There’s Still Time Left to Find the Perfect Horror RPG Before Halloween
Looking for that perfect game to make your spooky season? Here are some recommendations for Horror TTRPGs.
Halloween is almost upon us. This is the week when most groups start thinking about horror one-shots. And we’re here to help you do exactly that. If you’re looking for the perfect game of horror, one that will make you feel in touch with the unknown, with the fear then have we got some recommendations for you.
It all depends on the kind of experience you’re looking for. But, if you’re wanting something that leans more toward horror than spooky, here’s where to start.
Dread
I mean it has dread in the name. This horror RPG is perfectly suited for one-shot adventures, which is perfect. And it will make you genuinely nervous the more you play it because the game doesn’t use dice. But rather, it uses Jenga to determine anything where random chance plays a role.
Instead of rolling, you remove a block from the tower and place it back on top. Succeed and your character does. But if it all comes crashing down… well. Not only does your action fail, but you lose that character. And the story worsens.
But that’s the appeal of Dread. You’re not playing it to “win” but rather to ride the knife’s edge of horror. If you’re lucky, your character might survive.
Ten Candles
This is another Horror RPG that plays with unique mechanics. You play with ten candles, as the name suggests. They’re lit at the start of the game, but little by little, you put them out. When the last remaining candle goes out, darkness settles on the world, and all remaining characters die.
Again, it’s not a game you play to try and beat the scenario, but rather to explore what happens in the dark, and what lengths you might go to to try and survive. As they say in the game, “these things are true: the world is dark, and you are alive.”
The Final Girl
If you’re looking to play more with the tropes of a good horror movie, if you just can’t get enough Dead by Daylight, then you’ll want to check out The Final Girl. As the name suggests, this is a horror movie RPG all about that last, surviving character. The Final Girl. Her destiny is to face off with the monster/killer/whatever has been picking off characters one by one.
This is a rules-lite RPG that gives each player the opportunity to play the killer, while the other players take it in turn to play through a group of characters who will likely die in each scene until only one remains. If you want that vibe, this game is quick and easy and plays in a good 2-4 hour session.
The Mustang
A bit of Western Gothic Horror from the designer of Blades in the Dark, John Harper, The Mustang invites you to create your own version of the West. You take on the role of four characters crouched outside the lair of the titular Mustang: “a living nightmare. A soot-black stallion with eyes like burning coals, breath of flame, and hooves of ringing steel.”
This is another rules-light game, dealing with only a few coin flips, as you try and find ways to stop the steed of the Devil himself. If you want something extremely atmospheric, this game is a hidden gem of an RPG you can play in just a couple of short hours.
Bar the Windows, Bolt the Doors
Finally, one last horror movie RPG that plays with another great subgenre: cabin in the woods survival. In this GMless game, you play as outsiders who just want to have a nice little time in a remote cabin in the woods. But the nearby town happened to be home to a nefarious secret, and now? Now they are out to get you.
In this rules-light horror game, you’ll fight off cults and worse as you try and keep the monsters at bay. This game is a little more campy and gore-soaked than some of the other ones, but if you love that kind of horror, this is the game for you.
What are your favorite horror games?
