Planning for a Halloween Horror Adventure

[ArcanistSupreme]

I've been thinking a lot lately about a horror one-shot I want to put together for my regular group, and I finally got around to writing down the framework for it late last night. The setting is a mountain fort besieged by hordes of goblins in an E6 world. Supplies are dwindling, and there is no help coming (or it is a very long way off).

What I am looking for are suggestions on several fronts:

Pacing
-How many encounters should I throw at them per day (game time)? I want to exhaust resources and wear down the characters by attrition, but I don't want to overdo it.
-How many encounters should I plan for in general? Given that this adventure will take place over 2-4 sessions, how much should I throw at them vs. how much should I imply/hang over their heads?

Goals and Objectives
-The fort will eventually be overrun, and everyone will die. I have discussed this with my players and they are okay with it. But what are some goals for the players to have beyond day-to-day survival? I want them to feel like they are having an impact on the world if they play intelligently. The only ideas I've had so far are taking as many goblins as possible down with them and warning the outside world.
-I want to build some failure points into the fortress that have to be defended, but at the same time the fortress needs to be able to last ~14 days against a massive horde of goblins. What are some ways that a fortress can be taken by attrition?
-Objectives I can think of that need to be held include food and water, concentric walls that guard the inner fort, key defensive points with good lines of fire, the armory (they'll run out of arrows and bolts eventually), and a magic stone that can be used to talk to the outside world. Does anyone have any other good ideas?
-I want to force decisions based on protection of these resources. Do we save the arrows or the key defensive point? How many lives are the supplies worth? How can I do this without railroading too hard?

Rewards
-Again, I want the influence of the PCs to be felt. How can I build the fort so that inaction by the players will result in an easy victory for the goblins, but defense of objectives is hard but (usually) doable?
-What are other ways I can pat the players on the back to keep them from getting frustrated or overwhelmed?

Logistics
-How many people should be manning the fort on the far frontier, many days travel from the nearest settlement?
-How many goblins should I have? I want them to win, but I want it to potentially be costly and difficult.
How big should the fort be? Can anyone point me to real life analogues?

General Advice
-Does anyone have any tips for running a horror campaign?
-Has anyone run any similar adventures and/or have any relevant anecdotes?
-What are some good terrain or environmental features I could take advantage of to enhance the setting (yes, I am already including fog)?
-Are there any other good ideas for how to manage this adventure?

tl;dr What is some good advice for executing this premise?

Here is what I have so far if anyone is interested in taking a look:

The Fortnight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307670)

It's a bare-bones framework right now, so any and all input here or there is greatly appreciated.

[ArcturusV]

Hmm... the issue I see with this is that the adventure, as geared, is lacking the "horror" component. It's suspenseful in that there is impending death coming, the players can't really stop it, but only hope to delay it. But that alone doesn't make a "horror" adventure. At least in my mind.

I think what it really needs is an Option C here. And option C has to be a more classical "horror" type element. Better if it also directly impacts Option A) We all lose to Gobbos, and Option B) We all lose to Gobbos but achieved some sort of moral victory.

I'm thinking Faustian Pact sort of territory here. That one of your guys, say some low level guard, nearly died in day one of the siege. Makes a great turn around when everyone pegged him for dead. Finds out that he made a deal with a demon to save his life and give him a chance to survive this ordeal. Has fed him full of demonic power. This low level peon guard starts becoming a hero of the siege. SOmeone the players are hearing about as they do things. "Maaan, while you were off in the Dungeon sealing up the mine the gobbos dug into the castle, you should have seen Galen, they made a rush at the gate and he held off 20 of the beasts by himself until reinforcements could arrive!"

If you do this right, they'll think of the player as "ally" in those first sessions. But plant some doubts. Have people mention he wasn't always the sharpest piker in the platoon.

Have him start converting other guardsmen to his demonic patron in their hour of need. Suddenly things start happening that don't seem related to the Goblins, people going missing from the Fort, people acting strangely, odd Masses being held to some "Patron Archon" that the garrison's cleric hasn't heard of... (And has too few ranks in Knowledge: Religion because it's E6 to figure out) a few ritual sacrifices get found as things progress. Not really sure who's a thrall of the demon and who isn't anymore. What does the demon want with this garrison?

That sort of story, combined on the backdrop of this fortress under siege can make for a more classical "horror" story. Your choices being between Good and Death, and Living but Evil, selling your soul, demons who may end up stalking the halls, corruption, gristly acts, etc. All put into an already high pressure situation.

Maybe the fortress would hold if it wasn't for this demonic influence on events? Who knows? It can give you a victory "out" as well that your players may not see coming. Particularly since you cleared the "You will fail" with them already.

[Tim Proctor]

Horror IMO is better off with less fighting and more role-playing... nothing takes the fear out of players like calculating the AC of an enemy and dice rolling.

While hordes of goblins can be terrifying I think you would be better at having them come in waves that are too much for the PCs to defend against, making them run from section of the fortress to another giving them time for the dread to set in.

Be gruesome in the description of half eaten bodies of people that fell to the goblins, and such, but don't over do that let their imagination do a lot of it. I'd let the goblins take over the fort and let the group find people alive being thrown into a boiling pot of stew. Stuff like that.

Read the spell descriptions of the spells that the goblins will cast, and instead of saying that it casts X spell, just read off the description and describe the actions of the villains as best as possible to keep more role-playing and less mechanical playing.

I would probably have the 1st encounter be about facing a prolonged siege and the supplies dwindling and starvation effects, and have creepy things like people eating rats and such. Again be descriptive, and if you really want to get it, have an act of cannibalism as some of the guards kill someone and try to cook them. Think depravity.

The 2nd encounter I would have it be the goblins take the fort and the group has to hide and sneak about killing goblins as there are horrific acts committed against the people they were fighting side-by-side with.

The 3rd encounter I would have them continue to face starvation, the hiding and sneaking, and spellcasters that summons evil fiendish creatures.

Edit: You can read one that I've been working on here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306963), I hope that gives ideas on how I would run the adventure.

[Red Fel]

I think the key question here is "How do you define horror?"

It sounds like what you have here is a slightly less body-horror version of the original Alien movie, with your team of protagonists attempting to fight off the seemingly unstoppable predator (here a gobbo army) while their allies fall in battle.

It's not "horror" in the traditional sense, although it is a good war scenario, in that there is an abundance of death and a strong, inevitable sense of futility and despair.

In my mind, horror is less about the events themselves, and more about how they are played out. Take the original Haunting movie. No bleeding walls, no ghosts or wails, no special effects. Everything that happened was totally explicable - lights would flicker, a person would wander off and vanish (but not vanish into thin air, just go missing). It was the use of mundane events with a disturbing atmosphere that created a sense of terror.

Your goal shouldn't be to overwhelm your players with death and gore. Rather, it should be to create a mood. Start with lighting, with sounds, with smells and sensory input. Next have things happen. For example, "Say... wasn't Random Villager 13 right behind us?" Simple things. "Say, wasn't that book on the table a moment ago?" "Oh, that window was open... it was probably just the wind." Feed the idea that these events are completely mundane - give plenty of evidence that nothing is out of the ordinary, that everything is as it seems.

This will make your players paranoid as hell.

Eventually, one too many coincidences will utterly terrify them. They'll be afraid to turn corners, afraid to leave the room. (At least, that's if you're doing it right.)

Now, as to how to work horror into a siege? That's even easier. A siege is the perfect setting for cabin fever.

Consider the following scenario:

The heroes arrive at the keep to warn them of the incoming goblin horde. The keep gathers as many nearby civilians as it can into the safety of the walls, which are then reinforced and siege protections go up. It's expected to be a long, brutal siege.

Translation: Nobody is coming in, and nobody is getting out.

One of the people brought into the keep's safety is your stereotypical shadowy merchant of sinister goods. Maybe he knows what he has, maybe he doesn't, but he insists on bringing his wares with him. ("They're my livelihood!")

You now have everything you need to create a stressful environment- terrified civilians, a tense atmosphere of war, and enclosed spaces.

Now you can pull things. Sure, your PCs may try to contribute on the walls, but perhaps the goblins don't attack - perhaps they simply wait around the keep, maintaining a perimeter. As if they're waiting.

I'm sure you have some ideas as to where to go with that. This is just my suggestion with regard to "horror."

[ArcanistSupreme]

Hmm... the issue I see with this is that the adventure, as geared, is lacking the "horror" component. It's suspenseful in that there is impending death coming, the players can't really stop it, but only hope to delay it. But that alone doesn't make a "horror" adventure. At least in my mind.

Which is one of the main issues I'm struggling with. I did have the idea to have an unstable ancient artifact lying around that could blow up and take the whole fort with it. A Pyrrhic victory of sorts for the players, if they can get their hands on it. Would that qualify?


I'm thinking Faustian Pact sort of territory here. That one of your guys, say some low level guard, nearly died in day one of the siege. Makes a great turn around when everyone pegged him for dead. Finds out that he made a deal with a demon to save his life and give him a chance to survive this ordeal. Has fed him full of demonic power. This low level peon guard starts becoming a hero of the siege. SOmeone the players are hearing about as they do things. "Maaan, while you were off in the Dungeon sealing up the mine the gobbos dug into the castle, you should have seen Galen, they made a rush at the gate and he held off 20 of the beasts by himself until reinforcements could arrive!"

If you do this right, they'll think of the player as "ally" in those first sessions. But plant some doubts. Have people mention he wasn't always the sharpest piker in the platoon.

Have him start converting other guardsmen to his demonic patron in their hour of need. Suddenly things start happening that don't seem related to the Goblins, people going missing from the Fort, people acting strangely, odd Masses being held to some "Patron Archon" that the garrison's cleric hasn't heard of... (And has too few ranks in Knowledge: Religion because it's E6 to figure out) a few ritual sacrifices get found as things progress. Not really sure who's a thrall of the demon and who isn't anymore. What does the demon want with this garrison?

That sort of story, combined on the backdrop of this fortress under siege can make for a more classical "horror" story. Your choices being between Good and Death, and Living but Evil, selling your soul, demons who may end up stalking the halls, corruption, gristly acts, etc. All put into an already high pressure situation.

This I like a whole heck of a lot. Playing with morality is one of my favorite pastimes, and this has a lot of oomph behind it. I'll have to be careful about putting my players into a Whodunnit? mindset that could slow down the adventure, but with judicious application of goblins I don't think that will be too much of an issue.


Maybe the fortress would hold if it wasn't for this demonic influence on events? Who knows? It can give you a victory "out" as well that your players may not see coming. Particularly since you cleared the "You will fail" with them already.

The only description my players have is that "the fortress was wiped out to the man." I haven't said how, I haven't given them any of the repercussions, and I think that people count as being wiped out if they become willing vessels to demons. Maybe the garrison even starts to win the battle, but threatens to overtake the rest of the world if left unchecked?

[ArcturusV]

Yup, as Red Fel was getting into, Paranoia is the key to fear and horror a lot of times. So having people that "go missing" or are acting "odd" (Be it battle stress or Demonic Influence, possibly hard to tell between the two) can help build Paranoia.

Note that most horror also uses red herrings to serve as pressure releases so that when the real thing strikes players discount it at first.

Example: People are acting strange, squirreling off to weird places, some of which just "go missing" or the like. So the players see two people who are acting weird. Sharing quiet whispers, looking around conspiratorially, etc. They decide to follow them as they go on this winding "lose anyone who is following us" path through the castle to some abandoned area of the wine cellar. Players follow, set up to watch for something like the hidden switch that will reveal the evil cultist altar...

... only to find that it's two people who just wanted a bit of privacy to get it on and release some stress in a fun, physical way.

Having those red herrings mixed in like that really can **** with the minds and paranoia of players. "Suspense is when the bomb doesn't explode". So make sure to have a few non-events like that. The fact that you called out some odd bit of behavior, that they followed it, and it was apparently "nothing" will screw with them. "Well the DM called it out, there had to be a reason!" And the total lack of a (Plot) reason will do more horror and paranoia than anything you could come up with.

If done in the right atmosphere.

As for the final fate of the Garrison? Up to you. I'm a fan of odd things. Like... Maybe the Gobbos aren't really evil (Or not ACTING evil at the time). Maybe they were on a quest to end this Demonic Infestation before it spread, given to them by their God in visions (Because evil doesn't play nice with one another). Or maybe the Gobbos are thralls to the demon as well, and this entire thing was an attempt to get a human/elf/dwarf/etc fortress to fall to his sway for some reason. Goblin hordes, useful, Human/elf/dwarf agents who can seemlessly work in the civilization you want to topple into a state of evil anarchy? Better.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Horror IMO is better off with less fighting and more role-playing... nothing takes the fear out of players like calculating the AC of an enemy and dice rolling.

Good point. I think I will have a few encounters against the goblins, difficult, but survivable, and then a slow transition to fighting demon-possessed fellow soldiers.


I think the key question here is "How do you define horror?"

-snip-

I'm sure you have some ideas as to where to go with that. This is just my suggestion with regard to "horror."

That 's some solid advice right there, and it has completely altered my initial take on the adventure.


Yup, as Red Fel was getting into, Paranoia is the key to fear and horror a lot of times. So having people that "go missing" or are acting "odd" (Be it battle stress or Demonic Influence, possibly hard to tell between the two) can help build Paranoia.

Note that most horror also uses red herrings to serve as pressure releases so that when the real thing strikes players discount it at first... "Suspense is when the bomb doesn't explode".

Guys, you have helped immensely in focusing my thoughts and giving me a direction with this adventure. I was going to ask questions relating to the other aspect of the campaign, but I think that this takes care of them. Now the goblin army will no longer be relentlessly pouring bodies on the problem, and now I can make the fort whatever size I want it to be. Excellent.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Something random, but if you want to make the goblins seem even more endless have the goblins lead by some kind of necromancer. Every time the goblins retreat they drag back bodies with them, which are then raised and made to attack the fort again now stronger with undead immunities.

I would think that it would at least make the sitatuation seem more hopeless. It could also give your players some control over the goblin sieges.
- First fight the players fight 30 goblins, and kill 10 before they retreat. The goblins drag the 10 bodies away.
- Next wave is 20 goblins and 10 zombies. The players kill the 10 zombies, and 10 goblins, but this time they only let the goblins take 5 bodies away.
- The next wave is 20 goblins and 5 zombies.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Something random, but if you want to make the goblins seem even more endless have the goblins lead by some kind of necromancer. Every time the goblins retreat they drag back bodies with them, which are then raised and made to attack the fort again now stronger with undead immunities.

I would think that it would at least make the sitatuation seem more hopeless. It could also give your players some control over the goblin sieges.
- First fight the players fight 30 goblins, and kill 10 before they retreat. The goblins drag the 10 bodies away.
- Next wave is 20 goblins and 10 zombies. The players kill the 10 zombies, and 10 goblins, but this time they only let the goblins take 5 bodies away.
- The next wave is 20 goblins and 5 zombies.

I was initially going to use a goblin necromancer; seeing your own friends rise up to fight you would be pretty disheartening. But now the adventure has taken a right angle turn and is headed in a different direction; while the goblins are the initial threat, they aren't the real bad guys. Maybe I'll have people on the good guys' side start doing it once they get the possessed by an evil outsider fever. That'd be creepy.

[ArcturusV]

Thing is, if the Garrison delves into Necromancy, I wouldn't have it hooked to the Demonic Influence myself. But another "red herring". Perhaps this grim looking cleric, go full "He's Evil" visual clues like brooding, scarred, grim, wears blacks and reds, etc.

But he's actually Neutral (Leaning towards Good), he's desperate and using Necromancy not as some foul act of twisting life but a desperate act to help out a beleaguered and failing community. Trading the relatively (in his mind) small danger of Negative Energy contamination by using Undead (Temporarily) in order to help save everyone's butts. I mention Cleric because that way he could have otherwise been a Goodly, Kind Cleric of a Neutral God (Who just happens to look like a battlescarred evil bastard) before hand but just asked in his last daily allotment as the dead piled up for some Necromancy from his God.

But that's just how I'd play it.

[Red Fel]

Again, lots of good points.

The thing to remember about horror is a lot of it consists of misdirection. Players should get false positives about the stuff they think is spooky and evil, until they no longer know what's what. A lot of false positives early on might actually put them at ease, make them believe that there's nothing unusual going on.

Obviously, you will do something around that point which makes it clear that Yes, something is seriously freaking evil here.

And that's when the fear kicks in. Fear is our irrational reaction, and in particular our reaction to the unknown. If they know for a fact that something is wrong, but they've gotten so many false leads that they don't know what it is, they will be petrified. They will panic.

Needless to say, if you want the campaign to go anyplace, you will ultimately start giving them clues as to what and where the evil is. But until then, everything is a target. Everything is a potential terror. Their stomachs will turn, their nerves will be taut and their knuckles will be white.

And when it is over, the survivors - if they survive - will banish the evil, watch the sun rise, and know that they are safe... for now. And the relief the players will feel will be so palpable, so complete and cathartic, you might even hear cheers around the table.

And that, my friend, is a successful horror campaign.

But back on point - misdirection. That's your byword. Things that can be explained can be fought. Things that are understood can be overcome. But things that seem to vanish in your grasp, things that constantly elude... these are where fear comes from.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Thing is, if the Garrison delves into Necromancy, I wouldn't have it hooked to the Demonic Influence myself. But another "red herring". Perhaps this grim looking cleric, go full "He's Evil" visual clues like brooding, scarred, grim, wears blacks and reds, etc.

But he's actually Neutral (Leaning towards Good), he's desperate and using Necromancy not as some foul act of twisting life but a desperate act to help out a beleaguered and failing community. Trading the relatively (in his mind) small danger of Negative Energy contamination by using Undead (Temporarily) in order to help save everyone's butts. I mention Cleric because that way he could have otherwise been a Goodly, Kind Cleric of a Neutral God (Who just happens to look like a battlescarred evil bastard) before hand but just asked in his last daily allotment as the dead piled up for some Necromancy from his God.

But that's just how I'd play it.


Again, lots of good points.

The thing to remember about horror is a lot of it consists of misdirection. Players should get false positives about the stuff they think is spooky and evil, until they no longer know what's what. A lot of false positives early on might actually put them at ease, make them believe that there's nothing unusual going on.

Obviously, you will do something around that point which makes it clear that Yes, something is seriously freaking evil here.

And that's when the fear kicks in. Fear is our irrational reaction, and in particular our reaction to the unknown. If they know for a fact that something is wrong, but they've gotten so many false leads that they don't know what it is, they will be petrified. They will panic.

Needless to say, if you want the campaign to go anyplace, you will ultimately start giving them clues as to what and where the evil is. But until then, everything is a target. Everything is a potential terror. Their stomachs will turn, their nerves will be taut and their knuckles will be white.

And when it is over, the survivors - if they survive - will banish the evil, watch the sun rise, and know that they are safe... for now. And the relief the players will feel will be so palpable, so complete and cathartic, you might even hear cheers around the table.

And that, my friend, is a successful horror campaign.

But back on point - misdirection. That's your byword. Things that can be explained can be fought. Things that are understood can be overcome. But things that seem to vanish in your grasp, things that constantly elude... these are where fear comes from.

Gah, again, this is all really good stuff, but now my problem is trying to fit it all into just a few sessions (especially tricky with my group, since we get sidetracked easily). Any recommendations for doing this efficiently and in a way that doesn't feel rushed or tacked on?

[gurgleflep]

I'm fond of old fashion monsters so I'd say use Frankenstein (flesh golem), Dracula (human vampire), Mummy (human mummy), Wolfman (human werewolf), Creature from the Black Lagoon (???), The Blob (???), etc.

I only read the title so sorry if this isn't helpful - it's late and I'm getting tired.

[ArcturusV]

Well, just remember to use some proper pacing when you set up the adventure. People unconsciously look for that pacing, and expect it. So if you're aware of it, it's easier to weave it into the game and they will just naturally gravitate towards it.

So you're typical pace would be Hook - Action/Discovery - Action/Discovery - Action/Discovery - Repeat as needed - Climax - Resolution.

You already have the hooks figure out. Goblin Siege. It's obvious, it's big, it sets up the plot in general Survival and Doom terms.

After that you just make sure you alternate scenes between Action types (Chases, Combat, Conflict of a sort) and Discovery (Finding Clues, unraveling plot). Most of the times I find people get distracted and go off the rails is because the DM (Myself or another) failed to really follow that pacing. They tried to put a bunch of Action together, and someone gets tired of it and goes "Hey, lets go talk to Dirt Farmer McGee!", or there is "too much talking" and someone decides to just run off and hunt down sewer sharks.

All things considered, you're in a position where it's hard for them to go off the rails. E6 world, so it's not like they'll just Teleport or Planeshift out of there. Unless there's something like Sha'ir to Mystic Theurge double progression shenanigans. So their ability to just go off the reservation is pretty limited without them walking away from the table. Almost every NPC and location should have something directly to do with what is going on. Even "distractions" like the aforementioned couple going off to screw still relates to the plot, the stress people are under, their need to find something that isn't gobbo death and such in that situation. There's not really going to be any NPCs there where the Siege, or the Demon Influence, or Both, isn't pretty chief on their minds at any given moment. Shouldn't be anywhere in that castle you can go to really escape it. You can always hear the faint echo of Goblin Wardrums, people crying in the night as fear overcomes them, the smell of blood and charnel fires...

[Tim Proctor]

Gah, again, this is all really good stuff, but now my problem is trying to fit it all into just a few sessions (especially tricky with my group, since we get sidetracked easily). Any recommendations for doing this efficiently and in a way that doesn't feel rushed or tacked on?

Well also don't over complicate it, you don't want the players going on a tangent because an NPC sneezes and they think its demonic possession. I suggest you give them a clock, literally, the Goblins are going to reach the walls in 4 hours. Someone ends up dead and their half eaten body is found, who did it, the necromancer wizard, the cleric of death/merchants, or Ms. Potter in the library with the pipe? Let them know that if they don't figure it out quickly they will get attacked by Goblins, and then they can't 'search' 'take 20' etc. on everything.

This gives them the urgency needed to make some rash and poor decisions, remind them that each roll is 1 minute, taking a 10 is 10 minutes, etc. This also helps build suspense as you explain it takes 15 minutes to walk down to the storeroom in the bottom basement from the crows nest tower. So a big key is the time element to what is happening.

Also don't be afraid to lead them astray on things to burn their time, like you're much better having separate people responsible for different aspects or actions. While they may look like a grand conspiracy of some sinister evil, it just happens to be two or three separate agents. Another big element is to keep them guessing.

Also don't be afraid to use the Goblins as part of the plot, meaning that you can feel free that while they are fighting and evading goblins they are also solving the mysteries about what happened. So if you think that they will solve it in three hours in-game-time then at two hours have the Goblins hit the walls. Feel free to have them witness the Goblins being eaten by these shadowy ghost things. So you all the tools you have and use them against each other so the players don't feel that the world is against them, they are just in a world of hurt.

Lastly the best advice for piecing this all together would be to know the players, know what level of gruesome is cool and spooky and what is wrong. Know what level of detail about a ritual is awesome and what level of detail is horrific, and keep it at the horrific. You want them to be uncomfortable with the nature of what is going on and retrieve an emotional response from them, so you want to hit them where it counts not hard enough that is desensitizes them from everything else.

[Red Fel]

Gah, again, this is all really good stuff, but now my problem is trying to fit it all into just a few sessions (especially tricky with my group, since we get sidetracked easily). Any recommendations for doing this efficiently and in a way that doesn't feel rushed or tacked on?

Frankly, a good horror scenario doesn't need more than one or two sessions. Consider the fact that a good horror movie gets it done in around two hours. Do it right and they won't be sidetracked at all - they'll be on the edge of their seats.

Step one is getting them to their destination. Give them reason to get where they're going in a hurry. In the previous example, making them aware of a massive goblin army getting ready to attack the keep is pretty good motivation, and easy to accomplish - start with a "random encounter" of some goblin scouts, who spill their guts before literally spilling their guts. Assuming your players are reasonably Good, (the alignment) they'll take the bait and run to warn the keep.

Once they're in, make with some scene-setting. Let the players interact - ask if they help prepare for the siege. Then spend awhile - maybe five minutes - describing preparations, the terrified looks on the gathered villagers' faces, the grim determination of the guards. Give people names and personalities. Describe the atmosphere - tense people, the sun setting, perhaps the distant roll of thunder, giving way to the distant rumble of goblin drums.

And at that point, you're in adventure-mode. Plan your plot ahead - what will happen, what are your red herrings, and what is the real menace. For about an hour or so, start dangling red herrings and innocuous creepy things. Watch your players. After about an hour of creepy stuff that's not technically scary, they'll start calming down. (If they calm down sooner, accelerate the plot.) That's when you open a big can of steaming hot evil on the story.

From there, it can absolutely turn into a race against time. Death of NPCs becomes motivating, particularly so depending on the type of evil involved. Obviously don't rush yourself - take your time, savor the atmosphere, let the players soak it in - but you should be able to do this within one, maybe two sessions tops.

[ArcanistSupreme]

I thought I'd just be getting a couple of quick pointers with this thread, but this quickly developing into a lesson on advanced storytelling. I cannot emphasize how helpful this has been.

[Tim Proctor]

I thought I'd just be getting a couple of quick pointers with this thread, but this quickly developing into a lesson on advanced storytelling. I cannot emphasize how helpful this has been.
You're welcome.

If you want you can post what you have, another big aspect of horror/suspense is the 'read aloud descriptions', you want to keep them short enough that they take 20-30 seconds at most, but also precise enough that they give the listener a detailed understanding of what is going on.

Also the best option is to run the scenes in a flow-chart type order, such as.

Here is an example of what I would do.

Intro Scene:
The group is wandering in a forested wastelands, you want it thick enough for goblin scouts to sneak in, yet thin enough that an army of goblins can march. I'd probably describe the scrabble, and side of mountains, the canyons etc. The army would probably be marching in the canyon, while the scouts would be on the side of the mountains (it creates too much of a silhouette to be on the top, and looking down is easier than up, so the sides is the best place). After the battle I would have them find a map and markings, like any military they will encrypt the plan, so I'd have a decipher script check (I prefer a varied success check with essential information).
<15: The goblins are going to attack the fort, and are attacking from three separate directions making the only possible escape route towards the tower or through the army.
16 - 25: The goblins are marching along the bottom of the canyon
26+: The goblins army should be here within 8 hours.

This gives the group some options, go to the fort and warn them, hide, fight the goblins. Knowing any group worth their salt they would go to the fort, but if they hide or attack the goblins that makes things just as easy too.

Hide/Attack Scene:
Describe them hiding and have them found, have them captured after a battle and have them tied up with the cargo as they are food for later on. This is actually a really good situation for you because now they lost their items.

Have them released once the goblins take the tower, but make sure that they see the goblins putting people in boiling pots for supper, and other horrific acts.

Warning the Fort:
It takes an hour or X amount of hours to reach the tower, give descriptions of the fort, the people in it, etc. Again I would have a varied success check but this time on diplomacy to see how receptive people are of the warning.
<15: The soldiers think the group are stupid and their scouts haven't sent a warning yet, and if they are goblins then the group probably led them directly to the fort by their heavy travel.
16-25: The soldiers thing the group is the bearer of bad news and are semi-hostile to them, and want to know in a snarky tone if the group is going to help or just deliver bad news.
26: The soldiers are thankful and receptive to the group, etc.

From there you can lead into a couple of red herrings, I'd mix them into the warning varied success situation and the description. I would also have a scout come in not long after the group and warn that the goblins have an army on the route to escape so the fort is literally surrounded, and there is no escape. I'd probably also add in the phrase from some salt crusted soldier 'that's good cause we can attack in all directions now'.

***
But that is how I would get it started, have the scenes or encounters fit on a single page or two at most. I'd have it so that they can bounce between the scenes as they see fit, but ensure that their options are limited.

[ArcturusV]

I guess I'm weird, in that I'd start the game mid siege already. It's a different feeling to it, I'll admit. Starting the game with the warning and the flight to the keep gives the players a chance to derail the campaign.

In particular beware of Fire. If your terrain is fire friendly someone will point out that mundane fires do 1d6 damage, and average gobbos have 4 HP... so say... setting the forest between the Keep and the Gobbo Army approaching on fire can either ward off the army long enough to evacuate the keep or send out messengers to get help, etc, or totally wipe out the Goblins in a forest fire of DOOM.

And adventurers (Least in my experience) are pyromaniacs by nature.

So if you do start with the scouts and running to the keep, etc... just make sure that you cut off something like that at the knees. Have the area under monsoon conditions or the like. Hell, constant rain, howling winds, and lightning strikes can add some spice to the atmosphere anyway, and put people in the right mood. There's a reason a lot of campfire stories start with "It was a dark and stormy night..." Plus literal Godbolts, as in "Someone just got struck by lightning" can be interesting to pull out if you need it. I kind of like the idea of a lightning bolt striking one of the demon influenced at some point.

But me? I'd start it in the keep. Have the story start out with the siege having already gone on for a week or two. In the set up talk about how the surrounding village was the first defensive line. They tried to hold, but failed. Fell back to the keep, and the Goblins just decided to stop attacking. They've been marching, drumming, reveling outside, taunting the defenders as they pillage the village. People are losing their minds, stressed out, and waiting for the Goblins to finally attack.

You cut right to the situation you want, and within 30 minutes around the table you're jumping into the "First Goblin attack in a week" (Just enough time for the PCs to poke around, get to know some key NPCs, and get a feel for the mindset of the defenders), which has people panicking, but eager for the fight after the long wait. You can set up things like your guard who gets maimed and becomes the first Demon Tainted one, have a flurry of action.

And from that point on? Just keep going. The Goblins can always provide a shot of action to focus attention on things you want to cover by drawing the players to a battle where they might incidentally witness something like... a crazed and desperate defender who got disarmed by a Goblin and in a frenzy starts scratching and biting his attacker. Improvised Unarmed Strikes... or natural weapons granted by a Demon?

[Ailowynn]

For anyone running a horror game, I highly recommend episode 159 of the Order 66 podcast. Yes, the audio for that cast is horrible and yes, it is a Star Wars cast, but the main discussion in that show is brilliant an fairly system neutral.