Telling a Horrific Tale This Halloween

https://x.com/sandyofcthulhu/status/1977534645597356300?s=46

Sandy Peterson is the designer of the popular Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) published by Chaosium Inc. Call of Cthulhu is a game of Lovecraftian or cosmic horror where the player characters are ordinary people facing down inhuman foes (and quite possibly their very-human followers). In addition to the physical dangers that these inhuman foes (and their followers) pose to the player characters, the player characters are often further endangered as the very knowledge of the existence of these inhuman entities threatens to shatter their sanity as they become aware of them and learn more about them.

In the X post pictured above (click on the link to view it on X), Mr. Peterson gives some solid advice for creating one’s own horror scenarios for one’s own roleplaying game table. But this advice isn’t just applicable to the TTRPG hobbyist. It isn’t bad advice for someone looking to write a horror poem, short story, novel, or screenplay or to tell a tale of horror around the campfire. It is entirely possible to find inspiration in both fiction and real life for your own spooky stories. Something to consider when you watch and/or listen to horror stories this Halloween season.