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Fear in board games

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Toombs79
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I was thinking about fear, the type of fear that a great horror film gives you. I haven't been able to find another board game that provides that type of fear without the use of an electronic device like a CD or DVD. I would love to design a game that incorporates fear like a horror movie does: shivers down the spine, tension, anticipation, being startled, and the flight aspect of running from the unknown.

What does the forum think about this, would fear in a game even be fun? What type of mechanics would help create fear?

hotsoup
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This might be what you are

This might be what you are looking for: http://www.shutupshow.com/post/12325502497/review-escape-from-the-aliens...

Also, at one point I was developing a coop game where players played astronauts trying to repair their ship before it crashes into the sun, while running out of fuel, oxygen, power, etc. I had one idea in which players had to actually hold their breaths when leaving an airlock, and could only breath again when they had finished all their tasks for that turn. Might have been taking it too far, though.

ThisIsMyBoomstick
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Uncertainty.

Fear is most often caused by uncertainty. One of the best films I can reference you to is John Carpenter's The Thing.

In that, the fear and suspense was always caused by the characters not knowing who was human and who was the Thing. This would be easy to implement in games where infections, body-snatching monsters, psychopaths, etc. are involved. It wouldn't be too hard to come up with proper mechanics. Always start the game with one player as the 'bad' thing, but make it illegal for players to reveal if they're good or not. This creates trust issues and tension between players, and if you heavily emphasize the need for teamwork to accomplish simple things for survival, you've suddenly got yourself a frightened and uncertain group of players.

Hope that helps!

hotsoup
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There's a number of games

There's a number of games with a secret Traitor player - Shadows over Camelot, The Resistance, Battlestar Galactica, etc. It would be really interesting to have a game like the movie The Thing, where the Traitor character moved from person to person. I'd play that.

Toombs79
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It's been so long since I've

It's been so long since I've watched the original Thing. I like the ideas you've written. A changing Traitor element is very intriguing, I think I need to think about this more. I don't want the game to be about people insisting they are the good guy and not the traitor. This really doesn't instill fear. I'm thinking more of a board game than a "party"-type game. I'm trying to think what the traitor would do each round, especially if the traitor role changes each round.

mibar01
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fear in game

Maybe taking the traitor mechanic - and having it applied each turn. There being a alien deck that is dealt out each round - then the villain would change each turn to a hidden player. The struggle would be having that player then being able to change their strategy without alerting suspicion.
For The Thing style idea there would have to be some other mechanic running that would allow the infected player to easily have goals as the alien without them doing something to alert suspicion. ie - casually reaching for the game manual or taking separate cards.
You could have event cards played each turn with two missions on them - one for the humans and one for the alien - that way they would be accessible for all.
A hidden vote or some other similar idea would defiantly get a nice level of suspicion and paranoia going - fear is a lot harder to do - as your players will not feel in jeopardy.

Corsaire
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A few games came to mind

A few games came to mind where I remember feeling fear amidst the play. Not the long running terror, you describe, but maybe they offer something.

One is Stratego, when you move an important piece like the two into the enemy territory when their one is still in play. Then they chase and you try to lead them to a spy, but realize you are going to pass one of their stationary pieces and maybe the one isn't chasing you and is instead waiting for you.

Another I can't remember the game, but the game ending card is shuffled into the last twenty or so cards of the deck. You can play for a longer bigger payout move or smaller safer moves, if you go long, then each time an event flips you clench a bit.

Bluffing games like poker are another time, at the moment the opponent can call your bluff. Diplomacy has some of those moments, too.

I'm not sure you can anticipate how those thrills are experienced, as people engage at different levels, it isn't consistently going to be fear.

JackBurton
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I think that having a

I think that having a overwhelming enemy force always present in game and players know that they are fighting against something not easy to strike (or unbeatable) could inspire a sort of fear (think about the ancients of Chtulhu: you cannot kill them with guns, ...).

Another mechanism which could bring some fear is time shortages: if players are running against time the actions will be more frenzied and if the life of their pawns are in danger, it could bring fear feelings.

Said this I think that the sound element is the most effective one.

Martin-r-m
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emotion

Hi,

the only game I know that realy gives emotion is Poker. The heartbeat, sweat and trembling and pure adrenalin makes this game so succesful.

Aerjen
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Different forms of fear

I feel that there are a lot of different forms that elicit some form of fear or tension. The overwhelming force that has been suggested seems like a good suggestion and I imagine it would lead players to feel sort of a constant dread. I kind of like the mounting tension that happens in horror flicks or the short bursts of fear. It feels like push your luck mechanics and bluffing are elements that might tie into it.

In my current game Pleasant Dreams I try to emulate sort of the rising dread that can happen when a dream slowly changes into a nightmare by having the deck (dream) that players play through slowly get infested by nightmare cards. Instead of the game doing this, it's actually something that happens due to the player's actions.

Having said this, I feel that there is also a difference between the game dictating what happens and the players playing an active role in it. Finally you might want to consider setting the difficulty level of your game. I personally feel more dread in difficult games than in easy ones.

That being said, good luck with your endeavors. I really like what you're going after!

lewpuls
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Nearly impossible

Fear, as opposed to other forms of tension, requires that the player has something to lose, something they value. In an old-school tabletop RPG that was the player's character, and the character's capabilities and assets. The referee's job in those games was to scare the player by threatening these valuables. In more modern tabletop RPGs there is very little threat that a player will actually lose much of anything - perhaps an influence from video RPGs?

RPGs are persistent games, players are afraid of losing what they've built up over a long time. What can you threaten in a game that lasts only an hour or three? There just isn't enough time and effort invested in what the player has, to enable you to make them afraid. The major fear is of losing, and that's not such a big deal in a 1-3 hour activity.

Some video games can play upon player's fears because the games last a lot longer (moer investment), or because the use of visuals and sound can more or less startle the player into being afraid (much as movies often do it).

So my take is that in boardgames it's nearly impossible to make players fearful.

Aerjen
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Unless...

Unless, you're interested in creating a game that spans over multiple sessions like Risk Legacy.

Shoe
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The only thing even close to

The only thing even close to fear I have ever felt playing board games is extreme suspense. It was during pandemic when you have an outbreak, any kind of growing dread mechanic like drawing cards that cause issues for the players and then get shuffled back to the top and will likely be coming up AGAIN. that's the best I've encountered.

Doing a traitor, I dont think really SCARES anyone, it just makes them suspicious of teammates and creates a little "screw your neighbor" here and there.

McTeddy
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I usually use "Permanent

I usually use "Permanent Loss" as my main horror mechanic. Start the game with full ammo, a full team etc. This leads to the opening of EVERY horror movie where everything is alright... we are safe and happy. We can win this game...

But as the game proceeds people will die, you spend ammo... and you'll NEVER get it back. Dead people stay dead, wasted ammunition is gone forever, surviving monsters continue to hunt. The entire game can only move in one direction... from bad to worse.

The player will be taken through the same steps as classic horror. They'll start in the safety that they understand... but things will spiral out of control. They aren't "Winning" the fight and gaining ground... they are simply delaying their inevitable death. The player starts in control, but tumbles into desperation. Nothing will ever get better... it only gets worse.

Obviously, this won't be a "fear for your life" emotion, but I've found this to be the best simulation on a tabletop.

munio
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some time ago i played the

some time ago i played the classic hobbit game that executed on this perfectly. But apart from that besides the occasional game of werewolf and resistance very rarely have i been truly afraid in a boardgame

Gizensha
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I'd probably go more for real

I'd probably go more for real world creeping dread, somehow, than the more sense based scares of other media. But I think a bigger barrier than that is getting the players to not think about the game in a purely mechanical framework. With board games - even those with themes I actively embrace (e.g. Mice and Mystics), I don't think I've found one that lets me forget about the mechanical space sufficiently to create strong emotional resonance. Without creating that sort of investment, I don't think you'll get a sense of fear no matter what you do (Unless the players are actually have some sort of stake - be it money (Poker) or a collectable component (Magic, Marbles, Pogs).

Granted, it's the creeping dread stuff in other media that stays scary after the film, or whatever's, over for me than the more sense based scares - and that doesn't just apply to cat scares either, so I'm not unbiased for that.

Aerjen wrote:
Unless, you're interested in creating a game that spans over multiple sessions like Risk Legacy.

I do admit I'm expecting, should he survive long enough that sort of sense of loss over my Dwarf character, Gimold, in a recently started Warhammer Quest campaign, though I think that's more enhanced tension than actual fear, and that might even apply to games with stakes.

Aerjen
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Fear or Tension

Just wanted to share a post from a (digital) designer on the difference between tension and fear: http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20111113/90599/The_Difference_Betwe...

hotsoup
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Space Hulk offers a great

Space Hulk offers a great deal of fear and suspense, in my opinion. The endless waves of genestealers scurrying down the halls towards you, the tight quarters, the limited ammo for some guns... It's amazing.

Mike Atencio
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Fear from a board game - suggestions

If you want to add fear you have to think in three dimensions. With a board game, that would be challenging because fear is a feeling and combined senses. How can you do that? Sound is the strongest thing that comes to mind. It sets the mood. Unless you're willing to create the mood using something like a movie, you're wasting your time as far as a board game is considered. Then again, what do you have to lose? But aren't games supposed to be fun for most ages? Kids wouldn't enjoy it very much if they were afraid or scared. It's just my two cents worth though and you know what they say about opinions...

radioactivemouse
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Fear in a board game can come

Fear in a board game can come in two different flavors: to YOU or to the CHARACTER.

From the answers on this thread, I see that people are trying to cause fear in the player themselves. Of course bluff mechanics, traitor, uncertainty are good elements, but I would venture to say that all people have different horror tolerances. Something will have to go beyond normal game mechanics (i.e. Ouija or Tarot Card readings) in order to achieve "true" horror in a player.

The last time I experienced "fear" was when I was playing Forbidden Island and I was afraid of revealing that next card...knowing that a "Waters Rise" card would end the game. Maybe you can take something from that story...

If you can make your game so that, at any one time, your game can end unexpectedly, you might be able to invoke some kind of fear. But that can make for a very un-fun experience early game.

But...if your game had characters you assume control of, you can use a game mechanic to give THEM the aforementioned fear elements and that can affect them in the game. In the recent X-Wing miniatures game, when you are damaged, you take a card, if it's critical, flip the card over which will reveal (at random) a particular additional effect. THAT effect can hinder/help the character the player is assuming the role of.

Hope this helps.

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