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How To Run : Personal Horror

Started by David R, November 23, 2006, 08:11:31 PM

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beejazz

#30
December 15, 2006, 12:50:39 AM
Humor and horror can be pretty closely related. In alot of movies, you get some sunny introductions to the characters before jumping into the slaughter (this is both to make the audience like the characters and to drive home the point that something is being lost/destroyed). Likewise with alot of cutesy scenes in animes that otherwise are shooting for horrific (Misato's drinking, countless Asuka jokes, etc.)

While it's all well and good to give the players a chance to get the light-heartedness out of their system, if they're cracking jokes during the horror, maybe they just don't want to play horror. At least in the sense that they don't feel like indulging in any kind of fear.

Just my 2cp.

David R

#31
December 15, 2006, 02:16:31 AM
Quote from: JimBobOzI don't find it spoils other genres as it does horror. In most games, players are able to crack a joke, laugh, then refocus on what they're doing. The mood is lightened, but it's not ruined.

I think it's that humour is the opposite of horror, while it's just parallel or an offshoot of drama, action, scifi, etc.

Probably. But on a game level (or in any level) horror is difficult to sustain. Scaring the players or building up to an atmosphere of terror is pretty difficult to do. With action etc I think it's tension - which is easier to pull off.

Creating a tense situation and a horrific situation may not be distinct to some folks but IME there is a distinction. Humour in the former does not break the scene but in the later could bring things to an end pretty fast.

beejazz is correct I think, when he says the players must want to play in this kind of genre.

Regards,
David R

alexandro

#32
December 15, 2006, 07:47:48 AM
The problem with PH is that isn't just enough to scare the players (as in regular horror), but to really make the care about their characters, even though they are pretty messed up and no one could reasonably like this person.

If the players could care less about their characters...well than PH doesn't work.

Not sure about that cracking jokes thing. It really doesn't happen if the players are immersed in the game, but I'm not sure, if it could ruin a game.

@David R: Thanks, I'm checking Holdstock out (always good to have new inspiration).
Why do they call them "Random encounter tables" when there's nothing random about them? It's just the same stupid monsters over and over. You want random? Fine, make it really random. A hampstersaurus. A mucus salesman. A toenail golem. A troupe of fornicating clowns. David Hasselhoff. If your players don't start crying the moment you pick up the percent die, you're just babying them.
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