20. FAVORITE HORROR RPG...
Pacesetter Chill (First Edition) / Cryptworld
Pacesetter Chill (First Edition) / Cryptworld
Timemaster was my first Pacesetter RPG. Once my group got the hang of the Action Table, we fell in love with the simplicity of the system. Wanting to cut our teeth on some horror gaming, it was only natural that we picked up and began playing Chill.
Chill's theme struck an immediate chord with my group. Rather than fighting creatures we were never going to defeat (Call of Cthulhu) or becoming the monsters ourselves (Nightlife), Chill put the players in the roles of monster hunters who might actually be able to WIN versus The Unknown. Chill's THINGS were also familiar horror tropes -- vampires, werewolves, mummies -- rather than undefinable Lovecraftian horrors, which was great for my non-Lovecraft-reading friends. For years, our brave team of secret SAVE members fought back the evil encroaching upon the living world.
When Chill 2e by Mayfair came along, I never really got into it. I think primarily it's because the Action Table was abandoned (sacrilege!), but also that the feel and theme of the game moved away from the "movie monster horror" genre I so dearly loved. So I stuck with classic Chill 1e, collecting all of Pacesetter's products and modules, and running games at conventions over the years to keep the classic horror flame alive.
Nowadays, those players who love the Chill RPG -- either 1e or 2e -- have even MORE horrific gaming choices. There's a new third edition of Chill that picked up where the Mayfair edition left off. And, of course, Pacesetter Action Table horror gaming has been revitalized by Goblinoid Games with the release of Cryptworld -- a game I'm proud to have had a hand in.
Chill's theme struck an immediate chord with my group. Rather than fighting creatures we were never going to defeat (Call of Cthulhu) or becoming the monsters ourselves (Nightlife), Chill put the players in the roles of monster hunters who might actually be able to WIN versus The Unknown. Chill's THINGS were also familiar horror tropes -- vampires, werewolves, mummies -- rather than undefinable Lovecraftian horrors, which was great for my non-Lovecraft-reading friends. For years, our brave team of secret SAVE members fought back the evil encroaching upon the living world.
When Chill 2e by Mayfair came along, I never really got into it. I think primarily it's because the Action Table was abandoned (sacrilege!), but also that the feel and theme of the game moved away from the "movie monster horror" genre I so dearly loved. So I stuck with classic Chill 1e, collecting all of Pacesetter's products and modules, and running games at conventions over the years to keep the classic horror flame alive.
Nowadays, those players who love the Chill RPG -- either 1e or 2e -- have even MORE horrific gaming choices. There's a new third edition of Chill that picked up where the Mayfair edition left off. And, of course, Pacesetter Action Table horror gaming has been revitalized by Goblinoid Games with the release of Cryptworld -- a game I'm proud to have had a hand in.
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What a very good choice! It is in my top 5 to be sure.
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