Horror Board Game

Remember, it works in video games because you are immersed in the world. You've got a soundtrack, the camera is perfectly controlled, scripted to perfect timing, etc.

Sitting in a well-lit living room flipping through a book with "Dried blood" isn't likely to be scary. Remember, no one is going to try to read your rulebook in the dark for "atmosphere".

Uneven cards would directly interfere with the gameplay. They won't shuffle very well, after some plays you can identify cards from the back and so on.

Broken stuff without explanation will
1) Be reported as "Broken in transit"
2) Complained that the rules don't mention it
3) Cost extra to manufacture for NO reason.

= = =

Here's the good news... all these complaints aside, the core idea actually has some potential.

I remember a computer game from ages ago. It was billed as a "True Crime" that needed to be solved. The FBI was having trouble so they mass produced the evidence and shipped it out.

It came in a cheap CD case with photographs of the murder scene, documents and so on. This actually created an interesting atmosphere from the get-go.

= = =

The most important thing is that you NEED a solid game that people can play more than once. Video games are accepted as a single play, but board games aren't. People might buy a gimmicky bad game, but it'd still be a bad game.

You can easily fit in the horror story to the game. "My friend Sam Phillips dedicate his life to being a game designer. He finished this game only hours before taking his own life."

"Blood stain" inside the box, threatening messages can be seen in rule book in the right lighting and so on. A bunch of dice that the players can grab including one that usually comes up 1. A CD of occasional "Spooky Sounds" that the owner will put in another room that other players won't know about.

These can all fit together to create a good creepy atmosphere.

Just make sure that everything has a purpose and that the game itself is worth buying.

in games where i get a feeling of dread, it's when there's:

- a finite, nonrenewable resource (i.e. health points) that causes losing if you run out of them.

- a large amount of unpredictability / randomness.

- mechanics that nonetheless reward risktaking - for example, playing safe and doing nothing will only make one unprepared for the endgame.

- rising tension with the occasional "free pass" to make one hold onto a bit of hope.

- characters with some backstory. it's hard to imagine oneself as a wooden cube.

- creepy artwork.

Maybe that could fit better as or solo game.

Or maybe it can be a limited replay game like risk legacy.

As a matter of fact, I actually own an ouija board, and have used it a bit. (I can honestly say that it definitely works, and that is not so much a problem.)

However, if you mean that you don't think that a spirit controls the board, I would absolutely agree. Personally, I think that what makes the ouija board work is actually a combination of subconsciousness and muscle reflex. But I still think that regardless, it would be a interesting tool to use to create AI in a board game (which would be super creepy in a horror board game/roleplaying game especially.)

Now that I think about it, that might be the solution to creating super-realistic AI in many other board games that don't even have a horror aspect at all.

Either way, I definitely think that it's worth experimenting with!

There are few RPGs that do similar things. One is DeProfundis by Portal Publishing. It is created as something that the author dreamed of, as this sinister game exists in subconsciousness. The game itself asks you to blend fiction and reality.

The other that comes to mind is Lacuna Part I. It is full of typos and strange graphic design. Its main idea is also connected with subconsciousness.

Check them out, they are both fun games that can give you this element of dread.