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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Halloween Runs?

Posted by: Lindt Oct 29 2004, 08:56 PM

Sooo, how do YOU scare the pants off your players?

Posted by: Shanshu Freeman Oct 29 2004, 09:16 PM

QUOTE (Lindt)

Sooo, how do YOU scare the pants off your players?

make a bunch of rolls behind the GM screen and start laughing like mad.

Posted by: Erebus Oct 29 2004, 09:19 PM

QUOTE (Shanshu Freeman @ Oct 29 2004, 04:16 PM)

QUOTE (Lindt @ Oct 29 2004, 08:56 PM)

Sooo, how do YOU scare the pants off your players?

make a bunch of rolls behind the GM screen and start laughing like mad.

I take them to downtown Salem during the Halloween Chaos and tell them Mr Johnson will pay them 5k

a piece and all they need to do is start handing out Jack Chick tracts to people. (Particularly the Devil's Night, and D&D ones.)

Edit: On a more serious note, spirits magic and the unknown... I've found that its easier to put the scare in players by adjusting the games tone... than by any particular scary plotline. Scary plotlines can be cool, but if you can master setting the mood and tone, you could take Food Fight and turn it into something truly frightening.

GURPs Horror has a good section on toying with these types of things. Lighting, slow careful speech, and bizarre occurances... "Hey Jack, where did that security guard you geek'd go?" are good starts.

Posted by: Wounded Ronin Oct 29 2004, 09:20 PM

I usually have a horror themed game.

Posted by: paul_HArkonen Oct 29 2004, 10:29 PM

I'm thinking some to the effect of Ghouls flooding out of the wood work, and then the good old fashioned "where are they all coming from" effect.

Posted by: DocMortand Oct 29 2004, 11:26 PM

I'm still looking for the vampire stats...

That reminds me...is Transylvania described in SoE?

I plan on doing something memorable to my players for my near-halloween game I fully expect lots of "Oh shit" and other memorable four letter words.

Posted by: paul_HArkonen Oct 29 2004, 11:30 PM

stats for Vamps are in Paranormal's of Europe, at least that's one place for them

Posted by: DocMortand Oct 29 2004, 11:39 PM

Gah...but is there a 3rd edition stat line? I never can find those paranormal books - besides, why are vamps considered animals?

Posted by: Herald of Verjigorm Oct 29 2004, 11:44 PM

They're in critters as well. They are there, as are various spirits, because they are things outside the norms of metahumanity that need at least some stats.

Posted by: kevyn668 Oct 30 2004, 12:14 AM

Somebody around here once suggested using hoards of modified Loup Garou as a "Dawn of the Dead/28 Days Later" type zombies (yes, I know they weren't "dead" in 28 Days Later) and make the disease contagiuos (sp?). I liked the idea because the enhanced sats for the Loup Garous make them fast and nasty as opposed to the sluggish nature of zombies. They also provide a new, non-Goul, "undead" monster. Just don't call them Loup Garou.

Run any module with Bugs. Missing Blood and Queen Euphoria are my favs.

Another good trick is using a Protaen to act like the alien in "The Thing." It will help if you see your players outside of your game. You could try to prime them by having a movie night. Just make sure you pick the movie...

If that fails, do what Shanshu said. Roll a bunch of dice behind your screen and chuckle to yourself. Then radomly ask a player what his/her Willpower (or Perception, or Reaction, or Quickness, or etc.). Then shake your head, chuckle, and pretend to jot something down on a notepad.

Rinse, lather, repeat as neccessary.

[Horrors? Bah. Go Humans!]

Posted by: toturi Oct 30 2004, 12:30 AM

Get flesh form Demon Rat Insect Spirits, summon Devil Rats and normal Rats. Or a Master Shedim cyberzombie (they get to use all those nifty cyberware without the need to worry about Essense) and they have Regeneration.

BTW,

Go Humans!

Posted by: Crusher Bob Oct 30 2004, 02:01 AM

The probelm with 'scaring' most runner is two fold:

They've seen it all.

Their world involves so much wierd stuff already (dragons, ghouls, insect spirits, etc) that some more 'wierd stuff' is unlikely to scare them.

Your best best for getting some horror into your games usually does not involve new monsters (or whatever) but instead making normal things 'slip' slightly. Also what is imaginded tends to be much more firghtening that what actually shows up...

And if all else fails, at least make it funny: Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium (from Hitman): Zombie making gas is released at your local aquarium, go in and gun down those baby seal zombies (and other cute animals) before they get out of the aquarium and spread panic throught the city.

Posted by: FlakJacket Oct 30 2004, 02:16 AM

QUOTE (DocMortand)

That reminds me...is Transylvania described in SoE?

Not really- Ukraine invaded and took over the northern half of Romania as a 'Protectorate' and the general area is desribed as pretty much of a mess. With all the ethnic and religious factions, warlords and local strongmen, I could see a powerful local 'noble' getting by without many raised eyebrows.

Posted by: toturi Oct 30 2004, 02:36 AM

This time of the year in Transylvania? He'll probably be called Colonel Dracula.

Posted by: FlakJacket Oct 30 2004, 04:04 AM

Hhmm, tastes like chicken!