#horrorlinks

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (24/24). 12:00 AM

Horror Links 2016: Strange Aeons & Horror Adventures

Strange Aeons: “In Search of Sanity” & Horror Adventures

And here’s the last of 2016′s Horrorlinks!

I’m wrapping things up with two spooky projects I’m super proud to have been a part of, the debut volume of Adam Daigle’s Strange Aeons Adventure Path, “In Search of Sanity” and the Pathfinder RPG’s guide to terror, Horror Adventures!

While the latter is a guide to making your game creepier—and has a ton of my best advice on creating atmosphere in RPGs—the former pulls it all together. “In Search of Sanity” summary reads:

The Strange Aeons Adventure Path begins with "In Search of Sanity," a mind-shattering foray into horror where the heroes awaken within the walls of the eerie Briarstone Asylum, their minds wracked and memories missing. Working together to recover their missing time, they soon learn that their amnesia is but a symptom of a much greater cosmic menace. As they struggle to retain their sanity, the heroes must ally with other asylum residents and fight against the monstrosities that have taken over the building and plunged it into nightmare. Can the adventurers defeat the terror that stalks the halls and free themselves from their prison of madness?

The adventure was a blast to write and folks seem to dig it, especially the crew over at the Order of the Amber Dice who chronicled their extensive playthrough—and their creation of the MASSIVE map above (added one Wes for scale)—on the Paizo Blog and in their fantastic archive PDF here. I also managed to sneak in a few references to two of my other creepy Pathfinder works from earlier in the year, both Pathfinder Tales: Bloodbound and Hell’s Vengeance: The Hellfire Compact. If you’re a close reader, you might catch them both!

So, if you’re looking to really creep out your players—in a fun, responsible way—definitely take a look at Horror Adventures and the whole Strange Aeons Adventure Path!

And that’s it! Thanks for tagging along for this year’s 24 horrorlinks. 

Happy Halloween, everybody!!!

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (23/24). 11:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Apocrypha

Kickstarter (complete) & Lone Shark Games Site

Alright, here’s one of the games I’m looking forward to most right now, Lone Shark Game’s Apocrypha. You know the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game? How about that, but creepier and more roleplayie. 

Designer Mike Selkinker describes it as:

The Apocrypha Adventure Card Game is the next evolution of the gameplay from two games I helped create: the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game and Betrayal at House on the Hill. It can be run as a fully cooperative adventure card game solo or in a group, or a gamemaster can take over and expand it into a full-blown roleplaying game. It's designed by me and my teammates at Lone Shark Games, with card text by authors like Jerry Holkins, Kij Johnson, Kris Straub, and Patrick Rothfuss.

Set on the precipice of a modern day apocalypse, Apocrypha is an hour-long game that immerses 1 to 6 players in a conflict with the most dangerous entities in the universe. Players play "saints," characters who can see the monsters lurking in every alley and school lunch room. These characters grow through multiple sessions of gameplay, unlocking repressed memory fragments that expand their powers and capabilities. You get a character card around which you can display these fragments in a card sleeve page, and can change the arrangement of your brain from game to game.

It’s a fascinating concept and every bit of design and art I’ve seen from it has convinced me that it’s 100% up my alley. The Kickstarter’s over, but the game is being made and will be out early/mid next. So keep an eye on the Lone Shark website for a hardcore dose of spooky-times next year! 

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (22/24). 10:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Guillermo del Toro Exhibit at the LACMA

http://www.lacma.org/guillermo-del-toro#about-the-exhibition

There’s a phenomenal looking exhibit going on at the LA County Museum of Art right now focused on the work and creative process of Guillermo del Toro. Aside from having a ton of his notebooks and personal artifacts, the exhibit takes a pretty cool angle on their presentation.

Taking inspiration from del Toro’s extraordinary imagination, the exhibition reveals his creative process through his collection of paintings, drawings, maquettes, artifacts, and concept film art. Rather than a traditional chronology or filmography, the exhibition is organized thematically, beginning with visions of death and the afterlife; continuing through explorations of magic, occultism, horror, and monsters; and concluding with representations of innocence and redemption.

I’m not going to make it, but if you’re in the LA area before November 27th, make sure to check it out!

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (21/24). 9:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Life-sized Alien Egg

http://necaonline.com/2015/11/aliens-life-size-xenomorph-egg-replica-with-led-lights/

Hey, here’s that life-sized alien egg you needed. Brought to you by the good folks at NECA, it’s 36-inches tall and totally affordable at $450-ish!

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (20/24). 8:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Dracula Dossier by Pelgrane Press

http://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/the-dracula-dossier/

The multiple-award-winning Dracula Dossier is a horror gamer’s—and macabre archivist’s—dark dream! An incredible creation that’s like a game from another reality, Dracula Dossier is the brilliant design of Kenneth Hite and Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan for the Night’s Black Agents Roleplaying Game. To over simplify, it’s a dark, spy thriller fantasy set in a world where the novel Dracula really happened. In fact, the Dracula Unredacted supplement includes the entire text of the novel Dracula with annotations/unredactions that represent the work as a British secret service report. It’s incredible. 

The team was also beyond cool and invited me along to write a few monsters for the Director’s Handbook.

Overall, it’s a deep, fascinating world made for a game system overclocked to make you feel like Bond, Borne, or the spy of your choice. If you love vampires, espionage, deception, and worlds deep enough to make you start questioning what’s fact and what’s fiction, Dracula Dossier is absolutely for you!

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (19/24). 7:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Feeding Hannibal by Janice Poon

https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Hannibal-Connoisseurs-Janice-Poon/dp/1783297662

This one comes second hand from @jessicalprice. Feeding Hannibal is a cookbook by Janice Poon, the food stylist for the decadent series Hannibal. It’s described as...

A collection of easy-to-follow recipes inspired by the show... Each recipe is accompanied by fascinating insider’s anecdotes, delightful artwork and revealing behind-the-scenes photos of stars and crew on the set of Hannibal.

It’s also a dream for those of us who sit at the intersection of horror and foodie fandoms. The book is filled with recipes designed to be delicious, but that challenge the would-be diner with presentation and the question of, Does eating this make me a monster? Perfect for your most decadent Halloween dinner party!

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (18/24). 6:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Dead by Daylight

http://www.deadbydaylight.com/

A fantastic horror action game that’s both among the most startling and the most satisfying games I’ve ever played. Dead by Daylight is described as...

A an asymmetric survival horror video game where a group of survivors (typically four) must elude one player who is the killer in an enclosed area at night which will either be a secluded forest, an abandoned junkyard, a decrepit cornfield, a haunted asylum, or the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The survivors’ perspectives are third-person, while the killer’s perspective is first-person.

So, you get to play as a would-be survivor or one of five awesome serial killer/hunters. It’s horror hide-and-go-seek and it’s a total blast. 

Oh, and now Michael Meyers from the Halloween series is in it too! Which is amazing (and a ton of fun to play)!

I’ve been streaming Dead by Daylight. on and off—and make no claims at all about being good at it. Here’s a quick clip of exactly what I love about it: Killer Hubris: Dead by Daylight from Wes’s YouTube. 

It’s such a frickin’ roller coaster! 

[wesschneider]

Horror Links (17/24). 5:00 PM

Horror Links 2016: Monsterhearts 2

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/averyalder/monsterhearts-2

It’s a great day to launch a spooky Kickstarter! It’s an even better day to get on board the Monsterhearts train if you haven’t already. From the Kickstarter:

Monsterhearts 2 lets you and your friends create stories about sexy monsters, teenage angst, personal horror, and secret love triangles. You're all teenagers in a dark and stormy world, hiding the fact that you are secretly a monster. When you play, you explore the terror and confusion of having a body that is changing without your permission.  

This is a roleplaying game powered by the Apocalypse World engine. It draws inspiration from Twilight, True Blood, Buffy, Ginger Snaps, and The Craft.

Even if you’re into into the genre, the game’s fantastic! And I’ve gushed about the game’s system where your character can get “turned on” by other characters, allowing you to learn a bit about your character’s sexuality during play. There’s no “But I’m straight/I’m gay/I’m whatevs’” escape cards in this game and I absolutely love it!

The Kickstarter’s already fulfilled, so now’s your chance to get in on the gravy. The rich, spooooky, sexy gravy.