Hey, have you heard the news? Journalists are a dying breed.

That's not entirely true. Newspapers are a dying breed. Journalists are proliferating like mad, as every blogger (myself included) fancies themselves amateur journalists who will one day make the big leagues. It's a quaint notion, but it doesn't detract from the fact that a trained journalist can dig up some information simply by asking the right people at the right time.

As players in an action horror game, journalists can get into all sorts of trouble. The journalists most likely to survive are the war journalists, who are accustomed to slipping in and out of trouble fast. They have a heightened sense of danger, know when to bribe someone and when to follow the local customs, and most importantly know when to get out when things get too hot. War journalists in particular are a tough breed worth considering for a horror game.

On the other hand, journalists get their bad reputation from the guys who ambush you with a camera. These types of journalists can make a character's life a living hell. Journalists can chat with grandmothers, dig up high school photos, and question things that nobody else ever seems to care about. A good journalist won't just make you care, he'll make you wonder why you didn't care enough in the first place.

Journalists, like law enforcement, are a "force of civilization" – the equivalent of a force of nature in the civilized world. They're the inevitable consequence of too much attention. And just what does too much attention mean?

• They provide narrative to the game. Any GM who wants to help create a mystery can simply speak through a journalist as a mouthpiece. How many horror movies begin with a reporter talking about someone missing on the news?
• They show up at the worst possible moment. Usually with a hidden camera.
• They know secrets. Good journalists do their research, while bad ones pretend they know more than they do. It's hard to tell the difference.
• They represent the public. Journalists can whip a crowd into a frenzy, paint a hero as a villain, or cover up a crime. It's all in how they present it to the public.

Your Turn: Have you ever played a journalist in an RPG? What useful skills did he bring to the game?