Author: Phill Calle (---.pompano.net)
Date: 11-01-2001 09:31
Delta Green is the first thing that comes to my mind, and Unknown Armies is the second. You might disparage the systems of both games (Delta Green is a derived from CoC), but can you fault the horror in either game? And what about Sorcerer? Aside from missing those important games, you paint with too broad a brush. Was every player weaned on D&D and cyberpunk? One group I play with was, and another was more influenced by horror, from Poe to Lovecraft to King. But even the group "weaned on D&D" has played a Call of Cthulhu influenced Unknown Armies campaign and loved it.
I'm not sure that gaming books need that much advice on running horror games. I think that the lessons are there in the horror stories (whether they are prose, poetry, comics, or film) themselves, and if you don't know the stories, your game won't be that good. The advice that is useful is rare. Perhaps the best advice that I can think of comes from John Tynes in his article "Up Against the Wall, Mother******!" because that advice deals specifically with gaming. It's reprinted on his website, if you're curious.
Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my horror game: D&D in Rokugan. Yes, the characters are powerful. Yes, they are the Emperor's magistrates. But the Shadows are everywhere and no one is to be trusted.
|
|
