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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Fox Magic: Allies and Adversaries
I was going to move on from this series, but I realized I hadn’t provided any examples yet. Therefore, my final preview for now will be the following two statblocks: First, the Kitsune Celestial Shrine Maiden, a young priestess ready to defend her shrine and those who worship there. (Yes, I’m aware that miko aren’t exactly priestesses, but anime made me do it.) Second, the Kitsune Wilder Shadow Weaver, a beguiling illusionist all too willing to toy with the minds of others for his own amusement. Following the jump.
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If you love Ochre Jelly…
So far, this April’s been a bit of a downer. Between the recent Wizards PDF kerfluffle, the passing of Dave Arneson, and the illness of Aaron Allston, it perhaps hasn’t been the best of times for an RPG Blog Carnival about humor. But one of the purposes of humor is to take our minds from dark places, so, in the spirit of the carnival, I present this little bit of silliness. Call it my tribute to the Dragon magazines of old. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s been done in one of those Dragons…
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I’m a Monster! Rawr!
Trampling the latest blog meme to the ground, I present: The Dreaming Butterfly, following the jump.
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Blink Dogs
As promised, some Blink Dog stats for 4e.
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