Sample File a Letter from Captain Gothnog Dragonheart Greetings My Fellow Adventurers
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Issue #3 October 2013 Sample file A Letter from Captain Gothnog Dragonheart Greetings my fellow adventurers. As soon as we decided to have “unspeakable horror” as the theme for the October issue, we figured that it would be a very popular one for submissions, and we have not been disappointed. I have always loved tales of horror. Even as a very young boy I was drawn to stories of ghosts and monsters. When my mother would put me to bed at night, rather than requesting one of the popular fairy tales most children preferred, I would ask her to read Alfred Hitchcock’s “Haunted Houseful” and “Ghostly Gallery.” I remember that I would barge into my grandmother’s room all too early in the morning so that we could read “Monsters of Filmland” As I grew older and learned to read on my own, I discovered the classic works of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker and eventually Stephen King. At the age of ten I built my own cemetery in the back yard... and it wasn’t even Halloween. Of course when Halloween finally did arrive, I went all out. Our basement became a haunted house and the front yard the site of some grisly murder. While my friendsSample went outfile trick-or-treating as Disney characters, I was a zombie, a mummy or a vampire. So to say that I have been immersed in horror for my entire life would not be an exaggeration. Role playing games offer us the unique opportunity to immerse us in the horror story. Now, rather than just reading about a character, we become the character. We are active participants, and through our imaginations, we can enjoy the thrill of terror that we experienced as children. Sincerely, l t Alexaka Captain GuiGothnoglo Dragonheartte Editor-in-Chief, Theater of the Mind Magazine 2 Contents 2 Letter from Captain Gothnog 3 Credits and Contents 5 The Hungry Dead Issue #3 • October 2013 by Ander Wood 6 Random Map: Bal-Ahmoor Editor-in-chief Writers by Brian Gregory Alex Guillotte Kerowyn Guillotte 9 Creature Feature Margot Medek 10 Sustaining Horror Editors Michael Foster by Runeslinger Carl Salminen Rubin M. 13 The Mechanics of Terror Katrina Ray-Saulis by David Ducker Kerowyn Guillotte Publishers 14 Story: Nyarlathotep Matt Click Alex Guillotte by H.P. Lovecraft Kerowyn Guillotte 15 Description Writers by H.P. Lovecraft Abraham Merritt Art Director 16 From the Fringe: Alex Guillotte Alex Guillotte Review: The Sense of the Sleight-of-Hand-Man Ander Wood by Anthony Boyd Anthony Boyd Artists/Photographers 18 From the Fringe: Review: Midnight Syndicate: Monsters of Legend Brenda Sullivan Alex Guillotte by Brian M. Sammons Brian Gregory Runeslinger 19 Appropriate Muse Brian M. Sammons Tim Harper The Horror, The Horror David Ducker by Brian M. Sammons Forrest Bugay Creative Advisors 23 Story: Father Figure H.P. Lovecraft Ander SampleWood file by Jeffrey Thomas and Alex Guillotte Jeffery Thomas Carl Salminen 28 Story: Tale of the Blue Dragon by Kerowyn Guillotte 30 Gothnog’s Magnificent Cantrips by Alex Guillotte 31 Small Beginnings: Too Scary? by Alex Guillotte 33 Farewell to Arms by Margot Medek 34 Bones & Silence by Brenda Sullivan 36 Baptism of Believers by Anthony “Runeslinger” Boyd 42 Story: Fey Wine by R. Ander Wood 45 Horror by Forrest Bugay 47 The Fungal Menace by Rubin Marshak 49 Story: The People of the Pit by Abraham Merritt 56 About the Publishers 3 Sample file Additionally, instead of brains, you could easily substitute another organ for their craving. A zombie that eats kidneys, livers, or eyes could be jarring enough that the players are more easily able to transport themselves into the terror of the scene. Though zombies can be funny, when they are used to terrify, they make perfect vehicles with only the slightest of changes. It is also possible to take the standard cannibal zombie and upgrade them to normal or super-human intellect. Imagine a zombie that functions more like Hannibal Lecter. How horrific would it be to play a character that instead of being quickly eaten, slowly has their brain devoured after enduring multiple vivisections? Think about it. Make changes. And keep the monsters out of sight as long as you can. When they appear make them as horrific as you can. This will keep your Illustration by Sébastien Allard players saying, “I love how you did that monster. That is how they should be.” That is the mark of making horror. Make THE HUNGRY DEAD horror with the hungry dead. by “Your Main Man” Ander Wood There are two kinds of undead, those coming. This is most easy to do when that require fuel and those that do not. It is they think they will be getting one thing this weakness that makes these creatures and you give them another. In classical both ‘human’ and ‘monster.’ After all, mythology, vampires ate souls, life force, each of us understands the need to satisfy sexual essence, dreams, or gave people hunger. The satisfaction of need and nightmares. Any of these, or any other the indulgence of lust or gluttony are part of the body, mind, or soul, could be quintessentially human. And like us, the substitutedSample for blood. How file much more hungry dead take what they need from horrifying is it to battle a vampire that eats other humans. This is why we love them. your shadow? What if you start to fade They are us. That is, at least the reflection from reality as it disappears? of our darker selves. Mythology, books, television shows, The most common examples of the video games, and movies have provided hungry dead are vampires and zombies. many types of zombies. The best known In literature and cinema, a vampires’ lust type of zombie, for good reason, is the for blood is renowned, while in mythology cannibal. Slow moving, glassy eyed, the vampire is a bit less uniform. It and eternally hungry, these monsters is Bram Stoker’s archetype that often are classic. Though individually easy informs the gaming medium. Consider to kill, in mass they are terrifying. The taking inspiration for your next vampire fact that they do not need to sleep and from a different starting point. Many appear like the dead when not moving, myths offer examples that might make for allows them to accidently hide. This an interesting change, such as basing your gives them a major bonus to surprise vampire on the asanbosam, baobhan sith, those that stumble upon them. chupacabra, jenglot, lamia, mandurugo, Though they are known by the catch mara, nachzehrer, nocnitsa, penanggalan, phrase, “Brains,” it is easy to change this. strigoi, succubus, vetala, or vrykolakes. Though there are non-hungry versions of Any of these, and a large number of other zombies, these are often uninteresting. Ander Wood is a video blogger and game designer examples, present other types of vampires Making a zombie that craves blood (like with over 20 years experience in role playing. He that will keep your players off balance. a vampire) instead of flesh but retains is currently publishing an innovative role playing game called Within the Ring of Fire. A major key to horror is making their mindless status creates an interesting sure your players do not know what is difference. http://www.youtube.com/user/woodwwad 5.