My wife is an enormous fan of the horror genre, especially in film and television but also generally in the culture. Myself, not so much. But I am horror-adjacent and highly curious about the potential for the genre in my gaming. MJ Hiblen doing a horror-inspired remix of the RPR logo sparked some deeper thinking.

I have, of course, played a little bit of the Call of Cthulhu. Heck, I used to work alongside the famous Mike Mason in our earlier incarnation as Games Workshop employees. Sitting at his table, I’ve enjoyed the weird and the horrific a couple of times. That said, my singular worst-ever RPG experience was a game of Cthulhu played at a Con, but that was the Keeper and not the system.

So curious have I been that I bought into the Kickstarter for the re-publication of the Second Edition boxed set and all therein. My copy of the Seventh Edition languishes on the shelves largely untouched, however. I’ve never quite found the right group to play it with for an extended period.

Recently, I have to credit an old find from the earliest days of GURPS for inspiring me to approach the genre anew. When the original GW stores sold all their old RPG stock to Virgin, this old treasure found its way there and was brutally marked with a practically unremovable price sticker.

Inside is a treasure trove of ideas and advice for running a horror game that is brought to life by occasional splashes of red ink to colour otherwise black-and-white pages. It’s a very effective design choice and always seem to inspire feelings of unease when I open the book… you know, the good kind of unease that all quality horror inspires.

But I don’t know why am I drawn. I dislike most of the horror movies I’ve watched, with the exceptions being classic zombie films, Alien, and some of the old Hammer movies. It seems I am intrigued by the monstrous and mindless edges of the genre but I don’t like the blood and gore in (or on) my face.

Subtlety and investigation appeal to me. The unknown and mysterious draws my curiosity. I love the points where horror blends with other genres, such as in Alternity Dark*Matter where the paranormal meets the alien and demonic alike. At heart, I want to follow the clues and solve the mystery… and enjoy it having a dark exit.

I’m horror curious. Adjacent. On the edge and ready to tip over.

Game on!