Comments on: Haunted House: 4 Tips To Terrify Your Players http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players The D&D Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:54:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Gnome Rodeo: 2010 is Blowing up with GMing Links - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players#comment-9965 Gnome Rodeo: 2010 is Blowing up with GMing Links - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:36:57 +0000 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/?p=2865#comment-9965 [...] Mastering: Haunted House: 4 Tips To Terrify Your Players is quite good (especially this: take out the combat), and Learning from the DM to the Stars! [...] [...] Mastering: Haunted House: 4 Tips To Terrify Your Players is quite good (especially this: take out the combat), and Learning from the DM to the Stars! [...]

]]> By: A. Harms http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players#comment-9957 A. Harms Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:37:06 +0000 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/?p=2865#comment-9957 In the same vein as the "Over Describe" advise for creating horror is the classic line from your high school writing class of show don't tell. Make sure you use all five senses and don't tell player's explicitly what is creating the sensation. Describe a smell, or a tactile experience in extreme detail. Give only passing notes on their visual experience and let players draw their own conclusions about what is causing their phenomenal experiences. Once they start making assumptions (a really bad idea in a horror Milieu) play to those assumptions with your descriptions (their assumptions color their experiences and points of view). Conceal the differences between what they expect and the reality of things and don't show them how wrong they are until it is too late. This is a great way to create suspense and horror. In the same vein as the “Over Describe” advise for creating horror is the classic line from your high school writing class of show don’t tell. Make sure you use all five senses and don’t tell player’s explicitly what is creating the sensation. Describe a smell, or a tactile experience in extreme detail. Give only passing notes on their visual experience and let players draw their own conclusions about what is causing their phenomenal experiences. Once they start making assumptions (a really bad idea in a horror Milieu) play to those assumptions with your descriptions (their assumptions color their experiences and points of view). Conceal the differences between what they expect and the reality of things and don’t show them how wrong they are until it is too late. This is a great way to create suspense and horror.

]]> By: Ravenous Role Playing » Blog Archive » Friday Five: 2010-01-08 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players#comment-9926 Ravenous Role Playing » Blog Archive » Friday Five: 2010-01-08 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:52:34 +0000 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/?p=2865#comment-9926 [...] Haunted House: 4 Tips To Terrify Your Players In the past, I’ve only had one GM that truly scared me while in the game. I’m not talking about fear for my personal being, but fear for my character. To clarify further, I’m not talking about character loss to death or dismemberment. I’m talking about true fear of what my character was going to encounter next. Jim was a master at this type of setting, and it was only fitting that he would only run the game if we were in Ravenloft. I remember having nightmares about the NPCs my character met during the course of the game. If you want to instill this type of reaction into your player base, then check out these four tips over at Dungeon Mastering. [...] [...] Haunted House: 4 Tips To Terrify Your Players In the past, I’ve only had one GM that truly scared me while in the game. I’m not talking about fear for my personal being, but fear for my character. To clarify further, I’m not talking about character loss to death or dismemberment. I’m talking about true fear of what my character was going to encounter next. Jim was a master at this type of setting, and it was only fitting that he would only run the game if we were in Ravenloft. I remember having nightmares about the NPCs my character met during the course of the game. If you want to instill this type of reaction into your player base, then check out these four tips over at Dungeon Mastering. [...]

]]> By: Kolbold Minion http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players#comment-9913 Kolbold Minion Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:16:02 +0000 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/?p=2865#comment-9913 My players don't delve in haunted houses. They live in one. After repeated attacks on their keep, the players felt their castle was a little underprotected, so set out to create some defences. Being the sadistic characters they are, the castle was soon loaded up with iron maidens and meat hooks, you name it. But this was not enough. The mage, secretly a demon worshiper, invoketed a few favours from his diety. Now the keep is filled with tourted souls and demons, as long as the players pay the monthly fee. My players don’t delve in haunted houses. They live in one. After repeated attacks on their keep, the players felt their castle was a little underprotected, so set out to create some defences. Being the sadistic characters they are, the castle was soon loaded up with iron maidens and meat hooks, you name it. But this was not enough. The mage, secretly a demon worshiper, invoketed a few favours from his diety. Now the keep is filled with tourted souls and demons, as long as the players pay the monthly fee.

]]> By: Ray Wenderlich http://www.dungeonmastering.com/tools-resources/haunted-house-4-tips-to-terrify-your-players#comment-9912 Ray Wenderlich Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:13:40 +0000 http://www.dungeonmastering.com/?p=2865#comment-9912 I love the trick of over-describing. Players are so used to everything that comes out of a DM's mouth being relevant that they get all paranoid when you start describing things, that sudden danger is around every corner. So I like to toss it up a bit, and have something completely off-the wall or hilarious happen instead, or sometimes nothing at all. Always keeps them guessing! I love the trick of over-describing. Players are so used to everything that comes out of a DM’s mouth being relevant that they get all paranoid when you start describing things, that sudden danger is around every corner.

So I like to toss it up a bit, and have something completely off-the wall or hilarious happen instead, or sometimes nothing at all. Always keeps them guessing!

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