TT Ep 157 Running a Horror RPG with Ideas for Savage Worlds

Carl talks about some ideas on running horror RPGs. His focus is on some areas where Savage Worlds tabletop RPG helps or hinders the experience and what a GM might do. #ttrpg #SavageWorlds #weplaysavageworlds #tabletoptango

00:00 - Introduction
01:34 - Set Expectations
02:39 - Setting Rules can Help
03:45 - Make them Uneasy
05:15 - Power Level
07:00 - Isolation
08:05 - Split Them
09:30 - Jump Cuts
10:10 - Flip Expectations
11:40 - Fear the Unknown

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[Onionkid]

"A look, if such a thing is possible on a cat, of disgust".
I don't think cats have any OTHER expression!

[booms]

I love that tip about letting monsters (of whatever stripe) move around rhe environment in ways the players can't.

Great video!

[GromMolotok]

A good compilation of ideas. Also useful in non-horror settings when you want to add an air of uneasy mystery.

[booksbricksandboards]

I have really been enjoying your videos. As a fairly recent convert, you have done a great job helping me grow my knowledge of Savage Worlds. I’ve known the system a couple years, but only in the last 6 months started diving in and really getting the savage experience. Your channel is a great resource!

[ajvanbreen]

Lines and veils are definitely important in horror games, but can be surprisingly useful to discuss during session zero for other genres as well!

[kevoreilly]

A key to horror is the “locked box” - the alienation you described - which challenges resources

Next is the “ticking clock” the longer they take, either the harder things become or they become weaker - attributes and skills drop a die at key instances

Doom - the GM has a pool of dice for rerolls that builds as the players fail.

Atmosphere - the players need to uncover clues and secrets - can be mundane in game items but they have a “clue” value - this is just a success tracker

Set the theme - play at night … candles, creepy music, screams and whispers - have people routinely leave the room for 10 minutes preferably to an isolated location (safety protocols engaged)

When creatures are killed - have something horrible happen (the nurses in Silent Night)

Make player actions more important than character actions

[simonwatkins]

I liked the suggestion in the New companion to give bennies to players who play into the tropes. Split the party. repeat summons in front of a mirror sit with their back to an open window etc.

[AegixDrakan]

I'm definitely running the "Hard Choices" setting rule for my halloween one-shot I'm planning. I want them to know that every Benny they spend can AND WILL be used against them later. :P

I need more to it... But so far the idea is to run with the idea of a Were-Coyote type Fae creature that bites both a local kid, and one of the party members. They will have a limited time to discover how to cure the condition (or kill the Fae)... But there will only be enough for one person. Also, every party member will have a dark secret and an accompanying mentor that can offer insight... IF the player is willing to expose their dark secret to the rest of the party. :P

[RichardHopkinsLobosSolos]

The Monster Hunter International book series by Larry Correia has a setting for SWADE available from Gallant Knight Games. The genesis for MHI came from when Larry was a moderator on a gun forum and there was a joke about how if the people on the forum were in a horror movie, the movie would be about three minutes. That being said, there's lots of ways that it's very difficult for the characters to hunt the monsters and collect the bounty (PUFF, Perpetual Unearthly Forces Fund, started by Theodore Roosevelt).

[morganpetros]

Another video I just watched yesterday suggested, instead of limiting the way players can *USE* Bennies, just not giving any out except from the two Jokers in the Action deck. I'm not sure about this; it seems somewhat harsh. But it would certainly make things tougher and be simpler than changing basic rules on what players can do with their resources.

As far as descriptions go, I've noticed that a lot of GMs never describe anything beyond what characters *SEE* or occasionally hear. I see this as a mistake; just describing the cold, clammy feel of the fog on the characters' skin or the coppery scent of blood (or the result of a creature that's suffered a violent death voiding its bowels) before they enter the site of a murder scene can be very effective in creating a tense, fear-filled atmosphere. Giving the players input from *ALL* their senses can be really creepy. Just read some of Stephen King's horror and see how he surrounds the reader with sensory input. 😈

Anyway, I *LOVE* this video; I'll certainly take it to heart if I ever decide to run a horror game.