Would H.P. Lovecraft's stories have the same impact, the same cosmic dread, if not for the author's own phobias, anxieties, and prejudices?
The best way to craft any good horror story (or roleplaying game scenario, whatever the case might be) is to bring real fears into it. And the truest and most convincing way to inject real fear into a narrative is to put your own fears into it.

I'm afraid of social media. Lately I've been reading about the history of mass hysteria, and the epidemiology of violence and suicide. Werther effect. Tarantism. Witch trials. Dancing plague. Satanic ritual abuse. I fear that social media may be an effective vector for hysterical contagion. We can see it already with the anti-vaccer movement; normal people like you and I that have been filled with such irrational fear of autism that they refuse vaccinations, transforming their children into an army of mini Typhoid-Maries and sending them out to infect everyone around them with contagions of a more biological nature.

Now, how do I put this fear to use? It could be used in a Call of Cthulhu or All Flesh Must Be Eaten game where the populace is being transformed by a mimetic virus. Stephen King wrote a book called Cell along those lines, and I believe there's a story by another author (I haven't read yet) where the English language itself is a carrier for mimetic disease. We also see a fascinating intersection of biological, mimetic, and computer infections in Peter Watt's Rifters trilogy. Any other ideas?

Do you ever use your own real fears when crafting adventures or characters?

Agreed. One of the easiest way to spin a genuine feeling of horror, is to reach to the experiences that evoke fear within us. Body horror freaks the shit out of me...so naturally, it's my favourite device to use when running horror games. All Hail The New Flesh is a rather common rallying cry among my villains.

While I don't have a phobia, I have a very strong fear of the darkness - if locked in a dark room, I will not lose control, but I'm going to panic a bit. So darkness and claustrophobic spaces, feature heavily in my games.

Finally, I'm a rather neat person, and absolutely hate any sort of dirt, ichor, and general stickiness...so naturally, those dark, claustrophobic spaces, are filled with the slime dripping from the mouth of a monstrosity that turns out to be an inhumane fusion of metal and man, descending from a ceiling in order to capture another prey.

Quote from: Cave Bear;944439Now, how do I put this fear to use? It could be used in a Call of Cthulhu or All Flesh Must Be Eaten game where the populace is being transformed by a mimetic virus. Stephen King wrote a book called Cell along those lines, and I believe there's a story by another author (I haven't read yet) where the English language itself is a carrier for mimetic disease.

The movies Pontypool (2008) and The Signal (2007) are good depictions of that sort of contagion.

Quote from: Cave Bear;944439Would H.P. Lovecraft's stories have the same impact, the same cosmic dread, if not for the author's own phobias, anxieties, and prejudices?

I don't think so.

Quote from: Cave Bear;944439Any other ideas?

Uzimaki
Threshold
Snow Crash

Quote from: Cave Bear;944439Do you ever use your own real fears when crafting adventures or characters?

You have no idea.

Geoff Ryman's Air  may be of interest. Also a great critique of the way dictators, corporations and mobs can use social media is in The Net Delusion.

I agree with all the techniques mentioned. It helps to read horror-fantasy short-stories (Pit & The Pendulum, Lovecraft, and other weirder stuff) to get a context of how literary horror-fantasy was approached. Oh, over in the "Evoking a genuine sense of 'horror' alongside 'fantasy'" thread I posted a link to one of the Earthdawn preview stories from the 90s which I have updated to make sense with the 4th edition game-world. It's seriously one of the creepiest fantasy short storeis I've read, and definitely deserves more eyes.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...h.2nj50j2um1z3

A sense of isolation magnifies horror significantly.  Try adding that . . . easier to do in 1920s than present.

Quote from: Vic99;944661A sense of isolation magnifies horror significantly.  Try adding that . . . easier to do in 1920s than present.

I'd argue it's even easier to do in the present.
Ride the bus or go to a coffee shop and you'll see everyone with their nose stuck in a mobile device. Our social interactions are mediated by electronics.
Sever the internet connection or cut the power, and watch people flip their shit. They can't handle it.

Yes... but I'd add that one doesn't need to identify particular personal fears if one can develop empathy for fears everyone has, and then relate experiences authentically. Then anything that would or could be frightening in reality can be similar in a game. Unless the game mechanics remove the danger in gamey ways..

Hmm, my big fears:

Immortality on planet Earth.
Numbing stasis from obscene level comfort (Stepford Wives desperation).
Camping, or survival in nature for pretty much anything. (Eww, insects & poop.)
Required participation/viewing Sporting Events.
Childcare, esp. Religious Fundamentalist Childcare.
Banal, endless, pop culture topical conversation.

Nope, not getting much to Mythos here. It's sorta already done. Works great for In Nomine with angels and demons having plans for humanity. A veritable hell on Earth is already made. But mythos creepy? Not so much.

I let you all spin out a yarn of Soccer Mom Cthylla or something.

Quote from: Opaopajr;944737Hmm, my big fears:

Immortality on planet Earth.
Numbing stasis from obscene level comfort (Stepford Wives desperation).
Camping, or survival in nature for pretty much anything. (Eww, insects & poop.)
Required participation/viewing Sporting Events.
Childcare, esp. Religious Fundamentalist Childcare.
Banal, endless, pop culture topical conversation.

Nope, not getting much to Mythos here. It's sorta already done. Works great for In Nomine with angels and demons having plans for humanity. A veritable hell on Earth is already made. But mythos creepy? Not so much.

I let you all spin out a yarn of Soccer Mom Cthylla or something.

Hey man, I'd be down for High Rise meets  Dogma  In Nomine.

Quote from: Rincewind1;944759Hey man, I'd be down for High Rise meets  Dogma  In Nomine.

And if we want true horror we'll try to passionately gossip about Real Housewives in-game.

Quote from: Simlasa;944472The movies Pontypool (2008) and The Signal (2007) are good depictions of that sort of contagion.

There's also "Need to Know" from the 80's Twilight Zone.

[video=youtube;UeWCnW3ZroA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeWCnW3ZroA[/youtube]

Quote from: Rincewind1;944759Hey man, I'd be down for High Rise meets  Dogma  In Nomine.

How can there be no Ballard-inspired sf RPG material? That's what is wrong with the world.

It's always been my practice to ask a game group for a list of subjects that they find particularly traumatizing and leave those as forbidden subjects.

It's a game. It may be a game about the characters getting scared. But messing with your player's real life fears and traumatic subjects stops things from being just a game. It's not fun at all.

It's important to know where to draw the line. Maintain it rock solid.

I'm a veteran of running a great number of horror games using this philosophy. I still managed to spook the players at every turn. And still have them begging for more.

I watched a lot of classic horror movies as a kid. I'm familiar with their flow and their beats. It's something I highly recommend as study if you want to run a horror game.

And remember: It is not how hokey the monsters or effects appear by modern standards. It's the process of cultivating an atmosphere of fear that you need to watch for. Those old movies relied primarily on creating an atmosphere of fear more than anything else carry them through.

Once you have mastered the creation of an atmosphere of fear. The rest of the elements of a horror game pretty much fall into place by themselves.