Thread by @jachilli

Horror trades on the unknown. We tend to fear, dread, or suffer anxiety over what we don’t know. For the horror player, this can be a thrill. But be aware that for many people, these negative emotions aren’t thrilling, and horror won’t be to their tastes.

That said, horror is frequently a difficult genre in which to set games, because of games’ interactivity. In non-interactive media, the pace is controlled by the writer/ director/ etc. In games, the pace is heavily influenced by players, through their actions.

As always, games require information communication so players can make informed decisions. So how do you give players enough information to make decisions while also maintaining the imbalanced information that supports the genre?

Level of detail is a key method. Any game of any genre can feel spare if missing crucial detail. Horror, though, needs enough information to convey mood and theme, enough detail to provoke response, but not enough detail to erode the tension.

You can approach horror in gore-soaked detail, but it’s often scarce detail that’s more effective in creating horror. Lack of information invites the mind to fill in the blanks, which in most cases ends up being more effective than exhaustive descriptions.

(This isn’t a demand of the genre, of course. You can play to revel in the violence and terror, but that sort of play isn’t great for long-term player need satisfaction. For many players, a weekly cavalcade of atrocity grows tedious quickly.)

(Also, remember that people who enjoy horror are a subset, and people who enjoy splatter are a subset of that subset, so like any good GM should, know your player group.)

Missing pieces of information can also serve as calls to action. If all we see when we enter a room is an overturned chair and a bloodstain on the floor, we want to discover who the victim was and what actually became of them.

“The door is locked and you hear whimpering inside.”
What’s behind the door? Who has the key and how do I get it? Why is the door locked?

There wouldn’t be much benefit to describing specific grue on the floor near the locked door, unless the grue itself is a clue. It could imply a bestial antagonist, a botched interrogation, or urgent desperate straits.

Overall, the assumption with most horror TTRPGs is that the protagonists are attempting to hold horror at bay or triumph over it. Despite its stage dressing, horror is aspirational, as it shows what the protagonists can overcome when circumstances demand it.

Also uncommon in TTRPGs but frequent in horror: Violence is rarely the solution. Even in cases where violence is a solution, it’s rarely optimal. Violence comes at a cost, even a multitude of costs. Whether the cost is mechanical (like Humanity) or narrative, consequences exist.