Comments on: Mean Things I Have Done in Horror RPGs http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/ The Journal of Gamer Culture Thu, 24 May 2012 21:26:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mike http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64076 Mike Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:23:30 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64076 One of the players in my Pyramid of Shadows adventure has to carry around a life-like skull head with long black hair that is constantly telling him to find things that don't exist and to "make her look pretty". He's getting married soon so I'm getting him ready. <abbr><em>Mike´s last post: <a href="http://mikeshea.net/Review_of_Draconomicon.html" rel="nofollow">ReviewofDraconomicon</a></em></abbr> One of the players in my Pyramid of Shadows adventure has to carry around a life-like skull head with long black hair that is constantly telling him to find things that don’t exist and to “make her look pretty”. He’s getting married soon so I’m getting him ready.

Mike´s last post: ReviewofDraconomicon

]]> By: When Horror Meets Awesome: CthulhuTech | Critical Hits http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64075 When Horror Meets Awesome: CthulhuTech | Critical Hits Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:16:26 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64075 [...] the fear that comes along with what’s happening to them, while Dave is more a fan of doing absolutely mean things to his players in Horror RPGs.  One thing that I never really expected to see released as an official product is the melding of [...] [...] the fear that comes along with what’s happening to them, while Dave is more a fan of doing absolutely mean things to his players in Horror RPGs.  One thing that I never really expected to see released as an official product is the melding of [...]

]]> By: The Game http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64074 The Game Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:21:36 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64074 That's totally going into my article on minions... That’s totally going into my article on minions…

]]> By: Reverend Mike http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64073 Reverend Mike Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:28:25 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64073 Minion on PC Necrophilia... That is all!... <abbr><em>Reverend Mike´s last post: <a href="http://bookofrev.blogspot.com/2008/10/robert-frosts-cajun-invasion-puns.html" rel="nofollow">Robert Frost's Cajun Invasion!: Puns, Explosions and Implied Strippers...</a></em></abbr> Minion on PC Necrophilia…

That is all!…

Reverend Mike´s last post: Robert Frost’s Cajun Invasion!: Puns, Explosions and Implied Strippers…

]]> By: highbulp http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64072 highbulp Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:03:41 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64072 I am stealing the demon-rat filled puppy. Just FYI. ;p Now I just need to find a spot in an adventure to put it... I am stealing the demon-rat filled puppy. Just FYI. ;p

Now I just need to find a spot in an adventure to put it…

]]> By: The O http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64071 The O Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:24:29 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64071 Ugh, I remember that damned adventure where you played the TMGB song "The Bells are Ringing" on repeat for four fucking hours. I still can't listen to that song without cringing. As an aside Dave, you forgot to mention how, in your current game, a character who has missed a few adventures "came down with dysentery" and was sold into slavery. Ugh, I remember that damned adventure where you played the TMGB song “The Bells are Ringing” on repeat for four fucking hours. I still can’t listen to that song without cringing. As an aside Dave, you forgot to mention how, in your current game, a character who has missed a few adventures “came down with dysentery” and was sold into slavery.

]]> By: Anubisascends http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64070 Anubisascends Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:03:11 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64070 My group and I were playing an 'Evil' campaign. I was an Orc Barbarian, another one of the character's was a Human Ranger. Wee began to argue over something, and he attacked me. To make a long story short, I powned him, then his animal companion proceeded to attack me. I powned his wolf and then skinned, cooked and ate it. The best part is that I didn't kill the ranger (I was told not to by my superiors) and when he woke up, I had turned the hide of his wolf into a loin cloth. Once again, he attacked me and once again I powned him. He eventually stopped attacking me and waited until I was passed out drunk (my Orc had a drinking problem) and did a Coup de Grace on me. My group and I were playing an ‘Evil’ campaign. I was an Orc Barbarian, another one of the character’s was a Human Ranger. Wee began to argue over something, and he attacked me. To make a long story short, I powned him, then his animal companion proceeded to attack me. I powned his wolf and then skinned, cooked and ate it.

The best part is that I didn’t kill the ranger (I was told not to by my superiors) and when he woke up, I had turned the hide of his wolf into a loin cloth. Once again, he attacked me and once again I powned him.

He eventually stopped attacking me and waited until I was passed out drunk (my Orc had a drinking problem) and did a Coup de Grace on me.

]]> By: mxyzplk http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64069 mxyzplk Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:22:17 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64069 I was running a high level Forgotten Realms game where half of the PCs got turned into vampires (Four from Cormyr was the adventure we were running when we went off the rails). The rest of the party was trapped in a keep out in the middle of a swamp, which had a chapel that undead couldn't enter - but most of the PCs couldn't recover spells in it either (it was aligned). The vampires lost their vamp powers in the daytime but the light wouldn't kill them. We ran session after session with half of the players in one room and the other half in another, in which the PC vampires tried to turn everyone and the PC humans tried to escape, kill the vampires, retrieve dead colleagues' bodies and raise them before they turned... Oh, everyone loved it. The best trap was when the vamps got the body of one of the humans and put it in a swampy pond (a body had to be underwater for 24 hours to turn). The party went out using divination spells and found the pond. One of the vampires was lurking, and summoned a mess of giant crocs into the water. The humans didn't see that, and one of them, not suspecting anything, dove right in to get the body. They grabbed him to pull him out, but only got the torso. Normally people counsel against intra-party conflict, but that was one of the high points of our gaming group. One group of live players against another in a high level free-for-all! Now that's a challenge. <abbr><em>mxyzplk´s last post: <a href="http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/asian-monsters/" rel="nofollow">Asian Monsters</a></em></abbr> I was running a high level Forgotten Realms game where half of the PCs got turned into vampires (Four from Cormyr was the adventure we were running when we went off the rails). The rest of the party was trapped in a keep out in the middle of a swamp, which had a chapel that undead couldn’t enter – but most of the PCs couldn’t recover spells in it either (it was aligned). The vampires lost their vamp powers in the daytime but the light wouldn’t kill them.

We ran session after session with half of the players in one room and the other half in another, in which the PC vampires tried to turn everyone and the PC humans tried to escape, kill the vampires, retrieve dead colleagues’ bodies and raise them before they turned… Oh, everyone loved it. The best trap was when the vamps got the body of one of the humans and put it in a swampy pond (a body had to be underwater for 24 hours to turn). The party went out using divination spells and found the pond. One of the vampires was lurking, and summoned a mess of giant crocs into the water. The humans didn’t see that, and one of them, not suspecting anything, dove right in to get the body. They grabbed him to pull him out, but only got the torso.

Normally people counsel against intra-party conflict, but that was one of the high points of our gaming group. One group of live players against another in a high level free-for-all! Now that’s a challenge.

mxyzplk´s last post: Asian Monsters

]]> By: Graham http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64068 Graham Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:02:06 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64068 <i>Based an entire adventure around a typo, that if noticed, negates the need to go on the adventure. </i> Nice. What was the typo? <abbr><em>Graham´s last post: <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/criticalanklebites/~3/430788494/" rel="nofollow">Pathfinder 26 - One month after the fact.</a></em></abbr> Based an entire adventure around a typo, that if noticed, negates the need to go on the adventure.

Nice. What was the typo?

Graham´s last post: Pathfinder 26 – One month after the fact.

]]> By: Tzuriel http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64067 Tzuriel Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:09:35 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64067 I'll throw in my two cents: -In a much changed Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, turned all the PCs into half-elementals. -as they turned, gave them really creepy, gory dreams where they killed, or were killed by, loved ones with all deaths involving their element -had a new PC joining the party be implanted with a bad guy's spy device, allowing the bad guy to feel all five of that PCs senses -killed off a best friend of one character and made it look like it was that character who did it, increasing party suspicions -put character with a phobia of fire in an exploding building -turned all the PCs into lycanthropes with high moral stakes (yes, i love templates) -continued to saddle characters with creepy, gory dreams as they devolved further into insanity -left wierd, powerful objects around that slowly sap at users sanity and morality -worst of all: had D&D characters work with a realistic and working morality system Hey, Bartoneus, what did that GM do to get you feeling like that? I'm gonna be running a Hunter chronicle soon and that's just the feeling that I'm going for. I’ll throw in my two cents:

-In a much changed Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, turned all the PCs into half-elementals.
-as they turned, gave them really creepy, gory dreams where they killed, or were killed by, loved ones with all deaths involving their element
-had a new PC joining the party be implanted with a bad guy’s spy device, allowing the bad guy to feel all five of that PCs senses
-killed off a best friend of one character and made it look like it was that character who did it, increasing party suspicions
-put character with a phobia of fire in an exploding building
-turned all the PCs into lycanthropes with high moral stakes (yes, i love templates)
-continued to saddle characters with creepy, gory dreams as they devolved further into insanity
-left wierd, powerful objects around that slowly sap at users sanity and morality
-worst of all: had D&D characters work with a realistic and working morality system

Hey, Bartoneus, what did that GM do to get you feeling like that? I’m gonna be running a Hunter chronicle soon and that’s just the feeling that I’m going for.

]]> By: Bartoneus http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64066 Bartoneus Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:29:08 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64066 Not that much on my end... not YET at least. Joshxorfz ran a single adventure of Cthulhu where I got a strong feeling of the need to improvise and survive as if you were really fighting for survival in reality. I enjoyed that, but it was sadly short-lived. Not that much on my end… not YET at least.

Joshxorfz ran a single adventure of Cthulhu where I got a strong feeling of the need to improvise and survive as if you were really fighting for survival in reality. I enjoyed that, but it was sadly short-lived.

]]> By: The Game http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64065 The Game Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:29:28 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64065 These are awesome! "- Made all the players sing in a “Musical Episode”" Ha! That's actually how my song on repeat adventure was originally designed, that the PCs could avoid saving throws by singing whatever they said. It wasn't strong enough to keep them doing it, but to see that someone else has tried it makes me want to try it again. These are awesome!

“- Made all the players sing in a “Musical Episode””

Ha! That’s actually how my song on repeat adventure was originally designed, that the PCs could avoid saving throws by singing whatever they said. It wasn’t strong enough to keep them doing it, but to see that someone else has tried it makes me want to try it again.

]]> By: Éric http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64064 Éric Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:25:26 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64064 - Melded PC’s little sister with the two main bad guys. - Player missed a session, everyone else went into a dream battle, and woke up with almost no hp left. - Kidnapped a character into the plane of nightmares and forced the party to go save him. - Made all the players sing in a “Musical Episode” - Melded PC’s little sister with the two main bad guys.
- Player missed a session, everyone else went into a dream battle, and woke up with almost no hp left.
- Kidnapped a character into the plane of nightmares and forced the party to go save him.
- Made all the players sing in a “Musical Episode”

]]> By: Ketherian http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64063 Ketherian Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:08:31 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64063 * Had curtains/tree branches/clothing move without wind in every scene of an adventure (drove the players batty). * Had the bards tell the PC's tales about 6 in-game months behind the party's actual adventures. There was just enough truth that the party could recognize events, but only just. * Gave the party a base, then proceeded to have the NPC bad guys take it over and turf the party. It started a gang war that lasted most of the game. * After a player left the game - had his character kidnapped and tortured. The party went and rescued him, but he was never quite the same again. * Had the party fight statues/golems of their evil selves. The evil versions had lots of loot and magic items; most of which the party recognized as items stolen from areas they had saved (and thus had protected the goods, and not been able to take). * Took all the treasure out of a dungeon so that the party had to scavenge everything (broken furniture, worn tapestries, making plans of traps to resell, etc). * Dropped a dragon on the party (quite literally). * Put the party up against 100 zombies. They wanted mindless combat. * Had curtains/tree branches/clothing move without wind in every scene of an adventure (drove the players batty).
* Had the bards tell the PC’s tales about 6 in-game months behind the party’s actual adventures. There was just enough truth that the party could recognize events, but only just.
* Gave the party a base, then proceeded to have the NPC bad guys take it over and turf the party. It started a gang war that lasted most of the game.
* After a player left the game – had his character kidnapped and tortured. The party went and rescued him, but he was never quite the same again.
* Had the party fight statues/golems of their evil selves. The evil versions had lots of loot and magic items; most of which the party recognized as items stolen from areas they had saved (and thus had protected the goods, and not been able to take).
* Took all the treasure out of a dungeon so that the party had to scavenge everything (broken furniture, worn tapestries, making plans of traps to resell, etc).
* Dropped a dragon on the party (quite literally).
* Put the party up against 100 zombies. They wanted mindless combat.

]]> By: Wooglin http://critical-hits.com/2008/10/31/mean-things-i-have-done-in-horror-rpgs/#comment-64062 Wooglin Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:06:01 +0000 http://www.critical-hits.com/?p=2407#comment-64062 Once I possessed a PC's familiar and they only thing he could figure out to do was to kill it. He didn't cry, but I thought he was going to tear up. Once I possessed a PC’s familiar and they only thing he could figure out to do was to kill it. He didn’t cry, but I thought he was going to tear up.

]]>