Does Dweebles play with the entity on the mattress? How does the shower go, is soap dropped and if so, by whom?

@thebolas000 3 жыл бұрын

Does Mike GTFO and leave that mess behind?

@mrqmrq-cr2hq 3 жыл бұрын

"Did you come here to play?" I love it, Seth!

@WeOnlyEatSoup 3 жыл бұрын

As I just got the call of Cthulhu starter set for Christmas. You have impeccable timing on getting your audience what they need!

@samjtrost 3 жыл бұрын

I definitely have a hard line at Delaware. Great video. I also enjoy horror themed one shots. I've had them in D&D and CofC to great success.

@nicknumber1512 3 жыл бұрын

Is it the Mason-Dixon?

@AJRabies 3 жыл бұрын

I just saw that. Blue Hens are scary.

@AzureIV 3 жыл бұрын

10:02 - 12:06 That skit had me rolling on the floor laughing.

@romanterry7215 Жыл бұрын

Laughing with the players is the MOST important advice I've ever heard. I love running horror sessions in my regular game, and my players always seem to get as rattled as I want, even though they're a bunch of yucksters most of the time. Sometimes, laughing with the players at something, and then immediately doubling down on your tense narration can add a little whiplash that helps knock everyone else off kilter and back into that tense mood. Sometimes the ghost you thought was scary is just funny. Sometimes your players roll really well and start clobbering it for a turn or two. One of my favorite moments was when my players got more scared that the monster was running away instead of attacking. It was this big alien lizard that could turn invisible briefly at will, and the fighter had just dealt more than a third of its health in damage in one turn. It had been terrorizing their backliners for several rounds, and when it started to run away his reaction was priceless

@erc1971erc1971 3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking to myself "Wow, it has been awhile since a new Seth video was uploaded." Lo and behold, one appears! And a perfect topic too, it will be watched while I work on terrain for my haunted cemetery tonight.

@gergokerekes4550 3 жыл бұрын

damn, I will have to come back later, atm I have a class to teach, see you soon! And I am back, amazing video as always, now if I could only get a few weekends cleared, but we are running soo hot on the cyberpunk red rush atm.

@gergokerekes4550 3 жыл бұрын

@Naren Gurrier-Jones well, to be honest some students are sometimes scared when I say that I teach "unconventionally" sadly teaching history atm in lockdown is soo bad. I can't make any of the activities I like to do, but well it is what it is.

@benl4198 3 жыл бұрын

I love when Seth and Megamind dovetail on their advice: PRESENTATION!

@samchafin4623 3 жыл бұрын

That part about fantasy fears I think is the most insightful part of this. I've never seen anyone bring that up before, but it is great advice. Also, loved the reactions from switching scenes. So funny!

@WookieeRage 2 жыл бұрын

"Show the horror but know when to pull away" reminds me of doing a fireworks 🎆 display. You don't shoot all the biggest bombs all at once and call it a day. Instead you vary the tempo and height, much like music 🎶. Most firework displays start with a slightly intense and noisy opening to grab everyone's attention. Then vary in speed a little, intensity, and physical height to let the smoke clear at the different heights so it won't obscure the show over time. Finally building to a big Finally! 🙌 The comparison to intensity has always been obvious to me, but the height comparison creates a nuance metaphor that could translate literally or figuratively. Thanks for helping to spark that synaptic misfire!

@sollytom6266 3 жыл бұрын

In Traveller, refueling at a gas giant scares me. What if something goes wrong that keeps you from leaving the atmosphere? I genuinely have a phobic response to the idea of the Long Dive.

@rufusWoo 3 жыл бұрын

Small groups are great. The most successful CoC one shot I’ve run had 2 players. There’s something about the isolation & powerlessness that amps up the dread. And it really helps with pacing. It’s surprising how much time gets eaten up having to deal with 4+ players.

@knightofberenike9633 2 жыл бұрын

Just wanted to say thanks for this video Seth; my players decided that they would drive their wagon through a fetid drowned forest/swamp for the night instead of stopping at the broken tower provided because it was covered in bandit blood or some such nonsense. Then I recalled watching this and gave them the spookiest session of their lives.

@martmantzt 3 жыл бұрын

I started RPing almost 15 years ago. We started with a few games of D&D3.5, but quickly moved to Werewolf: The Forsaken, and through that, World of Darkness as a whole. Our DM had horror down pat. My wife and I would go to bed and have to hold each other all night after most sessions. When I started running World of Darkness, I always tried to emulate our DM (or "Storyteller" "ST" for WoD), when running my own games. I've always been curious about other horror games outside of WoD, like Call of C'Thulu, because the issue I found with running "horror" all the time, was that it did get stale, it did lose it's luster, and there were only so many places to take it. Meanwhile, playing D&D5E, there's always crazy new directions to take that, because in fantasy, your imagination is the limit. Outside of WoD, what are some other good horror systems, and what do they do differently? Also, I wanted to know what Seth's opinion is on WoD/CoD, as I've never seen him mention those games on this channel.

@WrenchWitch 3 жыл бұрын

I don't run horror often, but one of my favorite tricks is trying to present myself in an uncanny way. I had a really great effect using my make-up to brighten the left side of my face while darkening the right side of my face. It just made light and shadow appear to hit me wrong. It wasn't until 3 or 4 hours in that someone just stopped the game and asked, 'What is wrong with your face?' I had a good laugh, but I think it helped foster that uncomfortable energy in a way that was actually really mundane.

@AGrumpyPanda 2 жыл бұрын

This is quite possibly the greatest thing I've heard done at an RPG table I've heard of in months.

@EurojuegosBsAs 3 жыл бұрын

I love hags. Old ladies and princesses are the two most dangerous creatures in my games. One time I left my players spend the night in a village where everyone was old. Nobody got even a minute of sleep.

@darkdesigns 3 жыл бұрын

As someone who is arachanaphobic, I will say Seth is 100% right about not adding someone's phobias into the game. Phobias are an irrational fear of something, and can be triggered even if the player knows they aren't actually dealing with that thing in real life. You're very likely to have someone walk away from the table until the encounter is done if you try to exploit an actual phobia... even if they love horror.

@TheDoomAbides 2 жыл бұрын

I used your trick of switching between players at tense moments just last night and it worked excellently! Thanks for the tips and for this video altogether 🤘

@ratholin 3 жыл бұрын

The bit about crossing lines reminded me of the KOTD where Weird Pete took the players on a homebrew game that was entirely based on the movie Deliverance.

@robertnett9793 2 жыл бұрын

4:25 .... child like giggle... yes. yes I've read Ibenus. And you, Sir, seared this image in my mind forever. Thanks for reminding me and ripping open those scars...

@ken.droid-the-unique 3 жыл бұрын

Scooby snack for the KZfaq algorithm. Thanks for the excellent video, Mr Skorkowski I particularly appreciate the "fireball conversion"

@stinkygod1 3 жыл бұрын

one of the greatest moments I have been able to pull off on a DnD campaign is actually against stirges - basically giant flying mosquitoes. I built them up by having the town have weird spikes around window openings (which the party thought was originally for keeping thieves out), having players woke to strange buzzing sounds, and pestering the living snot out of them with people talking about the "worst dangers of the swamp are not the big enemies but the small ones that travel in packs" and other such "danger from above" things. By the time I was done, I still have players quote at me that they would rather I dropped a dragon on them then fight another swarm of these level 1 fodder. It was loads of fun for us all

@ts25679 3 жыл бұрын

I think I will wait until I have some audio mixing software. Then record in character dialogue, especially the laughter. Then play back the distorted audio and warped laughter. Now I kinda want to make a monster like The Gentlemen from Buffy, but rather than stealing everyone in towns voice all at once I'd like to have it so that mid scream their voice fades down to a dry rasping death rattle. The more voices they steal the more dissonant whispers, cruel mimicry and zones of silence they can project until they can encompass an entire town or village.

@nuffsaid0 3 жыл бұрын

Have you tried "10 candles" system? Perfect for one-shot horror stories.

@TheGreatBryan25 3 жыл бұрын

What is 10 candles?

@Skullkan6 3 жыл бұрын

A really good one shot game system which involves 10 lit candles, set in a world where the sun has died and burning aspects of your character sheet in order to gain benefits. Everyone dies at the end of the session so it's more about creating a tragic story or doing as much as you can before the world ends. I've run it twice and it's brilliant. It works off a pool of 10 dice with a set number of scenes and an antagonist that changes every time you play (partially determined by a player), and as the game goes on more candles go out and the game master gains gradually more and more control as things get more and more dire until the climax. I'd play it more, but covid got in the way. It also is the only game I can think of which heavily benefits from zero prep.

@Runegrace 3 жыл бұрын

I find the system to be incredibly boring. I think it's the concession that your character is always going to die. It loses a lot of the tension when in the back of your mind you know that all the choices you're making are futile

@TheGreatBryan25 3 жыл бұрын

@@Skullkan6 do you have a link to the rules? Video or website will do. I GM for Call of Cthulhu, I think that system might be a cool change for some of my players.

@gmscott9319 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheGreatBryan25 letmegooglethat.com/?q=10+candles+horror+game

@ope6934 3 жыл бұрын

There are a lot of laughs. I'm known in my area a Kult (second edition) DM, so horror is kinda my specialty. Players always laugh during my games, and not because they missed the horror part of the game. Most of the time it's to let steam out. Sometimes it's nervous laughter because they're incomfortable. Those laughter breaks in my opinion are NECESSARY during good horror games, because they allow small breaks and ease the tension. The tension in a game has to be a rollercoaster, not a line. If you let the tension fall, it's the calm before the storm and it makes the game much more memorable.

@secretscarlet8249 24 күн бұрын

I’ve been watching Chaotic Neutral/No Rolls Barred, and they have zany characters included in their CoC games, yet it works. It’s amazing how they all cooperate to weave a story despite their jokes.

@wintersummers3085 3 жыл бұрын

Enthusiastic consent to slavery but possible consent to Delaware? Couldn't imagine the story behind that.

@oz_jones 2 жыл бұрын

Delaware was in the Union, so that might explain it?

@gameon_ct 3 жыл бұрын

Don't expect it to be like a scary movie. That's rule #1 for me.

@momqabt 2 жыл бұрын

I have never been more proud of both my story telling and my players. We're playing CoS, heavily modified because it gets boring to run the base module so meny times. So we're playing CoS and I just describe the air getting colder and a blueish mist rolling forward towards the party. We have 2 new players and 3 who are used to my horror style. The two players are listening intently, the three hear what I say and in near unison shout "RUN!". If I'd have feelings this'd bring a tear to my eye.

@The_Custos 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Ran horror, left one horror game. It involved a cult in the Empire, crazed villagers, being stabbed while sleeping. We couldn't work it all out, but did get away. GM wanted us back, thus our employer started shouting at us and berating us, my character mainly. I was dealing with a hefty amount of workplace bullying at the time, and I asked him to stop. He didn't, he kept going, I think he was using it to vent some steam, so I walked from his games (turns out, until now). I push my players a bit, love horror, but still not a fan of those ways of speaking at the table. Once scared the players from entering a dungeon just based on described smells though. ☺

@Goldcrusty 16 күн бұрын

To be honest horror and comedy goes hand to hand, i am all down for jokes and laughing in the table. It is a coping mechanism 😂😂

@robertnett9793 2 жыл бұрын

14:00 Aliens.... yes. This one goddamn scene with the gun-turrets. This was one genius thing.

@HollowSun 2 жыл бұрын

Can we appreciate that "Delaware" is included (and marked as "possible consent") in the lines/veils list at 22:39

@ope6934 3 жыл бұрын

Really great video. I'd like to add one trick I love to use for horror : if a player takes interest in something, give the information or lack of information just to that player, without others being able to get that info. When the paranoia starts to creep in, nothing is better than "you see nothing" sliped to a player. Others might have seen him check some item and the answer "nothing" is not an accepted answer, they might start doubting the sincerity of that player, whether he's lying or not, hiding something...

@foxross 3 жыл бұрын

I didn't realise, until I watched this, just how much I like using horror in my games. This video was brilliant and I have been taking notes. I am currently running two games: one D&D and the other is RuneQuest and I only now noticed that the bits that I am most excited about are actually horror stories. In one campaign I have planned an aboleth, which is strange and creepy and alien all by itself but the bit that is most exciting to write is how to make it's telepathic probing genuinely enticing; the creature that is hidden in the dark cave pool knows exactly what my PCs want and can offer it to them, it flatters them and calls out to them always with an air of friendship (Bob Ross style voice). The only possible body horror of the encounter would be the second part if anyone does decide to leave with the aboleth and becomes diseased with translucent skin and gills but that would be very much secondary to any psychological turmoil. How I managed to not notice that I like to run horror, I don't know. Thank you for causing me to reevaluate some of what I enjoy in my own games.

@Wgaberle 9 ай бұрын

Prepping for a "one-shot" horror. Had to comeback and visit this video again because it is so full of good tips and reminders. Thanks Seth!

@SSkorkowsky 9 ай бұрын

Best of luck with the game.

@krzysztofporadzinski9183 3 жыл бұрын

Internet: Hello Seth!

@flightlessbird2281 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic vid. Great work, love the long format too.

@conmanreloaded4249 3 жыл бұрын

20:00 My lawful evil wizard has all those thoughts with an added one being *”is it possible to learn this power?”*

@ripred42 3 жыл бұрын

Great vid, one of my favorite horror one shots is "the fall without end" about a expedition to Mt McKinley

@CrovanBlaze 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this! I can see Denali (formerly McKinley) from where I live, and this could be a good one for my home game!

@ripred42 3 жыл бұрын

@@CrovanBlaze definetely check it out, its also free so you can download a pdf and see if you want to run it.

@ripred42 3 жыл бұрын

@@CrovanBlaze www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/117193

@deadlycabbit5195 3 жыл бұрын

Been excited for this, thanks Seth!

@azathothwakesup 3 жыл бұрын

OMG, what a fantastic source of ideas!! Thank You Seth, another winner!

@jakesgenuineanarchy5955 3 жыл бұрын

Great video as always I hope you keep making these, I love watching them, one of my favorite KZfaq channels.

@0x777 5 ай бұрын

The most effective horror, at least in my opinion, is the "mundane gone wrong". Where you have something people encounter every day, something that's trivial, mundane, but got twisted in some horrible, horrible way. Doctor Who's episode The Empty Child is one of the most terrifying ever. I can never, ever again hear a child say "Are you my mommy?" without jumping out of my skin.

@scottknudsen6611 3 жыл бұрын

Every time you post a video I know I'm about to up my GM game a little bit. Today was no exception.

@rainrobrowedaciousfirewood7898 3 жыл бұрын

The timing on this vid's release was perfect. Thanks for the advice, as always!

@TheGavric 3 жыл бұрын

Another Grand Slam video! I continue to enjoy your presentation and insight.

@admpandora91 3 жыл бұрын

absolutely fantastic video, Seth. concise analysis, well structured, and relevant, tactful editing.

@tonyrigby6065 3 жыл бұрын

One thing I have done many times is to treat the major threat for my long term campaign as a horror style game whenever the party runs into them at early levels. So the cult wanting to drown the world in demonic hordes start as a horrifying series of disjointed events, roll around in the middle as a major threat that they have begun to learn how to handle and will still be nervous around (or better yet, hated). The final arc is a defiant stand against something nobody else could handle while they try to keep the world fr dealing with what they did at the start of their career. The change of mood for the enemy really accentuates the party's growth while allowing for changes in the forces to keep them from getting stale. Cultists, then demons with cultist servants, to greater demons with lesser demon foot soldiers. It all feels connected and the conflict feels rewarding.

@UraniumOre92 3 жыл бұрын

Ahh a new Seth video more like a godsend

@CobaltGM 3 жыл бұрын

This is the Horror Game Advice Video I’ve been waiting for! Thank you!! I have been wanting to do horror for so long and now you have empowered me to do so!!

@theservantdm 3 жыл бұрын

I loved your example of how to isolate the characters, very entertaining and inspiring.

@Semiotichazey 3 жыл бұрын

So much good and sound advice here. Excellent treatment of boundaries.

@demonknight3986 3 жыл бұрын

yay new video from one of my favorite KZfaq channels :3

@reflexnight 2 жыл бұрын

Best Mood setting location, Used book store late at night.

@Panicagq2 22 күн бұрын

I've recently discovered that warm red Edison-style light bulbs are great for 20's CoC atmosphere...

@MrRobGresham 3 жыл бұрын

This is my new favorite channel. I think I've watched 100 hours o it in the past week. Keep it up Seth! Huzzah

@shadowheartart3898 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. So many wonderful tips.

@plapperkfr2045 2 жыл бұрын

From time to time, I actually love my players breaking the "horror mood", because if you manage it carefully, you can break the break. One situation that worked out beautifully: While my players were joking around in comic relief, I kept tapping/scrating under the table in increasing loudness. As soon as someone noticed: "What's that?" I replied: "You can't really tell, but it seems to be closing in FAST on your location." The resulting forced switch of gear back to the game level led to one of the most intense encounters I've manged to provide to my players up to date.

@spekticat 3 жыл бұрын

Great as always RPG-Uncle Seth! 💜

@phobiawitch835 Жыл бұрын

That skit about isolating the PCs and transitions between them gave me literal goosebumps! That was impressive and I love it!

@ivobleijenberg3171 3 жыл бұрын

One of the best instructions I've seen in a long time. Thank you, I am really getting into Call of Cthulhu 7ed and this greatly helps me to get into horror. Awesome. Please keep it up!

@mikethetooth 3 жыл бұрын

Woooo! I love this channel. Hope to have my own soon.

@southron_d1349 3 жыл бұрын

Now I want to run a game with a Kuo-Toa Wizard whose fireball is turned into a flooding. The victim's bodies become so bloated with water so it gushes from their mouths, eyes, and skin. By the way, I love spiders which are fascinating and beautiful animals. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to make any normal animal scary to me. Children, on the other hand, are the most terrifying entities, from Anthony Fremont in "It's a Good Life" to the Midwich Cuckoos.

@RCBeiler 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this. I've been wanting to write and run horror games and you gave some really great insight on how it runs differently from non-horror.

@armorguy1108 3 жыл бұрын

This is an amazing video. I'm planning out a Call of Cthulu campaign and I can't tell you how helpful this has been to getting me to really nail down what I want to do. Thanks!

@jakefranklin198 3 жыл бұрын

This is awesome! Thanks so much for the helpful video Seth. I think your description of what makes horror effective is spot on. I mostly run D&D games, and I find that I actually tend toward running horror-like games when they are low-level, and more easily harmed and endangered my mundane-ish things, and then move to a more swash-buckling genre as they grow in power. This has inspired me to try going the other direction!