Countdown to Halloween With These Horror TTRPGs

Kids on Bikes

Kids of Bikes doesn’t have to be a creepy or scary game in any way. But if you’re looking for a game that feels a lot like an episode of Stranger Things, this is the RPG that will do it. Kids on Bikes is a game of collaborative storytelling that lets you become a tween in the 80s or 90s as you explore all of the weird, strange, and scary stuff that the adults don’t want you to know about it your small town. The vibe can be very “Goonies.” Or, it can go right to the Upsidedown.

ALIEN RPG

The Alien RPG is masterful at making players feel like they are in the terrifying, high-stakes world of Xenomorphs. The monsters are a little overpowered, the maps are cramped, and as characters fail or get hurt they get more stressed and scared, which in turn makes rolls more difficult. This isn’t an RPG where players are meant to expect their characters to make it to the end of the session, let alone the end of the campaign.

Delta Green

Delta Green is another game that sits at the edge of being a horror game, depending on who’s GMing and what story they want to tell. This is a game of world-changing conspiracies and legions of secret string-pullers. You may encounter aliens, cosmic terrors, or monsters from our own world. Would you play this one fun and goofy ala Inside Job, or get dark and terrifying with it?

Brindlewood Bay

You want to play an uncanny horror mystery. But is it too much to ask for your cosmic horrors to also be cozy and cute?! No, it’s not! Brindlewood Bay mixes a little Murder, She Wrote with a little Lovecraft for a vibe that’s truly one of a kind. If you’ve ever asked ‘what if the investigators in Arkham Horror were also an old lady’s crochet club?’, Brindlewood Bay is the answer you have been looking for.

And if you’ve never asked, maybe it’s time. The game is easy to setup and play, making it accessible and fun to new and seasoned players alike. And it has that kitschy and silly yet compelling story and game style that will appeal to a surprisingly large number of people.

Vaesen

Vaesen is a game that invites you to explore the cold, dark wilderness of the Nordic forests. The world of 1800 is quickly growing and evolving, but that doesn’t change what the people in these small villages know. Some of what goes bump in the night isn’t just in your mind, it’s out there. But you’ll need to go find out which myths are real for yourself.