How to Run a Horror Game - Running RPGs

Effective horror adventures are more than tentacles and haunted castles. Here's some tips and ideas on how to create a horror scenario for your players and avoid some of the common mistakes that Game Masters can make.
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Guest starring The Gang.
#ttrpg
00:00 Intro
01:43 What is Horror?
03:37 Give the Details
05:04 Tell Them This is Horror
06:21 Let Them Laugh
07:18 Set the Mood
07:48 Campaigns vs 1-Shots
08:46 Large vs Small Groups
09:14 Isolate the Party
09:51 Isolate the PCs
13:18 Make Them Feel Helpless
15:47 Leave an Unknown
18:50 Twist the Familiar
20:11 Show the Horror but Know When to Pull Away
21:28 Don’t Cross the Line
23:25 Using the Players Own Fears
28:16 Closing

[@andrewrobinson4019]

*Hurriedly scribbles down "Ancient Roman coins bursting from peoples eyes"*

[@justinsaunders4068]

Yeah thats gold, almost a shame I dont run cthulu

[@AzureIV]

@@justinsaunders4068 "Yeah that's gold" ACTUALLY Ancient Roman coins were silver and bronze. /s

[@jamesmilton8308]

A few more ideas: Heart exploding out of a chest, target turning into a swarm of flesh eating scarab, flesh turned to glass that begins to break as target moves, chains ripping apart the target, crushed by unseen hand,etc.

[@clockworkpotato9892]

@Jing Bot Everybody gangstar until the floor eats 1 of ya friends and gives another an epileptic fit.

[@thebolas000]

If you ever end up using this, please call it "Denar-eye".

[@Colouroutofspace4]

The scariest moment I ever ran in RPGs was in Temple of Elemental Evil. They were in the room with the two Leucrotta. The game said that they mimiced the voice of their last victims. I had them crawl out of their lair speaking in a child's voice saying "mommy, mommy I'm scared" while a second one creeped after it saying "get behind me, and close your eyes" and whie they fought they would scream the agony of their last victims and their cries as they lept around the room. I wasn't intending horror but as my players reacted I just fed into it more.

[@nolgroth]

Okay, yeah. That would be horrible. Like that bear from that Natalie Portman movie.

[@dane3038]

I've had TOEE evil in the shop for a while. Took out the elemental theme and installed demon cults. This baby begs for more horror so that's what I'm giving her. He's one for fun: Have a newlywed couple beg the players to find their missing baby ( it should be the talk of the town ) , then when they find that baby skeleton on the ground floor... they will know.

[@jameshendricks5626]

Thanks for the idea

[@LordVader1094]

@@nolgroth Annihilation. A damn good cosmic horror film.

[@trequor]

@@nolgroth Lest we forget the original horror from Fullmetal Alchemist

[@scottgray4602]

I just realized that Ducktales is essentially Pulp Cthulhu with Disney Characters...

[@andrewrobinson4019]

And Tail Spin is Hollow Earth Expedition with Disney Characters :D

[@kingduckie9135]

Looney Toons is what a show would be like if Cthulhu was the main character, Bugs Bunny is a truly terrifying and powerful being

[@nokomarie1963]

@@kingduckie9135 Bugs is a capricious god.

[@FinbarGallagher]

@@kingduckie9135 What do you mean? Bugs Bunny is an avatar of Nyarlathotep

[@peterrants9634]

Ya might've solved ah mystery there? Or at the very least rewrote history....

[@polishedpebble4111]

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown... and of the Irish." -Lovecraft

[@polishedpebble4111]

"Outside the door you hear a loud thump, and then something heavy being dragged like... like... LIKE A BAG OF POTATOES!"

[@thebolas000]

@@polishedpebble4111 H. P. Lovecraft: the man that had a panic attack when he found out his grandmother was Welsh

[@ArawnNox]

And math... and fish.

[@Meatball996]

@@thebolas000 My grandma broke down crying when she learnt our last name came from scotland

[@jakesgenuineanarchy5955]

@@Meatball996 bruh

[@cameronsims4108]

Today is the day Jack the NPC finally gets his answer on why Seth has a strange interest in adding bathrooms and npc's needing to use the bathroom.

[@ethanlocke3604]

Jajajaja

[@fraidnaught9067]

Probably why Jack isn't in the video, he would have busted in with an "Ah-ha!"

[@AuntLoopy123]

I always thought it was the same reason I write them into my stories: I use it a lot, and it just feels wrong that it never gets mentioned, at all, in most stories. Heck, Runescape and Stardew Valley, two of my favorite games, don't even have toilets existing in the game, at all. Someone actually made a mod to add bathrooms to houses in Stardew Valley, just because humans poop, darn it! But now, I learned that I can have that (for me), and USE that (also for me, I suppose), and Yay! Thanks, Seth!

[@jamesmilton8308]

Just roll a con check to see who gets ambushed in the bathroom

[@kingduckie9135]

I always have bathrooms be there but my player don't use them when we play something like DnD they just shit in the woods. So they get Wolves and Plant monsters trying to bite their ass off instead

[@sarahcb3142]

The rule of laughter that I have with my players when I'm running a horror game is that I ask them to not laugh at or make fun of the horror. They can tell jokes, make nervous wise cracks and it's all good. But the moment they start calling Cthulhu "tentacle hentai boy" the mood is gone for the rest of the game. So joke all you want but keep the horror sacred.

[@Thundarr100]

That was pretty much the rule in making Friday The 13th Part 6: Jason Lives. The director watched all five previous movies back to back and said "There's no way that I can make a sequel to this and do it seriously. Is it okay if I were to make the movie funny?" To which the producers said, "That's okay. Just don't make fun of Jason." And the director said, "I won't. That's why it'll work. Jason's been dead so long that he's thought of as an urban legend. The kids at the lake don't think he really exists, they think that he's just a campfire story. So they laugh and joke with each other, but Jason is super serious." And it worked. Most Friday The 13th fans name Part 6 as one of, if not their top, favourite movie in the franchise.

[@jgr7487]

Children giggling has become a trope in horror. if something will be terrifying, small kids will be giggling.

[@wardkerr2456]

Have you ever seen the old 1960's Village of The Damned? Not a lot of giggling, but no shortage of creepy children.

[@kevingooley9628]

@@wardkerr2456 great movie.

[@AuntLoopy123]

I hereby pledge to add old people giggling to my next horror adventure. I'm planning on doing Curse of Strand, after the current game. Any ideas where to add old-person giggling?

[@jamesmilton8308]

I had a split party run into child ghost. It haunted one pc for several days. Nothing like a disembodied voice demanding you play with it.

[@jamesmilton8308]

@@AuntLoopy123 Have a old man cackle the PCs are doomed before falling over dead. And have vermin crawl from the corpse before scattering to the winds.

[@leerv.]

"I don't think zombies are an actual threat that I'm gonna have to face."-- Seth Skorkowsky I'm just going to write this down on a slip of paper and hold on to it. Just in case.

[@spacedinosaur8733]

All too true.

[@Fangoros]

Oh he is aware that he will face zombies. They just aren't an actual threat for him.

[@cryofpaine]

You mean you think that he might someday have to fight a soulless monster that consumes people's brains and spread disease and violence? That seems highly unlikely....

[@krysdagger]

I was totally looking for this comment the moment he said this .... :)

[@kevinsullivan3448]

All it would take is for the internet to go away. All those unsocialized people without phones...

[@originaluddite]

Chillies evolved to repel animals from eating them but then along came humans ... a horror story for capsicum audiences.

[@Jessymandias]

The first monster I set my PCs against in ravenloft campaign was a ghoul. not a hoard of ghouls, just one. they defeated it easily--it just ran away from them. but when they defeated him they found out his name, his family, something of who he was before he became a ghoul. The only treasure on the ghoul was a doll made out of hair that he used as a substitute for his child. a horde of zombies is threatening, one zombie is scary, a zombie with a backstory is horror.

[@TNTtheinsane]

I had a campaign I was running before, the players came across a cursed church full of zombies with the priests having been turned into ghouls. The party had a bard, the player was rather new to the game and wasn't sure about a lot of stuff, asked if she could cast Hideous Laughter on a ghoul, I encouraged her to try. No one in the game knew that ghouls had enough intelligence to be effected by that spell, or that they could talk. The look on their faces as I gave a hacking screaming laugh before screeching "FUN-NEEEE" was real something. They focused that one down just to stop the laughter.

[@dominicparker6124]

Am i weird in that i'd happily watch a """live""" play of an RPG with Seth as every player + GM?

[@forksknivesstudios513]

No, and now that you mentioned this I need it now.

[@GamesbyMarcWolff]

@Seth Skorkowsky This needs to happen

[@AuntLoopy123]

Weird? Yes. Common, and definitely going to start a trend of people demanding it? Absolutely! I mean, everyone who subscribes to his channel is "weird," right? We're all gamers, and gamers are, by definition (according to the rest of society, at least), weirdos. And, yes, I would watch the heck out of that! I freely admit that while I love all the advice, and game reviews, my absolute top favorite part of all his videos is The Gang. Also Jack. Jack and The Gang. And his War Stories. Featuring: The Gang! For Thor! For Thor! For Thor! I have actually started shouting that, just randomly, sometimes. Fortunately, everyone in the house saw the story, so they know what's up. I just thought of it, and had to say it, because DANG! Either that, or I'm only "shouting" in the "Did I say that out loud? Or was it just in my head? Or did I whisper?" sort of way that leaves you feeling very vulnerable in public, because you suddenly don't know if everyone THINKS you're nuts, or KNOWS it. Maybe that's why I've had the motto, for decades, "Never trust a man who never talks to himself.."

[@Christopheromoan]

No I do believe that’d be an enjoyable game as well lol

[@briancline7349]

Lol I would watch that too... 👍🏻

[@txbluesguy]

My daughter is absolutely creeped out by anything zombie/undead related. Unfortunately, we didn't discover this until I had started a campaign where the big villain was a necromancer. The campaign took three years of real-time to play out and the undead showed up in the first 6 months of the campaign. In the next campaign I ran I promised her "No Undead". Well until they ran into a very old vampire. She was able to handle that better than zombies and skeletons.

[@drawfiend3104]

Me as the DM: "Okay guys, we're doing a horror game this week, but that doesn't mean we can't crack a joke now and again." The Players: *emulate their inner Adam Sandler that's deadlier to their health than any monster short of Nyarlathotep*

[@injetavel279]

My friends always manage to make any situation into an Adam Sandler movie scene, we always end up getting screwed because of it

[@luketfer]

As a director, wish I could remember them, said with regards to why he included funny moments in horror films was because, as you said, it's natural for humans to just suddenly break out in laughter at the most inopportune times as a natural coping mechanism, when all your surrounded with is horror, eventually you crack and just burst out laughing, you won't know why you find it funny, it's a natural brain response. So by including those breaks in the horror for levity he can control WHEN you laugh and it acts as a release valve for it rather than having you suddenly laugh at a deeply tragic scene.

[@robpegler6545]

The funny character in a tense, scary story is usually the one who voices what the audience is thinking. They're the one who thinks that going into the creepy cabin at sunset is a terrible idea, but they're overruled because the more serious, capable characters don't take them seriously. It's a way of lampshading the illogical behaviour of horror characters by making the goofy/cowardly member of the group be the only one saying "Hang on a minute..." That's why Hudson is the comic relief in ALIENS, and why Marty the stoner is the most sensible one in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (although that film also provides an in-universe explanation for why he's the only one thinking straight).

[@boone6605]

James Wan is who you're thinking. He said that about Insidious

[@bigmonkey1254]

Or it's when you know they're gone so far that all they can do is laugh at how wrong everything is. "In the end, I alone fled laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity." - The Ancestor, Darkest Dungeon

[@sebbychou]

That shower room cliffhanger was perfect and I learned a lot from it. The old simpsons treehouse of horror with the zombies was the most terrified I ever been I think. I was 5, and the idea that people you love or know could suddenly want to kill you (or your friends) in your own house just... messed me up for two weeks. And two weeks when you're 5 feels like forever.

[@ArawnNox]

The one that terrfied me for months after was Terror at 4 1/2 feet. The one with the gremlin on the side of the buss and nobody believed Bart that it was happening. I'd stick my head out the window of any car I was in to make sure nothing was there.

[@sebbychou]

@@ArawnNox That one was scary too, I would do the same. Though it wasn't the same kind of fear since you *could* do something about it if you did see it.

[@Taricus]

@@ArawnNox That one was a nod to the Twillight Zone, when the dude saw the creature on the wing of the airplane :P

[@ArawnNox]

@@Taricus I know.

[@Joshuazx]

I like Berserk. The creator of berserk said he didn't think monsters should be angry, he said he thought they should be sad. His monsters therefore have a subtle lonesome melancholy quality or a woe-some expression and it's kinda freaky.

[@johnf.kennedy5454]

Years ago a friend and I were discussing the 80s version of movie The Thing. The head stretching off the body, sprouting out legs and running off didn't bother him because it was too weird and unrelatable, but the cutting of their hands with the xacto knife terrified him because he CAN imagine his hand being cut. I think that was part of the reason old Stephen King's stories worked. He placed common people in everyday setting facing the bizarre and unknown horror.

[@SSkorkowsky]

It's also why you can watch a movie where someone gets hacked up with a machete and be all "Meh" but then a character gets a papercut 2 minutes later and everyone winces in sympathetic pain.

[@youcantbeatk7006]

IT is the most unscary thing I've ever seen.

[@TinyPirate]

One of my favorite RPG-specific horror things to do is to set up situations where the characters would want to go look, but the players absolutely know not too. That tension is funny.

[@japevicho3117]

Sometimes I just rewatch Seth's videos to feel the tranquility, safety and fun he somehow manages to always convey.

[@--enyo--]

Yup. They’re a comfort watch for me, for sure. I’m probably on my fifth watch of this video alone.

[@ProfBoggs]

I love your example of the re-skinned Fireball spell. This makes it so much easier to create new, level appropriate spells, too.

[@Bloodyshinta1]

there isn't anything fireball can't fix

[@dustinhill7956]

2:40 I often refer to horror as "spicy fiction."

[@DaJan1509]

Thank you for including Delaware. But why is it yellow? You guys are pretty hard core! Delaware is usually a hard line in my groups.

[@hondawilky]

I lol’d at that, too.

[@vampthethief]

Is that a reference to another video?

[@TalonBrush]

@@vampthethief you'll find the answer at 22:41

[@terrybeal2252]

Have you seen the yellow sign? 😱

[@reverie02]

what is delaware?

[@Mr.Beauregarde]

The scariest movie monster I ever saw, even ahead of the recurring nightmare gremlins, was 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. That is some existential horror to lay on a kid. And between Artax and Gmork they frame that shit so a preschooler'll grok it.

[@spacedinosaur8733]

The things that freaked me out were people being taken over by another alien being, like Planet of the Spiders (Den Who episode originally1974, but released in the states much later) & Invaders from Mars (1986)....a PG film I saw at a friend's house with no parental guidance included.

[@liaml.e.5964]

"I have waited a loooong time for this moment..."

[@mauriciomonsalvespino2214]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: i see Seth, i smash like. This is seriously one of the best rpg channels on the tube. Great to see you again, Seth

[@JabAtLife]

Definitely deserves a like, unless I reach the end of the video

[@Glaswalker1001]

Man, a bit to late, I just finished my post apocalyptic horror adventure with my group. But this video was still great to watch and to take a look where I could improve. If someone is interested: my group tried raiding an old hospital that had been nearly covered by a landslide. And every level had its unique horror setting. Psychological horror, body horror, slasher horror and science fiction horror. Were currently playing online so that was a challenge, but also a great opportunity to feed the players with different information. Like soundclips only certain players could hear or pictures that appeared differently to some members of the group. Long story short it was a blast and I had to relearn a bunch of stuff about storytelling.

[@davidhobbs6292]

It was amazing how easy it was to shift my game group into the horror mood when I tried. I had 1 new and 2 inexperienced players, so it was an intro to roleplaying type adventure. I picked the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh for the setting... By the time they got done with the phantom noises, pictures whose eyes may have been following them...eerie noises and other factors... they almost burnt the place down before instead of continuing to investigate. Everyone was very happy with the adventure... but letting imaginations fill in blanks and giving people time to think can do wonders.

[@alexestrada-palma8031]

I'm going to have to use that coins coming out of the eyes thing. "The old man keeps rubbing his eyes, letting out out of cough you see a single gold coin fly from his mouth and strike the floor with a high pitched *PING*."

[@Dreigonix]

Sounds like Greed from The Binding Of Isaac.

[@helgaratbone1691]

You want horror?! Try playing with my 8 and 10 year olds! Cheetos covered fingers touching dice and character sheets! Dice flying everywhere causing difficult terrain! Spilt drinks on dads new hand drawn map! Pencils with teeth marks and missing erasers! Icy dagger like stares across the table when deciding who gets to pouch the latest potion of healing! Wandering mom on crumb and mess patrol could enter the room at any moment! Good thing dad likes horror!!!

[@TheGiantRobot]

Haha, that was so triggering I almost couldn't finish reading past the Cheeto covered fingers. I hope you keep the books behind the GM screen.

[@pkamingusu7094]

[SHUDDERS]

[@mauricewalshe8234]

Rule one in our irl group is drinks on a side table

[@vincentseeger9367]

Good on you to face that horror to bring a new generation of players into the hobby. I salute you.

[@AuntLoopy123]

Oh, which episode was it on Critical Role where Taliesin spilled his coffee all over his paperwork? "What are the stats on this magical item? I don't know!" Unexpected horror. This is why, when I'm at home, I ALWAYS use one of those insulated cups with a lid and straw. Because I am clumsy. Can't do that when I'm dining out, of course, or visiting friends. But I can make sure that Cheetos is not the snack I bring to game night. I love Cheetos, but those are a special-time treat, when you won't be touching anything but your mouth. Maybe break them, in bag, with a dull knife, and then eat them with a spoon? Hmmmm, I'll have to try that, next time I buy a snack-bag, instead of full sized bag. Soooo, like, never.

[@monkeytime9851]

This may sound odd. I have never run or played in a D&D or other roleplaying campaign, yet I very much enjoy Seth's videos about them. I wonder if I'm the only one.

[@mrqmrq-cr2hq]

"Did you come here to play?" I love it, Seth!

[@forksknivesstudios513]

I just noticed that Todd wears a Ramones shirt. Todd’s got good taste in music.

[@sketty5069]

so do you bud, cheers! aha

[@BlueDemon77]

He does also wear a Total Chaos tshirt occasionally...so I'm not sure about his tastes! :D (Ok, now I can't remember was it Total Chaos or The Casualties. Either which way....)

[@terrybeal2252]

Yep! The Ramones are awesome. 😎😁

[@WeOnlyEatSoup]

As I just got the call of Cthulhu starter set for Christmas. You have impeccable timing on getting your audience what they need!

[@samjtrost]

I definitely have a hard line at Delaware. Great video. I also enjoy horror themed one shots. I've had them in D&D and CofC to great success.

[@nicknumber1512]

Is it the Mason-Dixon?

[@AJRabies]

I just saw that. Blue Hens are scary.

[@AzureIV]

10:02 - 12:06 That skit had me rolling on the floor laughing.

[@gergokerekes4550]

damn, I will have to come back later, atm I have a class to teach, see you soon! And I am back, amazing video as always, now if I could only get a few weekends cleared, but we are running soo hot on the cyberpunk red rush atm.

[@gergokerekes4550]

@Naren Gurrier-Jones well, to be honest some students are sometimes scared when I say that I teach "unconventionally" sadly teaching history atm in lockdown is soo bad. I can't make any of the activities I like to do, but well it is what it is.

[@benl4198]

I love when Seth and Megamind dovetail on their advice: PRESENTATION!

[@erc1971erc1971]

I was thinking to myself "Wow, it has been awhile since a new Seth video was uploaded." Lo and behold, one appears! And a perfect topic too, it will be watched while I work on terrain for my haunted cemetery tonight.

[@goadfang]

Dude, you really can't leave us hanging on that story. Does Dweebles play with the entity on the mattress? How does the shower go, is soap dropped and if so, by whom?

[@thebolas000]

Does Mike GTFO and leave that mess behind?

[@rufusWoo]

Small groups are great. The most successful CoC one shot I’ve run had 2 players. There’s something about the isolation & powerlessness that amps up the dread. And it really helps with pacing. It’s surprising how much time gets eaten up having to deal with 4+ players.

[@krzysztofporadzinski9183]

Internet: Hello Seth!

[@sollytom6266]

In Traveller, refueling at a gas giant scares me. What if something goes wrong that keeps you from leaving the atmosphere? I genuinely have a phobic response to the idea of the Long Dive.

[@Rowan177]

Seth: I don't think zombies are an actual threat I'll have to face. 2021: GUESS AGAIN!

[@samchafin4623]

That part about fantasy fears I think is the most insightful part of this. I've never seen anyone bring that up before, but it is great advice. Also, loved the reactions from switching scenes. So funny!

[@TheDoomAbides]

I used your trick of switching between players at tense moments just last night and it worked excellently! Thanks for the tips and for this video altogether 🤘

[@fredricknoe3114]

The scariest horror RPG is probably FATAL.

[@scottplumer3668]

13 Candles.

[@Tony-dh7mz]

And the scariest movie is "Last Jedi"

[@fredricknoe3114]

@@Tony-dh7mz I'd say that's more stupid than uncomfortable.

[@madsam7582]

@@Tony-dh7mz Wasn't really a "Movie" just nothing happening, with bad pacing, and a decent duel scene.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

According to Jayne Cobb, pain is scary.

[@wintersummers3085]

Enthusiastic consent to slavery but possible consent to Delaware? Couldn't imagine the story behind that.

[@oz_jones]

Delaware was in the Union, so that might explain it?

[@ken.droid-the-unique]

Scooby snack for the KZbin algorithm. Thanks for the excellent video, Mr Skorkowski I particularly appreciate the "fireball conversion"

[@EurojuegosBsAs]

I love hags. Old ladies and princesses are the two most dangerous creatures in my games. One time I left my players spend the night in a village where everyone was old. Nobody got even a minute of sleep.

[@WookieeRage]

"Show the horror but know when to pull away" reminds me of doing a fireworks 🎆 display. You don't shoot all the biggest bombs all at once and call it a day. Instead you vary the tempo and height, much like music 🎶. Most firework displays start with a slightly intense and noisy opening to grab everyone's attention. Then vary in speed a little, intensity, and physical height to let the smoke clear at the different heights so it won't obscure the show over time. Finally building to a big Finally! 🙌 The comparison to intensity has always been obvious to me, but the height comparison creates a nuance metaphor that could translate literally or figuratively. Thanks for helping to spark that synaptic misfire!

[@MarcusVance]

It would be awesome to have an entire video of you and the gang playing different games.

[@mateusds909]

The cutaways! BRAVO! you had me at "and now lets check with..."

[@flightlessbird2281]

Fantastic vid. Great work, love the long format too.

[@jakesgenuineanarchy5955]

Great video as always I hope you keep making these, I love watching them, one of my favorite KZbin channels.

[@azathothwakesup]

OMG, what a fantastic source of ideas!! Thank You Seth, another winner!

[@ratholin]

The bit about crossing lines reminded me of the KOTD where Weird Pete took the players on a homebrew game that was entirely based on the movie Deliverance.

[@admpandora91]

absolutely fantastic video, Seth. concise analysis, well structured, and relevant, tactful editing.

[@rainrobrowedaciousfirewood7898]

The timing on this vid's release was perfect. Thanks for the advice, as always!

[@robertnett9793]

4:25 .... child like giggle... yes. yes I've read Ibenus. And you, Sir, seared this image in my mind forever. Thanks for reminding me and ripping open those scars...

[@MrRobGresham]

This is my new favorite channel. I think I've watched 100 hours o it in the past week. Keep it up Seth! Huzzah

[@deadlycabbit5195]

Been excited for this, thanks Seth!

[@scottknudsen6611]

Every time you post a video I know I'm about to up my GM game a little bit. Today was no exception.

[@TheGavric]

Another Grand Slam video! I continue to enjoy your presentation and insight.

[@Lion4de]

This is awesome! Thanks so much for the helpful video Seth. I think your description of what makes horror effective is spot on. I mostly run D&D games, and I find that I actually tend toward running horror-like games when they are low-level, and more easily harmed and endangered my mundane-ish things, and then move to a more swash-buckling genre as they grow in power. This has inspired me to try going the other direction!

[@The_Custos]

Great video. Ran horror, left one horror game. It involved a cult in the Empire, crazed villagers, being stabbed while sleeping. We couldn't work it all out, but did get away. GM wanted us back, thus our employer started shouting at us and berating us, my character mainly. I was dealing with a hefty amount of workplace bullying at the time, and I asked him to stop. He didn't, he kept going, I think he was using it to vent some steam, so I walked from his games (turns out, until now). I push my players a bit, love horror, but still not a fan of those ways of speaking at the table. Once scared the players from entering a dungeon just based on described smells though. ☺

[@armorguy1108]

This is an amazing video. I'm planning out a Call of Cthulu campaign and I can't tell you how helpful this has been to getting me to really nail down what I want to do. Thanks!

[@ts25679]

I think I will wait until I have some audio mixing software. Then record in character dialogue, especially the laughter. Then play back the distorted audio and warped laughter. Now I kinda want to make a monster like The Gentlemen from Buffy, but rather than stealing everyone in towns voice all at once I'd like to have it so that mid scream their voice fades down to a dry rasping death rattle. The more voices they steal the more dissonant whispers, cruel mimicry and zones of silence they can project until they can encompass an entire town or village.

[@theservantdm]

I loved your example of how to isolate the characters, very entertaining and inspiring.

[@nuffsaid0]

Have you tried "10 candles" system? Perfect for one-shot horror stories.

[@TheGreatBryan25]

What is 10 candles?

[@Skullkan6]

A really good one shot game system which involves 10 lit candles, set in a world where the sun has died and burning aspects of your character sheet in order to gain benefits. Everyone dies at the end of the session so it's more about creating a tragic story or doing as much as you can before the world ends. I've run it twice and it's brilliant. It works off a pool of 10 dice with a set number of scenes and an antagonist that changes every time you play (partially determined by a player), and as the game goes on more candles go out and the game master gains gradually more and more control as things get more and more dire until the climax. I'd play it more, but covid got in the way. It also is the only game I can think of which heavily benefits from zero prep.

[@Runegrace]

I find the system to be incredibly boring. I think it's the concession that your character is always going to die. It loses a lot of the tension when in the back of your mind you know that all the choices you're making are futile

[@TheGreatBryan25]

@@Skullkan6 do you have a link to the rules? Video or website will do. I GM for Call of Cthulhu, I think that system might be a cool change for some of my players.

[@gmscott9319]

@@TheGreatBryan25 letmegooglethat.com/?q=10+candles+horror+game

[@CobaltGM]

This is the Horror Game Advice Video I’ve been waiting for! Thank you!! I have been wanting to do horror for so long and now you have empowered me to do so!!

[@AggroJordan86]

seth, your channel remains a goldmine for DMs. you are constantly inspiring me to up my game, and on top introduced me to traveller, with which I have now started my own group and infected a friend to convert his Black Eye group to Traveller. Awesome Channel!!!

[@willmendoza8498]

This is a really solid video. Some of your best work.

[@martmantzt]

I started RPing almost 15 years ago. We started with a few games of D&D3.5, but quickly moved to Werewolf: The Forsaken, and through that, World of Darkness as a whole. Our DM had horror down pat. My wife and I would go to bed and have to hold each other all night after most sessions. When I started running World of Darkness, I always tried to emulate our DM (or "Storyteller" "ST" for WoD), when running my own games. I've always been curious about other horror games outside of WoD, like Call of C'Thulu, because the issue I found with running "horror" all the time, was that it did get stale, it did lose it's luster, and there were only so many places to take it. Meanwhile, playing D&D5E, there's always crazy new directions to take that, because in fantasy, your imagination is the limit. Outside of WoD, what are some other good horror systems, and what do they do differently? Also, I wanted to know what Seth's opinion is on WoD/CoD, as I've never seen him mention those games on this channel.

[@ivobleijenberg3171]

One of the best instructions I've seen in a long time. Thank you, I am really getting into Call of Cthulhu 7ed and this greatly helps me to get into horror. Awesome. Please keep it up!

[@gameon_ct]

Don't expect it to be like a scary movie. That's rule #1 for me.

[@ex-voto]

So much good advice! The slow reveal of monsters, switching to other players at a dramatic moment; I really want to learn from this & try it. Also, the re-skinning of spells was a golden tip! Thanks :-)

[@Semiotichazey]

So much good and sound advice here. Excellent treatment of boundaries.

[@RCBeiler]

Thank you so much for this. I've been wanting to write and run horror games and you gave some really great insight on how it runs differently from non-horror.

[@MW-ty5zw]

What a perfectly timed video. I took it upon myself to alleviate some preasure from our group's ever-DM. Thus I acquired the 7e CoC books. I have never run horror before so videos like these are worth gold.

[@sketty5069]

pointed my friend towards your channel! hes has DM twice now. one Dnd and one cypber punk red! hes doing really good and i dont think i am back seating to much! having a blast being a player and the group is to! a million thanks!!!!!!

[@veloxx6665]

Thank you for this. Just ran my first CoC one-shot tonight incorporating a lot of your tips and it went really well. All my players were sufficiently terrified and even managed to survive by bravely running away :D

[@phobiawitch835]

That skit about isolating the PCs and transitions between them gave me literal goosebumps! That was impressive and I love it!

[@ripred42]

Great vid, one of my favorite horror one shots is "the fall without end" about a expedition to Mt McKinley

[@CrovanBlaze]

Thanks for this! I can see Denali (formerly McKinley) from where I live, and this could be a good one for my home game!

[@ripred42]

@@CrovanBlaze definetely check it out, its also free so you can download a pdf and see if you want to run it.

[@ripred42]

@@CrovanBlaze www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/117193

[@buzzsaw133]

This has been great to find. I'm starting up a KULT 4e game with some friends of mine and haven't ran a horror trpg before, so this has been absolutely helpful. Thank you!

[@grey8940]

Man, I love all your different characters.... you are the best man... please, and we realize how busy you are, but please make more D&D campaign stories for us to hear. We love that shit bro,

[@CharlesEtheridgeNunn]

Thanks for the video, it’s always good to see more advice and help for running horror games. I love them, but a lot of the older books have some terrible and often adversarial advice. I’ve definitely found that things like safety tools and checking in with players is no guarantee of the characters having a safer time. I had a number of check-ins during a Cthulhu Dark game and one player even bailed on the second half after saying he couldn’t deal with it. I’d much rather that and see him for the next session than have him genuinely upset to be at a game table. Games like Trophy pre-load the tragedy of it, explaining that characters will not return from the journey they’re on, or if they do then they won’t be the same people who left. This way players can ride their characters like stolen cars and help me with their ruin. Player buy-in is so good to have for these sorts of things.

[@ArawnNox]

This was very helpful, thank you Seth. One of the games I like to run is Deadlands and I've always had trouble pushing the horror side of the game, but this has been a huge help the next time running the game comes around.

[@sunzi42]

This is your BEST clip you have ever done. But I do miss Jack, I love that character!

[@ope6934]

There are a lot of laughs. I'm known in my area a Kult (second edition) DM, so horror is kinda my specialty. Players always laugh during my games, and not because they missed the horror part of the game. Most of the time it's to let steam out. Sometimes it's nervous laughter because they're incomfortable. Those laughter breaks in my opinion are NECESSARY during good horror games, because they allow small breaks and ease the tension. The tension in a game has to be a rollercoaster, not a line. If you let the tension fall, it's the calm before the storm and it makes the game much more memorable.

[@stinkygod1]

one of the greatest moments I have been able to pull off on a DnD campaign is actually against stirges - basically giant flying mosquitoes. I built them up by having the town have weird spikes around window openings (which the party thought was originally for keeping thieves out), having players woke to strange buzzing sounds, and pestering the living snot out of them with people talking about the "worst dangers of the swamp are not the big enemies but the small ones that travel in packs" and other such "danger from above" things. By the time I was done, I still have players quote at me that they would rather I dropped a dragon on them then fight another swarm of these level 1 fodder. It was loads of fun for us all

[@jasonnewell7036]

I've always told students that Horror is not about fear, it is about dread.

[@nolgroth]

Horror is a difficult genre to run. It requires enthusiastic participation on the part of every player at the table. In a medium filled with escapist, power fantasy craving players, it is a tough sell. When it works though....some of the best times I've had gaming were horror games.

[@larsdahl5528]

Yeah, when the players catch the "power fantasy" disease, it can be tough to get any role playing going. A somewhat cure is to discuss the problem with the players, and ask them to relieve that craving at computer games.

[@dutch6857]

17:43 Props to the best monster movie ever made, and props to you, sir! Keep up the good work!

[@MidnightDStroyer]

I love the detail that you *prepared* for discussing horror gaming, by wearing the Elder Sign. The GM, by definition, must be the most-prepared one sitting at the table.

[@joshturner3386]

Such brilliant advice! Found the section on boundaries and setting clear signals to prevent continuation especially useful!

[@UraniumOre92]

Ahh a new Seth video more like a godsend

[@foxross]

I didn't realise, until I watched this, just how much I like using horror in my games. This video was brilliant and I have been taking notes. I am currently running two games: one D&D and the other is RuneQuest and I only now noticed that the bits that I am most excited about are actually horror stories. In one campaign I have planned an aboleth, which is strange and creepy and alien all by itself but the bit that is most exciting to write is how to make it's telepathic probing genuinely enticing; the creature that is hidden in the dark cave pool knows exactly what my PCs want and can offer it to them, it flatters them and calls out to them always with an air of friendship (Bob Ross style voice). The only possible body horror of the encounter would be the second part if anyone does decide to leave with the aboleth and becomes diseased with translucent skin and gills but that would be very much secondary to any psychological turmoil. How I managed to not notice that I like to run horror, I don't know. Thank you for causing me to reevaluate some of what I enjoy in my own games.

[@conmanreloaded4249]

20:00 My lawful evil wizard has all those thoughts with an added one being *”is it possible to learn this power?”*

[@WrenchWitch]

I don't run horror often, but one of my favorite tricks is trying to present myself in an uncanny way. I had a really great effect using my make-up to brighten the left side of my face while darkening the right side of my face. It just made light and shadow appear to hit me wrong. It wasn't until 3 or 4 hours in that someone just stopped the game and asked, 'What is wrong with your face?' I had a good laugh, but I think it helped foster that uncomfortable energy in a way that was actually really mundane.

[@AGrumpyPanda]

This is quite possibly the greatest thing I've heard done at an RPG table I've heard of in months.

[@demonknight3986]

yay new video from one of my favorite KZbin channels :3