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Best System for a Silent Hill-like Horror Game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Jabborwacky" data-source="post: 6778571" data-attributes="member: 98608"><p>Rather than making a new thread on the topic, I thought it would be better to share my current research and preparation for a Silent Hill tabletop game here.</p><p></p><p>Silent Hill is fairly unique and requires certain options that systems like Pathfinder aren't really designed to accommodate. The best three systems I've ran into for Silent Hill have been Savage Worlds, FATE, and Monte Cook's Cypher System. For those who want a more narrative driven experience, the FATE and Cypher systems are good choices. Narrative driven RPGs provide systematic ways to reward players for their roleplaying. They also limit dice rolls and provide explicit rules for overruling low rolls in ways that serve to further enrich the narrative. </p><p></p><p>Savage Worlds is a bit more mechanical in the sense of being at the mercy of the dice. It is also the cheapest option of the three if you want a hard copy of the rulebooks. You can buy the Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer's Edition and the Horror companion with complimentary PDFs for $10 each from their store as of this post. While I personally love the narrative rules from the cypher system and FATE system, executing good judgement behind the GM screen can still prevent random chance from turning the game into a comedy. </p><p></p><p>One of the most critical things to remember that is far more important than any system you choose for your game: <u>Don't tell players they are playing in Silent Hill!</u></p><p></p><p>Set up the game in a neighboring town, have all the signs scratched up so bad that they are unintelligible, and even consider changing the names of key locations (especially the town of Silent Hill itself). Part of the beauty of Silent Hill games when they were still new on the block was that players had no idea what was really going on. The isolation, visuals, and monsters left players guessing as to whether everything the character was experiencing was supernatural, a product of the character's mind, or somewhere in between. Opening up with a car accident, I remember pondering whether Henry was even awake: The entire experience was so surreal I honestly didn't know if it were a dream or reality. As a result, probably the best Silent Hill game is one where the player characters are left questioning the nature of the reality they are experiencing.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jabborwacky, post: 6778571, member: 98608"] Rather than making a new thread on the topic, I thought it would be better to share my current research and preparation for a Silent Hill tabletop game here. Silent Hill is fairly unique and requires certain options that systems like Pathfinder aren't really designed to accommodate. The best three systems I've ran into for Silent Hill have been Savage Worlds, FATE, and Monte Cook's Cypher System. For those who want a more narrative driven experience, the FATE and Cypher systems are good choices. Narrative driven RPGs provide systematic ways to reward players for their roleplaying. They also limit dice rolls and provide explicit rules for overruling low rolls in ways that serve to further enrich the narrative. Savage Worlds is a bit more mechanical in the sense of being at the mercy of the dice. It is also the cheapest option of the three if you want a hard copy of the rulebooks. You can buy the Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer's Edition and the Horror companion with complimentary PDFs for $10 each from their store as of this post. While I personally love the narrative rules from the cypher system and FATE system, executing good judgement behind the GM screen can still prevent random chance from turning the game into a comedy. One of the most critical things to remember that is far more important than any system you choose for your game: [U]Don't tell players they are playing in Silent Hill![/U] Set up the game in a neighboring town, have all the signs scratched up so bad that they are unintelligible, and even consider changing the names of key locations (especially the town of Silent Hill itself). Part of the beauty of Silent Hill games when they were still new on the block was that players had no idea what was really going on. The isolation, visuals, and monsters left players guessing as to whether everything the character was experiencing was supernatural, a product of the character's mind, or somewhere in between. Opening up with a car accident, I remember pondering whether Henry was even awake: The entire experience was so surreal I honestly didn't know if it were a dream or reality. As a result, probably the best Silent Hill game is one where the player characters are left questioning the nature of the reality they are experiencing. [/QUOTE]
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