Setting Atmosphere for a Gothic / Horror Campaign


Advice

Silver Crusade

I need a little help with the best way to set the Atmosphere of a Gothic/Horror Campaign I am making for my Group, they enjoy pictures and Sounds, in order to make the atmosphere right for them.


Dimming the lights and lighting a few candles should be a good start. What kind of Gothic are we talking about though? Faux-Victorian? Modern? Medieval?


You might try the Syrinscape sound files. I used these (with a Bluetooth speaker out of sight behind the players) for Dragon's Demand and it was a lot of fun. They have haunted houses, abandoned lunatic asylums, that sort of thing. A fun product.


Things that can work well:

I would agree with VRMH, syrinscape is pretty good for sounds. I would add that previously, when I ran a Call of Cthulhu Canpaign set in the 1920s, I found a lot of 20s music out of copyright on the internet that added to the atmosphere.

I have always preferred to do Horror games sat in easy chairs rather than around a gaming table.

If you have handouts, take a little time about them, if you can fold messages properly and wax seal them.

One of the things that I fiound with Horror games is to try to keep it more in the story and more in character, try to keep the dice rolling to a minimum, and I would suggest if you can to do combat without miniatures as they can detract from the flow of the game.

Just a few ideas, obviously very much my experience and opinion. Hope these help.

Silver Crusade

There more gamers, they like a bit of atmosphere but I am hoping to change that a bit with this campaign, we play at our local game shop so candles and dimming lights is a no go, also it's Style like Gilmeas in WoW or early America style gothic mixed with medieval.

Silver Crusade

The Syrinscape Sound files are excellent, only problem is to get a lot of the good ones is there money.


One trick I've used to cultivate atmosphere in horror games (alongside what's already been suggested) is to surreptitiously keep the dice cold. If you can, get some dice that are made of something with more heat capacity than plastic (I have a few sets made of obsidian, hematite, and jade), and just keep the dice tray on top of a cold reservoir of some kind.

The tactile response of picking up a die that's noticeably lower than room or body temperature helps offset the "this is a game" factor of picking up dice.

Silver Crusade

That acutally sounds really cool, but it's a thing of everyone owns there own dice.


You set the tone in game by putting your PCs somewhere dark and stormy. The rest falls into place.

The Exchange

One of the keys to successful building tension is to keep the players uncertain. Uncertain about the monsters, the corridors, and the uncomfortable details.

Ask questions like, there is a dark dank mine shaft heading into darkness....in front of you is a puddle black as night so its depth is unknown. However it is only five feet wide. Who goes first? Who is going to step or try to jump over the puddle?

The players are thinking why is he bothering with a puddle. Its just a puddle. I'm going to step in it. No I'm going to jump over.

Never give exact information, always make it seem like there is more if the party can just figure it out.

Once they are unsettled - separate them.

cheers

Grand Lodge

I second this - I also suggest passing notes to the players or taking them aside to share information with them 1 on 1.

It will confuse them to no end, knowing that they are only getting part of the story. Add bonus rolls/points for RP of the new situation/information.

Confusion is good in small to moderate doses (too much and the players will throw up their hands in frustration).

Change the descriptions of the monsters, reskin them as necessary or give old monster desciptions but give the monsters a new power, extra hitpoints, DR etc so that the players never feel like they know what to expect with the monsters.

Background music to set the scene is good. I've found candles to be a bit iffy. Harder to read your character sheets and the ever present danger of someone spilling wax on the rug or knocking it over and possibly starting a fire.

The Exchange

I ran a Ravenloft game with candles a few years ago and I'd just managed to get the atmosphere where I wanted it it. All tense and them listening to my soft voice when my cat rubbed up against one of their legs in the dark....

Hilarious response from the player as he jumped out of his chair.

Cheers

Silver Crusade

Well Ravenloft is what inspired this campaign so I was looking back though some of the stuff in the books and the descriptions that they give you are amazing and helpful, I have spent my time finding images and sounds and so far it has been great fun to set-up, also what kind of restriction sould I give to my players, if I wanted them to be mercs for a Holy Order come to save a Country in despair, what would be good besides the basic no Necromancers/Antipaladins.

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