The SCP Foundation is a fictional secret organization created through a wiki-based collaborative writing project. It's also a treasure trove of ideas for role-playing games.
Each SCP's description begins with how it is contained, its containment category, a description, and case files of experiments on the SCP or other notes of interest. Scattered throughout the notes and logs are commentary by SCP agents and researchers, who are sometimes in conflict as to how to keep a SCP contained.
The SCP Foundation doesn't exist in a vacuum. Other groups clash with the Foundation, including the Chaos Insurgency (who attempts to capture SCPs to weaponize them), the Global Occult Coalition (who attempts to destroy SCPs instead of contain them), and the Serpent's Hand, who wants to release SCPs entirely.
If any of this sounds familiar, it's because SCP is built on the shoulders of other government-meets-paranormal shows like X-Files, Fringe, and Stranger Things. But the SCP Foundation's heritage goes back even further.
Like the SCP Foundation, Lovecraft's circle of collaborators was broad and he encouraged cross references in others' fiction that helped establish a shared universe. Similarly, Lovecraft enjoyed injecting cutting edge science into his stories, often pitting organized scholars, researchers, and field agents against the more terrestrial horrors.
As one example, The King in Yellow, created by Robert W. Chambers and referenced by Lovecraft, has its parallel in SCP-701, "The Hanged King." There are many more.
Although it's certainly possible to replicate a typical dungeon crawl as PCs act as agents to find and contain a SCP, the genre lends itself to containment. This "warehouse of secrets" model can easily be applied to a magical vault of dangerous artifacts, prisons containing interdimensional monsters, and mind-bending anomalies lying dormant in forbidden libraries. As keepers of these secrets, PCs are committed to containing the threat; this threat might be from the thing itself, or it could be from others who want to use it to their own advantage.
SCPs that can escape are often beings of mind-blasting power, so there's something to be said for having multiple PCs play in the role of guards or even test subjects. The Character Funnel from Dungeon Crawl Classics is a great way to represent the hapless individuals who will inevitably die. In a modern setting, Delta Green (playing agents) and Call of Cthulhu (researchers or D-class) are obvious choices.
With over 6,000 SCPs catalogued, there's a related story seed for virtually every monster in fantasy and science fiction. And if you need more ideas, there are three volumes of artbooks suitable for use as props in a game, a role-playing game (second edition is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter), and several video games based on the SCP Foundation, including Control and SCP - Containment Breach.
Your Turn: Do you have a "warehouse of secrets" in your campaign?
What's a SCP?
SCP (Special Containment Procedures) are steps taken by the SCP Foundation to ensure that paranormal and supernatural threats are kept safely contained and concealed from the bulk of humanity. The lengths the Foundation is willing to go to contain these anomalies can be drastic and often involve the death (or worse) of agents and D-class personnel (usually convicted prisoners).Each SCP's description begins with how it is contained, its containment category, a description, and case files of experiments on the SCP or other notes of interest. Scattered throughout the notes and logs are commentary by SCP agents and researchers, who are sometimes in conflict as to how to keep a SCP contained.
The SCP Foundation doesn't exist in a vacuum. Other groups clash with the Foundation, including the Chaos Insurgency (who attempts to capture SCPs to weaponize them), the Global Occult Coalition (who attempts to destroy SCPs instead of contain them), and the Serpent's Hand, who wants to release SCPs entirely.
If any of this sounds familiar, it's because SCP is built on the shoulders of other government-meets-paranormal shows like X-Files, Fringe, and Stranger Things. But the SCP Foundation's heritage goes back even further.
The Roots of SCP
SCP's multiple contributors who borrow from each other, the acknowledgement of beings beyond humanity's comprehension that could destroy the world as we know it, and a weird mix of science and fantasy, all have their basis in H.P. Lovecraft.Like the SCP Foundation, Lovecraft's circle of collaborators was broad and he encouraged cross references in others' fiction that helped establish a shared universe. Similarly, Lovecraft enjoyed injecting cutting edge science into his stories, often pitting organized scholars, researchers, and field agents against the more terrestrial horrors.
As one example, The King in Yellow, created by Robert W. Chambers and referenced by Lovecraft, has its parallel in SCP-701, "The Hanged King." There are many more.
Using SCPs in Your Game
SCPs are an interesting twist on dungeon crawling. Unlike typical fantasy adventuring, the monster is already known. The key isn't to find it, but rather to keep it secret from the rest of the world and prevent it from harming others. The monster isn't a mystery, but how it operates may be.Although it's certainly possible to replicate a typical dungeon crawl as PCs act as agents to find and contain a SCP, the genre lends itself to containment. This "warehouse of secrets" model can easily be applied to a magical vault of dangerous artifacts, prisons containing interdimensional monsters, and mind-bending anomalies lying dormant in forbidden libraries. As keepers of these secrets, PCs are committed to containing the threat; this threat might be from the thing itself, or it could be from others who want to use it to their own advantage.
SCPs that can escape are often beings of mind-blasting power, so there's something to be said for having multiple PCs play in the role of guards or even test subjects. The Character Funnel from Dungeon Crawl Classics is a great way to represent the hapless individuals who will inevitably die. In a modern setting, Delta Green (playing agents) and Call of Cthulhu (researchers or D-class) are obvious choices.
With over 6,000 SCPs catalogued, there's a related story seed for virtually every monster in fantasy and science fiction. And if you need more ideas, there are three volumes of artbooks suitable for use as props in a game, a role-playing game (second edition is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter), and several video games based on the SCP Foundation, including Control and SCP - Containment Breach.
Your Turn: Do you have a "warehouse of secrets" in your campaign?
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