October is here and every year I make a point of celebrating. It's a pretty big month for me. Lots of birthdays in the family, my own included, as well as the whole Halloween thing. While I haven't gone Trick or Treating in ages, I do still kind of enjoy the particular flavor of this holiday. So much so in fact that my own version of celebrating October includes a month long marathon of horror movies to keep the spirit intact (no pun intended).
For those in the tabletop RPG hobby, I highly recommend letting this season flow into your gaming for at least a session or two. If you're in a campaign, maybe let it dip into a one-off session for some Halloween fun. If you're not in a campaign, then it's the perfect excuse for a one-shot! Really quick-like, here's a handful of ideas to get you started.
Zombies:While they may be getting a tad stale or over-saturated nowadays, zombie invasions can be an easy excuse to get together and throw dice and kill stuff.
Headless Horsemen: For fans of the Washington Irving tale, you have a pretty cool monster to throw out for one or several encounters. I'd recommend a few nights worth of terrorizing a town the PCs happen to be staying in. Or, if your group likes a little investigating, you might consider borrowing the plot from the Tim Burton film.
Scarecrows: Need some mooks that aren't your normal fare? There's a good entry for these in the Pathfinder SRD, if you're into d20 systems. Just imagine your PCs making their way through a field in the dark and mist only to find themselves ambushed by these things. How creepy can you get?
The Classics: Vampires, werewolves, and the like never truly go out of style. Into D&D? Now's a good time to run that Ravenloft adventure you've been pining for. Heck, if you're into pulp adventure, then why not go for a mummy? I liked the Brendan Fraser flick and it makes for a great scenario for Hollow Earth Expedition. Maybe try running the Lon Chaney Jr. Wolfman in Victoriana. The fishman still gets no love, however...
Call of Cthulu: Not much to say here. You'd be doing this kind of thing all year long anyways. Maybe your investigations lead you to a Halloween party or masquerade...
Indomitable Killing Machine: Maybe you're more interested in throwing in something akin to Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers? Something big and hard to kill and above all, relentless.
It came From Out of Left Field: You may even try to pull the unexpected and go for something a little more obscure. Any of the old black and white B-movies could be ported into whatever genre of game you're into. Flying saucers, 50 ft. Kobolds and even giant bunnies could work for a campy kind of horror if you just want a little bit of fun for an evening. Go crazy!
Flip the Perspective: You could also do a monsters-as-heroes run. I've done a campaign like that in HERO System. World of Darkness uses that often. Or for something a little more recent, my friend Ross's kickstarter is still going.
Just throwing out a few ideas. I'm always on the lookout for more if you feel inclined to comment below. And as always, Stay Classy!
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