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heh, their sort of like little jawa culties of doom. I love it.

Do they have photographs?

So those are star-nosed moles. I thought some kind of alien facehugger thing is going on.

What kind of religions the Brushfire settings has? They talk about holiness and devils, so there should be something.

We chose Star-nosed just for that specific reason, they look like they've been infested. Horrible looking aren't they?

The religions are mostly covered in Historia Rodentia, the RPG campaign supplement for Mongoose Publishing's Legend RPG.

Eutheria, the Europe equivalent mostly follows Nazarinity, a Catholicism analog. Nazar is an ancient/mythic city in the desert that was visited by angelic beings, but was destroyed by the 'shadow army' when the people there lost faith.

Vandal Hamsters follow Wodinism, essentially the Norse pantheon, focused on creating one's own Sagas.

The rest have really yet to be covered in any fashion, but that all starts here, as we intentionally use real world demon and monster names. You can easily assume that each country has an analog of the ancient/common religion of the real world equivalent.

I have to say it's not the right kind of horrible. It's just hard to figure out what you are seeing. Although I know now that minies usually only look half as good as in person.

Please forgive the delay in assembling these files, your Protectorship.

Anansi - File X27 - FYEO
“Entry 1, Delta Colony - Our packs are readied, guides hired, and Eldridge has consumed his regulation 10 shots of gin. The head of our department now sleeps peacefully in the bunk above me. This is my first expedition outside of Axony in 10 years. The buildings here are not far different from those in Grinder. I had been informed as to the primitive nature of Zabar, and told that Delta was of little difference. Such stories have been exaggerated. One of our guides, M’bali, speaks better Axon than half of Wilder. The other, Natau, is descended from the astronomers we have come to study. The recent breakthrough in symbology and iconography has allowed us to translate a small portion of Zabaran writings, and it is exciting to be able to discuss such work with someone with ancestral knowledge of the field we intend to study.

Entry 2, Zabaran Veldt - Our expedition began smoothly enough. Eldridge took his morning repast to shake off the nightmares. He has refused to discuss his plight, but I am just happy to see him return to field work, for the last year he has been holed up in the archives, refusing to oversee the Archaeology department in any real capacity. After speaking to our benefactor at length, he only agreed to come on this expedition if I accompanied him to ‘prove him right’. The desert heat must have gotten to him during his last trip. Eldridge’s reputation precedes him, and his work taken as law. Who could ever doubt him? Nevermind those worries, to the expedition: The first night has been splendid, the weather is comfortable, and the sights of the bush veldt gorgeous. At mid-day we passed through a Warthog camp, and we traded goods. I dare not ask the origin of the meat they supplied, but it was an excellent dinner at the end of the day’s travels.

Entry 4, Jungle’s Edge - I never quite imagined the true Zabar would be so alien and contradictory to the southern regions. The trees create a complete canopy, even here at the edge, light is reduced to a candle during the day. We reached the edge mid-afternoon, and decided to wait until morning, to ensure the most light during our travels. Mawenzi can still be seen through the few breaks, towering above the world. I cannot wait to see the ancient observatories. I took several months of study with the Grinder Astronomy department to grasp the basics to compare the knowledge of the ancient Mawenzi people to our own. If anything complex arises, members of that department are ready to make the trip and join us at the site.

Entry 5, Deep Jungle - I had prepared for death. The relations between Zabar and Axony have calmed of late, but rogue tribes are not unknown to go on the warpath as it were. It was possible for this expedition to end at the point of a spear. I had not prepared myself for the creeping dark, or the disturbing ruins of tribal villages. We passed three in the last few days, empty of all life. I cannot imagine what would empty these villages in this manner. No bodies or signs of conflict, suggest the villagers fled rather than fight whatever came for them. Each was overgrown was a type of moss I was not familiar with. I got hopeful that perhaps it was new, I’ve called it ‘Fisherman’s Net’ after the thin crossing pattern it creates across passages. Eldridge had a panic attack after walking into one of the nets and was caught in the sticky mass. Diederik, one of our transplanted Zabaran-Vandal security guards, called it ‘webb’ from the Vandal ‘to weave’. I suppose it does have a cloth-like pattern, but I’ll be damned if he gets to name it.

Entry 6, Mawenzi Outskirts - Diederik wandered off in the just before dinner. We spent two hours looking for him in the pitch of night, but resigned to wait until morning to renew the search. Eldridge and I will begin our climb up through the city and into the mountain paths beyond, with Natau guiding us, while the rest of the party searches for the lost Dog.

Entry 7, Mawenzi Outskirts - Morning has come and gone, and the Zabaran Sun is peaking overhead, shining through the canopy. Even with this picturesque view, our souls are a little heavier. Diederik has yet to return, and there does not appear to be any tracks leading from the campsite. Natau, Eldridge and I have proceeded on as planned, but my colleagues wished to remain as long as we could waiting for Diederick. As we head into the ancient city, the Fisherman’s Net seems to be getting thicker as we travel, becoming almost fog-like in density. Natau spends much of his time hacking away at the moss, but it seems to do little to actually clear the path.

Entry 8, Mount Mawenzi - We have stopped part way up the mountain to the observatory. As dusk arrives, it will be too cold to continue, and we have to deal with Eldridge. His panic attacks have gotten stronger. Even the bliss of a drunken stupor has done little to abate his mania. I fear if he cannot come to grips with his trauma, he will be of little assistance at our destination. Though, I must admit, I too have been feeling the loosening grip of my sanity. As we hacked through the moss within Mawenzi City, We came upon bodies of the dead. As we passed these ancient skeletons, My eyes eventually fell upon a too familiar sight, which I refuse to admit possible. In the wasted grip of a netted figure, was an Axon rifle. The model was of recent make, but the figure had to have been centuries old, a desiccated husk worn by time. If not for the anachronistic firearm, I would have guessed all the figures were the Mawenzi version of Khonshan mummies, wrapped tightly in netting, and laid to rest in a city of dead. This contradicts all known information about the Mawenzi people, their rituals, and the purpose of this city.

Entry 9, Observatory - Eldridge attempted to throw himself from the mountain this morning, and Natau and myself were forced to bind his hands to keep him from struggling as he was kept on the pack-kiwi. The view from this height is exhilarating. No longer are the trees clouding our view and the horizon extends out forever. I hope the thin air and majestic view will calm Eldridge and myself. The few minutes I spent in the Observatory today were also breathtaking. Natau and I worked to clean the walls of the moss, as he worked me through the iconography and functions of Zabaran astrological symbology. The research will continue in a few hours, waiting for nightfall to work with stellar positions.

Entry 10, Observatory - After last night’s work, the morning could not come soon enough. According to my measurements, we are directly in the middle of the Season of Anansi. In ancient times, the Mawenzi would abandon the city during the season, and return months later to destroy the ‘seeds of demons’ that had occupied their homes. I thoroughly wish for Natau to be exaggerating these ghost stories. The worries raised by such a tale also call out to the rest of our party. None have made the climb to join us. Eldridge seems to have calmed quite a bit, but has stated that his story must wait for the light of day.

Entry 11, Observatory - Eldridge finally spoke of his woes just before breakfast, and after all these months of prodding, I dearly wish he had not. Our Department Head had been part of an expedition into the Reptilia Deserts, searching out ruins of Nazar. Instead he found a hellish hole filled with...titans. The legendary creatures all mammals fear, but none believe exist. I shake his words from my mind, now preferring the Professor to be insane. The Calculations of Measuring the Observatory take my mind off the thought for a few hours, before I lay down to rest until nightfall. The rest of our expedition were supposed to all be up the mountain today. Natau wishes to climb back down tomorrow if they do not show up by mid-day. I cannot let him go alone, and Eldridge seems to have lost a heavy burden by sharing his tale, so there appears to be little risk by leaving him alone.

Entry 12, Mount Mawenzi - Diederik was right. The moss is not a plant material, but...spun, woven, like a web. We found the rest of the expedition, wrapped so tightly in the web that they had been suffocated. As we approached the camp, I swore I saw a creature, conjured up from Eldridge’s Tale, skitter away into the city, dragging a lone body behind it. If not for Natau’s confirmation of the sight, I would have shrugged it off, believing the long nights and ghost stories to be weighing upon me. The two of us agree to leave tomorrow. We carried what supplies we could back up the mountain and told Eldridge of our encounter, and resolve to leave. Surprisingly, Eldridge argued with me over needing proof, that we cannot leave until we can prove our sanity. I told him our lives were not worth it, and we could hire a larger expedition next time to gain the evidence we needed.

Entry 13, Mawenzi City - Our prey is smarter than we. The shifting passages of web have separated the three of us. I wait in the corner of this ruined building, waiting for dawn or the chittering of the Anansi. I know not what happened to Natau or Eldridge, and I no longer care. If I survive until morning, I will flee this city forever and leave behind the poor souls trapped here.”
- Maximilian Rhys, Professor of Archaeology, Grinder College; Journal Entries

After Professor Eldridge was removed from his position as Head of the Archaeology Department, and publicly disgraced for his claims. We collected him and performed a thorough interview. His information led to a WD Team being sent into Mawenzi, where the Journal of Professor Rhys was recovered. By the time our agents arrived, the Season of Anansi had ended. Eldridge was able to confirm for us, using the observatory’s markings, the duration and regularity of the Season. With this information we can regulate when the RZC’s gold mining operations may begin and cease each year. They will likely treat such a regulation as a quirk of bureaucracy. An agent or two may need to be assigned to the site to ensure the Royal Zabar Company follows the schedule set down, to keep additional incidents from occurring near the city.

[No Photographic Evidence or Sketches available for this File]


Chimera - File X15 - FYEO
“It has been nearly a millennia since anyone stepped foot upon Tartarus, and I was proud to be amongst the first geological experts to study the island volcano. Now I find myself glad to be aboard this ship, headed away from the horrible place. I send this letter to you to explain the situation as best as I am capable, one of only handful of survivors, and so that your sway could bring this issue before the Triumvirate.

Work had been underway on Heraclaneum for the last few months, but the quakes and shudders of the island led to a request for a cadre of volcanologists and geologists, to evaluate the safety of the area, and ensure the excavation can continue in the ancient city.

The bleak obsidian shore did little to wash away the hellish stigma the island is cursed with. On the surface, all I could think of was the geological oddities and unique features to study, but at my core, I could not shake the pall dread that hung over us all. Within a day of arrival, one of the postgraduates was found dead, scorched by the heat of ash and steam. The area, that the Mouse’s body was found, had been cordoned off, to avoid further accidents.

Quakes were mild at best, our equipment registered most activity near the surface, with insignificant measurements down below. More damage will likely occur to the long dead artifacts than will ever occur to the living scientists. During the quakes, I often looked toward the center of the island, and could swear I saw great, craggy boulders move, sometimes towards us, sometimes down into the earth itself. In retrospect, I know that my eyes did not fail me.

We were into the fourth week of our recordings before another incident occurred. Down in the bath houses, a team of excavators had broken into the ancient aqueducts. Apparently, the find was exciting, as ancient Hyperians were not often found to construct such features underground. Within an hour of the discovery, a particularly bad quake was blamed for the death of the excavators there. Boiling liquid burst forth from the aqueducts, scalding the workers. I chose to view the body, with what little medical knowledge I possessed, to review the effects. The temperature must have been enormous. If the dig’s records had not been well kept, the identity of the victims would have been lost to time.

A few days later, I took it upon myself to take measurements from further inland. Foolishly, I went alone. Near a boiling spring, on ashen rock, I setup my equipment, hoping to find better recording of the earthen movement below the surface. I had sat there for nearly an hour. Next to the creature. How it remained still, with prey within reach, I will never know. Perhaps it slumbered, only awoken by the rumblings of the volcano. In either case, what I had thought up until that moment was just a rocky outcropping, shifted slightly, and I suddenly was capable of making out the form. It clicked in my head, I knew the shape. It felt like a fear that had been bred into my being by generations of my ancestors. I was sitting across the small boiling spring, from a Titan. Of the ancient tales, I thought of the Chimera. Born of fire, earth, and water, it looked like many creatures, and none. A carapace like a turtle shell. Numerous legs like the creatures of the deep. It drooled and flexed two jaws, like a horrible slavering wolf. The back third of the creature flexed and the Chimera moved silently, shifting to face me. The back end bent toward me, and If not for the grace of Gaia, I would have been dead. The ground quaked, and my equipment shuddered and fell over. Startled by the new threat, the Chimera sprayed boiling death upon my gear.

I fled from it, crying to the gods above to save me from the pits of hell. I arrived in town and was locked aboard ship in my fervor. The rest had thought I was mad, breathing in the toxic ash of the volcano. By morning, Only the ship’s crew and I remained. In the night, the Chimera, and any other Titans that roamed that hellish mound had once again destroyed Heraclaneum. What they found, picking through the remains of the excavation, led to the ship’s crew releasing me from the brig. After a few moments review of their discoveries, we sealed it away in the hold, hoping against hope that it was truly dead.”
- Belleros Ophontes, Geologist, Alexandreta; Letter to Iobates Amphianax, Epistimi Council

Doctor Ophontes and the crew of the Pegasus were intercepted by a WD vessel before they could arrive in Helios. Though they refused to speak with our agents, the above letter was taken off of the Doctor during our initial searches. The evidence he wrote of was found in the cargo hold. The remains of a Legion with the head removed. Medical believes the Legion was killed by a Chimera, as the head had been bitten off by a larger Exo. Other than wounds inflicted by gunshot, no other wounds were discovered on the body, suggesting that the Legion willingly let itself be consumed by the Chimera. This is a disturbing theory, as it suggests the Exos operate in a parasitic and symbiotic manner, across multiple species. To avoid additional deaths and the chance for this hive to escape Tartarus, WATCHDOG has manufactured a new letter from Ophontes to the Epistimi Council, warning of volcanic activity destroying the dig site, and the danger of future excavation. For the foreseeable future, Ophontes and his compatriots will remain guests of Division 4.

[No Photographic Evidence or Sketches available for this File]

Additional Files will be processed and ready for you next week. Please destroy upon reading.

Signed,
Howard Carter
Sir Howard Carter, KHOM, CP
Director of Protectorate Intelligence Division 4 - Exo Files


~~~~


Hastily assembled Queen master!

Things are really silent here. What are you guys up to?

Nice bug model by the way.

Working away on next week's Visiting Hours as the resin pots make minis!

You should keep the questions part. That seems to uphold the converstation a little.

Sure, I can do that!

Halloween Part 3 Questions -

What is your favorite Horror Story/Movie/Franchise? What makes it stand out to you?

How do you feel about horror in games; tabletop or otherwise? Either as a game mechanic (Fear effects, Sanity meters, etc) , A faction that is the world's horror element, or simply events in the fluff?

If you had to name one horror trope as your favorite, which would it be? (Zombie, Vampire, Lovecraftian, etc)



My Answers -

1) Counting only the first two movies, Aliens is my favorite Horror Franchise. You could easily add in anything AvP. The Rebellion FPS games stand as my favorite way to enjoy the franchise.

2)I'll break down and cover each of them:
Mechanics - The change from Fear to Shock in BF 2.0 was done because I hated forced movement and never saw having your awesome soldiers running away, peeing their pants, as 'fun' or particularly 'cool'. The Sanity Meter in Eternal Darkness was a great way to have the horror elements reach out to the player, messing with game mechanics, and pretending to do things like delete saves, end the game halfway through, or switch TV inputs on you.

Horror Faction - I originally intended to leave Exomorphs as a mythical force in the world, and leave them out of the game, but the more we heard people wanting insects, the more it seemed it needed to happen. I've had a lot of fun fleshing it out into full faction.

Fluff Events - In lovecraftian stories, the world goes on unknowing of the horror 'behind the veil' so to speak. I feel this is the best way to do any horror. I find any setting where everyone knows the monster out there, raises the question of why no one has solved the issue, why is it still a threat. Evil survives on inaction and that is helped by secrecy.

3) Lovecraftian through and through. Until the modernization of it, Vampires were a close second.

Well I'd love to help get that into a swing of things!

 miskatonicalum wrote:

What is your favorite Horror Story/Movie/Franchise? What makes it stand out to you?

One of my favorit horror films of all time is "The Thing" (1982), their was just so much good about that movie. When I answer the other questions you will probly be able to tell why.

 miskatonicalum wrote:

How do you feel about horror in games; tabletop or otherwise? Either as a game mechanic (Fear effects, Sanity meters, etc) , A faction that is the world's horror element, or simply events in the fluff?

If you had to name one horror trope as your favorite, which would it be? (Zombie, Vampire, Lovecraftian, etc).

For me this ties into each other, and easier to list the kinds of horror I like and how that relates to gaming.

Body Horror. This is hands down my favourite kind of horror. The idea of something violating your body or even your mind, changing you on a fundamental level. What is this body that is no longer your own? What are these new thoughts filling your head? Are you even you anymore? It is aspects of this that draws me to other horror ideas and that I latch onto. Chaos from WHFB/WH40k is based all around this, some of my favourite lovecraft stories use this idea, and many of the classic Gothic horror stories are based completely around this idea.

In relation to games I find it has alot of potential. Haveing a villian curse a PC with some sort of change or threat of change is a great way to get good plot hooks going.

If you were a perfect copy, would you even know that your a copy....

Lovecraftian/Cosmic horror. I love this style of horror in books, and how it portrays humanity as insignificant to the universe and cosmic cycles. That their are forces in this universe that could wipe us out and the universe would not care. I personaly do not enjoy many games that use this kind of horror because they usely handle it poorly. It's hard to make a game that can do that kind of horror, with out having the player characters undermine the effects of that horror with their own actions. The big dum old-god's ray gun that kills shogoths comes to mind... When DM'ing RPG's I keep this type of horror to a minimum.

If you stat it, they will kill it.

Gothic Horror Edger Allan poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", Vampires, Dr.Frankenstein, ect. Their the classics, and when they play up elements of body horror then I love them even more. It's also a type of horror that allows the "good guys" to win, and thus the easiest to adapt into gaming ideas and plot hooks. When running a RPG I might have at times slight lovecraftian elements, I draw more inspiration from this genera to make stories that are actually playable for the PC's.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
Horror Faction - I originally intended to leave Exomorphs as a mythical force in the world, and leave them out of the game, but the more we heard people wanting insects, the more it seemed it needed to happen. I've had a lot of fun fleshing it out into full faction.

Leaving things unsaid / implied / mythical can be cool (a la Kingdom Death about... basically everything ) but I love to see things fleshed out, so I'm glad you're making the bugs

1)Not a horror fan. It mostly bores me. If you had to pin me to the definition I guess Alien could be my favorite "horror" movie. Lovecraft is an exception.
2)I think horror/sanity can be a compelling mechanic of a game. As something to maintain or a compelling mechanic to use against/with an opponent. See: Eternal Darkness
3)Lovecraft.

Zygrot24 wrote:1)Not a horror fan. It mostly bores me. If you had to pin me to the definition I guess Alien could be my favorite "horror" movie. Lovecraft is an exception.
2)I think horror/sanity can be a compelling mechanic of a game. As something to maintain or a compelling mechanic to use against/with an opponent. See: Eternal Darkness
3)Lovecraft.

I think the term horror gets muddled by a lot of modern....crap. Slasher flicks, Gore Fests, and just plain old Jump Scares. These all use the term horror, and I feel they use it inaccurately. Psychological Thrillers like Basic Instinct or Stay have more in common with proper horror than say, Friday the 13th.
Alien for example, has this great habit of showing the alien, often for up to a full minute before it attacks. Hiding in plain sight, the creature is just so, bizarre and macabre, your eyes are not telling you it is there. Your brain is actually fighting with what it is seeing.

What are your thoughts more along those sorts of movies?

Lockark wrote:
If you stat it, they will kill it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM7CMH045G8

Using it~

It's actully from the Dead lands RPG, and they have a interesting essay directed at DM's that warn you should never stat a charater untill you intend for the party to kill it. If the party tries to kill the charater before your ready for him to die, then have escape routes or plot armour that protects said charater. (I.E. He can't be killed, until you find X.) Other wise as soon as when they figure out what said stat line is, they will figure out how to kill it.

Never under-estimate your PC's.

I've always used heavy horror elements in my campaigns, and have learned alot about the do's and don'ts. My PC's have a love hate relationship with me, because at some point I always find a way to horribly scar their characters in some way or another....

Werewolves are my thing. Too bad nothing remotely good came out in the genre for a long time. The movie "The Wolfman" was pretty cool though.

I have a really strong feeling of reality and fiction so I find it hard to get scared by a horror movie or game. I have never put down a videogame because it was too scary for me. So horror that relies of you putting yourself into the skin of the caracter of the game/movie haven't work for me so far. (for example, everyone I know was scared s***less from Amnesia: the Dark Descend, but it didn't work for me). From recent movies I really like The Cabin in the Woods.

From horror games, when the hero is tasked to save someone or gain something and that's why you face horror works for me the best. Horror games that I like are: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill: The Room, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Alan Wake, Alan Wake: American Nightmare. I also find horror as an astetic really interesting, so Dead Space, Metro 2033, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobly where not that bad I think. The Darksiders games are really cool too.

As board games, I own Fantasy Flight's Elder Sign. It is really spooky in the first few games, then you'll learn the game too much and it's starting to loose it's creepyness. The fact that you have to be extremely unlucky or really dumb to loose it doesn't helps either From the nearly 30 games I played, none of them where lost. I also played a few games of Archam Horror. It has the same problem. I once game mastered a campagin of Call of Chutulhu, and we realized it's not for our group. Us cracking jokes non-stop while playing these games propably doesn't help either.

I also love Lovecarft, because he really nailed what to show and what to keep hidden from the audience. It plays on you knowing what's happening whitout especially telling it to you, and that's what I like. Also his portagoinsts tends to go into the danger because they want to despite they know their sanity or life is in the line.

I tend to like horror that has a good sense of humor about himself. So I love the Welcome to Night Vale podcast.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I almost forgot, Call of Chutulhu: The Dark Corners of the Earth is a really neat videogame, if you can get it running.

Dark Corners is one of those little gems that couldn't. It was really good, but it feels wrong to call it a sleeper hit.

A horror board game I enjoy is Betrayal at House on the Hill. The players start off as a sort of scooby-doo gang exploring a haunted house (that is randomized as you explore it) until a certain point when a story/end-game mechanic is introduced, and often, one of the players becomes 'the betrayer' and is working with whatever haunted element is after the rest. It has a big booklet of story/mechanics that are determined randomly. I highly suggest it.

My favorit horror game is the 1st dead space. The 1st dead Space is actully a realy effective horror game. To bad that was lighting in a bottle they couldn't catch a 2nd time.

It was one of the few horror games that didn't use the crutch of "jump scares".

Tom/Alf you are not allowed to post about Alien in this thread.

1) I didn't have a favorite horror film for a long time, but I greatly enjoyed the genre, that is until... Sinister came out last year. The plot was extremely predictable, they did the building of suspense very well, creepy crawlies were very much in effect during that film. Unlike everyone else, I don't like Alien :( But that's because I saw it on an HD tv, which kind of killed it since the special effects weren't designed to be hidden behind such definition. I don't knock the series, I just don't like it because of my first experience with it.

2) I love horror elements in games, but I've yet to see them really well done. I've played in a WoD game and the GM was using it as his weird vampire fanfic/fapfest... I've never played Eternal Darkness, though hearing what it does above, but it sounds awesome

3) Lovecraft all the ways

How long is a game of "Betrayal at House on the Hill"?

Our other problem with Archam Horror is that it just never ends. Once we decided to stop an eight hour long game because it was almost morning and we was nowhere near to finish it. We either luck out in the first few turn with "There are no open portals" or it just drags on forever.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
Tom/Alf you are not allowed to post about Alien in this thread.

This is what happens when I tell you about my post while we're trying to speed run Wanderer's Palace...

As you explore the house, you turn over rooms that have "Omens" in them, which are special items. Every time someone finds an omen, you roll dice, and try to roll over/under a certain number which gets harder to win the roll on. When someone loses the roll, the Betrayal section starts.

Once you hit the betrayal point, it usually goes really quickly. The characters are fragile, so they can die really quickly.

So it can be a while if the room cards were shuffled badly, but its not monopoly or risk length games you'll play.

What is your favorite Horror Story/Movie/Franchise? What makes it stand out to you?

I can't say that I'm a big horror genre guy. I stick to the more horror/action hybrids like Pitch Black and 28 Days Later. Pan's Labyrinth has some great creepy fey creatures. The first movie to really scare me when I was a kid was The Blob (original 1958 version). To me horror is about the unknown and about helplessness. In Pitch Black, and Aliens as others have mentioned, it takes a while for the characters to understand what they are dealing with. In The Blob, the threat is obvious and right in front of you, but there is nothing you can do about it. I also shy away from horror where the enemies are too powerful and godlike.


How do you feel about horror in games; tabletop or otherwise? Either as a game mechanic (Fear effects, Sanity meters, etc) , A faction that is the world's horror element, or simply events in the fluff?

The closest thing to "Horror" that works in gaming, for me, is basic suspense or surprise. Blind deployment for wargames, using tokens to represent possible units, givings a bit of a "where are they? whats going on?" feel to a game. The old 40K dark eldar mandrake rules (no idea what the current rules are) let you put out 3 models and decide later which one of the three was the "real" threat. Tyranid Lictors appearing in any terrain piece on the board was also a bit unnerving. Even flipping over that monster card in Castle ravenloft board game puts me on edge because I don't know whats coming.

Fear effects tend to be a bit clunky in gaming. I can't think of any that I really love. Sanity is a neat idea, but taking control of a character or model, or even restricting its actions can quickly take away from a players fun.

on a vaguely related note the old West End Games Star Wars RPG dark side point rules were an awesome way to do tempting evil power.


If you had to name one horror trope as your favorite, which would it be? (Zombie, Vampire, Lovecraftian, etc)
hmmmm.... vampires are right out, new and old alike. I'll have to give this some thought.

 Galen wrote:

I also shy away from horror where the enemies are too powerful and godlike.

This is why I hated The Grudge. The beings at work were just stupid powerful. You set foot in that home, and you were dead. No matter what.

spoilers I guess thats not scary thats just "whelp, I guess I'm ded." Just as there is no suspense when the heroes are in no danger, there is no suspense when defeat is inevitable.

I like Lovecraftian because its more about how uninterested in humanity all these horrors are, you're safe, as long as you don't go looking for it, or you just might survive if you shut your mind away.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
thats not scary thats just "whelp, I guess I'm ded." Just as there is no suspense when the heroes are in no danger, there is no suspense when defeat is inevitable.

I like Lovecraftian because its more about how uninterested in humanity all these horrors are, you're safe, as long as you don't go looking for it, or you just might survive if you shut your mind away.

Yes, Good horror needs protagonists that still have hope, or at least a will to live. Horror stops having much meaning when characters have nothing left to lose.

I must admit I haven't ever really had interest in reading Lovecraft stories. At some point I realized I couldn't get involved with EVER geek genre, so horror (both classic and modern) and all things super hero have, for the most part, stayed out of my knowledge base. I like the way you describe Lovecraftian stories above. There is unimaginable doom out there...just don't dwell on it too much

Lovecraft's stories are easy to get into, even the longest stories, like At the Mountains of Madness, are novella length. You can easily digest them in short sittings, and none truly require any other to read.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
Lovecraft's stories are easy to get into, even the longest stories, like At the Mountains of Madness, are novella length. You can easily digest them in short sittings, and none truly require any other to read.

I will say this is you do have to be in the proper mood and attire to read Lovecraft. I suggest getting a high backed leather chair, a low crackling fire and the cold nights of New England (or winter). Sit down and just start reading...

I love me some Lovecraft.

Oni - File X22 - FYEO
“At first I felt honored to be welcomed into the Ryukyu home. Since their fall from power, the family had returned to the work that had raised them up from simple villagers to the Shogunate. In their sitting room, I beheld a great loom which belonged to the Ryukyu since antiquity. This ancient thing had woven the mysterious silk of the Orient since before my family helmed the South Sea Trading Company, since before the creation of the Silk Road. I found myself gawping at it but resisted asking questions. The Silk Weavers of Chugoku, Bharat, and Ribenguo had long held their production methods in the highest of security. How the wondrous fabric was made was a mystery to all outside their guilds.

This was the first chance an outsider would have to learn their operations. Since taking the reins as Director, I had a singular focus: to convert the Company from not just one of merchants, but one of producers. Trade lives and dies by the products, and I used much of my family’s fortune to arrive at this point. Ryukyu Hideo was as ambitious as I, and the two of us discussed at length the opportunities of a joint venture in Axon Silk manufacture. Even still, as our talks seemed to progress, the details of Silk still eluded me. Hideo was elusive at best. I gathered that the family’s holdings held a farm or the like that grew Silk, but I had seen nothing but rice paddies on the long ride in from Miyako. When our talks ended for the day, He personally walked me to the room that had been set aside for my stay. Along the corridor, I happened to look into a small shrine. Each great family held one of these places within their homes. A place to speak with your ancestors and honor their memory.

In the center of the shrine sat a great suit of armor. From the majestic tapestries and history books I had used to research Ribenguo, I recognized the armor worn by the warlord Ryukyu Nobuwari. This, far more than the loom left me in awe. The grandest piece of the figure was the helm that rested above it all. During his reign as Shogun, Nobuwari had been called the Oni King, and I could see how this helmet might earn one such a name. The faceplate and crest were the most fantastic parts of the piece. Shaped to fit the snout of a rabbit, the faceplate bore great protuberances, like a macabre blend of a sword and a jawbone. One could almost even believe the tales of the Oni King devouring children as he wore this mask. Where one would normally see the stylized crest of the family, atop the Oni King’s helmet, a great horn erupted from the helmet. This too lent a terrible destructive aura to the armor.

Attempting to inquire about the armor left me with silence from Lord Hideo. The daimyo had affairs of state to work through on the following day, so I was left to explore the grounds on my own. I did not wish to upset my host, but I began to think this meeting was another dead end in my quest to master silk production. I took my leave for the day, and went down into the village below the keep. As I had arrived late in the day, after many hours travel, I had not taken note of the city as the coach ferried me up the night before. I was surprised by the size of the city, so far from Miyako, and yet nearly as densely populated, if only covering a third of area. No where was any farming that was not food related to be seen, and even the rice paddies could not sustain a population of this size. A large portion of the western lands seemed to be taken up by mulberry trees. These orchards were being harvested for their leaves instead of their fruit. I thought at first I had discovered the source of silk, but then noticed a farmer ball up and chew a few leaves. I shook my head. Herbalism had eluded me as a man of science. Perhaps I just prefered to believe other college men instead of ancient wisdom of the east.

As I wandered down a side street, I was surprised to see Hideo’s palanquin before a nondescript shop. My curiosity swelled, and I chose to sneak around the structure to find a hint of its purpose. No windows or other exits presented themselves, and so I decided to proceed through the front door. The lack of a lock upon the door surprised me. Perhaps the discipline instilled by their daimyo was enough to keep the citizens of the city away. Within the structure There was only a steep grade, down into the earth. The building was nothing but a shell to cover the mouth of a cave. I nodded in the satisfaction of my analysis. Silk must not have required sunlight, or any of the other needs of normal plantlife. Perhaps it grew like mold in cave walls, or was specially grown on the filtered water of a limestone cave. As light bloomed deep in the tunnel, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, I left the building and returned to the main road.

In the evening at the keep, our talks resumed, and once again I found little information gathered from Ryukyu Hideo. He seemed more interested in utilizing our trade fleets to push Chugokuan and Bharatese silk production out of the west. Expanding his production seemed to be far from his mind. Several times throughout our talks he said expansion was dangerous, and that the crop could attract Oni. At first I assumed he truly meant demons, and thought perhaps he was being superstitious, but I later set aside such thoughts and decided he had meant simply problems. If secrets of Silk production became public, perhaps anyone could manufacture the textile, and then our plans would collapse. I tried to explain that the utmost secrecy would be kept, but the daimyo would hear no more tonight.

I lay awake for a few hours, on the tatami floor of my room, waiting for the rest of the house to sleep. Once I was sure I was the only one awake, I snuck out toward the city, to find the secrets out for myself in the cave below Tendoshi. My cigarette lighter provided minimal vision as I explored the tunnels. It did not take long for my suspicions to bare fruit. Down the tunnel a sign carved into the wall read in Ribenguan; to the Right, Adult Tengu, to the left, Silk Tengu

I had read the word Tengu before, but could not remember in what capacity. I knew it as the name of a Shogun, but was sure the connection was only tangential. As silk was what I was after, I followed the left passage for a distance. In the cavern I found myself in, piles of mulberry leaves were heaped about. I began to second guess my assumption about its purpose, until I saw the great bundles of silk. My mind could not comprehend the mass. Each bundle was twice as big as I, and was already spun. It appeared like one would see a bundle of spun cotton. oblong and misshapen. One of the bundles appeared to have been damage, A great cut had split the bundle open, and much of it had been taken away.

I was frustrated. Standing in this room I had learned nothing. I decided to return to the junction and follow the other passage, but came to the realization I had gotten turned around. The cave continued on into the dark both directions, and so I picked a path at random to follow. After a distance, I realized my choice had been an error. The ceiling lowered greatly, and I had not experienced that on the original path. As I turned about, I found my exit partially blocked. I was greatly confused how one of the silk bundles had rolled behind me, until I realized it was not a bundle. The oblong, misshapen creature crawled on dozens of tiny legs. It moved slowly across my path, toward one of the mulberry leaf piles. The rock-like head began to devour the leaves in earnest. I felt the urge to scream but was sure the creature would find me a great delicacy.

I turned back to the smaller passage, and ducked under the low ceiling, moving as quickly as I could. Slowly the rocky cave turned to dirt, and I noticed tree roots cutting through the tunnel. This region must have been left untouched, as I had to squeeze through the plant life to reach the far side of the earthen tunnel. Here, the tunnel split in half a dozen directions. I was sure escape led to my right, back in the general direction of the silk creatures. Before I could think more about my decision, I heard the sound of shoveling dirt, and the ground shook about me. Looking about in panic, It took me a moment to realize one of the passages was occupied. Pitch black like the tunnel itself, the Oni filled the four or five person wide tunnel. Once I saw the shape of it, the Oni King’s helmet sprang to mind.

Slowly the creature bent its great horn down toward me. I had seen this behavior in the Rhinoceros of Zabar. The Oni was preparing to charge. I scrambled, back towards the root covered tunnel, and pressed myself through the small opening. The Oni charged the roots and they slowly began to give way, great snapping sounds sent chills through my body as I crawled across the floor, back under the low hanging ceiling. The beast stopped at the opening, using its horn to attack me. For a moment, my leg was caught on the horn, a great gash in my leg kept me from crawling much further. I curled up, waiting for the end, as two horrid creatures had closed me in this tunnel.

From loss of blood, sheer terror, or exhaustion, I’m not sure which, I finally fell into unconsciousness. When morning came, the Silk weavers discovered me mewling in the corner of the cave. The silk tengu had moved onto another tasty leaf pile, and the demon had crawled back into the depths of hell it came from. In so many words, I told Ryukyu Hideo that our deal was off. As far as I was concerned, Silk was a product of demons, and not fit for any faithful Axon to wear. “

- Sir Ross Tucker, KHOM, Director, South Sea Trading Company; Official Report to Stockholders

It is unfortunate that Tucker chose so public a venue to bring this issue to light. His stay at Hundchester Asylum could have been avoided, if the Director had brought these issues directly to the Lady Protector. It is particularly unfortunate, as the Tengu are the least threatening of the Exomorphs. His details of the Oni, on the other hand, indicate a more serious threat. Neither Ryukyu nor any other Silk Producer have Oni guards. It is Division 5’s theory that Oni seek out other hives and protect them violently. Our evidence indicates that Ryukyu has already moved production to keep the Oni away from the Tengu.



Will o’ Wisp - File X05 - FYEO
“[Interviewer] 10.00am; Its okay, just take a few breaths and we’ll start again.

Please let me go back there.

[Sobbing]

[Interviewer] We just need to know what happened for our records. Then, I’m sure your mum will want to see you when this is over.

[Sobbing subsides]

Da’ wanted me to go on his fishing boat. I was a man now. Had to learn the family trade. Da…

[Bout of Crying, Interviewer consoles Subject]

The storm hit us hard. We made landfall in the middle of it. As we jumped from the boat, the surge pulled my da’ under. I was alone on the island. At least I thought I was. While the storm raged, I just curled up on the beach. I think I almost died from exposure. When I awoke the next day, I was delirious. I stumbled along the beach trying to find something to eat. By fading light, I realized there was food on the boat. I got some bread and tried to eat it. It was soggy from the storm. I think I retched a lot.

[Interviewer] 10.15am

What?

[Interviewer] Please continue.

I woke up feeling sick when the moon was up. The little fire I’d made had died out, and I could hear something from the island’s interior. My heart sank into my stomach. I stared into the trees, trying to see what was making the sound. It was high pitched. Like...a sound that would cut into your soul. As I focused on the dark, I saw a faint glow. I thought maybe there was someone else on Avalon, maybe some hermit or someone with a boat. I ran as hard as I could. I called out for help.

[Interviewer] 10.20am

Why..why do you keep saying that?

[Interviewer] Timestamp for our records, please continue.

It took me a while to reach the light. I swear sometimes it would move, left or right, like a lantern, or a will o’ wisp, leading me to safety. As I ran, I started to feel elated. The sound I heard came to comfort me instead of scare me. By the time I reached the clearing, I felt like I was in heaven. In the center of the clearing was an old tree. Dead and gnarled. The lights flickered about it. I just stood there for what felt like days. Other sights passed before my eyes, but I could not take them in. The tree, the wisps, they were all I cared about.

[Interviewer] 10.25am

I...okay. Um…The next thing I know, Old Man Byrne had his hand on my shoulder, and I’m back on the shore, by the boat wreckage. I started screaming and running for the forest. Byrne and the rest of the rescue party had to pin me down. I wanted to see those lights again. I didn’t want to go home...I DON’T want to go home. Please let me go back...I ache inside.

[Interviewer] 10.30am. I know, and I’m sorry.

Wait, what is that? NO!

[Sounds of Struggle]

[Interviewer] Hold him down, I’ve got the injection!

[Sounds Cease]

[Interviewer] Get him to the autopsy, quickly.”

- Colin Balfour, Fisherman, Tirnanog; Oral History, Recorded by WATCHDOG

After the Incident in Wilder, WD Agents have been instructed to send all subjects to Medical for examination and possible extraction of infested materials. The timing in this interview was used to determine gestation period. An Anansi Sub-type, codename Dullahan, was extracted just under 15 hours after Cole’s rescue. The subject did not survive the incident, but vital information on the lifecycle of this Exomorph was retrieved.

Additional Note: The Will o’ Wisp is a dangerous Exomorph subject that has yet to be fully understood. Medical theorizes that the blend of light and sound hypnotizes subjects into a passive state, allowing the rest of the hive to do what they will with the helpless victim. Ways to combat this effect are still being researched.

Additional Note: Avalon is classified as a Level 3 Exomorph hive, and travel there is banned under Axon law, but this cannot stop small villages ignoring it for one of their own. The members of the rescue party have been taken into custody for an indefinite period. It is this Agent’s suggestion that additional surveillance be placed on coastal villages near the island to avoid such large scale containment in the future.



Particular files I wished to present to Your Protectorship have gone missing. I request a Division 6 Expert be assigned to investigate the matter. Only this department, WATCHDOG, yourself, and our Parliament Liaison have access to these files, and I theorize that an agent of the enemy has infiltrated Division 4. Please do not respond to this request, in case the leak is along this chain of communication.

Signed,
Howard Carter
Sir Howard Carter, KHOM, CP
Director of Protectorate Intelligence Division 4 - Exo Files



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Part 4 QnA

1)When new factions are introduced to games you've already settled into with another faction, how closely do you look at the new army? If you have 'Monthly Faction Change Syndrome' do you look at new stuff first, or keep your options open?

2)What horror themes should be avoided for a game? What horror themes mesh well with gaming?

3)How do you feel about Halloween as you've gotten older? What do you do to celebrate?

4) For the insectophobes out there, what do you find to be the scariest/creepiest bug?


My Answers

1) I have a real problem with 'the grass is greener on the other side', but often find myself purposefully resisting such urges, whether its for my benefit or not. I stick with my choices. When I see new factions, I judge them aesthetically, if they appeal, I look further into them, otherwise I drop the subject. When I finally do succumb to the need for a faction change, I think I keep my options TOO open. I'm still waiting on those plastic Sisters of Battle...

2) Generally I'm open to any type of horror in games, other than those that simply rely upon jump scares (obviously not really possible in tabletop). As far as Horror Tropes, I think over saturation can be a real problem. Zombie games are all over the market, both on tabletop and on video games, every CoD has a zombie mode now, and there are more than more than a half dozen zombie board games all made in the last few years. It might be time to cycle something else in and give zombies a rest.

3) I think I stopped trick or treating in middle school. After that, I stayed home and handed out candy to other kids, and watched Nightmare Before Christmas as my holiday ritual. This is the first Halloween 'thing' I've done in nearly a decade.

4) Botflies. Do. NOT. Google.

1)When it comes to factions that I play I usely end up with one the then eventually two main armies that I play, as I like being able to switch between play styles and have two armies to do demos with. I also tend to end up with small forces of other armies I start just because they have modles I like. Or even just random modles from thows factions that I like with no intention to collect the army. I justify it by using them in my D&D campaigns. lol

If I new army is introduced that I like more, I just start collecting the other army in small piecemeal parts well I play with my existing army(armies)

Because of these habbits I've ended up with quite a large collection over the years. The only thing the stops me from being a hoarder, is that I will sell parts of my collection to friends, and members of the local wargameing community when I feel like it's time to downsize a few things.

2) The best horror themes for a game is real moments of suspense in the game. IMHO suspense it the most effective kind of horror, and the kind I enjoy the most. Blood/gore/shock horror is meh for me. I use to volunteer at a old folks home and a part of my training was "desensitization". I could go into detail, but IMHO I had to deal with stuff alot grosser then bot flies doing that work.

But I guess my point is shock imagery only works until the point that the people become to accustomed to the imagery for it to actually be horrific any more. I don't find "The thing" scary because of the monsters, I think the monsters look cool and that is about it. The Thing is still scary after all of this time for me because of how it builds suspense.

3)I love Halloween, because I love the macabre humour of the holiday. It's hard to explain more with out writeing a essay. More or less I just watch horror movies now. I don't go out, so I don't have a reason to dress up any more. I get that fix at conventions now.

4)I hate large spiders, small ones don't bother me. Earwigs of all sizes on the other hand... ugh. hate thows things..... they are so gross.

1,) When choosing a fraction for me the process starts whith "what models I want to play with". One fraction can has an OP mechanic, I'm not really going to care if those models are not the ones I would like to have in my army. I have propably choose Vandalands because of the illustration of Gotz von Frederwerk in the V1 book(Just relase him already!). But I now have most of the warbands, just no time to finish and play them. I don't know if I have the change syndrome, because I will not part whith my Vandalands collection even if it only going to sit in a box.

But seriously. Relase Gotz...

2,) Horror is supposed to be something new. As they say, shark attacks are not news in Australia. So a horror game should have anything but the same yet again. I don't think it's something games that are designed to be played again and again can pull off effectively.

3,) I was grown out of trick-o-treat-ing before this country learned what it is. We usually play horror RPGs this time around. Hungary doesn't celebrate Halloween. We have something similar, but whith the opposite tone.

4.) Spiders. The rest of horrible kind of bugs doesn't live here.