We’re back and we’re scaring ourselves. Sure, we do all the normal stuff like jumping at shadows, gasping at loud noises, and cowering under the bedclothes when thunderstorms shake our windows, but the really frightening stuff is inside us. Worse still is what that might make us do to each other. Maybe we can cut all the bad thoughts out if we could only find a sharp enough knife.







Main Topic: We Are the Horror







Most tabletop horror games revolve around the struggle between the player characters and one or more external antagonists. The concept of a “Big Bad Evil Guy” is at the heart of most of our gaming experiences. But what happens when we take all that away? How might games work when the horror comes from the interactions between the PCs? And what are some of the possible pitfalls of this approach?







Our Guest Host







We are delighted to welcome Ericka Skirpan back as our guest host for this episode! Ericka is a LARP creator, consultant, and facilitator. She writes extensively about LARPs at The Space Between Stories. Currently, Ericka is working with Mooney Bin Entertainment on LARPs such as “Conscience” and “Dresden Files 1923”.







You can find Ericka’s article “LARPing Made me a Stronger Person” in Scientific American. She has also written for 7th Sea, Vampire: The Requiem, and Changeling: The Dreaming.













Links







Things we mention in this episode include:









* Conflict and Secrets at the Gaming Table







* Psychological horror







* PVP







* D&D







* The Descent (2005)







* Alien (1979)







* Hot War







* Psycho (1960)







* “The Lord of Lies” by Atropos Games







* Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin







* Jack Parsons







* <a href="https://blasphemoustomes.