awesomeClaw said:
Thank you for your response!
Have you got any tips for creating a good horror-campaign? I know the basics(build tension under a long time, don't throw jumpscares and monsters at them like candy, use SAN in a fair and interesting way) but are there any other things to think about?
Also, how much firepower is too much? Rocket launchers are obviously a big no-no, flamethrowers and grenades alike. But what about a rifle? Should I go so far as to ban handguns, or even knives?
A few pointers:
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Describe, don't state: The oldest trick in the book and one of the basic aspects of storytelling that made "Lovecraftian" a common term. The idea is that you don't actually say out loud what the players see like in a D&D campaign. So, for example, when they enter a room, you don't say "You see a shoggoth!" but instead something like "Your raise your eyes upon the giant pustular form of a shapeless creature of indescribable shapes and forms, its myriad misshapen green eyes eerily fluorescing in the darkness enveloping it."
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"You don't see anything": There are few sentences that can make a roleplayer more uncomfortable than that, and you can use it regardless how well they rolled their spot-check. If they did it well, it still puts the idea that "something" might still be there, and if they failed, they will "know" that there is something there that they have no idea about. Either way, it builds tension without any flair, which is one of the best things you can do when you try to run a horror campaign.
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Nobody looks up: Another classic and one of the only kinds of jump-scares that can be legitimately used (and it is also a good way to tell the veteran players apart from the newbies, especially the ones who played Temple of Elemental Evil). The thing is, most players don't check the ceilings for traps or other hazards when they enter a room, which means that, as the DM, it is your
duty to fill it up with some nasties whenever the opportunity is presented, and they can't even complain.
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Try to enforce roleplaying: This one is tricky. You see, the success of a horror campaign largely depends on just how immersive you can make the atmosphere, and there is nothing more adept at breaking the immersion of a game than the damn players. I have seen masterfully built climaxes being ruined by impromptu Monthy Python songs. The better you can keep your players in line, the better the overall experience will be, however it is a tightrope to walk, as being too strict can ruin the fun just as well. You have to know your players and their limits, but if you manage to walk that tightrope, it's immensely rewarding for everyone.
As for your question regarding weapons, you don't really need to
ban anything per se (unless it is really doesn't fit the campaign, like someone trying to smuggle a crate of C4 on his character page in a 1920s setting), you just have to be on the lookout for the guy who is only there to try and "win" the game and explain them that it is not that kind of RPG.
Letting the players have a handgun or a knife however, especially if they are only up against cultists or the like, is perfectly legitimate. Hell, even a few cane-swords or more exotic stuff can be excused. It won't help them against the mythos creatures (nothing will unless you are running a sneaky campaign in ShadowRun and the like), but they might just give them that added security net that makes them daring enough to let them enter into whatever sanity-snipping funhouse you prepeared.
Captcha: "Hear me roar!" 1d10 SAN damage!
