How Horrible do you like your Horror? How Crazy your Cthulhu?

[Stormborn]

One of the complaints I have had players make about CoC is the overwhelming sense of futility (although some of that may be from metagame knowledge.) Other games, like Unknown Armies, where the PCs have some degree of power, but are ultimatelly fixed in a dangerous and utterly terrifying universe, also have gotten a general "no." These are people who like reading the inspirational material, but don't like being characters in that world.

Now, various lovercraftian elements pop-up in a lot of fiction, take Hellboy for example, where the Mythos, or something similar, is very real, but CAN be fought against. Where "heroism" has some value beyond the immediate "survive another day" type story.


So, and there will I suppose be follow ups to this, what level of Horror do you like in your games?

 

[JimAde]

What, no poll?

I definitely like for my character (or the group if I'm GM) to be able to win. It's fantasy role-playing after all and I expect the heroes to win in the end (even if it's at great personal cost).

I'm a wimp, I guess, but I don't like my horror too horrible.

 

[Stormborn]

What, no poll?

I definitely like for my character (or the group if I'm GM) to be able to win. It's fantasy role-playing after all and I expect the heroes to win in the end (even if it's at great personal cost).

I'm a wimp, I guess, but I don't like my horror too horrible.

I was having problems with the number of characters limit. Its there now.

 

[Django]

Among the defining factors of Lovecraft's horror is that there really is nothing that his protagonists can do about their fate. The horror is that, when it comes right down to it, the hero is nothing more than a fragment of pocket fluff to the 'powers that be'.

That is not conducive to good RP.

I run horror and I don't skimp on the evil and death, but I always make sure that the characters have an impact. Whether this impact leads to them defeating the nasty critters or just barely excaping a herd rampaging shoggoths, depends on player action. I don't shy away from killing the characters in horrible and gruesome ways but it's never a matter of deus ex machina. My players have learned that running away is an appropriate tactic. They've also learned that sometimes victory means just living to tell the tale.

That said, they do know that sometimes, if they play their cards right, it is possible to win and defeat the bad guy.

 

[Turanil]

I like the weirdness of the Cthulhu mythos, but I want the PCs to win, even if left with some mark. I am especially thinking about Pr. Shrewsburry who had lost his eyes but gained supernatural powers of detection and prescience, and new many spells despite being a scientist.

 

[JimAde]

I was having problems with the number of characters limit. Its there now.

I was only kidding! Ok, voted.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

The CoC approach is my favorite for modern games...but the Hellboy style can also be insanely fun.

 

[Pierce]

We're pretty much in the "scarred but functional" category. At least for now. I wouldn't put it by our RBDM to push us into the "insane and dying" category. For example, we're in the final climactic battle of our campaign "season" - doing OK, but all of us are pretty beat up. I was musing aloud today that we should warp up the battle tonight. Drew Id (our much cursed RBDM) mentioned that "well, you'rea bout done with the first wave. Then there's the second wave." By "wave" he means demon-led death squads. Yeah, we may quickly find ourselves in the "insane and dying" category.

 

[MonsterMash]

I favour the CoC approach, but also like to let the players survive scarred but intact sometimes.

 

[Ymdar]

I always go with the Hellboy approach. And maybe a little bit with Constantine (e.g.: PCs are mostly unaffected but normal people turn insane)