Hi folks! I'm going for a topic that is appropriate for the season here, but primarily about Runequest specifically.
I have noticed that my gaming group likes RPGs that get a bit scary, either throughout the whole game, or if it suddenly goes in that direction. I'm getting a lot of Runequest material these days, but I never ran this game "as such" (I have used games related to BRP extensively). Since a lot of our other games have Lovecraftian otherworldly horrors, I was thinking of including something a bit different perhaps closer to myth: wraiths, ghosts, ghouls, vampires (the old-fashioned kind), wights or the like. Do you know any Runequest modules that go in this direction? Other tips? I would also be interested to know if Pendragon has any such modules.

The Pendragon modules "The Adventure of the Spectre King" and "The Adventure of the Ghost Knight" might fit the bill. Mind you, I haven't run either. I just got a hold of a bunch of Pendragon adventure books as sources for my Dragon Warriors campaign.

Speaking of that game, quite a few of its modules might fit the tone you're looking for as well. Different system, but it's another game heavily inspired by British Folklore and Arthurian myth. I'd recommend the module "The Miller's Tale", which is a sort of ghost murder investigation, and several of the adventures from the book "Sleeping Gods", particularly "The Shadow on the Mist" and "Sins of the Fathers".

The latter two adventures you can see playthroughs of on YouTube, which might save you buying them (Since you don't need the system information anyway).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn3u-SUz9cc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6QiyCtqArg

As far as Runequest goes, it doesn't get much scarier than Thanatar, the Severed God.  The cult can ritually sever the heads of sacrificial victims but keep the spirit of said victim alive within the head, conscious of all that is happening.  The vampire cult of Vivamort is no fun, either.

It's been a long time since I played in a Pendragon campaign, but for inspiration I would recommend Brian Froud's book Faeries.  There are some pretty creepy illustrations of the hags Jenny Greenteeth, Peg Powler and Black Annis in there, as well as one of Jack-in-Irons the giant.  The illustration of the Birch spirit and the Ban-Sidhe are also pretty scary.  I do remember in the Pendragon campaign in which I played, we met both the Devil and Black Shuck.  Lots of frightening things in British folklore to draw from.  Heck, you can even steal from other cultures' legends.  The old Japanese story of the Dyeing Castle would be pretty easy to convert to a Pendragon game -- just make it a British castle instead of a Japanese one.

Call of C'thulu beasts should be compatible with RuneQuest. Take a look at C'thulu Dark Ages.s
I might suggest reading some of Lamentations. It's not RQ compatible but a lot of the rules cover how to make things scary and about create unique monsters. Take the ideas and staple them onto existing RuneQuest monster stats so the players have no idea what they are up against.

Thanks for the suggestions folks!
Yeah, Call of Cthulhu has been the mainstay of our horror experiences. We already had a CoC session where we played kids a la Stranger Things.
Trying to find something a bit different, maybe something that feels a bit like actual myth. Maybe it's because I'm from Norway, and our trolls, wights, and gnomes feel a bit more "present" (names of places etc).

Those Pendragon modules sound very interesting....

Quote from: Trond on October 27, 2022, 01:55:43 PM
Thanks for the suggestions folks!
Yeah, Call of Cthulhu has been the mainstay of our horror experiences. We already had a CoC session where we played kids a la Stranger Things.
Trying to find something a bit different, maybe something that feels a bit like actual myth. Maybe it's because I'm from Norway, and our trolls, wights, and gnomes feel a bit more "present" (names of places etc).

Those Pendragon modules sound very interesting....

You might want to have a look at some of the material for Trudvang Chronicles, particularly "Jorgi's Bestiary". I have my reservations about the system used in that game (it uses action points, which are pretty much a hard "no" from me), but flavor-wise, it's far and away my favorite attempt at a Scandinavian mythology themed RPG. You might find some useful stuff in the Savage Worlds Solomon Kane line, as well.

I know Vaesen is setting out to be a folk horror RPG, but I haven't looked through the books much.

Folk horror (and folklore based fiction) is a mild obsession of mine, so if you don't mind, I'll recommend a few more non-RPG sources.

Books/Stories:
Montague Summers - "The Vampire in Europe" and "The Werewolf"
Janet and Colin Bord - "Atlas of Magical Britain"
Terry Pratchett - "Lords and Ladies" and "The Folklore of Discworld"
Poul Anderson - "The Broken Sword"
Clark Ashton Smith - All the Averoigne stories, really, but especially "Mother of Toads" and "A Rendevous in Averoigne"

Films:
"The Wicker Man" - 1973
"Lair of the White Worm" - 1988
"Merlin" - 1998
"The Brothers Grimm" - 2005
"Solomon Kane" - 2009
"The Secret of Kells" - 2009
"The Witch" - 2015
"Trollhunter" - 2010

Thanks for the suggestions. How would you rate the Solomon Kane movie?

Quote from: Trond on October 28, 2022, 12:24:37 AM
Thanks for the suggestions. How would you rate the Solomon Kane movie?

I unironically really like it. It's got a little mid 00s edginess to it, but it's stylish, great score, pretty good action, and it mostly nails the character.