Just got my copy of Dread

[Epidiah Ravachol]

I have a question for all you Dread experts. Have any run an investigative-style horror game using Dread. Something akin to The Ring with multiple venues and a string of clues which result in a final showdown? Most of the examples I have seen really focus on physical isolation and wondered whether this sort of story could be done using Dread. What would be the significance or consequences of this? Thanks!

It is possible, and works out quite nicely. Isolation is rather important to horror, but this isolation does not have to be physical. In the book I discuss a few other ways to maintain that feeling.

The reason most of the stuff you've seen from the Impossible Dream focuses physical isolation is because that's the easiest to create and handle. As a matter of fact, the very first Dread was not like this. There were moments of physical isolation involved, but that was all self-imposed by the players' characters who began the scenario fleeing from a botched bank robbery. But as we started running demos at cons, we discovered that physical isolation was more immediate and much more manageable when dealing with players you've never met.

Thanks to time requirements, we found ourselves writing for cons all the time, and it was the con games that did double duty as our sample scenarios. I've done quite a few of the investigative-type scenarios for my friends over the years, but aside from the questionnaires, I've never really written anything more than half a page of notes for them.

 

[Epidiah Ravachol]

It's really a fantastic idea and I enjoyed playing it immensely. It even inspired me to throw together a "towerless system" using playing cards though I've not gotten to try it out yet.

You called it d52, didn't you? What I saw of that intrigued me. There were some interesting opportunities for interpreting the results if I recall correctly.

 

[Festivus]

I have been eagerly awaiting the PDF of this... heres hoping I can get my mits on it before October, though I think I could run something just using the online materials I am a bit uncertain how things will turn out with it. That is where I am hoping the book will aid me... knowing when to ask players to make pulls.

 

[Lockridge]

I have a question for all you Dread experts. Have any run an investigative-style horror game using Dread. Something akin to The Ring with multiple venues and a string of clues which result in a final showdown? Most of the examples I have seen really focus on physical isolation and wondered whether this sort of story could be done using Dread. What would be the significance or consequences of this? Thanks!

The book details some other types of isolation. Physical is only one. In the Ring, you could be in a city full of people but who is going to believe the character's story about a haunted video tape? That type of story is more of an emotional isolation. I think the Ring would work very well.

I'm assuming you don't already have the book. Pick it up. My order only took a week and I'm in Canada. The price is fair too.

As for some of your other questions on guidance and how to craft the questionnaires, the book helps here far more than the demo rules.

If you do have the book then you may already know this stuff.

 

[Agamon]

I'm assuming you don't already have the book. Pick it up. My order only took a week and I'm in Canada.

Only a week? *squeeee!* Should beat Pathfinder by about a month...heck, it might beat Dragon #259 (which I'm still waiting for...).

 

[Rel]

Waite, that sort of scenario would work really well. The only kind I'd personally try to avoid would be ones with lots of combat and gunplay.

=

 

[Rel]

You called it d52, didn't you? What I saw of that intrigued me. There were some interesting opportunities for interpreting the results if I recall correctly.

That's the one. I'm still itching to try it but it'll have to wait until I run my OTHER favorite new game: Kobolds Ate My Baby.

Can you tell I like games from all over the spectrum of gaming?

 

[Epidiah Ravachol]

=

I don't often do this, but I'll disagree with Piratecat just this once. Gun play can be a part of a Dread scenario, but you have to parse it a little differently than you would in, say, a d20 Modern game. Combat isn't round for round. You take a whole chunk of it at a time.

For example, one of my favorite Dread demos to run is a post-zombie-apocalypse one, which involves a lot of situations like this:

Host: "Three dead burst from the overgrown corn and rush the house, what do you do?"

Marcus: "I shoot them. All. In their heads."

Host: "Well, that's a bit tricky. You've got a revolver, with six round in it. Without even pulling, I'll let you shoot at least one of them in the head, but you'll empty your gun--"

Marcus: "Come on, I used to be a cop. Fourteen years on the force."

Host: "Right, sorry. So, let's do it this way. First one's free, without a pull, but will take at least three rounds. Pull for that one and you'll only spend one round."

Marcus: "Sure, but what about the others?"

Host: "They're coming up fast, so you'll have to pull for each one past the first you want to get before they reach you. Each of those will take three bullets, unless you pull to conserve ammo for them as well."

Marcus: "So to get all three at least four pulls and five rounds of ammo? Or five pulls and I save two extra bullets?"

Host: "Unless you want to let one of them get to you just before you end it."

Marcus (pecking cautiously at the tower): "I'll let you know when I get to that pull."

 

[Epidiah Ravachol]

I have been eagerly awaiting the PDF of this... heres hoping I can get my mits on it before October, though I think I could run something just using the online materials I am a bit uncertain how things will turn out with it. That is where I am hoping the book will aid me... knowing when to ask players to make pulls.

With a little luck the PDF should be out in a week or two. Until then, I'll be happy to answer any questions.

The book approaches the question of when to pull from three different angles, each of which is fairly important. The first is whenever a player's character attempts something they couldn't ordinarily do, or under conditions they don't normally deal with. This is really similar to situations you would roll for in most role-playing games (sort of like any time you wouldn't be allowed to take a 10 or 20 in a d20 game).

The second is when a player requests a pull. Situations in horror scenarios can get a bit oppressive at time and rather frustrating. Unlike other emotions tied to fear, frustration is not all that fun to experience. So the game gives the players an out. They are allowed shove the story forward by requesting a pull. Most of the time it's just to do things that qualify like the situation above. A detective who is normally very observant wants to pick up any details she can about a murder scene in the dark, or the high school running back wanting to make sure he can reach the safety of the cabin in plenty of time. These are moments when the players are willing to risk their characters' lives in order to shove the story forward, and they should be respected. If a player asks to pull for a clue and they make the pull, don't deny them the clue.

The third is less about when to offer pulls and more about how often to create situations that require pulls. The tower is a fickle and harsh mistress, but not entirely unpredictable. We experimented with a Jenga set for quite a while and discovered that around 45 pulls into it was when things get really, really interesting. Now it is possible for a tower to last longer than that, and it's possible for a tower to fall much sooner, but 45 is as good as any number to work with. Assuming the typical Dread game lasts 4 hours, those 45 pulls can be spread out evenly about every five minutes. Now, you're not suppose to ask for a pull every five minutes you've been playing, but just use this as a guide. If it's been ten minutes since the last pull, you might want to spice things up and create some situations that will require a pull or two to deal with. Of course, watching the tower and your players' reactions to the tower is going to give you a better sense of pacing, but this is a nice reminder.

Also, the book discusses the different ways to tempt the players with more pulls for each situation. Things like the ammo and time constraints in the example from the post just before this one.

Does that help at all? From what I've heard, most of it becomes instinctual after your first go. But if you do have any questions or concerns, I'd love to hear them. Anything to make the product more accessible.

 

[woodelf]

Woodelf, you did the graphic layout? Great job!

Yep. Just like it says in the [very detailed] credits. (don't worry, apparently nobody reads the credits--i've noticed much-more-basic stuff get listed wrong in reviews, frex.)