tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post2894149824538665240..comments2023-10-31T02:52:20.714-07:00Comments on The Failing Forward Blog: Setting the MoodAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04143802508898869979noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-25966531578418152682014-02-05T12:42:42.827-08:002014-02-05T12:42:42.827-08:00I support #1, #2 and #3, but strongly discourage r...I support #1, #2 and #3, but strongly discourage reading description. Better to describe things in ways that relate to the individual characters, rather than to present something that seems set in stone before the game started. Oberoten's suggestion for personal touches has worked very well for me. For #3 -- make sure you practice using your sound equipment ahead of time. It can be a mod and pace killer to stop the game while looking for a playlist or installing a plugin. Most of all: relax. You're going to be awesome. Chadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01609890401209451433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-84142651847009491062014-02-05T11:01:35.782-08:002014-02-05T11:01:35.782-08:00Horror is real tricky, especially in a tabletop ga...Horror is real tricky, especially in a tabletop game. It really depends on your players and how invested they're willing to get. The more people there are, the more likely the group is to break character or ruin the tension of a scene, especially if they aren't the focus of the scene. And all it takes is one random comment to completely break the tension. That said, I've found dim lighting and ambient music helps get people in the right frame of mind. Hopefully it won't be as much of an uphill battle as you think. That was a silly adventure but it's not indicative of the game as a whole.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126231700963595638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-49129709608947719932014-02-03T17:10:37.767-08:002014-02-03T17:10:37.767-08:00Sometimes I have found that having a Theme for a s...Sometimes I have found that having a Theme for a scene set in your mind at the least will help consistency. And good horror needs concistency. I agree on the "Minimize distractions", "Cards on the table" techniques. But most of all make sure to have some player buy-in. I have in the past gone to the extreme of setting the players a questionaire about their own deep horrors (and which of them I am allowed to use...)<br /><br />One player told me about how freaked out he was about his recent eye surgery (and gave me permission to use that for screwing up the tension) a room full of eyes hanging from strings and hooks certainly had him being rather on the tense side. Oberotenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730918683056156780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-52605307870109694492014-02-03T11:25:35.782-08:002014-02-03T11:25:35.782-08:00I like where you are going and as an owner of the ...I like where you are going and as an owner of the original release of "Masks" there was also a lot of hand outs and props. As for mood I've read such great ideas as low light and standing away from the group of players like a voice from beyond.Gregory Frederickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08636282141615430840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-67482467752314303982014-02-03T10:21:46.534-08:002014-02-03T10:21:46.534-08:00I like the "Cards on the Table" coupled ...I like the "Cards on the Table" coupled with "The Reading Technique" because it lets player know you are serious and to reinforce that you provide them with a lot of descriptive information that they would be force to pay attention to considering that there are obvious clues and cues in the text. I usually write out a good portion of encounter information to have something to go on but I leave out certain things like actually dialog and instead replace it with side notes describing what the NPC's or villains would say base on the course of conversation. Doing this gives each scene the structure I want but opens up several options for players to use skills as well as come up with their own dialog to engage the NPC's or villains.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14507332222302290286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121100433999663865.post-64307262564444667872014-02-03T10:02:27.271-08:002014-02-03T10:02:27.271-08:00I think the "Cards on the Table" and &qu...I think the "Cards on the Table" and "Undivided Attention" methods are the right way to go. Props and box text are helpful too, but if you get the buy-in from the players to play a serious game without distractions, that will go a long way. JonHookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00797334392720734767noreply@blogger.com