Is There Any Horror Genre RPG Out There?

[Bartmanhomer]

Is there any horror genre RPG out there beside D&D and Masquerade Vampires? If so, what is the name of the horror genre RPG?

[Batcathat]

Not to derail the thread with the very first reply, but would you really consider D&D a horror game?

More on topic, the first one I thought of was Call of Cthulhu, but I'm sure there are plenty of others.

[Bartmanhomer]

Not to derail the thread with the very first reply, but would you really consider D&D a horror game?

More on topic, the first one I thought of was Call of Cthulhu, but I'm sure there are plenty of others.

D&D has some aspects of a horror game.

[SpanielBear]

Call of Cthulhu is excellent. If nothing else, transferring the sanity rules it uses into other systems as a trackable resource is really easy, and helps a lot in creating a horror vibe- I’ve been using a version of them in my d&d campaign and it’s worked pretty well.

Other than that, it’s often more about crafting a setting than the specific rule set. Nearly any game can be adapted into horror. The most important thing, always, is player buy-in. And I don’t just mean that they need to want to play a game with horror themes (although that is important). For the horror beats to work: the scares, the tension, the dread, the “oh what have we done!?” feeling- the players need to be invested in the setting and their characters. You can’t build tension if they just don’t care. So player involvement in character creation I’ve found is really important, as is going the extra effort to tie the characters into the setting so there’s links between their backstory and what’s going on.

That’s my 2 cents!

[Eldan]

Hundreds...

[caden_varn]

As Eldan says, there are hundreds. I'm not really a horror guy, but the specfically horror themed RPGs I have:

Call of Cthulthu
Trail of Cthulhu
GURPS Horror (excellent read for a horror GM IMO)
Kult
Obsidian
Monster of the Week
Deadlands (a Savage Worlds setting)
Various of the White Wolf games (you can look at them all as horror, but some work better than others)
honourable mention to the Orrorsh & Tharkold cosms in Torg/Torg Eternity (although the other cosms aren;t horror, that is kinda the point of Torg).

Other RPGs lean better to horror than D&D which is kinda a poor match to horror in my opinion - Warhammer for exmaple in the fantasy genre. Low magic/high lethality settings tend to work better for it that high fantasy

[Razade]

Slayers by Gila RPGs, FEAST by Chris Bissette, Ironsworn can be Horror and it's by Shawn Tomkin, FIST by Claymore. Vast in the Dark by Feral Indie Studios.

[Bunny Commando]

As others have already pointed out, there are many horror RPGs out there.
Would be useful to know what kind of game you're looking for since some do certain stuff better than others.

[Eldan]

To expand on my earlier point, there's hundreds, and there are many, many subgenres.

Horror Games that I know enough about that I could at least give you a synopsis (Haven't played most of them):

Dread
Ten Candles
All Flesh Must Be Eaten
Don't Rest your Head
Little Fears
KULT
Monster of the Week
Dead of Night
Last Night on Earth
Unknown Armies
Degenesis
Lacuna
Unhallowed Metropolis
Call of Cthulhu
Delta Green
Trail of Cthulhu
Cthulhu Confidential
Fate of Cthulhu
Alien, not to be confused with Alien or Alien
Mothership
Eclipse Phase
Dark Heresy
World of Darkness
Chronicle of Darkness
In Nomine
Ravenloft
Bluebeard's Brides
The Machine

[sithlordnergal]

Call of Cthulhu is excellent. If nothing else, transferring the sanity rules it uses into other systems as a trackable resource is really easy, and helps a lot in creating a horror vibe- I’ve been using a version of them in my d&d campaign and it’s worked pretty well.

Other than that, it’s often more about crafting a setting than the specific rule set. Nearly any game can be adapted into horror. The most important thing, always, is player buy-in. And I don’t just mean that they need to want to play a game with horror themes (although that is important). For the horror beats to work: the scares, the tension, the dread, the “oh what have we done!?” feeling- the players need to be invested in the setting and their characters. You can’t build tension if they just don’t care. So player involvement in character creation I’ve found is really important, as is going the extra effort to tie the characters into the setting so there’s links between their backstory and what’s going on.

That’s my 2 cents!

Player buy in is extremely important...and so is player seriousness. Personally, I'd love to play a horror themed TTRPG...but I also know I'd never be able to last in one. Not because I lack buy in, or would be creeped out...but because I know I would eventually go for the absurd. Instead of Frankenstein or Dracula, I'd eventually end up going into Young Frankenstein or What We Do in the Shadows territory, which would ruin the atmosphere. Not maliciously mind you, but because I'd relax and do something wacky for the fun of it.

[EggKookoo]

I just got my grubby hands on the Alien game. Looking forward to trying it out when my current 5e session ends.

I can't praise Call of Cthulhu enough. I've spent more time playing that than anything else (mostly pre-2000).

[stoutstien]

Mork Borg is a lite option. It's almost dark enough to the point it's funny.

[ahyangyi]

Pathfinder has Horror rules as well. If one is looking forward to bake in a sanity system in a D&D-like game, might as well look at this. I have not actually tried it, but I love how they organized various horror subgenres.

That said, I think the big draw about Call of Cthulhu isn't sanity, but Cthulhu mythos. Basically, lost sanity could be recovered just like lost Wisdom score, but Cthulhu mythos is both your character advancement and a reduction to your maximum sanity. That puts a very different spin on character advancement. In D&D-like games, you are going on a heroic adventure, you might be poisoned, diseased, cursed, level-drained, haunted, or dead, but most of these are at least reversible if you could wish. But in a Call of Cthulhu adventure, there is either failure, or a pyhhric victory that makes you closer to failure. That is something D&D by default does not do.

[SpanielBear]

Player buy in is extremely important...and so is player seriousness. Personally, I'd love to play a horror themed TTRPG...but I also know I'd never be able to last in one. Not because I lack buy in, or would be creeped out...but because I know I would eventually go for the absurd. Instead of Frankenstein or Dracula, I'd eventually end up going into Young Frankenstein or What We Do in the Shadows territory, which would ruin the atmosphere. Not maliciously mind you, but because I'd relax and do something wacky for the fun of it.

I think you have a point, certainly you need players who want to be in a horror game and will respect those narrative beats (for want of a better description). But I’ve also found that you aren’t going to have a game that’s all horror all the time. Like a horror film will have moments of comic relief, you’ll have those moments in game where players relax and start joking around, blowing off steam after killing a ghoul or surviving the chase…

And that’s the moment to get them to count how many people are in the safe-house with them, and roll a sanity check.

[KorvinStarmast]

Not to derail the thread with the very first reply, but would you really consider D&D a horror game?

If you played the original game, there was a strong element of horror and death in the dungeon crawls. (Particularly if you played pre-Greyhawk supplement). (The various oozes and the Mind Flayer are but two examples). But it wasn't built specifically as a 'horror' themed game. Once the cleaned up version of the game hit the game stores (Basic after Holmes in boxes that looked like other games) you can argue that it went a few steps deliberately away from that theme.

Horror themed games require, IME, player buy-in to set the tone at the table. I can only remember two DMs I have had over the years who were able to both set that tone and get buy-in during OD&D or AD&D play.
Otherwise, as noted in other posts above mine, any of the horror games can be defused by digressions into the absurd at the wrong time.

More on topic, the first one I thought of was Call of Cthulhu, but I'm sure there are plenty of others.

First one I thought of as well.

[EggKookoo]

Once the cleaned up version of the game hit the game stores (Basic after Holmes in boxes that looked like other games) you can argue that it went a few steps deliberately away from that theme.

Vanilla D&D struggles with horror because the basic gameplay is centered around a continual increase in personal power for the PC, which is the opposite of a typical horror experience.

I wonder if you could get mileage out of a D&D campaign where you start at ~10th level and lose XP when you would normally gain it, but you have to do the things that burn XP in order to stop some larger evil...

[Mutazoia]

Player buy in is extremely important...and so is player seriousness. Personally, I'd love to play a horror themed TTRPG...but I also know I'd never be able to last in one. Not because I lack buy in, or would be creeped out...but because I know I would eventually go for the absurd. Instead of Frankenstein or Dracula, I'd eventually end up going into Young Frankenstein or What We Do in the Shadows territory, which would ruin the atmosphere. Not maliciously mind you, but because I'd relax and do something wacky for the fun of it.

Then "Ghostbusters" would probably be the best "horror" system for you....

[purepolarpanzer]

I'm just getting into Vaesen and the Forbidden Lands from Free League Publishing, both of which contain some horror elements (more so in Vaesen that TFL). Vaesen seems to be a 19th century supernatural setting that is closer to fairy tales and classic folklore than eldritch horror like Call of Cthulu. I'm reading through it right now, but it seems quite good (24 pages in ;) .

[KorvinStarmast]

I wonder if you could get mileage out of a D&D campaign where you start at ~10th level and lose XP when you would normally gain it, but you have to do the things that burn XP in order to stop some larger evil...

Back in the auld days, if a wight or wraith hit you, you lost a level. If a vampire or Specter did, you lost two levels.

Spoiler: Monsters and Treasures page 9

Show

SPECTRES...drain two life energy levels when they score a hit. Mentypes killed by Spectres become Spectres under the control of the one who made them...Vampires drain two life energy levels as do Spectres when they hit an opponent in combat. They regenerate during combat as do Trolls, but they do so immediately upon being hit at the rate of three hit points per turn.

Turn undead was a very important skill to have. Just sayin'.

[ahyangyi]

Again, I think talking about "which horror subgenre do you want" might help.

Like, Call of Cthulhu and Vampire the Masquerade are two distinctly different subgenres.

And Tomb of Horrors (that D&D module) is completely different from the two above, but is also horror in a way.

[Eldan]

Again, I think talking about "which horror subgenre do you want" might help.

Like, Call of Cthulhu and Vampire the Masquerade are two distinctly different subgenres.

And Tomb of Horrors (that D&D module) is completely different from the two above, but is also horror in a way.

That. Basically, before we can recommend a Horror Game, we need to know whether the story you want to tell is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alien, The Wicker Man, The Exorcist or The Road.

[Khedrac]

Also, be aware that in my experience there is usually more mirth around a Call of Cthulhu table than a D&D table - a horror setting does not usually imply that the game is creepy...

[EggKookoo]

Also, be aware that in my experience there is usually more mirth around a Call of Cthulhu table than a D&D table - a horror setting does not usually imply that the game is creepy...

In my experience, the sense of dread and fragility of PCs makes for a lot of nervous tension. D&D, at my tables, often lacks that emotional core.

[Batcathat]

In my experience, the sense of dread and fragility of PCs makes for a lot of nervous tension. D&D, at my tables, often lacks that emotional core.

Yeah, I feel like an action game like D&D is basically built around the idea of the PCs fighting their enemies on more or less equal footing, which is contrary to a lot of horror. If you put up a D&D character against vampires, you're more likely to get Blade than Nosferatu.

That's not to say that it's impossible to do horror in D&D and similar games, but it seems like more of a challenge.

[Pauly]

Call of Cthulhu, if not the grand daddy of the horror RPG, is the standard that others have to beat.
Great game system, lots of modules, lots of setting options so you’re not locked into the default 1920s setting, lots of resources online.

Frankly if you’re running horror I think it’s the first game you should look into. The default question when looking at other systems should be ‘Can this system do what I want horror to do better than CoC?”.

I wouldn’t consider Vampire the Masquerade as horror because the PCs are the monsters in a horror game. Although if you like the system Monster of the Week is more horror appropriate.

The horror supplements in GURPS are a fantastic resource even if you never run GURPS.

D&D and Pathfinder can do horror, but aren’t good at it once the players progress past level 3 or 4. A key part of horror is the vulnerability of the PC and in D&D style games characters progress too quickly. Either you have to keep increasing the monster level exponentially or the party levels out of horror and shifts into spooky adventures.

As others have said there are plenty of options for horror. Alien and KULT have a lot of fans.

A special mention for Dread which uses a non-traditional resolution mechanic which is really really good at creating increasing tension in a session. I’ve only used it in oneshots, so I don’t have an opinion as to how it would work in a campaign.

Edit to add
Whilst technically not horror grimdark games like Warhammer FRP and Dark Heresy are horror adjacent and can easily be shifted to horror.
Also some of the old legacy RPGs such as Traveller or Shadowrun have horror themed adventures/campaigns that are well written and you could run horror in those systems for a long time before you run out of material.

[sithlordnergal]

Again, I think talking about "which horror subgenre do you want" might help.

Like, Call of Cthulhu and Vampire the Masquerade are two distinctly different subgenres.

And Tomb of Horrors (that D&D module) is completely different from the two above, but is also horror in a way.

Heh, I enjoy Tomb of Horrors. One of the few times I actually made a table afraid...not due to the setting or the over all vibe by the way. I literally had Acererak taunt the party via a magic mouth using a 3 stooges skit. But because I made sure the traps and monsters were DEADLY. They were afraid to open a door, cause it could lead to death. Though I did my job too well...It eventually got to a point where they'd spend 20 minutes debating if they wanted to open a door or not...despite it being the only option for them. Then they'd spend another 15 trying to figure out who should go first, what should be checked, how to check it, if the carving on the door had any significance, ect.

Then "Ghostbusters" would probably be the best "horror" system for you....

I'd probably do well in that sort of game, simply because I am a chaotic sort of goof. With a bit of a love for explosions. There's a reason my favorite 5e class is the Wild Magic Sorcerer, and my two favorite items are the Wand of Wonder and the Deck of Many things.

That said, I am happy to say that I have a rep of being over the top chaotic that WILL find a way to make that lemon explode, along with being a clown in general, I always work hard to make sure my party doesn't suffer negative consequences from my actions.

[Duff]

Another horror game I've not seen mentioned. Little Fears

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Fears

[Pauly]

… Instead of Frankenstein or Dracula, I'd eventually end up going into Young Frankenstein or What We Do in the Shadows territory, which would ruin the atmosphere. Not maliciously mind you, but because I'd relax and do something wacky for the fun of it.

The reason why Young Frankenstein, What we do in the Shadows, Shaun of the Dead and Scream work as comedies is that they understand and respect the source material. They all could be reworked as serious horror films without any real alteration to the plot. Also having a bit of levity to break the tension a bit is a horror staple too.

You can watch a serious horror ‘documentary’ like Trollhunter and then a mockumentary like ‘What we do in the Shadows’ back to back and see just how closely they follow the same beats.

Come to think of it I’d really like to play a campaign set in Trollhunter, not sure what system would be best for it though.

[sithlordnergal]

The reason why Young Frankenstein, What we do in the Shadows, Shaun of the Dead and Scream work as comedies is that they understand and respect the source material. They all could be reworked as serious horror films without any real alteration to the plot. Also having a bit of levity to break the tension a bit is a horror staple too.

You can watch a serious horror ‘documentary’ like Trollhunter and then a mockumentary like ‘What we do in the Shadows’ back to back and see just how closely they follow the same beats.

Come to think of it I’d really like to play a campaign set in Trollhunter, not sure what system would be best for it though.

Oh yeah, that's all very true, and a horror comedy game can work extremely well. They do work extremely well in fact. However, there'd still be a major clash of tones and several problems if you suddenly swapped out Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula for Nandor the Relentless right in the middle of the movie/story. Which is what would likely happen the second I relaxed. ^_^;;;;

[SpyOne]

I haven't seen anybody mention Chill!, or Palladium's swing at the horror genre Beyond The Supernatural.

There's also oodles of d20 compatible one-book-wonders from the past few decades. Probably a lot of stuff on DriveThru RPG.

I used to see a game called Weird War Two in my FLGS but never picked it up. I also saw one called Blood & Relics.

There was even some horror stuff for the Fuzion system.

Horror isn't really my RPG cup of tea, but I do go looking for ideas and mechanics I can loot.