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<blockquote data-quote="Rackhir" data-source="post: 1114633" data-attributes="member: 149"><p>Well the main thing that drives the survival/horror movies/games (IMHO) is vulnerability, shock and relentlessness. </p><p></p><p>At least for low level characters the vulnerabilty is relatively easy. Once you get past 4th level or so it becomes more difficult, since characters aren't always skating on the thin edge of survival and are much more competent at what they are doing. You need to keep the players constantly in fear for their characters lives. Restricting the availability of healing, not giving them time to rest or having them besiged every time they try to is one good way of helping to achieve that. </p><p> In short it's hard to make someone afraid when they think they are invincible or in no danger. I probably would try to make them be able to rest uninterupted no more often than every 3-4 days. You have to drain their resources and make them stretch them out as far as possible. If an even ECL encounter drains 25% of their resources then hit them with at least 5 before they get to rest, etc...</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"> Also in many SH worlds, the slightest bit of damage can doom you. Which probably wouldn't work very well, unless you are prepared to go though PC at a rate that would make Heydricus from <a href="http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25093" target="_blank">(contact)'s Return to The Temple of Elemental Evil</a> blanch at the casualty count.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Shock is considerably more difficult unless you are a gifted story teller. The players aren't there, aren't seeing horrible images and are probably pretty jaded with regards to such things. Do the unexpected is an easy thing to say, but far more difficult to implement. Being fairly ruthless about killing characters and making it a significant penalty is probably the easiest way to do it especially if the players are not used to it, but tends to be detremental to the campaign over all.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Relentlessness is another key element. The SH genre depends in large measure on the horror being unrelenting, never giving up, never granting more than a moments peace and being inescapable. Nemesis in RE:3 is a good example of this. If you linger too long he pops up, some times he has to be fought no matter what and nothing you do is going to stop him until the end of the game. Large numbers of weaker foes also tend to suit this style better, since the emphasis is usually on trying not to be overwhelmed, rather than a single near invicible foe. </p><p style="margin-left: 20px"> The players also have to be made aware that they are going to have to flee fairly often, generally with some kind of pursuit. So you might think of how you want to handle that. There have been several threads on how to get PCs to retreat recently. The fate of some "disposable" NPCs might make for a good object lesson, something along the lines of the "Swat Team" that gets sent in thinking they are just going to kick ass and don't need the PCs, but are rapidly overwhelmed. </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Well it sounds like a potentially interesting campaign. Good luck with it. One last thought, there are several "Zombie Attack" RPGs out there like "All Flesh Must Be Eaten", they might be good for some ideas.</p> </p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rackhir, post: 1114633, member: 149"] Well the main thing that drives the survival/horror movies/games (IMHO) is vulnerability, shock and relentlessness. At least for low level characters the vulnerabilty is relatively easy. Once you get past 4th level or so it becomes more difficult, since characters aren't always skating on the thin edge of survival and are much more competent at what they are doing. You need to keep the players constantly in fear for their characters lives. Restricting the availability of healing, not giving them time to rest or having them besiged every time they try to is one good way of helping to achieve that. In short it's hard to make someone afraid when they think they are invincible or in no danger. I probably would try to make them be able to rest uninterupted no more often than every 3-4 days. You have to drain their resources and make them stretch them out as far as possible. If an even ECL encounter drains 25% of their resources then hit them with at least 5 before they get to rest, etc... [INDENT] Also in many SH worlds, the slightest bit of damage can doom you. Which probably wouldn't work very well, unless you are prepared to go though PC at a rate that would make Heydricus from [URL=http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25093](contact)'s Return to The Temple of Elemental Evil[/URL] blanch at the casualty count. Shock is considerably more difficult unless you are a gifted story teller. The players aren't there, aren't seeing horrible images and are probably pretty jaded with regards to such things. Do the unexpected is an easy thing to say, but far more difficult to implement. Being fairly ruthless about killing characters and making it a significant penalty is probably the easiest way to do it especially if the players are not used to it, but tends to be detremental to the campaign over all. Relentlessness is another key element. The SH genre depends in large measure on the horror being unrelenting, never giving up, never granting more than a moments peace and being inescapable. Nemesis in RE:3 is a good example of this. If you linger too long he pops up, some times he has to be fought no matter what and nothing you do is going to stop him until the end of the game. Large numbers of weaker foes also tend to suit this style better, since the emphasis is usually on trying not to be overwhelmed, rather than a single near invicible foe. [INDENT] The players also have to be made aware that they are going to have to flee fairly often, generally with some kind of pursuit. So you might think of how you want to handle that. There have been several threads on how to get PCs to retreat recently. The fate of some "disposable" NPCs might make for a good object lesson, something along the lines of the "Swat Team" that gets sent in thinking they are just going to kick ass and don't need the PCs, but are rapidly overwhelmed. Well it sounds like a potentially interesting campaign. Good luck with it. One last thought, there are several "Zombie Attack" RPGs out there like "All Flesh Must Be Eaten", they might be good for some ideas.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [/QUOTE]
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