Tell Me of Your Annual Halloween Game!

[Wycen]

I've never ran or played in an annual holiday game. I've learned from trying multiple times that my previous gaming friends would not bother to play a New Year's Eve game or anything close to "lets squeeze one more game session in" before whatever event. They saw our gathering as an opportunity to drink beer, shoot the shyt and watch movies or eat, or whatever, even though they'd say "Sure a one shot sounds like fun". Now, I don't game much with most of those friends anymore, mostly because they all moved.

My current gaming-friends-group might be more inclined to do a holiday or theme game. This possibly stems from the fact we play both RPG's and board games. And as a matter of fact, our Tuesday game night often has a theme each month and of course, October is Halloween, though I'm wondering if next year we can find enough games for an Oktoberfest theme, which might have to start in September.

This Tuesday we played Witches Brew, a card game. I'm sure we'll play Fearsome Floors which I never win, but still enjoy. Not sure whatever themed games will hit the table. Oh Elder Sign we played earlier in the month.

 

[Jack7]

We rarely play on Halloween, and sometimes now rarely get to play. But every Halloween (sometime within the week of the actual date) when we can play I run Caer Sidi.

Caer Sidi is an underwater city/complex that rises off the coast of the Isle of Wight and is above the waves for the night of Samhain, and no more. Thereafter it sinks again. And will not rise and is not reachable again until next year the same time. If characters are not out by the time it resubmerges they wont' ever return, not alive anyway. They may return as ghosts or other undead creatures.

The city is huge, and eldritch, and spooky, and every time it is visited parts of it are abandoned and deserted, and other sections inhabited by different creatures and beings. Because of its size and because it constantly changes and given the time constraints the players have only ever explored a small part of the overall city.

The normal "laws" of magic and miracles and sometimes even of physics don't always apply. The lien between the Living and Dead is always blurred, many things are illusion, and many things are lethal. The dreams of other beings can come to life, inanimate objects prophesy, men age decades in moments, curses are often leveled or broken, and Quests can be unwillingly inflicted on others. Characters can be easily possessed, or can turn on their own comrades because of sudden madness. Characters can change shape or race and can even be resurrected from death but will be mute for the rest of the life. It is said even God has abandoned the place.

Sometimes Caer Sidi will send out uncanny forces to attack the nearby Isles or sometimes it will rise and weird sounds will be heard, and sometimes it will rise and glow but be completely silent. Each appearance is different in nature.

Completely unique magical artifacts, items and devices are found on it's grounds, as well as weird, supernatural relics. Creatures and beings found nowhere else reside there.

Traps and tricks are everywhere. There are no Saving Throws in Caer Sidi. there is no reliable rumors or historical records involving what might be encountered there.

It may be the most lethal and dangerous adventure in my entire world. One time the players abandoned their expedition after the first hall they came to and returned to the Isle of Wight to fight the expedition of Mind Flayers that Caer Sidi had sent out rather than risk exploring the city any further.

Yet, every year that we play around Halloween they go back. And it is one of my favorite adventures to run.

 

[gamerprinter]

Well we've done one-shot games on many Halloweens in the past, but this year, I'll be releasing a Kaidan one-shot as a Free PDF download - will be available next Thursday. And this will be our one-shot for this year - called the Frozen Wind. It should be fun...

The adventure features a monastery of yamabushi paladins being the target of a cursed bargain made between the abbot and yuki-onna (snow woman oni demon) and her entourage of ice demons and frozen dead minions..

 

[Dice4Hire]

My group does not do anything special around that day.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I don't think I've done anything of any sort for Halloween since I was about 12.

 

[gamerprinter]

I don't think I've done anything of any sort for Halloween since I was about 12.

Really, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday - I've worn costumes for Halloween well into my 30's (bar hopping in costume in most latter years.) Halloween gaming whether it was playing Dread, CoC or Ravenloft has been tradition since my 30's. Now I can start my Kaidan Halloween tradition, as I've got the adventures for it.

Get rid of Christmas, give me two Halloween's a year, and I'd be much happier...

 

[Ahnehnois]

Really, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday - I've worn costumes for Halloween well into my 30's (bar hopping in costume in most latter years.) Halloween gaming whether it was playing Dread, CoC or Ravenloft has been tradition since my 30's. Now I can start my Kaidan Halloween tradition, as I've got the adventures for it.

Get rid of Christmas, give me two Halloween's a year, and I'd be much happier...

Different strokes I guess. Certinly the idea of running a special game session for any particular holiday never occurred to me either. The point is to get away from reality.

 

[gamerprinter]

Different strokes I guess. Certinly the idea of running a special game session for any particular holiday never occurred to me either. The point is to get away from reality.

Which is kind of the point of Halloween too. Getting into costume was part of breaking out of reality.

 

[jaerdaph]

...

 

[gamerprinter]

Different strokes I guess. Certinly the idea of running a special game session for any particular holiday never occurred to me either. The point is to get away from reality.

Now LARPing might not be mine or your favorite gaming activity, but you could consider Halloween as the international Live Action Roleplaying Day, for hundreds of years before the existence of RPGs. It's the day kids, adults, teenagers gets to play dress up and roleplay a character they are not in life, such as superman, wicked witch, whatever.

In the oldest days, it was getting to be an anarchist for one day, and not feel the legal repercussions of tricking people.

Halloween is one of the oldest and most consistent forms of roleplaying. It's not about reality.