In this panel, Stella Joy (Rimbound Transmissions for Mothership), Logan Dean (The Company), Sean McCoy (Mothership), and Goblin Archives (Liminal Horror) discuss how architecture can play a pivotal part in horror (especially in ttrpgs).
There is also an accompanying thread that annotates the different references throughout the talk (it includes visuals, links, and timestamps).
In true Goblin Archivist fashion needed to annotate the talk.
I kept from going too granular and instead compiled easy linked references to the things we mention.
Appendix T: Measurements of time are often abstracted in games, sometimes to the point of not being explicitly mentioned in the text.
With investigation/mystery style games, it can be important for the players to have time between events.
The PCs sit in the diner, drinking what has seemed like the same cup of coffee for the past week. It’s gone as cold as the trail. Progress had stagnated.
Sometimes the problems need time to gestate and grow.
Giving a larger scale of time can help prevent a mad dash of events. Variation in timescale is important, and not every sequence of events needs to be crammed into a single in-game night. Sometimes the evil needs to fester, and filling the spaces in between events of normality can make the horror hit even harder.
In order to do this, integrating explicit procedures can help scale the action in a way that supports progression.
Phases & Actions
Create distinct phases of time: Morning / Afternoon / Night
Actions: Have the number of actions the characters take limited to 1-2 per phase. This keeps the procedure manageable by generalizing the length of time for actions.
Reinforcing through in-world cues: Leverage narrating daily rituals to help frame the movement of time (focusing on what the characters eat for their meals, etc).
Timeframes: This structure allows you to influence encounters based on what phase of time it is.
Zooming Out
Zooming out from the immediate action and moving through time (days, even weeks) can help give space for the story to progress. Not every moment of the PCs lives need to be played out at the table.
This also helps you focus on the normality of the world around the characters (provides a foil for the horrifyingly weird to juxtapose with).
Downtime: Depending on the measurement of time you fast forward, have each player give details about what they did over during that time (go to work, visit friends, try to heal, etc).
Clues: During these sequences the Facilitator has the opportunity to make seeds planted earlier in the session come to fruition (a contact reaches out, a puzzle piece final clicks into place, etc)
DOOM Clocks & Factions
DOOM: Adding specific time scales to the DOOM clock is another means of establish scale of time for the narrative. Extending the timeframe between steps of the DOOM clock can help trigger moments where you would zoom out between major events.
Factions: Using a larger time scale can mean that different variables in play, especially faction drives, have the space to interact and ripple through the world.
Further Reading
Calendars, Not Just Maps by Prismatic Wasteland is a fantastic blog entry about how to use time as a major factor in an adventure (and sums up why I structure the DOOM clock as a timeline).
Fear of a Black Dragon: Convergence by Jason Cordova and Tom (procupinerpg) inspired this Appendix entry with their conversation around timelines, breaking into phases, and sitting in coffee shops with nary a lead in sight.
The possibilities are endless, ever fracturing from this point into infinite iterations.
These beings are physical manifestations of other realities, where divergent decisions create warped versions of the PCs.
The cause of these incursions is unclear, but these ghosts of another present have been given flesh.
Can you kill a being that looks and thinks like you?
Drives: Each “ghost’s” drive is unique to their circumstance (and lived experiences). The closer they are to the PC’s reality, the easier it is to understand each other.
Critical Damage: Seeing the “ghost” take critical damage causes 1-2 Stress to the PC. Causing that damage themselves causes 1d6 Stress.
Stats:
Use the PC’s ability scores as a baseline, and adjust using the Creating Monsters framework (website) (LH p. 25)
Appendix F: A funnel is often an intro game mode where each player has control of multiple PCs who are often fresh, inexperienced, and squishier then regular Liminal Horror characters. A common aspect of funnels is the spectacular and memorable ways PCs meet their grim ends.
Critical Damage - Death (and dismemberment) in the Funnel
Rule Change: When Funnel PCs take Critical Damage (when damage hits their STR and they fail the resulting save) they die. This is different than the Core rules for Liminal Horror where they are incapacitated.
Death: When a character dies in a Liminal Horror Funnel it should be graphic, big, and memorable. Use the narrative, monster abilities/drives to inform what happens to the DOOMEDPC.
Some examples are: loss of limb, split in two (or more) pieces, exploding, melting, combusting, eaten, ripped, sliced, mauled, crushed, de-fleshed, etc.
Critical Stress - Becoming Weird in the Funnel
Rule Change: When Funnel PCs take Critical Stress and receive Fallout, the PC becomes lost, consumed by the weird abyssal changes of the fallout (they are now an NPC).
Character Creation
Each player creates 3 characters according to the following steps:
Generate the Ability Scores of each character by rolling 2d6 for each ability in order (for a total of 2-12 in each ability score). No results are swapped.
Roll 1d4 to determine each character’s starting Hit Protection (HP).
Roll on Background table (below) unless the adventure has custom backgrounds.
Optional: Roll on the Traits tables (Traits - Liminal Horror pg. 9).
Each of the characters start with a phone (one slot), cash ($3d10 x 3d10 ) and two items from their background according to the following table:
After the funnel any surviving characters become full fledged investigators.
For each ability, roll 1d6 and add the result to the ability score.
Roll 1d4 and add it to their HP
Players can choose which surviving character (if more than one) they want to play as going forward. Anyone not chosen can be a connection for the PC (Connections - Liminal Horror pg. 8).
Appendix V: A turn based system for your Liminal Horror sessions that creates a procedure for exploring the dark and neglected spaces where those touched by the abyss reside. It uses an overloaded encounter 12
die to inform what happens next and bring the focus on the narrative.
the exploration turn
Time is divided into turns when exploring abandoned spaces (Liminal Spaces, catacombes, abyss warped environments, tunnels, ruins, empty towns, warehouses, non-euclidean megastructures, backrooms, etc) containing rooms/sections.
During a turn the party can perform one significant action:
move between rooms
searching/exploring a space
forcing a door open
Attempting to catch their break to regain HP (CTRL save to succeed)
etc
Each exploration turn (after the crew declares their action) the Facilitator rolls the Voidcrawl die (d20)
Risk vs Reward: Pushing forward means losing the opportunities to rest/catch one’s breath (making regaining HP risky) - this means the party needs to choose whether to regain HP or move forward in a timely manner (each rest would necessitate a Voidcrawl roll afterward).
Voidcrawl Die (d20) table:
Effect
Roll
Description
1
Dire Omen
Roll to determine a random player. Roll on a fallout table. Present an omen or portent relating to that fallout and is fated to be the next fallout they get.
2-4
Encounter
Facilitator rolls on an encounter table. If only one monster is in the location, they encounter it instead.
5-7
Horror
The crew discovers something frightening/horrific. each character gains 1-4 Stress.
8-10
Setback
The party encounters a setback (a hazard impeeds the party - either physical, enviromental, or magical). One option is to have scarcity set in (equipment breaks, depleting supplies). Focus on what is most relevant at that moment.
11-13
Locality
The environment changes around the party (alarm, pathway closes off, physical material of a space shifts, etc)
14-16
Clue
Present a hint, warning, or clue. {Shadows wreathed in blue flame, bullet holes, sizzling bloodstains}. Abilities and drives of the monsters can inform choice.
17-19
Free
No additional effect on this turn. Negative temporary effects end.
20
Regroup
The party is currently safe and can take a breather (regain HP without taking up their turn)
The Facilitator can adjust the result to what would narratively make sense. One can adjacent entries to determine a new result. Going down the table (↓) results in a more positive event, while going up (↑) results in a negative one.
notes on doors and scale
As the party continues forth, there will be different setbacks and barriers.
Locked doors: Locked doors are aplenty, and there is no single solution. A non-extensive list of adjudications might be
Using force: uses an exploration turn and a STR check to force open. Failure may require additional turns, loss of items, damage, or alert others to your presence.
Lock Picking: the lock pick is a trusty tool that only requires a successful DEX check (and does not take abn exploration turn, unless you fail of course).
Magic Barriers: When the veil is thin between worlds, the risks of chaotic magics being encountered increase. From illusions, to reality warping spaces the dangers are real. CTRL saves, foolhardy endurance (STR), speed (DEX), or clever ideas can be used to navigate these barriers.
Some actions are quick and success means not needing to use an Exploration Turn to resolve.
Some actions, regardless of success or failure, take time.
Caverns, warrens, non-euclidean spaces, areas not designed for human movement.
3-4 turns
The party can increase the pace of their exploration, but this may increase unwanted attention. They may explore at a faster rate (+1 human scale room/-1 turn to explore larger spaces) at the cost of having the Voidcrawl die be rolled at disadvantage3.
time
Turns are an abstract measure of the time required to take significant actions. If it becomes necessary to track times, a Exploration Turn would average around 10 minutes of in game time.
Prismatic Wasteland gives a great summary of what an overloaded die is in their article on Exploding the Encounter Die: “the overloaded encounter die checks for random encounters, the expiration of light sources and other effects of traversing a dungeon with a single d6 roll. This method uses randomness to simulate a timer.”↩︎
disadvantage is when someone rolls two dice and takes the worst/more dangerous result.↩︎
This website/collection of ramblings is my attempt to catalogue the wide variety or project and things I’m working on. Many will focus on Liminal Horror, almost all will be in the realm of TTRPG games. I want to provide a glimpse into the different ways I am working to grow Liminal Horror system.
A large project going forward will be the creation of modular rules/appendicies that can be used with Liminal Horror. All are optional. All add different aspects to the core game. I already have Voidcrawl and Funnel rules as the first two appendixes.
Current ideas are:
Tags (for weapons and items)
Drives/Beats
Backgrounds with equipment
Documentary crew with confessional booth mechanic.
Modern Architecture of Horror Digest
A collection of modern maps/blueprints that can be used in people’s Liminal Horror games.
“From the files of…”
A Liminal horror pamphlet series that combine together to create an investigation board about a coastal town plagued by the paranatural.
If I’m super cool I’ll create solo rules that you can use to i investigate teh pamphlets. Each death results in the notes passign to a new PC, pickign up where the trail left off.
Liminal Horror x Mausritter
I want to make a supplement/rule adaptation to integrate these two games, along with at least one adventure of mice battling against dread forces.
70s Horror
I want to do a series of short adventures, each inspired by different 70s horror films (this may branch out to different decades as well).
Slush Pile
I’ll try and post any ideas, relics, items, fallouts, or backgrounds that I jot down while scrolling twitter/watching stuff.
Goblin Archives
