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I'm still here- Doc Firefly "Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice, From what I tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire but if it had to perish twice I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice." -Robert Frost > Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:59:07 -0400 > From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net > To: hoe-digest@gamerz.net > Subject: hoe-digest.20091029 > > hoe-digest Thursday, October 29, 2009 > > > Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? andreas@sebold.net > Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? awaggen@yahoo.com > Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? thecovenants88@gmail.com > > To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with > unsubscribe hoe-digest@gamerz.net > as the BODY of the message. The SUBJECT is ignored. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:20:17 +0100 > From: andreas@sebold.net > Subject: Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? > > Hello! > > someone ist out there even here in Germany ;) > > Might be that i play deadlands next month on a convention here. > > Cheers > > Andreas > -- > ============================================================== > Andreas Sebold > MSc Dipl.Ing.(Fh) Sensorsystems Technology > www.sebold.net > > > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:28:35 -0700 (PDT) > From: awaggen@yahoo.com > Subject: Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? > > One of the problems with running horror games is that you need a certain level of buy-in from the players for them to be truly afraid. If the players treat the game as a powergame-fest, you won't get the horror feel. Of course, there are also some things that you as the GM can do to contribute to a horror feel for the game. > > As a start, realize that combat generally isn't scary. There will be a bit of fear in losing a character you've spent a lot of time on, but it's not the kind of fear that makes a game a horror game. After all, there's that fear present in action games all the time, but people don't call them horror games. One thing that Deadlands does well is horrors that can only be defeated using their weaknesses. Even very powerful PCs will be afraid when their strongest attacks have little or no impact on the enemy. Sometimes, the real horror of the game is learning how a person became the horror that they're stalking, and that's what they need to do to find it's weakness. Having the players futilely fight the horror, and barely escape with their lives, will add a horror element to the game. > > Don't get too wrapped up in the game mechanics for horror. It's easy to shortchange the scene and just have people make guts checks, but it's better if there is some lead-in and description to give the players the feeling that it's scary. Now, it's also easy to go overboard and spend so long on the description that the players get bored. Pick a couple of senses other than sight, and weave them into the description. Smell is usually a good one for a gruesome bloodbath scene, although saying they can taste the blood in the air can be even more terrifying. Sound is another good one, though you need to be careful, as sometimes it brings people out of the mood if it seems contrived. If you describe wolves howling a couple of times earlier in the session, and then they find the scene, and later as they are examining the bodies they hear the wolves howling again, that might have more impact. > > Keeping the monster in the background also adds to the horror. A good horror story does not start with a monster fight, it starts with a slow discovery that something is wrong. Ideally, the players get the feeling that something isn't quite right, and then later discover some evidence that they were correct. If you start off with them finding a dead body, you're going too fast, and it can quickly become an action monster-hunt instead of a horror game. Maybe the first inkling they get is someone in town warning them away, or asking for protection, but unable to give a real reason. Then that person disappears, no body found. As they investigate, they start to figure out what's going on, with the enemy always seemingly on the edge of things. > > Isolation is an important element of horror games. This doesn't mean the PCs need to be alone in the woods, but it does mean that they shouldn't find help easily, and the help they find should not be all-encompassing or trustworthy. An urban adventure where the PCs are treated as outsiders by the townsfolk, the authorities don't believe there's a problem when the PCs come calling, etc. are all good ways to give this kind of feel. It's even better if the authorities and townsfolk are part of the problem. > > Lack of control is another important horror element. Be careful of this one, because improperly done it can feel like railroading the players (which to some extent it is, but you don't want them to feel that way, as it brings them out of the game). You have to bring the PCs out of their comfort zone for horror to work well. > > I hope this advice gives you some ideas to make your game more fun for you and for your players. > > Adam > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Donnie B <thecovenants88@gmail.com> > To: hoe@gamerz.net > Sent: Wed, October 28, 2009 5:48:27 PM > Subject: Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? > > I'm just glad to see I'm not the only one out there. I only played a few months of Deadlands before I started to Marshal a HOE game. I'm having fun but the experienced players are able to play over my head. I've been looking for sources to help me throw a twist at my posse but ever resource I find they have. I'm just hoping none of them are on here. > > Anyways, our campaign is based mostly in Junkyard and the biggest problem I run into is not letting the fear seep into the story. I'm working on that, but my players seem impossible to scare. One of the most experienced player ran a one-shot that was really challenging, and the posse remarked how normally ever time you play them game you need to fear for your life. (Makes sense considering the Horror genre) Being real munchkins, they alway make guts checks and do insane damage. Should I turn into a truly evil Marshal to put the fear of god into them? If so, how? I think my inexperience is showing... > > > > > On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 10:13 PM, Chris Miller <three_millers@yahoo.com> wrote: > > It still functions, but it's about as active as the airwaves after the blast > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:03:08 -0400 > From: thecovenants88@gmail.com > Subject: Re: [HOE] Is this thing on? > > Wow, thanks Adam. That really gives me some ideas on how this is done > > ------------------------------ > > End of hoe-digest.20091029 > *********************************** Windows 7: It helps you do more. Explore Windows 7. |