Best horror RPG, bar none!

[Infernal Teddy]

So far the best I've ever seen is Kult - the Swedish 1st Ed.

The german translation of said book

 

[Ilium]

The scariest campaign I've ever played in was GURPS, but that was all the GM's skill. It's the only time I've ever been genuinely creeped-out while playing a game, and there was zero gore and little immediate threat to my character. Brilliant.

 

[Nikosandros]

Freeform works best for me when running horror. But the relevance of the system is not so high for me... one of the best horror adventures that I run was under GURPS. The players were freaked out by the end of session... and it was a sunny Saturday afternoon!

As for Dread, my utter loathing towards Jenga prevents any interest...

 

[jdrakeh]

For me it's a close call between Dread from The Impossible Dream, Principia Malefex by Ragged Angel, and Kult. Why? Dread reinforces the genre by quantifying story pace and tension mechanically, which I've never seen any other horror RPG actually do (claim to do, yes, actually get done, no). Principia Malefex has the best treatise on tackling taboo subjects (e.g., rape, religion, etc) and 'mundane' evils (e.g., emotional betrayal, embezzlement, etc) in a RPG that I have ever read. Kult is stylistically the most visceral, brutal, RPG I've ever read/played while still managing to retain some substance (it's the Grindhouse of horror RPGs).

 

[jcfiala]

I lean towards Call of Cthulhu, particularly using the Delta Green background. D20 has some great GM advice in it, and the BRP has a lot of great material available.

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

Ummm, I'll go with Call of Cthulhu....

I find the system mechanics do not interfere, it's quickly and easily picked up by new players (even new roleplayers) and it can be run in a variety of styles, from disturbing to pulp.

I see WoD games as more along the lines of self-empowerment and political intrigue with the tropes of 'horror' - or at least those are the games I actually encounter. Up to the GM and group, really - at least that's been my experience.

 

[Odhanan]

Call of Cthulhu.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Call of Cthulhu, any version, but I really, really dug the CoC d20 campaign I played in a few years back. I also dig Delta Green, a lot.

I actually liked the background for Dark Conspiracy, but the actual game itself, not so much. I'd probably run it with d20 Modern and/or CoC d20 rules.

 

[Piratecat]

For me, lots of game (such as CoC) are rules-neutral and neither add nor distract from the atmosphere appreciably. I love those, because a good GM can make them shine. A good setting or adventure, like many Call of Cthulhu games, can be fantastic. I still clearly recall my first CoC game, and there's a special place in my nightmares for my wife describing a door bulging as we shone our torches on it.

But I prefer Dread because it's the only games system I've seen where the rules actually make the game scarier. I wouldn't have believed it. But seeing Xath trying to do relaxation exercises mid-game because her heart was pounding like a triphammer convinced me. The game takes the best I can give and makes it better. I like a game like that.

 

[Remathilis]

Guess I missed all the good ones. The best I've had is a damn-good Ravenloft DM and someone who ran V:TM like a horror movie, not a comic-book.

Must look into Dread and Kult...