GURPS Creatures of the Night is a horror bestiary for GURPS. The creatures are original and most of them are malign and paranormal. It includes the appropriate information for GURPS, great detail, and a couple of adventure hooks, with about two pages on each creature.
Maybe some of you have noticed that I include the covers of the GURPS books I review, and have noticed that this one's missing. It's because I don't like this cover. It's on the Steve Jackson Games website if you have to see it.
This book is the most scary gaming book I've ever read. I've worried about the Clutches in bed at night. I've seen the eyes of a fabricant in a friend's eyes. The creatures in this book should worry and scare your characters, and hopefully their players as well.
The horrors in the book are not tied to any one setting; most of them are appropriate for fantasy and modern horror, and cyberpunk with an occult twist. The book usually implies a modern background, and two computer creatures and a space one would be unusuable in a fantasy campaign.
One problem is that many creatures arise from the deaths of humans, and several others involve blood or pain without any rationalization. These are horror creatures, not natural creatures, and too many of them in one campaign may get a bit absurd. This prevents their use in most science fictional campaigns.
Another warning is the matchless, a group of deformed humans, that gain supernatural power from murdering normal humans. Their inclusion seems in poor taste.
The art in this book is very well done. It has good, unnerving depictions of all the creatures. Check out page 108 for my favorite.
In summary, if you are looking for horror creatures for any game, pick up this book. It includes a large selection of creatures to torment, and more importantly, to terrify your players.
Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
