Darkness & Dread vs. Heroes of Horror

mhacdebhandia · Nov 22, 2005

Joshua Dyal said:
Of course, if you really want to go hardcore, you probably need to pick up something like Unknown Armies, but that's probably more horror gaming than you're looking for.

Just to be a smartarse, I'll point out that Unknown Armies is next along my gaming shelf from my GURPS books. Quite a terrific game.

Desdichado · Nov 22, 2005

Kamikaze Midget said:
But if I wanted my players to feel frightened, terrified, outclassed, and on edge....D&D is absolutely capable of doing that. And one of the best ways to do that might be to change the game subtly, so that the normalcy of D&D contrasts with the wrongness of these new challenges. When what is normal seems abnormal, fear and horror result, even if the specific genre specifications are not clung to.

Oh, I understand your theory, it's just my experience that it usually doesn't work out. It could make the players feel horrified, if done well and you have the right players, but more often, it backfires horribly and you end up with frustrated players who are upset because their expectations from the game have not been met.

Not only that, you're fighting an upstream battle with the system while you're at it.

MerricB · Nov 22, 2005

Joshua Dyal said:
Oh, I understand your theory, it's just my experience that it usually doesn't work out. It could make the players feel horrified, if done well and you have the right players, but more often, it backfires horribly and you end up with frustrated players who are upset because their expectations from the game have not been met.

Not only that, you're fighting an upstream battle with the system while you're at it.

Hmm. I understand that. I'm trying to think of my experiences in running horror in D&D. Necropolis? Nope, that's just a dungeon crawl. Feast of Goblyns? (Which I ran in Greyhawk)... there were moments.

I'm sure part of my problems in running horror can be put down to my bright, sunny and cheerful nature, and my almost complete inability to not find the funny side of things at the most inappropriate moment.

Cheers!

Crothian · Nov 22, 2005

Joshua Dyal said:
Not only that, you're fighting an upstream battle with the system while you're at it.

How does the system make horror in d20 an upstream battle?

Desdichado · Nov 23, 2005

Crothian said:
How does the system make horror in d20 an upstream battle?

I didn't say d20, I was talking about D&D.

Crothian · Nov 23, 2005

Joshua Dyal said:
I didn't say d20, I was talking about D&D.

Ah, yes, because they are so different.

How does the system make horror in D&D an upstream battle?

Aus_Snow · Nov 23, 2005

Psion said:
I never put forth my position as fact; in this I don't see myself as any different than you.

On more than once occasion, you put forth your position (such that it was) without any qualifiers.

I could understand the confusion if, as is often the case in forum post, I didn't qualify my statements. But looking back at my initial post in my thread (which, if you look at the footer, has no edits at this time), I clearly see "I feel" and "AFAIAC" (multiple instances.) So I think to imlpy that I was putting forth my opinion as fact is indefensible.

The contentious parts were not at all qualified (see above). Read your own posts again, if you don't want to take my word for it - and as it strikes me as unlikely you'd want to do that anyway, please do read them again.

This argument did not begin because I was attacking your position on the book. I was offering my opinion of the book without comment on your position. But when you saw that my opinion of the book differed from yours, you stepped in and commenced to deconstruct it by strawmanning it.

I realise how this 'argument' began. I didn't claim that you had anything to do with initiating it. I am aware that you didn't. You merely contributed to the perpetuating of it.

I didn't begin by defending anything, or anyone. It was not my intent, nor my desire to do so. Others have pushed me to that, I regret to say.

And honestly, if you must go on and on bleating "strawman!", at least please direct it at those who have used such arguments. At least then it would be relevant, if not particularly welcome, no doubt.

mhacdebhandia · Nov 23, 2005

Personally, I like discussions with people who agree that everything a given individual says should be understood as them giving their opinion.

Psion · Nov 23, 2005

Aus_Snow said:
On more than once occasion, you put forth your position (such that it was) without any qualifiers.

Sigh.

So the only way to meanignfully communicate with you is to end every sentence that you might disagree with with "IMO"?

Not gonna happen.

Anyway, I've said my peace and I am done taking your bait. Have a nice turkey day.

Crothian · Nov 23, 2005

So, anyone want to talk about the books? Just asking....

Darkness & Dread vs. Heroes of Horror

mhacdebhandia

Explorer

Desdichado

Hero

MerricB

Eternal Optimist

Crothian

First Post

Desdichado

Hero

Crothian

First Post

Aus_Snow

First Post

mhacdebhandia

Explorer

Psion

Adventurer

Crothian

First Post

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