Creepypasta Campaign, In need of ideas and suggestions Options

[Ruby]

So none of my fellow players peruse Dumpshock so I can be open about this. After spending the last month reading "creepy pasta" & horror blogs, I'm very much considering a campaign centered around the themes that come up in those blogs. I'm talking cursed videos, Slenderman, murderous spirits and alike. The thing is I'm not sure where to start and I'd love to hear everyone's input on this idea.

Things I'm pondering:

• Mission Ideas
• Free Spirits resembling Slenderman & other horrors?
• How to really set the mood (ie: Really scare the players on occasion)

[KnightAries]

I would personally start off with the first few missions having absolutely nothing to do with your campaign idea.

Then they have a mission that seems to have nothing but starts hinting at something happening. Slowly build to something then have a mission happen that lets them realize that they've been in middle of it for awhile.

If I'd say there was a source book that I'd kinda follow the pattern of it would be Emergence.

[UmaroVI]

There's a GURPS Cyberpunk product called CthulhuPunk that's worth checking out to mine for ideas.

[DuckEggBlue Omeg...]

Master Shedim from Threats 2 are pretty creepy.

[Ruby]

Last night I was considering the classic "so & so vanished" plot device but maybe making ghouls a red herring. I do like the idea of starting out the campaign "normal" and slowly building up to the reveal once they're butt-deep in the drek so to speak. I'll look into that Cthuhulupunk thing for sure.

[nezumi]

Break rules. I think making Slenderman a free spirit would be a mistake, because then you have stats for it. In fact, I would specifically have it doing things that free spirits CANNOT do, just to establish that this thing is alien.

I'm not sure on the build-up. There's something to be said for the gradually edging sense of dread. But also for the sudden thrust into the deep-end. For the longest time I've wanted to run a High School game, until the third session when goblins burst out of the teacher's chest and the city is put under quarantine. That moment of 'oh drek, I am totally unprepared for what is happening' is priceless.

In my experience, it also helps when the horror decides to take a personal interest in you, and has a personality. Marble Hornets did this to a degree; they showed the place slenderman is from, gave enough background to suggest there's more background, then made him personally involved with the main character. That personal involvement means you're never safe (contrast with Cloverfield, where you're safe if you're locked in a room or escape the island).

I think pacing is also important. Give them lots of time when they don't have information, to mull over their impending doom. Give them no time to decide when they have some or all of the information, so they make terrible decisions.

Per a writing panel I attended, HORROR is built up when you're forced to experience it, but can't do anything about it. Examining a gory apartment, reading the ancient tomes, sacrificing someone else, etc. When your players have freedom to act directly against the threat, they will, and it becomes action, not horror. That's what the build-up is for. You see. You know. But you can't act. You can also play this up metagame with mysterious dice rolls, or leaving out non-game books to suggest things. (I say non-game because game books tell the players this is a fictional construct with stats as part of a game. Real books and pictures put their mind in the right place.)

Physical setting of your game is important too. Control the amount of light, the sort of things around, the distractions. Add some books to your shelves or little bric brac to guide minds rightly.

I'd also say playing up the paranoia helps. Is your team mate infected? Is it really your team mate? Just lots of note-passing can be enough for the rest of the table to start wetting themselves. But this can be bad for some groups.

[SIN]

Sounds like a great idea to me - I love all the possible creepies in Shadowrun and think they thoroughly deserve more outings.

From a GMing perspective, something which has always stayed with me was something that happened during a game of Call of Cthulhu that I played at GenCon UK years ago. Once the creepy stuff started, the GM set everything up so that the room was pitch dark except for a normal desk lamp which he set facing towards the players - it meant you couldn't see his face. He described the various horrors that we were happening upon (it was a university campus massacre I believe) very quietly and calmly, so everyone was kinda leaning in to hear. Then, suddenly, halfway through a "scene", the light went out and the GM let out an absolutely blood-curdling scream. He really committed to the scream and combined with the sudden darkness, it scared the crap out of me and the other players. It's not something that you can do twice, but it had massive impact.

Good luck with your game. I'd love to hear how it goes.

[Blade]

The myths of the homeless kids.
Perfect inspiration for such a campaign. Maybe even better if there's no spirit behind this at all.

[KarmaInferno]

As always, the SCP Foundation is a great source for inspiration.



-k

[Jareth Valar]

Personally, background music. I ran a scene in my last campaign where I wanted to play up the creepy vibe of the place so I put on some "theme music". Just low enough to be heard if we were all quiet (rare enough on it's own lol) so when I was talking it was only picked up in the background. Even my normally distracted player was sitting with both elbows on the table listening intently. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Everyone was more than a little creeped out.

The right music at the right times can really help set the mood.

[SIN]

What music did you use, out of interest?

[Jareth Valar]

Nox Arcana, Midnight Syndicate, and the like are good. Movie sound tracks are better at times. For mine, I used various Silent Hill tracks. Not the main theme (too distinctive) but some of the others were perfect.

It helps to set up what songs go to what scene and all in advance. One double click and the infection begins.

It's like watching a horror flick on mute or with no soundtrack. Most of the time it's rather dull.

[Ruby]

Soundtrack might be tempting. Too bad my husband's stereo broke a few years ago, I could have easily pocketed its remote to play the tracks as desired without everyone seeing me push any buttons.

[Xahn Borealis]

I went a different route with an NPC. I made a Grue feral AI that emulates the Slender Man. It doesn't stalk victims in the real world, only in the Matrix.

[Ryusukanku]

Keep in mind there are some things that universally inspire feelings of disgust or fear in us.

Things that crawl under the skin, injuries to the eyes, people who lack identifyable features are just a few of these.

Ever hear of Alien Limb Syndrome?

Imagine a scenario where one of the most cybered up members of the team finds his one arm is 'malfunctioning'. It may drum it's fingers on the table for no reason, toy with a nicknack in it's fingers or maybe clench angrily when a specific somone is in the area. Imagine cyber eyes that linger on certain people for no reason, sometimes in a manner that could be concidered sexual or maybe a more intense glare.

Now what if it turned out these items were in actuality cyber-snatched from a murder victim and somehow tey retain many habits of their previous owner... or they remember the person that did them in, or maybe all the people involved in their death and their eventual 'resale'. Murderers, Cyber-snatcher, street docs and all.

What will that shadowrunner do? Try to live with it? Or maybe try to appease their new 'Silent Partners'.

[Wounded Ronin]

Sounds like a great idea to me - I love all the possible creepies in Shadowrun and think they thoroughly deserve more outings.

From a GMing perspective, something which has always stayed with me was something that happened during a game of Call of Cthulhu that I played at GenCon UK years ago. Once the creepy stuff started, the GM set everything up so that the room was pitch dark except for a normal desk lamp which he set facing towards the players - it meant you couldn't see his face. He described the various horrors that we were happening upon (it was a university campus massacre I believe) very quietly and calmly, so everyone was kinda leaning in to hear. Then, suddenly, halfway through a "scene", the light went out and the GM let out an absolutely blood-curdling scream. He really committed to the scream and combined with the sudden darkness, it scared the crap out of me and the other players. It's not something that you can do twice, but it had massive impact.

Good luck with your game. I'd love to hear how it goes.

Wow!

[Snow_Fox]

The big problem with horror based games is once they know what's coimnig it becomes a shoot 'em up, with a touch baddie. To keep the horror elements- sort of 'what the frak' try to keep them off balance with not giving too many secrets away. Think about Lovecraft books- it's not a case of 'here comes the big ugly monster- it's the slow decent into horror that makes those stories rock.

[Ruby]

I'm loving everyone's input & speculation. I think that the first session will be a simple B&E or interception. The Johnson wants a shipment from a rival company. I haven't decided WHAT the shipment is (it's suppose to be unnamed but if they were take a peek, I probably should have something made up). I also want to be able to link the first run to the inevitable horror element in such a subtle way that the players will say "Why didn't we notice this before?"

As I've been doing my research, I've mostly become inspired by the idea of a cursed game or program that seems to drive its users insane before they vanish all-together. Ryusukanku especially inspired me with their post about alien-limb syndrome. The idea that the Resonance and its realms hold horrors seems like a novel idea compared to the more obvious route of spirits and the metaplanes.

[FuelDrop]

I haven't decided WHAT the shipment is (it's suppose to be unnamed but if they were take a peek, I probably should have something made up).

Several containers of thick, viscous brown goo with every hazard label the PCs have ever heard of and a couple that they have absolutely no idea about. If they search the matrix to try and ID the mystery warning labels then roll some dice, mutter 'interesting', and say that they didn't find anything. then have that commlink hit by every hacker the corp that they stole from can beg, borrow, steal or blackmail. that should make it clear that this is a BAD THING ™, and that there's something more going on than what's on the surface.

Oh, and tell the PCs that they could almost swear an eye just appeared in the gloop, but when they looked around it was gone.

[SIN]

If you're going the route of haunted item, surely the package should contain an old school VHS tape (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Ruby]

If you're going the route of haunted item, surely the package should contain an old school VHS tape (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

LOL I can see it now.

Runner 1: "What is this?"
Runner 2: "I think my great-grandpa had a bunch of these..."

I was thinking more like a BTL or datasoft that is linked to something sinister on the matrix or astral (or even both?). Having a magical threat almost seems too obvious?

[Tiralee]

Never specifically ran a horror campaign, but had quite a few sessions where the players were creeped the hell out.

Basically (to make it work) you've got to:

Start soft and slow. No one deliberately goes out to lose their sanity battling the forces of bloody madness.
Never show the monster. Shadows, noises, matrix code that eats your agent and slows the server you're logged into, but your own utilities tell you nothing, an odd smell before the lights go out - make it come from sideways.
Feed their fears. Know what triggers they have, and then brush them, don't press the "parasite infestation that spreads through blood transfer before madness/cannibalism" big red button.
Fill in enough detail that they don't feel helpless...but they feel out of control of the situation. Before and after a disaster are the WORST times...before is the anticipation of the horrors to come (if you're good) and after is the aftermath, and the scenes that your players are going to sleep on for the next few years.
The Elder Gods don't have a statblock.. Yeah, mentioning that the beast has hardened armor is going to break the sense of unreality...describing the sparking of bullets off of it's armored hide, and then the crater your assault-cannon-wielding Troll left in the fanged maw dismembering your extraction target gets the point across.

Outside of game, yes, things like altered lighting and music can be great, but way too easy to be overdone. Unintentional laughter is to be avoided. Shallow breathing is to be encouraged.
Frankly, a calm, measured cadence is the most creepy thing when describing the scene of abject horror facing the runners...let THEM paint the pictures in their heads as they're better at it than you.


Examples:

The players were hitting a warded, aspected and backgrounded-out-the-yin-yang organlegger base.
When trudging their way through refrigerated, retrofitted sewer tunnels with their breath misting in front of them, they tossed open a rusted door (!) and looked into a vast, echoing expanse of night that dropped deep into the Seattle bedrock. Warm air currents, rising from the pit laiden with the thick stench of decay, mixed with the cool air spilling out of the opened door, making a mist waterfall, giving away their position in pretty much every way possible.

And then one of the players (who has a young child) bumped a wind-up mobile and we all heard (over the Skype) "Twinkle-twinkle Little Star" by a young laughing girl at half speed.

Group: "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehhuuhuuuhhhhhhhhhhlghhhhh...JesusFUCK, what is that/stop it now!"
GM: (On the fly, rolling dice) Uh, you (most perceptive character, also astral-able) notice that the warm air has stopped.
(Group looks unsettled, then at the luckless player)
Player: Oh..no fucking way am I going astral to check out that hole.
Skype: ..Noooo matteerrrrrrrr wheeeeeeereeeeeeeeee youuuuuuu arrrrrrrrrreeeee.
Group: Shut the door/we're leaving, now/And (Player) if you ever have that mobile thing on ever again, we're going to kill you with it.


-It's not the toys, it's how you use them:)
_Tir

[Nata]

Have it be sort of like Snow Crash. Your cyberware's DNI, right? Well, there's a new malware program that runs in 'ware processors, and it's downloaded directly through your eyes. It can assume direct control at any time... And good luck removing it. It's in the firmware of the chip now.

[Wounded Ronin]

If you're going the route of haunted item, surely the package should contain an old school VHS tape (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Beta.

[Midas]

Lots of good ideas. I will add one more - constant (and random) Perception checks.

GM asks all PCs their Perception DP (should know them anyway, but you ask for effect). Then roll the dice for each PC, making note of the successes. Tell the PC who gets the most hits "You see something up to the left with the corner of your eye, but when you look closer it's gone.", or "You hear the shuffling of feet from somewhere behind you, look around but nothing's there."

Repeat every so often, enjoy the tension ratcheting up and the ammo being wasted. ...