Dark Traditions - Indie Horror RPGs
In case you didn't know, we have a Jeremiah at Pandemonium Books and Games.
This particular Jeremiah has been among us for a while now. Readers might know him from the blog post "What Heroquest Means to Me," and players might recognize him from his board game demos or the indie RPGs he runs when he's not being a scientist or a bicycle, or whatever it is he does when he's not here.
One of the many things he's done in his tenure here has been the yearly tradition of GM-ing a series of horror RPGS over the month of October, where players get a taste of systems maybe a little too spooky for the rest of the year. Recently he shared with me his notes, which were all on paper that didn't feel like paper, and which were written in an ink that smelled slightly, of what I am not sure. The words of these documents however were fascinating, and appreciating how much dedication and time had been devoted to these projects, I was inspired enough to share with you the titles from this series. In case you too would like to start your own tradition of scaring the wits out of your friends just like spookiest storyteller, here are the eight horror RPGs that Pandemonium's own Maestro of the Macabre feels are fit to grave his table.
"What if you were playing the cast of inside out, but you're the aspects of a bride of the evilest husband of the year."
To me, domestic horror always hits different from the cardboard ghosts and goblins, and BB takes pains to examine and process misogyny and feminism through the lens of the Apocalypse Engine.
Collaborative Mapmaking meets card driven storytelling when Home gets up and running. In just an hour or two, you and your coplayers have been compelled to build the most hauntedest house around, filled with villains and victims alike, all wound up and ready to be unleashed. For lovers of Betrayal at house on the hill, or Shirley Jackson's book of a suspiciously similar name (hmmm,) there's plenty to devour and delight in with HOME. Take a peek before it peeks at you.
What's scarier than a ticking clock? A flickering flame!
Using a timer system, players play a darker than usual OSR style RPG, but with a twist: keeping the dungeon lit is a conscious act, and when its fumbled, the tension and the challenge ratchet up to ten. A store favorite for being streamlined, smooth to run, and still very characterful, this entry is a year-round crowdpleaser.
A storytelling game with a star studded cast of authors (Jonathan Sims, Lynne Hardy, and Kenneth Hite to name a few,) that subjects its players that spins players into a cosmic horror yarn, with all the dials and knobs a contemporary roleplayer could ask for. As a card-driven convention game, a regular game (for 2-5) tells a complete story in a two hour timeframe, which can be modified for legacy or solo play, making it one of the tightest experiences on the list.
Trapped in space under a mountain of debt and obligation, you unfortunate spacers are tasked with performing undesirable space jobs in completely unenviable circumstances. It'd be like if Paranoia had a baby with Alien, and then freeze dried itself into a bite size disempowerment fantasy.
As members of a covert government agency, players are tasked with keeping the horrors from space and beyond from impinging on the American Dream. Part Call of Cthulhu, part Men in Black, all teetering on the precipice of a bottemless pit of despair and madness. This one'll really Mulder your Scully if you know what I mean.
The hunter becomes the hunted, as you foolish treasure hunters seek your fortune in a forest that doesn't want you there. Will you leave the wood with your prize, betray your fellow just to survive, or will the forest make a trophy of your hide?
Last but certainly not least, is Ten Candles, which is described as a tragic horror, as everyone playing is most certainly doomed from the start. Instead of players working to survive, they play to gain narrative control and to maintain hope, even as the darkness closes in around them.
Thanks for reading along with us, Dear Creeper. Will you join in the spookiest tradition of all, or hold your breath until your jack-o-lanterns can be converted into pies? No matter what you do with your gourds, we at Pandemonium hope that you have a happy and safe Hallow's ween (to those who celebrate of course.) Goodnight!
+++
Ben Doane has been a member of the Pandemonium Team since 2019, and has been playing wargames, rpgs, and tcgs since 2004 and earlier. When not blogging, Ben runs the wargames and mailing departments, and also puts together the store's newsletters. Her current favorite Game is Arcworlde.