System suggestions for modern horror?

[Mouseferatu]

I'm taking a break from D&D (of any edition), to run something else. Right now, we're deciding between non-D&D fantasy and a modern horror/urban fantasy game.

If we go with fantasy, we're going with Dragon Age. No question there.

But if we go with modern horror, we're still debating. We're looking for a system where the mechanics aren't front-and-center, but rather mostly get out of the way when they're not needed. Right now, we're deciding between the World of Darkness (new one) and the Supernatural RPG.

For those who have experience with both, which would you say has the smoothest/simplest mechanics? And if you'd like to suggest a different system, what would it be? (Already considered and dismissed D20 Modern, Savage Worlds, Call of Cthulhu, Kult, or any all-in-one system like GURPS.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I was going to suggest HERO or d20 Modern with Second World, Urban Arcana, Dark Matter and other projects, but...

I like nWoD in general, but have no experience with the other system.

Do you have a general idea as to the kind of modern horror you want to run? Are you drawing inspiration from any particular source(s)?

 

[wedgeski]

There is a far too little Dread in this thread.

 

[Nagol]

The uni-system is pretty good for this. Either All Flesh Must Be Eaten for a zombie fix or Conspiracy-X for their take on modern conspiracy (alien/magic) horror.

 

[Starfox]

For modern horror, I like to keep things simple. Very simple. The ages-old Call of Chutulu system works wonders in moving the focus of the game away from the rules. In short, the rules are just barely functional - which forces the players to NOT rely on them.

 

[Piratecat]

There is a far too little Dread in this thread.

Awesome for one-shots, tricky for a campaign.

I'd go with the GUMSHOE system from Pelgrane: Trail of Cthulhu, Fear Itself, Esoterrorists, the upcoming Night's Dark Agents, and the like. I really like it.

 

[wedgeski]

Awesome for one-shots, tricky for a campaign.

Unfortunately true. I didn't think of the OP in terms of a campaign.

 

[Rel]

I ran a modern horror solo campaign for my wife a few years back using Risus. It worked really well for that because we didn't want to get bogged down in a lot of rules and the focus was much more on the roleplay/investigation than on combat. For a campaign you know is going to be short, or if your players in general aren't that into tactical combat, I think Risus could work quite well. For a longer campaign or if your players like the crunchy bits more then it's probably not the best choice.

 

[Thanael]

What about Delta Green?

 

[Diamond Cross]

Another vote for New WoD or Unisystem AFMBE/Buffy/Angel/Army Of Darkness.