Horror RP Game Notes
Jan. 20th, 2014 03:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fullmoonderiaSetting
You awake in a dimly lit room that is somewhat recognizable as your own, but the lights are flickering as though they're about to die at any second. The place is in serious disrepair though, as if it's been abandoned for years, with cracks in the walls and a musty molded scent heavy in the air. Outside of the room no lights appear to work at all and something about the darkness feels...unnatural somehow. Looking out the window is no better as there seem to be few lights out in the dark there either. There seems to be a flashlight and a tablet nearby, along with your belongings, and something tells you that you should take the light with you. As soon as you do though, the lights flicker, flare up, and then die out all together. It's going to be a long night.
Once the first night is over, as the bells chime and the sun slowly comes up, the world makes a startling transformation and the unsettling and oppressive feel of darkness lifts. The rundown look is replaced by a "tended with care" one, not a crack, or faded curtain, or broken door in sight. What is this?!
Welcome to Brightdale, a small peaceful town in the middle of nowhere. The locals all seem perfectly friendly and most are glad to hear that you just moved to town, or decided to vacation with them as the case may be. And they quite clearly remember seeing you pass through yesterday morning or afternoon on your way home or to your hotel or motel...but you just got there so this can't be right. They also cheerfully remind you not to go out after sundown because that dark is easy to get lost in. Apparently they all close up shop at the same time every day, like clockwork, so that they can get home before then too. After last night, you can probably guess why. What is going on in this place?
Look for answers if you wish, but please try to be aware of where you are at all times...especially once the sunset sirens begin to bring in the darkness again.
Bestiary A.K.A How to Brainstorm Your Monsters
That's right, this is not a list of monsters that can be encountered. Borrowing from the Silent Hill franchise a little, all monsters that appear will have some symbolism regarding the character they appear to in the form of things about their past, their fears, and their insecurities. This will let you, the players, show your creativity in "challenging" your muses with these outer-inner demons without limiting what they can face.
So, Character A and Character B both are deathly afraid of spiders. But maybe character A is afraid of big hairy ones and B is of black widows. Neither manifestation has to be a big monster, but maybe one is and one isn't. Maybe the poisonous one has eyes that glow and drools acid. Maybe the hairy one's hairs can easily cut flesh. Or maybe both have the fear for the same reason but still see them somewhat differently, causing the monsters that manifest to still have somewhat distinct appearances.
The only thing they all physically have in common is the dark aura cloaking them that must be dispelled before they can be harmed. This can be achieved by shining any type of bright light (flashlight, flare, spotlight, overhead light if it works, etc.) on them for several seconds, varying based on the number and/or brightness of the light(s) used. Monsters dislike bright light as well and so might be deterred temporarily by it, allowing for more time for your character to act...or they might rage and therefore require a bit more strategy to deal with.
You awake in a dimly lit room that is somewhat recognizable as your own, but the lights are flickering as though they're about to die at any second. The place is in serious disrepair though, as if it's been abandoned for years, with cracks in the walls and a musty molded scent heavy in the air. Outside of the room no lights appear to work at all and something about the darkness feels...unnatural somehow. Looking out the window is no better as there seem to be few lights out in the dark there either. There seems to be a flashlight and a tablet nearby, along with your belongings, and something tells you that you should take the light with you. As soon as you do though, the lights flicker, flare up, and then die out all together. It's going to be a long night.
Once the first night is over, as the bells chime and the sun slowly comes up, the world makes a startling transformation and the unsettling and oppressive feel of darkness lifts. The rundown look is replaced by a "tended with care" one, not a crack, or faded curtain, or broken door in sight. What is this?!
Welcome to Brightdale, a small peaceful town in the middle of nowhere. The locals all seem perfectly friendly and most are glad to hear that you just moved to town, or decided to vacation with them as the case may be. And they quite clearly remember seeing you pass through yesterday morning or afternoon on your way home or to your hotel or motel...but you just got there so this can't be right. They also cheerfully remind you not to go out after sundown because that dark is easy to get lost in. Apparently they all close up shop at the same time every day, like clockwork, so that they can get home before then too. After last night, you can probably guess why. What is going on in this place?
Look for answers if you wish, but please try to be aware of where you are at all times...especially once the sunset sirens begin to bring in the darkness again.
Bestiary A.K.A How to Brainstorm Your Monsters
That's right, this is not a list of monsters that can be encountered. Borrowing from the Silent Hill franchise a little, all monsters that appear will have some symbolism regarding the character they appear to in the form of things about their past, their fears, and their insecurities. This will let you, the players, show your creativity in "challenging" your muses with these outer-inner demons without limiting what they can face.
So, Character A and Character B both are deathly afraid of spiders. But maybe character A is afraid of big hairy ones and B is of black widows. Neither manifestation has to be a big monster, but maybe one is and one isn't. Maybe the poisonous one has eyes that glow and drools acid. Maybe the hairy one's hairs can easily cut flesh. Or maybe both have the fear for the same reason but still see them somewhat differently, causing the monsters that manifest to still have somewhat distinct appearances.
The only thing they all physically have in common is the dark aura cloaking them that must be dispelled before they can be harmed. This can be achieved by shining any type of bright light (flashlight, flare, spotlight, overhead light if it works, etc.) on them for several seconds, varying based on the number and/or brightness of the light(s) used. Monsters dislike bright light as well and so might be deterred temporarily by it, allowing for more time for your character to act...or they might rage and therefore require a bit more strategy to deal with.
