IM TOO NEW FOR MY OWN GOOD (as DM)

[aura59]

im pretty new to the game, though I've always had interests I've never pursued them until recently - ive started up a horror campaign and so far iv introduced my players to a war torn village with a very corrupt local government; any tips to make this setting a tad more... dreary?

[Flickerdart]

It would probably help to know what system you're running.

As for the setting...organized crime flourishes with poor government - it's easier for them to get away with operating, and people are more likely to turn to them for protection against unaffiliated bandits, thieves, and so forth. Especially the village's wealthier inhabitants would appreciate a good mob outfit that can smuggle them luxury or rationed goods.

Disease is also a fun backdrop. In most games it won't (and shouldn't) affect the PCs, but if plague or infection are killing people around them, that's always fun. For bonus points, the black market (see above) is hoarding medicine that they won't give away and the sick can't afford.

In a more supernatural setting, necromancy is great. The people are seeing their loved ones not only die to stray fireballs, but rise as the living dead to themselves take part in the war. Unscrupulous surgeons might kidnap villagers and chop them up into spare parts to graft organs and limbs back to wounded soldiers.

For bonus points, keep the villagers clinging to a glimmer of hope. Maybe they believe that Pelor will save them even as his temple burns. Maybe they have put so much of their faith in their corrupt government that they intentionally and transparently delude themselves into thinking that their leaders will save them. Maybe they hope the great paladin who came riding through the village last week and heard their plight will save them...and only the PCs know that they looted that shiny new magic sword off the body of a mounted knight rotting in the bushes...

[Dayaz]

-snip-

I like you this backdrop you've laid out here. this is the kind of setting I want to play in sometimes but my 2 DMs are afraid of serious campaigns for some reason...

[Thrawn4]

Emphasize the lack of common goods: Shelter, food, warmth and trust. In a poor region it is very difficult to get a good shelter, but it is mandatory in order to avoid getting sick as constant rain and cold will wear you down and kill you. Same for food, and by food I mean some greenish potatoes that will nurture you and not several dishes of meat. Remember that in real life Victorian age poverity was contageous because if you were poor you were more likely to get sick and to infect your neighbours who thereby lost their abilty to work and got poor as well. And people don't want this to happen to their families, so they start to steal and cheat a little. Of course, the town has to uphold a certain order, so they have to introduce severe punishments.
In short, lots and lots of personal dramas.