horror games that you love (that aren't 'world of darkness' or cthulhu related.)

[Emirikol]

Colonial Gothic/Flames of Freedom
ALIEN

 

[jdrakeh]

Liminal Horror, available on Itch.io and Exalted Funeral is a really fun, minimalist, pure genre horror RPG.

Nightcrawlers, also available on Itch.io and Exalted Funeral is a Black Hack-based game of urban horror in the vein of WoD but, IMHO, more fun.

 

[Clint_L]

I know I mention it a lot, but I’ve never played a game that builds tension like Dread does by using a Jenga tower as its randomization mechanic. Big horror fan and it really captures the tone like no other game.

 

[Longspeak]

looking through my old copy of the 'chill' rulebook and remembering how much affection i have for it

That it, right there. Pacesetter. One, Two, and Three on my list.

Beyond the Supernatural from Palladium Games - It's been more than thirty years since I've actually played it, but I remember having a lot of fun with it back in the day. It was first released in the 80s, and it has a very 1970s In Search Of.... vibe to it. And if you don't remember In Search Of... on television, man, I feel old.

Nightlife by Stellar Games - This little gem was released very shortly before Vampire the Masquerade was published. In Nightlife, your character could be a vampire, demon, a ghost, a Frankenstein like monster, an Inuit (Native American spirit and, oh boy, that name wouldn't fly today), or a werewolf. You prey on humans, live in secret in New York, dress real cool, listen to awesome music, and you can even join factions. Again, another game where it's been 30 years since I've played it.

Chill from Mayfair Games - I don't remember anything about this game, other than you had to find a monster's particular weakness in order to defeat it. And someo of them were crazy. There was one that you had play a song on a flute created from the wood of a particular type of tree that was X years old.

BtS, I enjoyed for a while but I really treated it more like "Modern Fantasy. We were probably playing it wrong.

Nightlife, I never got to play but I LOVED reading it. "Splatterpunk." I wanted to play a Penangalan.

Mayfair's Chill... I really love the original's more pulpy feel and Mayfair felt too... dark for me. My wife loves it though.

The Whispering Vault, perhaps the most original, over-the-top, horror game ever published. You can get it in print at Lulu or in PDF at Paizo.

This one I also adored, but... we came fresh from watching the old British show "Sapphire & Steel", and treated the PCs more like characters from that continuity. I still have my book, though.

My contribution:
Little Fears. Special place for me. I love exploring the ideas of children and horror, the different ways kids look at stuff. Also also, if you have a first edition, those blurry photos of a kid in a playground? My daughter! The newer "Nightmare Edition" lacks my blurry child but has more refined ruleset, and the same bleak tone I loved in the original.

 

[heks]

there's a few here that i was unaware of!
(and i remember seeing 'nightlife' and being fascinated by it, at the time, but never grabbed it so i might have to start looking.)

 

[Haiku Elvis]

Chill from Mayfair Games - I don't remember anything about this game, other than you had to find a monster's particular weakness in order to defeat it. And someo of them were crazy. There was one that you had play a song on a flute created from the wood of a particular type of tree that was X years old.

Coincidentally, that is also the only way to get the IT department to pay attention to your issue where I work.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Ravenloft, Colonial Gothic, Orrorsh (for TORG), Shadows over Esteren, and the Esoterrorists

Also, have not had a chance to play this one, and one of my games is published through the same publisher (so consider that in my opinion) but Those Dark Places really impressed me and is a game I am looking forward to running

 

[aramis erak]

While I love the Chill setting, the mayfair hardcover version's pile of success chance formulae was just too cumbersome.

I'll not that Bureau 13 was very much in line with the novels... the TriTac system left it even more convoluted a pile of formulae.

 

[Thomas Shey]

While I love the Chill setting, the mayfair hardcover version's pile of success chance formulae was just too cumbersome.

I'll not that Bureau 13 was very much in line with the novels... the TriTac system left it even more convoluted a pile of formulae.

Richard Tucholka was notorious for doing interesting concept/setting material but insisting on applying his game system to it when it was, honestly, kind of a crap system even for people like me who prefer a somewhat detailed systems (I didn't have any issues with the Mayfair Chill for example, other than finding the only-three-skill-levels thing kind of coarse coming from a BRP background). It took a long time for people to convince him to just present new ones systemless and save people who were going to port it over to other systems the trouble of decoupling his system from them.

 

[mythago]

I know I mention it a lot, but I’ve never played a game that builds tension like Dread does by using a Jenga tower as its randomization mechanic. Big horror fan and it really captures the tone like no other game.

I’ll see your Dread and raise you a Ten Candles.

Ten Candles — Cavalry Games

cavalrygames.com