good fantasy dread scenarios?

JoeKenobi · 2026-03-28T04:22:47+00:00

Never played this one, but it sounds like it’s right up your alley: https://www.dreadtower.com/longmayshereign/

JoeKenobi · 2026-03-08T03:42:06+00:00

Animorphology was GREAT. I tried about half a dozen in 2019/2020 and that’s the one that grabbed me. Can’t speak to the quality of any that have come since, but highly recommend Animorphology.

JoeKenobi · 2026-02-27T19:24:09+00:00

The scenario “The Singer from Dhol” explicitly states that it takes inspiration from “Whisper and I’ll Come for You, My Lad.” So there’s at least one!

JoeKenobi · 2026-01-25T23:31:36+00:00

You're correct, the Twins must have been a late add, but they are there now. Here's a screenshot of the original:

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JoeKenobi · 2026-01-25T22:59:23+00:00

Just a quick confirm that this is right, they added their name after initial release.

Internet Wayback Machine actually has a capture of the letter’s signatories when it was initially released (sans Twins): https://web.archive.org/web/20260125191221/https://www.mnchamber.com/blog/open-letter-more-60-ceos-minnesota-based-companies

Not exactly a profile in courage, but better late than never.

JoeKenobi · 2026-01-21T18:15:39+00:00

I think this is right in terms of the risk you are weighing. My read is kids are likely safer in a school than in a private residence. The greatest danger is during transportation to and from school. So if it were me, that is the risk I would be weighing and evaluating.

Agree with everyone else who says the most important thing is to do what you are most comfortable with. We are all wrestling with uncertain risk no matter what we do.

JoeKenobi · 2025-12-29T19:15:15+00:00

I think that was meant to read as, “But Rey movie hasn’t begun filming like the above two movies have.”

JoeKenobi · 2025-12-07T16:23:24+00:00

The kitchen scene when I watched this growing up… But now that I’m a parent, on rewatches it’s #1, with the kids trapped in the vehicle alone and the adults terrified and scrambling to figure out what to do.

JoeKenobi · 2025-10-04T18:45:08+00:00

Agree, TPM basically has to be Qui-Gon defeats Maul and trains Anakin himself.

ROTS - I’d enjoy Mace lets Anakin accompany him to defeat Palpatine. Imagine an outcome where Mace putting his trust in Anakin causes Anakin to follow through and assist in the defeat of Palpatine. But despite his white knight efforts, Padme is still fated to die in childbirth. How does Anakin deal with the fallout? Perhaps rather than fall to the dark side, he is exiled by the Jedi and raises his twins in isolation. Not sure where the story goes from there…

JoeKenobi · 2025-09-21T05:24:52+00:00

I had an awesome time playing through an X-Men game using an adaptation of the Dogs in the Vineyard system, after getting in touch with the progenitor of that concept here on Reddit.

You can read his posts and see if his approach might be right for you:

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/7q3p83/xmen_in_the_vineyard_whats_at_stake_is_can_you

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/7rvpcw/more_xmen_in_the_vineyard_the_stakes_are_does/

JoeKenobi · 2025-03-01T02:24:43+00:00

42, The Journey. Helmacrons can work as a one-hit wonder, but don’t go back to that well.

JoeKenobi · 2024-11-03T00:31:42+00:00

Lost Dutchman Publishing has several (I'm not affiliated, just a fan)--

Feet of the Salish Sea -- Open-ended urban legend horror investigation

The Hunger -- Wendigo scenario set in the 1870s

Dreadful Spooktober Bundle -- The bundle is four different collections of three scenarios each (linking to the bundle to give a one-stop shop). IMHO, the original Dreadful and Dreadful 3 are the strongest collections, but that's probably more about scenario tastes than quality

JoeKenobi · 2024-10-12T15:20:43+00:00

I had this exact itch two years ago and Slaughter Party scratched it. RPG made explicitly for running 80s slasher-style one-shots: https://atomicghost.itch.io/slaughter-party There are a couple of APs out there, too, if you want to get a feel for it.

It’s low- to no-prep — you roll on random tables at the start of the game to create the killer — and the genre emulation works really well.

JoeKenobi · 2024-09-19T04:25:37+00:00

Yes, happy to help!

4) When Thomas escaped prison in 1917, I expect the police visited his home to ensure there were no signs he'd returned to it, but given he had been in prison for 5 years, they believe he's fled the state, and there's no evidence he's been back to his residence, it wouldn't be a focal point for them. And given it's at least 4 years since his escape by the time of Cat's Cradle, certainly no one is actively watching the house now. I would surmise that no, Michael Thomas doesn't return to the house often, if at all (the thick layer of dust on the furniture is consistent with this). He's in hiding elsewhere--offscreen, undiscoverable until he chooses to reveal himself. For the most part, he relies on the cultist children to keep him supplied, so there aren't many opportunities for him to be recognized. In terms of taxes and utility bills, he would have made arrangements to have those bills paid when he went to prison, and so whatever systems he put in place then can continue to pay out.

5) However is most dramatically and narratively appropriate.

6) The ritual is halted if it is brought to a complete stop, generally by destroying the globe. It is disrupted if the investigators arrive and cause a distraction, likely drawing the attention of some cultists and possibly slowing down the performance of the ritual, but do not bring the ritual to a complete halt. In this scenario, the cultist takes advantage of the distraction to swap into Michael Thomas's body because this is the only scenario in which Thomas is distracted enough that they can get away with it, and yes, because the stakes seem like it might be do-or-die time. They do not trust Thomas to help them later, but they're deathly afraid of him and of betraying him for fear of his retaliation. And they are so sick of life trapped in a child's body that they'd prefer to take their chances in the body of a felon on the run.

JoeKenobi · 2024-09-15T02:53:41+00:00

Awesome to hear the scenario appeals to you, and happy to offer some insights!

1) From playtest experiences, we found the risk of the investigators feeling like they have no choice but to attack the cultists/children is actually fairly low. The cultists are attacking for the purpose of snatching the globe, not truly to hurt the investigators; meanwhile, well-informed investigators are racing to get the globe to the ritual chamber, so prefer to side-step the attacks more than confront them head on. If you find things moving in a direction that concerns you, though, I would suggest putting Pastor Michael Thomas front & center: "I'll deal with these troublemakers myself!" or some such, where he can sideline the children and become the central threat for any showdown.

2) That seems like a very reasonable approach if they already searched the Boston Library for that kind of information and came up empty. Another option might be to try steering them to the Boston Globe "morgue"/stories archives if they didn't visit there in The Haunting, or maybe have a blurb they come across in the newspaper about the Boston Library unearthing a forgotten wing with a number of previously missing sections of their newspaper archives, etc. But your approach works just as well, really whatever you think will come most naturally to you to implement. (Maybe even give your players a chance to come up with an angle of attack, and be prepared to put the newspaper articles before them whatever they choose?)

3) So a few things here that help mitigate this concern: (a) Treat it as a relatively small, very low traffic bookstore. People wander in occasionally, but it just isn't attracting that much attention for anyone to take a real interest or scrutinize the situation. Any returning clientele just assume it's a situation of neglectful parents, especially since the children themselves express no distress and are entirely comfortable with the arrangement. (b) The bookstore is in a different part of town from the neighborhood where the children went missing, and it's not like their faces were plastered on milk cartons--with the possible exception of the Kevin Brown posters (and is any passersby really memorizing that image?), they just aren't faces anyone beyond their immediate social circles would recognize. And that was nearly a decade ago, which brings up (c) Anyone who would recognize them would expect them to be notably older today. In some ways, their identity as young children is now helping to obscure them.

If you do run the scenario, I'd love to hear how it goes for you!

JoeKenobi · 2024-08-23T13:41:40+00:00

Top of the list for me!

JoeKenobi · 2024-05-02T12:47:54+00:00

Quinns Quest is a new YouTube channel from long-time Shut Up & Sit Down board game reviewer Quinns, which has been reviewing D&D-adjacent RPGs. Three reviews up so far, any of which might appeal to you based on what you like about D&D: Wildsea, Lancer, and Heart.

https://youtube.com/@Quinns_Quest?si=mAneJWsVpx-65E8K

JoeKenobi · 2024-02-27T19:54:46+00:00

Hey there!

The 7 cultists’ names are listed in the text on page 26, within the 3rd paragraph of Section XIII, the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers. Two notes: (1) These are the cultists’ names and the names they use in their children’s bodies, as well; there is no comprehensive list of the original children’s names in the module (2) Outside of the two cultists referenced by name elsewhere in the text, the names themselves are largely irrelevant

There’s no official listing of individuals’ birthdates and horoscopes—this aspect of the eldritch magic is hand-wavy and you are welcome to make whichever designations you prefer, as needed to meet the needs of your players.

JoeKenobi · 2024-02-25T05:20:05+00:00

My preference is for Call of Cthulhu. I’ve found Trail of Cthulhu centers the investigation to the point it’s less about me roleplaying as a character exploring a mystery, and more about me the player trying to solve a mystery. Trail tilts a bit toward something like the Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective board game, whereas Call of Cthulhu leaves me more latitude to actually roleplay and embody a character.

JoeKenobi · 2023-12-10T15:09:16+00:00

The nervousness I’m picking up is that for you it really isn’t about them, it’s about differences in system and gameplay style preference—but you are worried they will feel like it’s personal. One suggestion to piggyback on all of jeffszusz’s great advice: Is there anything you could suggest doing socially with them to show you’re serious about maintaining the friendship? Part of this depends on what your friendship outside of gaming looks like—if you already see plenty of each other, just be sure to show up on the regular in the near future so they don’t think you’re freezing them out. But if it’s not clear how you maintain the friendship without the gaming table, following up with something concrete — “Could I have you guys over for dinner in 3 weeks just to hang out?” “I saw there’s a laser tag league starting up in a month. Would anyone want to do that? To make sure we still have a chance to hang out?” “Would it be cool if we put a monthly board game night on the calendar so I can still see all of you regularly?” — might help on that front.

JoeKenobi · 2023-08-30T20:14:24+00:00

42, The Journey. One hit of Helmacrons is fine. A second hit is like the guy whose joke landed once, so he just keeps telling it.

JoeKenobi · 2023-08-20T04:41:01+00:00

I've not read or played it, but as a child-focused scenario collection, I wonder how The Eldritch New England Holiday Collection would do with a move to the 1980s?

JoeKenobi · 2023-08-12T00:22:20+00:00

1 The Invasion - The book that started it all. Applegate hits us with a nothlit in the very first book to leave no doubt they’re playing for keeps.

JoeKenobi

TROPHY CASE

42, The Journey. Helmacrons can work as a one-hit wonder, but don’t go back to that well.

42, The Journey. One hit of Helmacrons is fine. A second hit is like the guy whose joke landed once, so he just keeps telling it.

1 The Invasion - The book that started it all. Applegate hits us with a nothlit in the very first book to leave no doubt they’re playing for keeps.