Pyramid Review
Horror Rules -- The Simply Horrible Role-Playing Game
Published by Crucifiction Games
Written by Chris Weedin
Illustrated by Chris Caprile
96-page softcover; $17.99
Horror Rules -- The Simply Horrible Role-Playing Game describes itself as "A Complete (and Completely Different) Horror Comedy RPG," and in many ways, it is. It is complete, it is a horror comedy RPG, but is not completely different. Certainly, plenty of other RPGs have explored the horror movie genre, from Deep7's 1PG Shriek to the Blood Brothers anthologies for Call of Cthulhu. Horror Rules certainly does that, but with its tongue (or someone else's) firmly ensconced in its cheek. Of course, this is a territory previously explored by Stellar Games' very movie-themed It Came From The Late, Late, Late Show RPG, but Horror Rules bypasses the idea of roleplaying an actor performing in a series of bad B-movies to just game the actual movie and its clichés. And it's all with a simplicity and a knowingness in readiness for both a scare and a laugh.
The simplicity begins with character -- or Good Guy -- generation. Players choose one of six broad Character Types, each with a special ability. For example, the Action Character Type can interrupt an attempt to kill someone in his presence and rush the victim to safety. The Con or Convict can disappear from a dangerous situation to come back when all is safe, or appears to. The Labcoat, once in possession of a specimen from the Bad Guy, can determine its biological abilities . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 8, 2006
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