Best horror system you have used?

Call of Cthulhu (BRP) is easily the best — it's simple, plays quick, and supports the genre mechanically. I think the second best horror RPG I have ever played is SLA Industries, but that's mainly for the setting.

Like the others, horror is about 80% due to your DMing style, and keeping the atmosphere of the game tense and mysterious. Never fully let the PCs know what they are dealing with, don't let them see it in direct light, and NEVER let them know the stats. Horror relies on uncertainty, isolation, and fear, and its much harder to fear something you know completely about than the unknown.

I ran a horror D&D campaign for a number of years, and one thing I did during that time was to keep all stats secret from the PCs. Yep, thats right- the only numbers the PCs knew were their level, and their ability scores. They didn't know their THAC0 (2nd ed), HP, AC, proficiency values, plusses on weapons, etc. At first, I encountered some resistance to this idea, but after a few sessions the players LOVED it, and to this day when I run games for that group, they want me to keep the numbers out of it. I can tell you that I've never had better luck running a horror game than that one, and its largely due to keeping the stats secret and in the background. I did the same thing with a CoC campaign, NWoD game, and a Kult campaign later, with very positive results. This is the one thing I feel is key, even more than Sanity or mental illness mechanics- keep the system transparent and in the background for a horror game. Too many numbers flying around pull the player out of the fictional world and make it much harder to do horror.

That said, there are four games that if you don't own them and enjoy horror, run out and buy them.

* Call of Cthulhu BRP- 'nuff said.
* Kult- probably the darkest and most disturbing of the horror games I've ever played and run. However, some people find the imagery and themes offensive, especially if they are very religious. Probably THE best horror setting out there though, but very dark.
* NWoD- the mortals line of books are especially good, and we've used them a number of times to great effect (the best being a Silent Hill-like setting for a mini-campaign).
* Crothian mentioned Dread- and that game works great for horror, simply because there are NO numbers in it. Its based on drawing pieces out of a Jenga tower. Fun game, especially if you have players who haven't roleplayed much or at all before. I've tried this twice with a bunch of non-gamers, and they loved it.

And if you don't have Nightmares of Mine by ICE, track down a copy ASAP if you're serious about horror. Its basically a DM's trick book for running horror, and has tons of great tips.

Call of Cthulhu, Unknown Armies and Kult are all worth investigating, and trying out if you get the chance. Certainly though, they contain elements that might inform an effective D&D horror-fantasy campaign.

I'm not sure which of these, if any, might be easy to adapt subsystems from (for 4e games), as I don't play 4e, but they should provide some insight and inspiration, depending on your needs and preferences.

Gothmog said:

Like the others, horror is about 80% due to your DMing style, and keeping the atmosphere of the game tense and mysterious. Never fully let the PCs know what they are dealing with, don't let them see it in direct light, and NEVER let them know the stats. Horror relies on uncertainty, isolation, and fear, and its much harder to fear something you know completely about than the unknown.

I ran a horror D&D campaign for a number of years, and one thing I did during that time was to keep all stats secret from the PCs.

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I do exactly the same thing. I try to avoid saying "you see a werewolf" and instead describe it as a large, slathering beast - which could also be a wolfwere, werewolf lord, gnoll or ogre (system-dependent). Though my players know their stats, I track all damage (and damage rolls) so the only think they get is "the beast slashes you across the ches, and the pain nearly overcomes you... you feel woozy and are having trouble standing" (0 hp). This stops the players metagaming "I can take x more hits at this rate" and adds to the feel. The players love it too, so that's a good recommendation which I second.

FentonGib said:

I do exactly the same thing. I try to avoid saying "you see a werewolf" and instead describe it as a large, slathering beast - which could also be a wolfwere, werewolf lord, gnoll or ogre (system-dependent). Though my players know their stats, I track all damage (and damage rolls) so the only think they get is "the beast slashes you across the ches, and the pain nearly overcomes you... you feel woozy and are having trouble standing" (0 hp). This stops the players metagaming "I can take x more hits at this rate" and adds to the feel. The players love it too, so that's a good recommendation which I second.

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This really is the best way to present and play a horror game, and even non-horror games can be made quite a bit more engrossing with the use of such methods.

Personally, I've played under DMs that tell everyone how many hp the creature has (at the start of the encounter), how much damage each strike did (to the creature and from the creature), and so forth - and I find it harder to really become a part of the encounter, of the game. On the other hand, I've had others that treat it more or less as FentonGib described, and I found it much easier to get into the scene and feel of the game.

Granted, the DM often gave more of a clue as to how low the PC's hp was. Most would actually state any hp lost to the PC, while another would give clues in gradation: sort of like the 'bloddied' situation used in 4e, except that he used 3/4, 1/2, & 1/4, and had another level for 'within 10 pts of 0' if a 1/4 hp would be more than 15 pts from zero.

Personally, I've been thinking hard on converting to a variant of True20 for a while now, but I'm still not entire sure about their damage save system. I can see it working rather well in horror, where you could potentially go from fine to dying in a single hit or take multiple hits and still be fine or nearly fine.


When all is said and done, horror is about uncertainty. Can we actually survive this encounter? Do we really know what we are up against? Do we still have a way out if it becomes too much? Are those sounds I hear the coming of re-enforcements? For us . . . or for it? Uncertainty is not something that can be fully supplied in the mechanics or rules. The DM has to supply it: with the setting, with the presentation, with verbal descriptions that lack just enough details to make one not quite certain what they are fighting and also give a feel of dread.

I recall one DM - never got the chance to play under him - who would hold horror games in the evenings or at night - and under candle light instead of normal lighting. He'd have more than enough candles, so seeing your character sheet wouldn't be a problem, but from what I was told, the flickering of the candles, the occasional playing of back ground music (a great way to use some mood music or some well chosen halloween tapes), and so forth really set the scene before he even said a word. If a low powered fan was in the room, just enough to flicker the flames more often - its sound overshadowed by a cd of wind whistling through branches, it could really add to the effectiveness of the situation.

Personally, I like using original monsters - or at least altered ones - during horror campaigns. If the players are ever uncertain whether their attack is working, or even what form of attack to use, it adds to their uncertainty. PCs need to act more tactically during a horror setting. If they feel comfortable enough to just wade into the fight, then it is not a well made horror scenario. They should never be so absolutely certain - either in what attacks to use or in what they are facing - in a horror campaign. You don't even need to use traditional horror monsters. Any monster can do, if the setting is presented right. And if you just happen to add a bit of DR or SR or energy resistance to the monster, all the better.

Granted, the DM often gave more of a clue as to how low the PC's hp was. Most would actually state any hp lost to the PC, while another would give clues in gradation: sort of like the 'bloddied' situation used in 4e, except that he used 3/4, 1/2, & 1/4, and had another level for 'within 10 pts of 0' if a 1/4 hp would be more than 15 pts from zero.

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I try to do the same, I've got markers for half hp and quarter hp and players get used to recognising the symptoms as a gauge of how they're doing. I do try to describe similarly with the antagonists. If the players knowhow many hp the villain has they tend to (imo) metagame, but when they don't know then they think twice about picking fights.

Mind you, I've had players not pick a fight with a level 1 npc commoner just by having the commoner stand up to the players and be really cocky and confident, and the players go "oooh... this is obviously one of those characters the gm has put in to kick our butts" which is always funny (yet they pick fights with a oft-meek-seeming-but-deadly rogue)

My game sessions are always done at night (though that's more a force of circumstance since we all work than anything) but when we play Ravenloft or Cthulhu my music playlist usually consists of mostly classical pieces like the Bram Stoker Dracula soundtrack, Tochwood and Dr Who soundtracks (the players scoffed when I mentioned I was adding them to the playlist, but later commented "this song is really good?" and it was often from those soundtracks) and the likes. It helps to set the mood nicely. When we played Cthulhu I darkened them even more, and prepared props to help add feel to the game (such as a final letter from someone they knew was dead). I remember in one game having a funeral scene and I played the songs "My Immortal" and "Hello" by Evanescence and it really hit well with the players, bringing the mood down. The opening score from Dracula (which starts slowly but builds menacingly) had the players jumping at rats when they were going through the caverns.

Only problem with music is that unless you spend ages pre-preparing multiple playlists, it's a headache to handle, and often ends up with a song repeating a lot (when you don't have many songs for "that scene") or in the middle of a dark scene a "happy" song coming on unexpectedly. :S

I agree, I rarely use book-stat monsters unless it's for a random encounter. I always make them along with a history (e.g. they were a succesful ranger before being bitten by a Lycanthrope they were hunting). I then try to make the players find out the history as well as meeting the monster. This means when they meet the monster, more than once, they've questioned whether they did the right think or not. e.g. killing a Paladin-turned-lycanthrope who runs around trying to do good, but during the full moon turns, and maybe doesn't even know he's a werewolf - can add to very interesting moral dilemma. I find one of the things my players enjoy about my horror games is the moral ambiguity. I like the players second-guessing whether the monster is really a monster, of if the evil ones are the players for hunting a poor, cursed, beast. My standard D&D games however have very "heroic" feels to them so the players know what they're getting into.

Little better in a horror game than making one of the players realise a loved one is an afflicted lycanthrope, vampire or some other creature - will they still have the desire to kill the creatures?

Drowbane said:

Horror is in the DM, not the mechanics.

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I disagree; depending on what you want them for there are some interesting mechanics. The BRP Sanity system works fine with no bells or whistles. It's not terribly interesting, basically just mental hit points.

Check out the Madness Meter in the Nemesis rules (this is essentially the same as in Unknown Armies) here (free, it's the last thing on the page): http://www.nemesis-system.com/downloads/nemesis.doc/download.html . If you want the players to fret over their mental resources eroding, this is a great system for it. But in games with a hostile/uncaring universe in which human emotion counts for little (like Call of Cthulhu), it is overkill.

On the other hand, things like WoD's Morality system or the Taint rules from a number of d20 Variants focus on a slide towards evil. Even Star Wars has the dark/light duality.

Finally, look for rules involving "Ties" to NPCs or concepts (like the inherent goodness of humanity or some such) that can be threatened during play. OGL Horror has a simple system for NPC ties, while Trail of Cthulhu has an excellent system for both people and concepts.

Committed Hero said:

I disagree; depending on what you want them for there are some interesting mechanics. The BRP Sanity system works fine with no bells or whistles. It's not terribly interesting, basically just mental hit points.

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Interesting? Yes. Fun? Yes. But I don't think that's where scary resides.

Although looking back I see you're addressing the OP's actual question better than the rest of us.

Thanks for the help all.

I created a variant Horror effect based on the 4e disease track, and it worked fairly well. (I could post it here if anyone's interested).

The thing that conveyed the proper tone however was exactly what everyone else here was saying. It is the description and gradual build up of dread that really gets people's adrenaline pumping.

By the time the creepy little blind girl sang a nursery rhyme about the party's eventual doom, the paladin in the group was ready to bolt the room.

Hehe glad to hear it went well.

I recall one World of Darkness game where the players where arguing over something, and I had a crazy malkavian start singing a quiet poem (which I quietly sang whilst the players argued, whilst rocking forward and backward with a crazy expression) about the rise of the ancients and the destruction of all life and in a few minutes, they'd all just dwindled to silence and sat there staring at me in abject horror! What later scared them is when they asked him to repeat it and he couldn't recall ever singing anything (they knew occasionally he sang dark prophecies).

Sometimes the little things have a greater impact than the big ones.