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Darkness & Dread vs. Heroes of Horror
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<blockquote data-quote="jdrakeh" data-source="post: 2736850" data-attributes="member: 13892"><p>They don't have one or need one. Witness the Conan RPG and Iron Heroes. Both wildly popular. Both low magic. But I digress... to answer the original poster's question, I'd recommend Darkness & Dread specifically because it understands that horror needs to be <em>horrific</em>, something that I think Heroes of Horrror (and a few other ostensibly 'horror' supplements and settings) gloss over. </p><p></p><p>Horror isn't just werewolves, zombies, vampires, organ music, full moons, insect-laden bogs, or witchcraft. People who hold this view obviously haven't read any horror fiction or seen a horror movie for a good, long, time. These things are the window dressing of Horror - the meat of Horror stems from being overpowered by these things, not merely showing up in the same scene with them. Seriously. </p><p></p><p>Ever see a Dracula movie where the Big D shows up, gets staked, and looted all in one scene? Or a rendition of Night of the Living Dead where the protagonists bust out of that farmhouse and fearlessly walk amongst the teeming armeis of undead? Or a rendition of Friday the 13th where Jason Vorhees runs away from zit-faced, teenaged, camp counselors instead of vice-versa?</p><p></p><p>Or what about books? Ever read that new version of Ramsey Campbell's Cold Print, where Y'golnac shows up in the bookstore and is dispatched with a .32 revolver? Or that new edition of Frankenstein where Dr. Frankenstein never loses control of his monster and instead lives in peaceful harmony with it? Or, perhaps, that re-write of The Shining where Jack Torrance is a complete pushover incapable of inflciting physical harm upon his family?</p><p></p><p>Part of Horror as a genre is protagonsists being at a disadvantage (usually extreme), forced to fend off the unnatural (be it supernatural or not) in order to <em>survive</em> (note that 'suvive' can mean 'live to see another day' or 'carry on my life as normal'). It's a fundamental underpinning of all Horror - from Edgar Allen Poe's <em>The Telltale Heart</em> to John Carpenter's <em>The Thing</em>. Sure, it can be present in larger or smaller degrees depending upon the story - but is <em>never</em> absent entirely. </p><p></p><p>You can have all the zombies, vampires, lich lords, and other window dressing in the world that you want - but if your PCs aren't at a disadvantage when they square off against it (or worse, if they <em>always have the upper hand</em>), your 'Horror' won't be very horrific. You'll be playing Scooby Doo to somebody else's Evil Dead. </p><p></p><p>All of that said, I really like Scooby Doo - but it ain't <em>Horror</em>.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jdrakeh, post: 2736850, member: 13892"] They don't have one or need one. Witness the Conan RPG and Iron Heroes. Both wildly popular. Both low magic. But I digress... to answer the original poster's question, I'd recommend Darkness & Dread specifically because it understands that horror needs to be [i]horrific[/i], something that I think Heroes of Horrror (and a few other ostensibly 'horror' supplements and settings) gloss over. Horror isn't just werewolves, zombies, vampires, organ music, full moons, insect-laden bogs, or witchcraft. People who hold this view obviously haven't read any horror fiction or seen a horror movie for a good, long, time. These things are the window dressing of Horror - the meat of Horror stems from being overpowered by these things, not merely showing up in the same scene with them. Seriously. Ever see a Dracula movie where the Big D shows up, gets staked, and looted all in one scene? Or a rendition of Night of the Living Dead where the protagonists bust out of that farmhouse and fearlessly walk amongst the teeming armeis of undead? Or a rendition of Friday the 13th where Jason Vorhees runs away from zit-faced, teenaged, camp counselors instead of vice-versa? Or what about books? Ever read that new version of Ramsey Campbell's Cold Print, where Y'golnac shows up in the bookstore and is dispatched with a .32 revolver? Or that new edition of Frankenstein where Dr. Frankenstein never loses control of his monster and instead lives in peaceful harmony with it? Or, perhaps, that re-write of The Shining where Jack Torrance is a complete pushover incapable of inflciting physical harm upon his family? Part of Horror as a genre is protagonsists being at a disadvantage (usually extreme), forced to fend off the unnatural (be it supernatural or not) in order to [i]survive[/i] (note that 'suvive' can mean 'live to see another day' or 'carry on my life as normal'). It's a fundamental underpinning of all Horror - from Edgar Allen Poe's [i]The Telltale Heart[/i] to John Carpenter's [i]The Thing[/i]. Sure, it can be present in larger or smaller degrees depending upon the story - but is [i]never[/i] absent entirely. You can have all the zombies, vampires, lich lords, and other window dressing in the world that you want - but if your PCs aren't at a disadvantage when they square off against it (or worse, if they [i]always have the upper hand[/i]), your 'Horror' won't be very horrific. You'll be playing Scooby Doo to somebody else's Evil Dead. All of that said, I really like Scooby Doo - but it ain't [i]Horror[/i]. [/QUOTE]
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