Leviathan's Puzzlebox

Back from Innsmouth

2009-07-21T11:12:00.002+01:00

Yes, I know... it's been a long time hasn't it!
However that doesn't mean I've forgotten about this project. Far from it. I still think about making a Hellraiser RPG and it's been a recent foray into playing the computer game "Call of Cthulhu:Dark Corners Of The Earth" which has rekindled my desire to focus on this again. If you've never played this game then I can't recommend it enough. It's an older title now, but the brooding sense of malice it manages to generate is truly terrifying!

It's this atmosphere which has prompted me to come back. This computre game has managed to capture what I want to put into my Hellraiser game, as well as inspiring me with ideas for ways to introduce the players to the HR Myths without relaying too heavily on imagery from the films.

Not gone...just resting

2008-12-27T15:54:00.002Z

Yes, I know I've been away for a while. Life, being unpredictable and generally random, has gotten in the way of this project, but I will be returning to it soon!

The general plan is to watch each of the Hellraiser movies and comment on what elements of it make it "Hellraiser" and what can be transfered into a roleplaying game. The same goes for specific comic stories and elements from other non-Hellraiser media which fits the bill.

So... stay tuned and I'll be back to keep pushing this rock up the hill real soon.

And the victims are...

2008-06-23T10:06:00.006+01:00

Humans. That's what I want my players to be running. Normal, everyday humans. No superheroes. No mages. Just ordinary people finding themselves exposed to extraordinary events.

In thinking about this I reckon I've made my decision about the system I'm going to base this game on. As mentioned in my earlier post, I can see a lot of similarity between the game I have planned in my head and the existing roleplaying game "Call of Cthulhu", so why try and re-walk ground already trodden? I'm going to use the Chaosium CoC system for my Hellraiser game.

This works well for me as it's a game about normal people facing unspeakable horrors, and it means it already has the idea of the player as an ordinary person built into it. It also have several other elements which make it a good fit for what I'm planning. Firstly, there are several different expansions for Call of Cthulhu which offer rules, items, skills, etc for different time periods. The idea of running a game which spans from the early 19th Century, through the 1920's and into the present really appeals to me, especially if the past actions of the characters has repercussions in later period games!

Secondly, CoC has a ritual based magic system. Yes, I know I said earlier that there wouldn't be any mages, and there won't be, BUT there is provenance for magic in Hellraiser, but it will be very rare and complicated stuff linked (most likely) to secret societies and individuals. We're not talking about throwing fireballs at Cenobites here! Magic will be ritual based and may not even be available to players.

Thirdly, "Sanity Rules"... I love the idea of insanity in Call of Cthulhu, and how you can deduct points from players as they see things that distress them. It's very much something I'd like to bring into the Hellraiser game. After all, if you stumbled across skinless Uncle Frank in your attic room, I'm damned sure you'd lose a few sanity points! ;)

Anyway, I'll have a look at specific changes to the CoC rules set once I've had a re-read through them and had a think about what specifically needs to be in a Hellraiser game.

The tone of the game - part one

2008-06-20T14:06:00.004+01:00

There are different types of roleplaying game available, all of them with their own tone and style of play. Some are combat heavy game, some are exploration or social interaction, others are about creating the story of the characters more than following any kind of linear plot. So what should this game be?

The first real question, I suppose, is do I want to capture the spirit and tome of the movies? Well, let's look at that. There isn't much combat in the Hellraiser movies. Plenty of pain and blood, but very little real fighting. In the first movie things just kind of happen to the characters after the catalyst of Uncle Frank and the puzzlebox turn up.

The second movie, Hellbound, is much more about exploration and revelation. It answers questions more than just going for scares (although there are plenty of those!).

Likewise with the third movie, which has a definate feel of investigation about it (albeit with an awful lot of blood!).

And so it goes on. Normal people finding themselves in extraordinary situations, usually as victims. Sometimes bargaining with the Cenobites to find their escape, sometimes being taken, but generally normal folks finding out that there's another world beyond this one and getting done over by it!

Which reminds me quite a bit of the Chaosium RPG, "Call of Cthulhu"...

I like investigation horror games. I like the slow build of tension as the characters find out more and more of what's really going on. But I'm equally aware that there needs to be some physcial interaction in the game too. Whether that is combat or whatever it doesn't matter, but sometimes you need a release to that tension, which comes best from hitting something! But there are very few things in the Hellraiser movies which can be beaten in a fist fight, or shot and killed.

Hmmm... I think I'm going to need some human opponents and maybe some cultists!

I love...

2008-06-20T12:44:00.001+01:00

I love roleplaying. I love sitting down with friends and creating shared worlds I love the sound oif rolling dice over a dining room table. I love creating characters and taking them on adventures. I love beating traps and solving riddles on the way to a grand conclusion. I love being scared by the description of something that only my imagination can see. I love getting excited about a new module or system, and talking about it with equally excited friends. I love the passion of roleplayers.

I love Hellraiser. I love the quiet menace of a musical puzzlebox. I love the idea of the civilised monster who's more than just a slasher killing for fun. I love the designs of the Cenobites, and the way they're played. I love the way that the normal world is corrupted in these movies. I love the way the innocent are truely safe. I love the myths that have grown up around the comics and movies. I love the way that people still speculate on the meanings and themes long so many years after the first film. I love the passion of the fans.

Bring these two loves of mine together is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I've planned scenarios out in my head, and dissected rules options. I've discussed ideas about the Hellraiser world with people and how it might fit into a roleplaying concept. I've done everything except do anything about it!

So, here we are...

This blog is going to be attempt to record the many different ideas I've had over the years and pull them together into some kind of game which other fans can play. It might take a while, but if you've read this far then hopefully you're a Hellraiser fan who's excited about the idea of a RPG of their favourite movies, or a roleplayer who's intrigued by the idea of a Hellraiser game. Either way you can help me...

Anyway, "time to play".