Tarot for Storytellers is a full-color eBook written by author, narrative designer, and FlamesRising.com contributor Monica Valentinelli (World of Darkness, Cyberpunk RED, Shadowrun: Court of Shadows, etc.). The eBook is jam-packed with prompts, guidance, and examples to teach you how to develop new characters, plots, and setting using a deck of tarot cards. Tarot for […]

Plenty of articles deal with setting the mood for a horror RPG. As a result, I’m not going to tackle that topic. Instead, I’d like to talk about plot devices that, when in operation at a level of generality above specific mood elements, set the stage for creating a truly horrific RPG.

Have you ever noticed how some types of characters seem to lend themselves naturally to stereotype? In Vampire you can easily find multiple-personality Malkavians, limp-wristed über-goth Toreador, street-punk Brujah, and so on; in Changeling (which I play the most often) there’s big, dumb trolls and horny satyrs, and so on. Every clan or kith or tradition or group has a stereotype.