The Games of Horror!

main page: Game Recommendations

Games both natural and supernatural in theme, which have horror as the primary
theme. Our Mystery-list also contains games which might have horror themes, but are
more mystery-like or investigative in nature.

Call of Cthulhu
by Chaosium

The original lovecraftian horror game. Currently on its 7th edition, though it's
been remarkably consistent throughout all of its incarnations. Excellent system,
excellent theme, and an incredible wealth of published scenarios and material to
dig through all of which is usable in any edition.

The setting of Call of Cthulhu is a darker version of our world, based on H. P.

Lovecraft's observation (from his essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature) that
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the strongest kind of
fear is fear of the unknown." The original game, first published in 1981, uses
mechanics from Basic Role-Playing, and is set in the 1920s, the setting of many of
Lovecraft's stories. Additional settings were developed in the 1890s Cthulhu by
Gaslight supplement, a blend of occult and Holmesian mystery and mostly set in
England, and modern/1980s conspiracy with Cthulhu Now. More recent additions
include 1000 AD (Cthulhu: Dark Ages), 23rd century (Cthulhu Rising) and Ancient
Roman times (Cthulhu Invictus). The protagonists may also travel to places that are
not of this earth, represented in the Dreamlands (which can be accessed through
dreams as well as being physically connected to the earth), to other planets, or
into the voids of space.

Call of Cthulhu uses the Basic Role-Playing system used by other Chaosium games
(first seen in RuneQuest). For as long as they stay functionally healthy and sane,
characters grow and develop. Call of Cthulhu does not use levels, but is completely
skill-based, with player characters getting better with their skills by succeeding
at them. They do not, however, gain "hit points" and do not become significantly
harder to kill.

GUMSHOE
The GUMSHOE system is made for investigative RPGs, of which several are listed
here.

Also see the GUMSHOE games listed on our Mystery-page.

Trail of Cthulhu
by Kenneth Hite for Pelgrane Press

Trail of Cthulhu takes the classic Lovecraftian setting and play ethos of Call of
Cthulhu and transplants it into a modern system designed specifically for
investigative gameplay. Investigate terrifying mysteries from beyond time and
space! Confront truths so vast and incomprehensible that they will drive you mad!

Trail of Cthulhu is based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. It is set during the

historical 1930s of our own world, but with fictional characters and locations
(such as Professor Armitage and Arkham), and the menacing Cthulhu Mythos present in
the background. Horrid monsters lurk in dark and forgotten places, while fiendish
cults worship Great Old Ones and Outer Gods through blasphemous rituals. Ordinary
people that are drawn into and forced to confront this world of mystery and horror
risk not only their physical well-being, but their mental health as well.

The game supports two styles of play, though their elements are fully
interchangeable. The Purist style aims at intellectual horror and cosmic dread,
detailing ordinary people’s futile struggle against the Cthulhu Mythos. Death and
(more importantly) insanity are not only constant threats for purist characters,
they are almost inevitable. The Pulp style is intended for a more adventurous,
thrilling location style of play, where brave heroes battle the denizens of the
Cthulhu Mythos. Though danger is certainly present, pulp characters are more able
to survive the horrors they encounter.

Trail of Cthulhu is based on the GUMSHOE engine. GUMSHOE is a modern system

designed specifically for investigative play. In GUMSHOE, a game will never stall
because someone missed a roll to gain a clue. Players with the right abilities in
the right place will always get the required clue. They may have to ask the right
question or describe the right kind of action, but they won't just get stuck
because of a bad die roll. This is based on the idea that getting the clue is never
the exciting part. The interesting bits come from what players do with it. Do they
draw the right conclusion? Do they see how it fits into the larger mystery?

Cthulhu Confidential
Cthulhu Confidential brings GUMSHOE-powered gaming against Lovecraftian horrors to
the 2 player space with GUMSHOE One-on-One, the GUMSHOE-derived system for a single
PC and a GM.

Fear Itself
by Robin D. Laws and Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

Fear Itself 2nd Edition plunges ordinary people into a disturbing contemporary
world of madness and violence —and inexorably draws them into confrontation with
creatures of the Outer Dark, a realm of alien menace. GMs can re-create all the
shudders and shocks of the horror genre at their table, whether they use the game’s
distinctive mythology or one of their own choosing.

Powered by the GUMSHOE investigative roleplaying system, Fear Itself 2nd Edition is
ideal for one-shot horror games (where few, if any, of the protagonists are
expected to survive), or ongoing campaigns in which the characters gradually
discover more about the disturbing supernatural reality that hides in the shadows
of the ordinary world. Will they learn how to combat the darkness? Or spiral
tragically into insanity and death?

The Yellow King

Reality-altering horror.

The Esoterrorists 2nd Edition

You are elite investigators combating the plots of the Esoterrorists, a loose
affiliation of occult terrorists intent on tearing the fabric of the world.

World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness

World of Darkness are three related but distinct fictional universes created as
settings for supernatural horror story themed role-playing games. Here is a short
rundown of the two prominent ones.

World of Darkness (Old)

by White Wolf Publishing

The original World of Darkness line was created in 1991 with the release of
Vampire: The Masquerade. The World of Darkness resembles the contemporary world,
but it is darker, more devious and more conspiratorial. The dichotomy between rich
and poor, influential and weak, powerful and powerless, is much more pronounced
than in the real world. Decadence, cynicism and corruption are common. Humans are
unwitting victims or pawns of vast secret organizations of supernatural creatures.
Vampires, werewolves and wraiths—among others—struggle with internal factionalism
and against other species in secret wars of intrigue for control of reality. The
battles in these wars may last centuries, beyond the realization or comprehension
of ordinary humans. This status quo is recently threatened by the rise of a global
Technocratic cabal (and/or an animistic spirit of stasis and control) intent on
monopolizing the power of belief and destroying all traditional supernatural
societies. The mystical abilities of these non-human entities and their ability to
alter reality at will are restricted by the rise of reason and disbelief in the
supernatural and they are forced to rely on more mundane methods in their struggles
for supremacy.

The darkness of the setting is reflected everywhere: architecture is dominated by

Gothic styling and fashion and personal style embrace Goth, Punk and fetishistic
elements. The game uses both historical (Wild West, Dark Ages, and Victorian)
milieus as well as modern settings. Despite the fantasy elements, the game
emphasizes that any action has real world consequences, and abilities beyond what
is considered normal by mainstream society will draw unwanted attention and
potentially disastrous results.

Chronicles of Darkness
(New World of Darkness, re-branded): by Onyx Path Publishing

The Chronicles of Darkness rules are much more streamlined than the previous
system. One 10-sided die is rolled for any 'dot' possessed in Attributes and
Skills, and 1 success is achieved for every die showing a result of 8 or higher.
The rules have improved compatibility between games; all characters are created as
normal humans and thus have the same basic traits. Supernatural traits still vary
for each character type, but their interactions with each other are governed
largely by a single, simple mechanic.

When you steal an item off an NPC in most games you just look at your background or
alignment and just shrug. In CofD you go through a Breaking Point. You roll based
on extenuating circumstances (it fits your background, you can personally
rationalize it) and if you fail you gain a mild derangement you must overcome in
game, until you do you have a slight die penalty. If you succeed, you have a
different set of even more mild derangements to pick from with their own
conditions. When you complete them you gain experience points, encouraging better
and more role playing as you slowly whittle down your own morality.

Besides that, it checks all of the normal, horror/suspense check boxes for any
modern game. Ghosts, vampires, unspecified creatures that are still going bump in
the night. But the Breaking Points and Integrity is what truly separates it from
the other games and what makes it sing.

Novel mechanics
Dread
by Epidiah Ravachol

Dread is the one that uses a Jenga tower. Dread has no fixed setting - instead you
can use it for any horror setting where it is expected that most of the characters
will not survive through the session.

The GM uses questionnaires to help you build characters placed into some sort of
horror/survival scenario. Writing the questions right takes a bit of a knack, like
asking 'loaded questions' on the fly.

Every time you try to do something where failure could doom you, you pull one or
more blocks from the tower. When it falls, you die before the scene is done. It's
arguably the best pairing of mechanics and theme and straight up simplicity in the
entirety of RPGing.

You're pressed against the counter, trying to slow your gasping breaths while the
Hook Hand killer stalks the kitchen. He moves away from the swinging door and you
make a break for it.

You don't check your DEX or Speed or count up tokens, you try to stop your own hand
from shaking long enough to pull three blocks while the stack sways just a bit...

Ten Candles
by Stephen Dewey

Ten Candles is a zero-prep tabletop storytelling game designed for one-shot 2-4
hour sessions of tragic horror. It was released in December 2015 and is best played
with one GM and 3-5 players. It is played by the light of ten tea light candles
which provide atmosphere, act as a countdown timer for the game, and allow you to
literally burn your character sheet away as you play. Ten Candles is described as a
"tragic horror" game rather than survival horror for one main reason: in Ten
Candles there are no survivors. In the final scene of the game, when only one
candle remains, all of the characters will die. In this, Ten Candles is not a game
about "winning" or beating the monsters. Instead, it is a game about what happens
in the dark, and about those who try to survive within it. It is a game about being
pushed to the brink of madness and despair, searching for hope in a hopeless world,
and trying to do something meaningful with your final few hours left.

The setting of Ten Candles will change game to game as the gamemaster selects
different "modules" to run for an ever-changing lineup of doomed characters and
scenarios for them to play within. The antagonists of the game also change, leaving
you to fight nightmares in one session only to fight sentient shadows, bloodthirsty
clowns, or the gods themselves in the next. Every session of Ten Candles is unique
and will present an entirely new tragic story for you to tell.

These things are true: the world is dark, and you are alive.

GRIN
By Arcana Games

A one shot RPG system where players draw cards rather than roll dice. Optional
rules for using candles while playing are also available.

Puppetland
By John Tynes

A diceless storytelling game where players portray puppets who live in a puppet
theater ruled by the evil Mr. Punch. One of its novel mechanics is how out-of-
character discussions are not allowed. Instead players are required to have their
characters wonder what to do out loud when they get stuck. Expanded print editions
have been published by Hogshead Press and Arc Dream Publishing.

The Hallowed Walk

By brindlewise

The Hallowed Walk uses the act of talking a walk to tell a story rather than
rolling dice. Players start with only a character name, title, and the knowledge
that they are to perform a ritual. They then flesh out these details over the
course of their walk and encorporate aspects of the landscape around them into the
storyline. The game concludes when the characters reach the point in the story when
the ritual would be completed and they make the journey back. No ritual actually
has to be performed and the players get to decide if it was successful or not.
Uncategorized
Any games that does have doesn't share lots of characteristics with other horror
games listed here.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten

- Apocalyptic (the apocalypse is happening now), Survival Horror -

by Eden Studios

All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a roleplaying game set in a world of survival horror. A
world where the dead have come back from their graves.

You have no clue as to why they have returned...

but one thing is certain...

They crave living flesh!

There's more to a zombie than just a walking corpse. While its busy busting down
your front door and scooping out your sister's brains you might not have time to
think about that, but later, when you pause to reflect in the basement, hoping that
door doesn't give way and wondering how much food you have down here, you might
want to consider just where these damn dead guys came from. After all, the dead
don't rise up and start consuming the flesh of the living for no reason at all.
Behind every good zombie story there's a good (or at least amusing) back story.

In All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the setting is not set. You will be presented with a
dozen diffrent campaign settings to start your survival horror campaign. Modern
day, post-apocalyptic, and even a setting set during World War II. Each setting
details the reasons why the dead walk and how to kill them (if they can be).

All roleplaying games have at their hearts the "What if . . ?" question.

In All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the question is "What if you were faced with a world
gone to Hell, where ravenous undead sought living prey?"

What if you had to fight for survival, sometimes against former friends and loved
ones?

Would you be curious to find out the cause of the horror?

Would you delve into the heart of the zombie-infested areas to discover the truth?

Would you brave death to end the threat? What if there were no cause, no solution?

Would it be better to simply flee for safety to ensure the survival of the race?

All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a game that combines elements of horror (there are
walking dead in this world, and they feed on humans) with survival (characters have
the rely on their skills and abilities to live through the night) and conflict (the
characters may know the truth; what are they going to do about it?).

Annalise
by, Nathan D. Paoletta

Annalise is a no-prep, GMless table-top roleplaying game for 2-4 players. Each
player takes on the role of a protagonist in a Gothic horror story - a creature,
whether a literal or metaphorical Vampire - is the central pivot around which your
characters revolve, and the rules of the game guide you in discovering its' nature
and eventually confronting it. The game is designed for short-to-medium turn play
(3-6 session), but one-shot and convention play is facilitated by the included
Guided Play Scenarios.

The biggest thing that makes this game stand apart is that the rules of the game
create Gothic horror fiction, and they do it well. Throughout the game you create
and use things like motifs that really help to model the feeling of Gothic horror.
Recurring elements like shattered glass really add to the feeling of a cohesive
literary story, and they add to the overall ambience of creepiness. In addition,
every character has a dramatic secret that will almost inevitably be revealed at
the climax of the story as the Vampire slowly wears down the characters' sense of
self and connection to the outside world.

Don't Rest Your Head

by Fred Hicks

You can’t sleep. It started like that for all of us, back when we were garden
variety insomniacs. Maybe you had nightmares (God knows we all do now), or maybe
you just had problems that wouldn’t let you sleep. Hell, maybe you were just over-
caffeinated. But then something clicked.

That was when you took a long walk down the streets of the Mad City, stopped being
a Sleeper, and started being Awake. But that click you heard wasn’t from the secret
world snapping into place. It was the sound of the Nightmares flicking off the
safety and pointing a gun at your head.

They can smell you. The Paper Boys are closing in, and you’d better pray you don’t
become a headline. You’re chum in the water, my friend, and it’s time you got ready
for it… before the clock chimes thirteen again. Now that you’re one of us, there’s
just one simple rule left that must dominate your life.

Stay Awake. Don’t Rest Your Head.

Don’t Rest Your Head is a sleek, dangerous little game, where your players are all
insomniac protagonists with superpowers, fighting — and using — exhaustion and
madness to stay alive, and awake for just one more night, in a reality gone way
wrong called the Mad City. It features its own system, and is contained entirely
within one book.

Grimm
by Fantasy Flight Games

Grimm takes place in the Grimm Lands: a world separated from our own where fairy
tales are true. Sort of. Oh, the characters, places, and things are there, but the
whole place is just a bit… off. Sure, the Big Bad Wolf is still bad, but Little Bo
Peep may turn out to be much, much worse. And yet, the setting is much more
skillfully crafted than simply making fairy tales into nightmares. No, the entire
place has a sense of creepy whimsy as well that makes this one of the more
fascinating game worlds I've come across.

Imagine a place where humans seem to exist as caricatures and where talking animals
tend to be more sensible. It's a place filled with every sort of fairytale monster
and where inanimate objects -- up to and including the Sun and Moon -- don't tend
to stay inanimate. The World's Edge Mountains, for example, have every intention of
staying on the horizon and will scoot away from those who try to reach them.
more...

Haunts and Horrors

by B F Irving

Haunts and Horrors is a Gothic horror RPG that stresses the use of real world
folklore to create some truly creepy gaming sessions. Although there is nothing
inherently ground breaking about the percentile based system the game is designed
to be set in any historical period the GM and players wish. The magic system
revolves around selecting a magical tradition which not only limits what spells you
can and can't take but also effects how they are cast and has other effects upon
the practitioner.

Similarly the different types of Ghosts and Vampires and so on that appear in the
game are drawn fro real world folklore and don't have the fell of just being 'more
of the same' or padding. Each one is distinctly different to each other creature in
it's overall class.

All the current supplements are set in the Victorian period but other supplements
in other periods are planned and all come with some interesting research notes
relating to the time and place of their setting.

KULT: Divinity Lost

by Helmgast AB

KULT: Divinity Lost is a reboot of the highly acclaimed and infamous contemporary
horror role-playing game “Kult”, originally released a quarter of a century ago, in
1991. This anniversary version of the game features a completely new rule-set, and
the setting is updated to present day. Escape your nightmares, strike bargains with
demons, and try to stay alive in a world full of pain, torture, and death.

In KULT: Divinity Lost, the world around us is a lie. Mankind is trapped in an

Illusion. We do not see the great citadels of Metropolis towering over our highest
skyscrapers. We do not hear the screams from the cellar where hidden stairs take us
to Inferno. We do not smell the blood and burnt flesh from those sacrificed to long
forgotten Gods. But some of us see glimpses from beyond the veil. We have this
strange feeling that something is not right—the ramblings of a madman in the subway
seems to carry a hidden message, and our reclusive neighbor doesn’t appear to be
completely human. By slowly discovering the truth about our prison, our captors and
our hidden pasts, we can finally awaken from our induced sleep and take control of
our destiny.

Little Fears
by Jason L Blair

In this game, players take on the personae of children, aged 6 to 12, who are being
hunted by the minions of a place called Closetland. Closetland is ruled by the
Demagogue and his Seven Kings. Each King is the personification of one of the seven
deadly sins. The most well-known of the Kings is the Bogeyman, King of Greed. Other
creatures include the Closet Monster, the Monster Under The Bed, werewolves,
vampires, and much more.

The children are not entirely powerless: They have Belief, a special kind of magic
that can turn the impossible into the real. Through Belief, pictures of deceased
relatives can call forth their protective spirits while teddy bears can spring to
life to defend children. Belief also has disadvantages: Stepping on a crack really
can break your mother's back and mirrors really can capture souls.

Murderous Ghosts
by D. Vincent Baker

A two player choose-your-own-adventure/RPG hybrid that pits the GM against the

player. The game uses a novel push-your-luck black-jack style card mechanic that is
nominally modeled after the Apocalypse World engine. This really adds to the
tension the player feels as they try to escape their fate while being tormented by,
you guessed it, Murderous Ghosts. It has a lot of the same mechanical value of
Dread while being a bit more tightly focused around its core premise and a bit
easier to run with its choose-your-own-adventure style GM and player booklets.

Savage Worlds Horror Companion

by Pinnacle Entertainment

While not a setting in and of itself, the Savage Worlds Horror Companion provides
both technological and supernatural horror elements for Savage Worlds (including a
few pieces of suspiciously familiar equipment for detecting, seeing, ensnaring and
trapping ghosts).

Rules for creating all sorts of preternatural beasties - both for player characters
and non-player characters - are included.

The Horror Companion works quite well for a gaming group that may want guidance in
running a horror game, but still want the freedom to create their own setting.

Fudge Horror: Vampires

by Jennifer Lee

The name says it all!

Infected!
by Immersion Studios

This game takes place five years after a zombie apocalypse. Although basic
civilization exists, there is still much work to be done and zombies are still a
threat.

Survival of the Able

by Broken Ruler Games

People with disabilities vs. plague zombies in the Middle Ages. Originally
available as an ashcan edition from Accessible Games.

Zombiepocalypse
by Spalls Hurgenson

A zombie RPG is designed for quick and easy play. Character sheets can fit on an
index card and one shot adventures are recommended.

Ghostlight
by W. Doug Bolden

Navigate the afterlife with emotion-based abilities.