Are Dark Matter Characters Ruined After Certain Encounters?

[Krieg]

I haven't dabbled in Cthulu although the more I hear, the more the game intrigues me.

D20 CoC was one of the best D20 translations out there. I highly recomend picking up a copy if you can find it.

However, you don't necessarily have to go the CoC route for rules to model reactions to experiences with "that which should not be known".

The CoC insanity rules can be found in Unearthed Arcana. OGL Horror, Grim Tales and Darkness & Dread all contain rules that will help you with determing how your players react to squamous horrors...both immediately and over the long term.

Some games have "corruption" or "taint" mechanics that can also work in a pinch (for example Conan D20 & Dark Legacies).

BTW If you love Dark Matter & are intrigued by CoC, then I strongly recomend you pick up a copy of Delta Green whenever the reprints (with D20 stats!) finally hit the shelves.

Delta Green is the one book that makes DM pale in comparison to (and that is not a slight against DM in the least).

Edit: I almost forgot...Bruce Baugh & Ronin Arts have created a stand alone set of madness rules that are available on RPGNow...

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3759&

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

The CoC type game might be up your alley. Though there, again, it's hard to have an RPG where you regularly face the unknown because then it isn't unknown anymore. You can do it by running a series of one-shots, which Call of Cthulhu seems very much designed to do.

Or carefully designing investigative games with no "encounters". Mulder didn't really get into many gunfights with aliens. Servitors, lackeys, goons, "mind controlled" individuals are then great for creating situations where only the known is seen, but the unknown is suggested.

--fje

 

[Christopher Lambert]

Maybe you can try using a non-FX or FX-light adventure next time. I recommend The Killing Jar.

Spoiler

There's very little FX in it except the final boss, which is nearly impossible to convert and probably overpowered anyway, so replace it. If you read the adventure, you'll see how it won't hurt the plot too much.

 

[Desdichado]

d20 Call of Cthulhu is quite probably my favorite game, hands down, of any RPG out there. I absolutely [highlight]LOVE[/highlight] it. For what it's worth, Monte Cook, co-author of both the d20 Call of Cthulhu and Dark•Matter itself recommends using those rules to play d20 Dark•Matter (accept no substitutes! True fans know that it's an •, not a * )

And yes, Dark•Matter was just about my favorite RPG book and setting out there... until I read Delta Green. Holy cow, that's just Dark•Matter made 10x more spooky.

As for your specific problem, I'd come up with a few alternate explanations that attempt to "mundanify" the F/X they've seen. Try -- even if only half-heartedly -- to convince them in character that there was nothing truly supernatural about the affair at all; it was merely a weird hoax. And, as suggested by others here, have them face relatively mundane challenges for a little while. With any luck, they may actually start to wonder if there's any magic after all.

The other thing that can be done, either alternatively, or in conjunction with that, is to have all kinds of really creepy "flashes" of things happen to them. Check out this thread at rpg.net for ideas. Make them wonder if they can believe anything at all that they think they see. Or, at least creep them out, if nothing else.

 

[broghammerj]

I just talked to the players last night. Sounds like they may want to take my game in a different direction. One of them wants to learn FX powers. They basically all died except the one NPC last game. I was going to work in their "near death" experience for the next game. My buddy Kris said that if he's back from the dead he better have "learned somthing from the other side" so to speak.

 

[Desdichado]

Sounds like a good opprotunity to introduce the Sanity mechanic to me.