Reoccurring Episodic Horror Movies

Genocide Device · #1 07-12-2012, 08:54 AM

I call this setting "Survive Till Dawn"

This idea was originally posted in DM Mentoring but I just don't have time to run it. So, I decided to share it here in the hopes some new or old DM's would like to take a crack at it. Just know, that if you do, you can already count yourself in 1 player (technically the minimum to run the setting. This is good for 1 shots and solos if you and a few friends are board on a Saturday night). The idea was originally formulated in a chat room in the form of a mud and has sense been adapted into many different systems. In any case the old Mud is long gone so all that remains is my memory of it and the many times I run it for buddies in table top. In the original rules, the Scenario started at 7pm that night and didn't end until 7am the next morning. If you fell asleep, you died. I've since adapted it for PbP where every thread is supposed to represent roughly an hour in game though clearly, as PbP under this setting can last weeks, you may sleep without fear of losing your character.

The Setting is based off of reoccurring Episodic Horror Movies. What do I mean by that? Look at it this way. Every Story or "Movie" is a single Scenario that is intended to be a one shot adventure. Players either use pre-made characters, or roll one up on a limited quick chart with basic equipment packages and so on. I recommend D20 Modern, with the Job Class equipment packages from Spy Craft (Try to limit your books, I'll explain why later). Players try to have their characters survive and if they do, the setting resets as though nothing had happens and you throw the character into a new Scenario.

The Scenario can be anything from Cthuluh horror, to an alien invasion and can happen in any setting. It doesn't matter. It's best to base the scenario off of a typical cult horror genera just to give your players something familiar to work with so don't feel unoriginal if you just play Zombie Apocalypse. People are familiar with it and they can get into it.

The reason why the character set up is so basic is two fold.
First: The plot is based around "survival." Players should be playing every day Jane and Johns, with a house a job and a 401-k plan. This is not the setting for the guy who wants to play the orphaned, loan wolf, disgruntled retired cop, with a personal arsenal as this defeats the purpose. Players have to use everyday skills in a cleaver way, to survive the scenario. I tell most players not to fight for meta game reasons as to why their character Betty Crocker Homemaker, cant be sporting an AR-15 with a couple thousand rounds of ammo. Even if she's a card carrying member of the NRA, she likely wont have it accessible. It will be in a locker at the gun club or in a cabinet at her house. This doesn't make it an impossible item to collect, but with a setting were EVERY thing has a base DR, don't waste the time and energy, you'll survive longer if you increase your movement speed.
Second: There's the very real chance the character will die, so you'll likely want to have them as massed produced as possible. I'd recommend looking up the setting/system "Paranoia" as it has a really funny character builder for just that reason. The player shouldn't worry about losing a character, the idea is to play and try to survive multiple Scenarios and sometimes with multiple characters. Sometimes, leaving the biggest messiest bloody smear is half the fun of this game.

I bet you're wondering "If the characters are always dying, then what's the reward?" that and "GET OUT OF MY MIND!" Good question (and no, it's my playground). Rewards are tethered to "Players" not "Characters." I don't recommend handing out experience points for this setting. Instead, hand out special feats, equipment, Hero Points, meta knowledge, and even full levels (though I'd also recommend not letting them have more than tree levels as this might not be fair for other players who are constantly losing characters.)

Rewards should be based on Good Role Playing as much as survival. As I mentioned before, sometimes leaving the biggest splat is half the fun. Players should be rewarded for trying to pull off new and interesting ways of dealing with each scenario even if that means they decide to play a suicide bomber that has a change of heart and blows up the big goolie instead of the capitalist swine around him/her (had it happen in a game once). Survival should be rewarded but also consider rewarding the following acts: good and memorable quotes, clearly bad ideas that are done in the name of staying in character, stupid ideas that by some stretch of luck are successful, heroic acts even when not successful, most interesting kill (even if its another player), working in team efforts to solve a problem, taking one for the team and surviving, and so on.

On that note: It's important to remember that this is a DM v Player setting so it has to be fair. DM's should make specific Scenarios geared towards the players having options and possibilities for their character's to survive. The goolies made by the DM should be after the Player Characters. The DM should not be after the Players (literally or metaphorically). If you intend on fudging the rules to see how many players you can kill while you stroke a fluffy white cat and cackle maniacally to your self, this may not be the setting for you. If a player kills the critter you spent all day building and you find it as a blow to your ego, this is likely not the setting for you. If a player realizes that something is a trap, and you whine about them meta gaming, only for them to sigh and set off the trap to you giggling about how cleaver you are, this is not the setting for you. This setting can be run by a novice DM, but it can't be run by a DM who defines his success in life by how many players he's killed in other settings.

I recommend you read through this thread first before considering this setting.
http://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=123529

This game is all about balance. You want the characters to have a possible escape, but you don't want to make it too obscure or too obvious. If the escape is too obvious, it turns into a monster killing dungeon crawl and you might as well be rolling up 1st level adventures. If it's not obvious enough, you may want to consider that, as a DM, you fit into one of the three stereotypes mentioned above. In any case, you want to encourage problem solving, not hackmaster5000. Some things should be solvable at the end of a baseball bat, others should require skills and player wit. Don't get upset if players use Meta knowledge from a collection of Horror Movies, this might be the only thing that sees them through. Remmeber, run out the door, not ups the stairs. If you manage to hit the big goolie, do not drop your weapon and run, keep hitting it. Finally, "double tap, Cardio," the two most important rules of any horror setting.

It's also important to note, that you may want to groom your players for this setting. Not only is this a difficult setting to balance, it's an easy one for players to think they want to play in, then realize it requires too much thinking and puzzle solving. Everyone wants to be Ash from Evil Dead/Army of Darkness -an average Joe that goes bad ass- but that's not the point of this setting... Well, there's room for that latter, but for the first couple scenarios, players are supposed to play unlucky nobodies with the things on hand that a nobodies would have, so its easy to become disheartened or board. As we discussed in the DM mentoring thread, this is a Niche setting. It is not any easy setting to find the right players for, it is not a setting to rush into, it is not a setting where you want to give off the wrong impression to players about what will be expected of them, and its an easy setting to screw up. In any case, I hope to see more survival horror game up on the Game ads from here on. So have fun, and good hunting.

Genocide Device · #2 07-13-2012, 10:38 AM

Possible Scenarios!: The cheesier the better.

kingmonkey · #3 07-16-2012, 08:17 AM

Fil kearney · #4 07-24-2012, 04:20 PM

Let me introduce you to your new game, Call of Cthulu.

Genocide Device · #5 07-26-2012, 03:12 PM

Yeah it was refrenced in my post. I dont know. I think the subtle differences are an inprovment on the idea as a whole. Though by all means tne cthuluh setting is perfect for this idea.

Fil kearney · #6 07-26-2012, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genocide Device

Yeah it was refrenced in my post. I dont know. I think the subtle differences are an inprovment on the idea as a whole. Though by all means tne cthuluh setting is perfect for this idea.

when I read the reference, I didn't get you were referring to the Cthulu RPG specifically, rather I thought you were referring to the sub-genre of fiction. :3. I've played both the Chaosium and d20 version... Chaosium is better, and does a truly remarkable job.

Genocide Device · #7 07-27-2012, 07:13 AM

Chaosium eh? I'll have to look that up. Remember however, the idea is that each scenario resets the group as though nothing had happened. Players are encouraged to play new characters or keep their old ones in an attempt to see if they can get them to survive. So there isn't any story progression, just different stories each which bare their own unique reward. This is why I don't recommend using EXP.