Much of Fear is Found in the Unexpected

I was considering the nature of 'Horror' gaming, my own success with it (I've had players refuse to continue campaigns because they were in their words too frightening), the games of other successful GMs that I've played in, and the common advice given about them.

I've always found that common advice... stale and far less than useful. Why? Because that common advice is... well common. It's a known value and thus expected. As a 'horror' campaign progresses, it only becomes even more common and more expected. Thus they become more boring. And at least for me, fear is wrapped up in the unknown and not the known.

Let me give a example from my gaming experience.

I'm on record in many Internet exchanges as being a fan of tactical RPG gaming that include detailed battles. Indeed I've described my RPG campaigns as a individual war games linked by setting, story and role-play to provide meaning to the battles, and a method to explore their outcomes afterward.

A rather rare style these days, and given how different it is from dungeon crawls and such- likely it was always a rare style. As a result of this style, I use board and minis. Few things are normally hidden from my players.Unless I've switched to a Horror style event.

Then the maps and minis may disappear, leaving the players only with their impressions of my words. Or they may remain, but with highly constrained views, expanding only foot by foot and perception check by perception check. My rule of dice rolls always be in the open is suspended, and many of them now become hidden. While I normally never require rolls for typical actions (jump the fence on run, sure- spend 3" of your move please), suddenly I'm calling for agility checks for the same action.

For the players the world as they have known it, has in actual fact changed. Things they could count on, are now fuzzy and unknown. And there is something out there hunting them in the darkness.

It's a small thing. And added to other small things (different way of describing things, perhaps playing by candle light, etc) the result can be as intense as watching the best horror movie. I've had the most gung ho power gamer crawling away from any chance of battle hoping to reach that patch of light under the street lamp. Praying that someone, anyone, would arrive to help him.

For my style of gaming, at the end things switch back. Information is learned, understanding of the threat dawns. A course of action decided. Like the movie Predator, what begins as Horror typically ends up as Action. The map returns, things are resolved and the Hero is left standing (or not as the case may be).

I think it's the unexpected in this that impacts the players. Both during the 'Horror' part of the game, and then when that becomes expected- the switch back to the tactical 'heroic' style. Both styles are enhanced because they are at such contrast. If I normally used a simple non-tactical, map-less and fuzzy rule set, all that impact would be lost.


I don't run these types of games often. Indeed doing so would undermine their effectiveness. It's best to have an adventure go off like a sky rocket, then play a series of snap caps. At least for me.