A long time ago, inspired by Pundit's review of Blood Games I had an idea for a horror game. One in which "Science", had been one of earliest ways to fight the dark. The control of light and fire, the courage being able to march into the dark gave us. Now I'm slowly creeping forward on the idea in bits and pieces.


The concepts I have: Science AND Faith both help us hold back the dark terrible things. Science tearing down faith, faith tearing down science--these two things are tools demons have implemented to aid them in overcoming our power.

Faith and Science answer very different questions--they aren't meant to oppose one another AT ALL, but we've4 let ourselves succumb to propaganda. Science is true, it is the ways and measure of the world. It can't reveal demons, just fight them, Faith lets us reveal their acts, to see them--and fight them, but it offers no solid evidence. These are simply the way they work.

The heroes of this horror game will have had science fail them--and seen the demons in person. The price of knowing they exist for real, and can be fought is science doesn't work as well for them as it once did--they can use it to fight FOR others, but its never quite as reliable for them. They're headlights will fail, their generator blow, etc. At the same time, they don't just drive back the horrors with technology and science, they can actually kill them dead. This is the advantage of having lost the conviction of protections from the dark by science.

My inspirations for this are a heavy dose of mythology, and the movie Frailty. Anyone want to post ideas? Concerns? Criticisms?

Technology and Science protect us--but where it fails, industrial complexes abandoned, rusted shut storage facilities--these places of doubt in technology breed demons. The same goes for faith. Fallen churches, corrupted religious schools, and so on.

Yeah, it's an interesting thought. I had a similar one a while ago, although mine was inspired by the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. Basically, in those books, the presence of the returned dead causes the high-tech of the sci-fi world to malfunction. Indeed, in the book, i think before they actually come up with a workable solution, the only time the soul of the dead person is removed from its host is by a priest performing an excorsism.

The idea has possibilities, for sure.

I like this idea.

If I was running something like this (and who knows, maybe some day I will) I would begin the campaign with the idea that science and faith are not estranged. The PCs would be part of the nascent movement - cult ? that realizes that only when the two come together can the darkness be held at bay.

Art would be the bridge that makes it possible for the two to operate in tandem. You mentioned Frailty. When I think of your idea, I think of this film : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ1sZSCz47w - which would probably be where I'd start....

Once again, interesting idea Silverlion.

Regards,
David R

Quote from: David R;291058I like this idea.

If I was running something like this (and who knows, maybe some day I will) I would begin the campaign with the idea that science and faith are not estranged. The PCs would be part of the nascent movement - cult ? that realizes that only when the two come together can the darkness be held at bay.

Art would be the bridge that makes it possible for the two to operate in tandem. You mentioned Frailty. When I think of your idea, I think of this film : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ1sZSCz47w - which would probably be where I'd start....

Once again, interesting idea Silverlion.

Regards,
David R

Very neat. I'm working on it. Trying to get across the idea of Science being a defense, but failed science also being a breeding ground for the very psychosomaticly influenced monsters. Abandoned Bridges had their trolls, now ancient sanitariums have mad ghosts, fallen factories have predator demons of rust and smoke...

Quote from: Silverlion;291443....now ancient sanitariums have mad ghosts, fallen factories have predator demons of rust and smoke...

(Not a very good flick but the imagery is perfect IMO for your setting)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EexpNs4cVtk&feature=related

Regards,
David R