A bit of Halloween surrealism…

In going through my old emails, I came across this gem from Amazon.com:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has purchased or rated “Rashomon – Criterion Collection”, you might like to know that “Zombie Self-Defense Force” will be released on October 13, 2009.

Yes, I can see the similarities.  Thanks, Amazon.

Adding Fear to Your Game

…Okay, obviously, my last plan didn’t quite work out.  So, rather than tempt fate again, I’ll just say I’ll post when and as I’m able, and leave it at that.  Moving on…

Happy Halloween.  In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, I thought I’d say a little about fear in your game.  Maybe you’re playing a dedicated horror game like Call of Cthulhu.  Maybe you just want to visit the theme for a plotline or two in a game like D&D or HERO.  Either way, if you want to inspire some fear in your players, there are a couple of things to consider.

Description Matters

As with evoking any other emotion, your description of the characters’ surroundings and the NPCs will have a large impact on the amount of fear the players feel.  Sensory detail is your friend.  Perhaps most important are the non-visual details.  Does the old windmill creak and groan as it turns?  Does the wind howl?  Is there no sound at all in the abandoned manor except for the characters’ own muffled footfalls across the carpeted floor?  And while aural cues are very effective, the sense of smell or touch is often even more evocative.  Is the tomb dry and dusty, or damp and musty?  Are the characters having to brush cobwebs off their exposed skin?  Is the air cold and clammy?  Or is it uncomfortably, and unaccountably, warm?

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