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Unpopular Opinion?: D&D is a terrible venue for horror
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<blockquote data-quote="MGibster" data-source="post: 8102392" data-attributes="member: 4534"><p>I can theoretically haul 1,000 pounds of concrete in a Ford Fiesta, but that doesn't mean it's still not a terrible vehicle to use for that purpose. I'm coming at this from the point of view that the system you use for gaming matters. I don't mean simply liking the system, but that rules as written support the type of game play it's supposed to right out of the box. D&D simply doesn't support horror right out of the box, and so I think it's a terrible choice for that purpose. Good choice for heroic fantasy though. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>As others have pointed out, horror encompasses a wide variety of so I'm going to point to some games designed to emulate specific styles of horror. </p><p></p><p><em>Call of Cthulhu </em>is the granddaddy of horror role playing games so let's start there. The game is designed to emulate some of the work of H.P. Lovecraft. In Lovecraft's many stories, protagonist often suffer mental breakdowns as they learn more about the true nature of the universe and this is reflected in the infamous Sanity mechanic of the game. Any time a character is exposed to the supernatural in any form, or even more mundane stresses, an Investigator risks bouts of madness and permanent insanity. There is almost always a cost when encountering a threat and even learning how to defeat it which is something players have to constantly worry about. Also, Investigators are physically relatively fragile. Never mind the supernatural, they can be serious injured or killed by a cheap hood with a switchblade. </p><p></p><p><em>Alien</em> is a more recent entry into the pantheon of horror games, but it's designed to emulate the motion pictures <em>Alien</em> (1979), <em>Aliens </em>(1986), <em>Alien 3 </em>(1992), <em>Prometheus </em>(2012), and <em>Alien: Coventant</em> (2017). The primary way the RPG supports this is through Stress and Panic. A character's Stress level is increased due to outside stimuli like taking damage, encountering certain creatures, going without sustenance, etc., etc. A Stressed character is more focused and has a better chance of making many of their rolls. But they also have a higher chance to Panic forcing them into actions they might not want to perform and actually inducing additional Stress for other characters. </p><p></p><p><em>Vampire</em> has always touted itself as a game about personal horror, even if the 1990s brought us fangs and trench coats, and the 5th edition does a pretty good job with that. Thanks to the Hunger (desire for blood) rules, the characters are always concerned with feeding their addiction. The only time they don't have that monkey on their back is when they drain a mortal to death and that is only a temporary reprieve. And the best part is it isn't always the vampire who is most at risk. There's always the change the vampire will emotionally or physically damage the people they love. Trying to balance their addiction, obligations to vampire society, and the connection to their Humanity leads to some terrible choices and situations. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Ditto. I don't want every campaign to be one of horror and even in such a campaign you've got to pace things out.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MGibster, post: 8102392, member: 4534"] I can theoretically haul 1,000 pounds of concrete in a Ford Fiesta, but that doesn't mean it's still not a terrible vehicle to use for that purpose. I'm coming at this from the point of view that the system you use for gaming matters. I don't mean simply liking the system, but that rules as written support the type of game play it's supposed to right out of the box. D&D simply doesn't support horror right out of the box, and so I think it's a terrible choice for that purpose. Good choice for heroic fantasy though. As others have pointed out, horror encompasses a wide variety of so I'm going to point to some games designed to emulate specific styles of horror. [I]Call of Cthulhu [/I]is the granddaddy of horror role playing games so let's start there. The game is designed to emulate some of the work of H.P. Lovecraft. In Lovecraft's many stories, protagonist often suffer mental breakdowns as they learn more about the true nature of the universe and this is reflected in the infamous Sanity mechanic of the game. Any time a character is exposed to the supernatural in any form, or even more mundane stresses, an Investigator risks bouts of madness and permanent insanity. There is almost always a cost when encountering a threat and even learning how to defeat it which is something players have to constantly worry about. Also, Investigators are physically relatively fragile. Never mind the supernatural, they can be serious injured or killed by a cheap hood with a switchblade. [I]Alien[/I] is a more recent entry into the pantheon of horror games, but it's designed to emulate the motion pictures [I]Alien[/I] (1979), [I]Aliens [/I](1986), [I]Alien 3 [/I](1992), [I]Prometheus [/I](2012), and [I]Alien: Coventant[/I] (2017). The primary way the RPG supports this is through Stress and Panic. A character's Stress level is increased due to outside stimuli like taking damage, encountering certain creatures, going without sustenance, etc., etc. A Stressed character is more focused and has a better chance of making many of their rolls. But they also have a higher chance to Panic forcing them into actions they might not want to perform and actually inducing additional Stress for other characters. [I]Vampire[/I] has always touted itself as a game about personal horror, even if the 1990s brought us fangs and trench coats, and the 5th edition does a pretty good job with that. Thanks to the Hunger (desire for blood) rules, the characters are always concerned with feeding their addiction. The only time they don't have that monkey on their back is when they drain a mortal to death and that is only a temporary reprieve. And the best part is it isn't always the vampire who is most at risk. There's always the change the vampire will emotionally or physically damage the people they love. Trying to balance their addiction, obligations to vampire society, and the connection to their Humanity leads to some terrible choices and situations. Ditto. I don't want every campaign to be one of horror and even in such a campaign you've got to pace things out. [/QUOTE]
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