D&D General How do you do horror when running D&D?

[Rechan]

Imaculata i have no group.

 

[Imaculata]

Imaculata i have no group.

In that case I would recommend joining some Roleplaying specific groups on your social media site of choice and asking there. They are perfect for finding like minded groups in your area.

And again, I think starting off with a one-shot adventure is probably best to test the waters, especially with a new group.

 

[Oofta]

This os what happens when you reply to the first post of a thread, whiinch can’t explain everything.

1. If I don’t run D&D I can’t find players. I got zero response to advertising non-D&D games. But if I run D&D, as you say it won’t work.

2. I have no intention of tricking people. I want to be clear what game they’re getting before get even show up.

But my point is, you aren't running D&D. Which is fine. Good even. I just think you'll have to ignore so much of the game system that you would be better off doing something else. You might want to ask for suggestions on some of the other forums hear on enworld on how to start a non-D&D group.

I don't know where you are or the size of the gaming community in your area, but I think advertising for an anti-D&D group is still your best bet. You are not alone, D&D is not everyone's cup of tea. D&D may be the most popular, but there are always going to be people who tire of it or for whom, like you, it just doesn't work.

Anyway, good luck and good gaming!

 

[Michael Silverbane]

It appears to me that the situation, as you describe it, is unresolvable.

You want to run a game that is fundamentally not D&D (you would prefer to run a game that is actually not D&D, but have been unable to do so). The players in your area (social circle? network reach?) want to play D&D.

This is going to lead to a bad time.

 

[dave2008]

Maybe, but today the gaming experience is so common that nobody is frightened to see they character dying.
the time of evil Dm is way past, and trying to impose fright or doom to players won’t work for long,
the solution is to agree and role play horror, and this is style that can be very fun.
of course players must emphasis the role play over the combat or success.

While I don't disagree with your statement, it is not universally true. As I mentioned, my experiment was with 5e, so that was "today." More to the point, every group plays differently. Some can do horror by fear (fear of characters dying) and others by attitude and atmosphere, and still others need both. There is not one way to create fear (which is really what the OP struggled with) and horror.

Furthermore, it is not about being an evil DM. It is about creating and providing a living and scary world, if that is what you want. The point is to threaten and scare the PCs, not a TPK.

 

[Fenris-77]

By investigations I mean lengthy and procedural.

But mainly what I am hoping for is 1) survival and 2) exploration.

Singular one shots are easier (the townsfolk in village x), but I kind of want multiple sessions/campaign. Since characters aren’t going out to Adventure or Solve Crimea,finding motivation to make them Go Forth is tougher, but I was thinking either lost/stranded travelers, scavengers looking for resources in a fantasy post apoc deal, or the Mystery angle of say, waking up in an underground lab on some complex.

One campaign. I was in long ago was a modern game where during the day everything was normal life, but then at night we all were in a weird nightmare version of reality. Our actions at night impacted the world during the day. The goal was to figure out wtf, how to stop ourselves from going into the other realm at night, and just weather the events together. I think that was GURPs.

Hmm, yeah survival could be a great motivator if you make a big part of what you're doing about finding resources and gear. Various video games do this really well. Start them off with next to nothing for gear and push the menace factor - that should get them moving. The mysterious start is also a fine idea and also a good way to start them off with nothing in the way of supplies. Avoiding combat in D&D isn't normal, but the 5e rules set isn't kind to unarmored characters armed with sticks and pocket knives so avoidance will probably seem like the smart move. If you added a little mystery on top of some exploration you'd maybe have something very workable.

 

[dave2008]

I don’t know how to advertise a D&D game where they don’t get to use anything but skills. I don’t think anyone will show up to that.

Advertise it as a Horror D&D game where characters face real and permanent death if they make the wrong choices. A game where planning, exploration, research and strategy may just as important as swinging swords and casting spells.

 

[Oofta]

Advertise it as a Horror D&D game where characters face real and permanent death if they make the wrong choices. A game where planning, exploration, research and strategy may just as important as swinging swords and casting spells.

Except he doesn't want any combat. So swinging swords will never happen. Casting spells will only be divination, enchantment and buff spells.

 

[Rechan]

But my point is, you aren't running D&D. Which is fine. Good even. I just think you'll have to ignore so much of the game system that you would be better off doing something else. You might want to ask for suggestions on some of the other forums hear on enworld on how to start a non-D&D group.!

I did. The suggestions were:

1. Advertise a non-D&D game (I have)

2. Play D&D until you can convince your fellow players to play something else.

3. Run D&D.

Believe me, if I could Not play D&D I would. But my options are D&D or nothing. So I come here asking how I can force D&D into what I want: basically PCs playing NPCs with no combat skills, so combat is a last ditch thing to try and avoid, delay, escape.

Which the consensus seems to be “don’t play”

 

[toucanbuzz]

….See my problem is I don’t want to run combat period. D&D combat bores me to tears. And players thinking they can fight to begin with is counter to the mindset I want them to have....I have no intention of tricking people. I want to be clear what game they’re getting before get even show up.

FIRST: You're taking the Dragon out of Dungeons and Dragons when you say you don't have fun if there's combat. That's not going to work for everyone, especially players new to D&D. They're here largely because they want the whole experience. So yes, you're going to have a hard time if you target "new to D&D and looking for group" people.

SECOND: A basic tenet for being a DM is that you're no longer doing what YOU want. You are sacrificing your time to run something EVERYONE at the table wants. If you simply want a captive audience for something YOU want to run, it's not going to work. If you let it be known you hate D&D mechanics or are only playing because you have to because no one else will play anything else, it's not going to work.

THIRD: Ultimately, as I read it, your issue has absolutely nothing to do with D&D mechanics. You just haven't found (yet) like-minded gamers. But they are out there. I've met some over the years. I've met people who would love nothing more than to play an entire session with intrigue or investigation or interacting with NPCs. If you go to a gaming convention, you'll find those type of games advertised. They won't be popular, but that's just the reality. It's not the system. It has nothing to do with D&D itself. It's personalities and what people want from a game.