Horror RPs

[Hecatoncheires]

So we've had a string of horror-themed games starting up in Iwaku recently, something I'm really quite pleased about. Thumbs up to Alarice and Vay, plus all the others starting these kinda games.

But my question's this, Iwaku.

What do you guys look for in a horror game? Atmosphere? Pacing? Terrifying monsters and villains? What sort of settings do you enjoy? Are you into slow-building, atmospheric horrors, or do you like the games where your characters end up being chased, terrified, done dark corridors by unseen forces or some deranged slasher?

 

[Warmaster Death]

the shit hits the fan for the characters, hard.

if they're a bad-arsed gun toting combat machine, they run out of ammunition and get wounded.

if they're normal, they shit themselves and face tremendous odds.

shittons more fighting withdrawls/balls out running away screaming than hardend combat.

 

[Slyen]

Atmosphere.

I see the point of horror is to be scary and atmosphere will do just that. If you don't know what your walking into, if you can't see the monster but hear it, if you misplaced you trusty torch... All of these things contribute to the atmosphere and are psychological factors that affect game play and user feeling. The jumpier someone is, the better you are doing your job.

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

WMD, I've found the antithesis of the bad-assed gun-toting war machine of death, part of Why I don't GM games any more is because I can become VERY vindictive in the creation of my own atmosphere.

 

[Vay]

I look for both atmosphere and believability. And GMK, horror is meant to be vindictive. When the testosterone fueled walking bag of guns find hes helpless and theres really nothing he can do despair sets in which is good for horror.

 

[Jack Shade]

I look for a plot that keeps the players guessing...if I am forced to question what motives are and who is doing what, then I am likely having a much more engaging time.

 

[Diana]

ATMOSPHERE!

In a horror or thriller, I really want it to be scary. I want to feel like my character could die at any moment. I want there to be scary shit and people getting killed and stuff.

That's what makes it fun. >:D the fear of horrible things happening and about to happen.

 

[Vay]

I agree with Jack, everything should come into question, even, yes diana, "will I be alive in a second?"

 

[Kitti]

The atmosphere for me - the creepy setting gives me the jitters x_x

 

[Effort]

I dig the emotionality of it all

 

[Porg]

Gotta be psychologically based. It's like my horror movies, it's far scarier when it's subtle. Some bloke with a chainsaw doesn't really scare me.. ghosts do.. especially the japanese Horror thing, where it's heavily based on Psychology.

Also, I think an enemy/monster that seems impossible to kill, ghosts are especially good for this, though i don't find indestructible humans fall into this category.


Plus yes, threat of character death is definitely a contributor to a scary atmosphere.

 

[Cosmic Orion]

Atmosphere gets me.

But I NEED monsters or a villain.

And not that post modern "IT WAS ME ALL ALONG" type villain stuff.

There needs to be an actual damn antagonist.

 

[Diana]

I do like it better when there's someone else out there playing the villain and the monsters. >:D I guess it's why I would rather join someone else's horror than my own. Cause it always ends up on teh GM to lay down the scary stuff. I know I can do some scary stuff, but it's not as scary for me when I'm doing it to myself. t___t

 

[Asmodeus]

Not knowing who will die and why.

In most horror films, you can tell who's gonna die because you think on a role-basis, like "Oh, she's the blond who has too much sex, so she'll die because she's sinful." Or "He's the fat dude, so he's gotta die because he was mean to that kid in the last scene."

A good horror will play with these expectations and not go for the obvious moral/entertainment choices. That's one of the reasons Alien worked, because Sigourney Weaver was one of the least known actors on the cast. And a particularly shocking death was when the heroine's wheelchair-bound brother gets killed in Texas Chainsaw Massacre - because you would'a thought he had two very good reasons to survive.

If we can predict the conventions, then we reason our way out of fear. If something is expected, you're more likely to laugh than feel afraid (because you're laughing over-consciously about how the writer/director chose to kill that character - like in Final Destination) You need to keep a horror TRULY unknown in order for it to hit the mark. And above all, you have to be subtle, so that the audience don't just see the hand of the writer in the events, but are right there empathising with the character until the very end.