Hi, I was thinking it's a bit easier to come up with certain tasks or goals that lead to exploration in a fantasy, space opera, post-apocalyptic or pirate setting than in a city-based modern horror setting. In a fantasy or space opera setting I could easily say "What if you are merchants and you have to transport a shipment of medication to the frontier worlds?" and that could serve as main campaign idea. Player can have their individual goals and motivations, but the group goal is to bring stuff from point A to point B and the location is the frontier worlds. So I got my 'what' and my 'where' and the 'why' is probably different for all players. While they are doing that, they probably run into all kinds of other adventures and all those adventures together form the campaign. Same thing could be said for a mercenary or explorers campaign. As long as you get them on the road you are fine. The traveling is the framework of the campaign.

But that needs a setting where there is a lot to explore and I don't really see that in a modern day city-based horror setting. The lay of the land is well known to everyone. How do people run exploration in these kind of settings? Or do GM's rely on a different framework to base their campaign's on like a more spy oriented or conspiracy vibe? You know with a lot of secret handshakes, hidden signs and signals, meetings with contactpersons, people in raincoats in dark alleys saying "Psssst. Over here." etc. etc. etc.

Remember what I tried to do with the play by post you were in.  The one were you played as investigators trying to figure out what happened to the science team at that abandoned base in Antarctica?

Perception and blinders are powerful things.  In my horror games only those with potency can see cracks that lead to hidden places.  They can see threats looming outside the senses of the common people.  Once people remove their blinders you can now see the city under a new light.  Wander new corners.  Even explore the thirteenth floor despite the fact that the building doesn't have a thirteenth floor.

Quote from: jan paparazzi on December 27, 2020, 10:49:09 PM
Hi, I was thinking it's a bit easier to come up with certain tasks or goals that lead to exploration in a fantasy, space opera, post-apocalyptic or pirate setting than in a city-based modern horror setting. In a fantasy or space opera setting I could easily say "What if you are merchants and you have to transport a shipment of medication to the frontier worlds?" and that could serve as main campaign idea. Player can have their individual goals and motivations, but the group goal is to bring stuff from point A to point B and the location is the frontier worlds. So I got my 'what' and my 'where' and the 'why' is probably different for all players. While they are doing that, they probably run into all kinds of other adventures and all those adventures together form the campaign. Same thing could be said for a mercenary or explorers campaign. As long as you get them on the road you are fine. The traveling is the framework of the campaign.

But that needs a setting where there is a lot to explore and I don't really see that in a modern day city-based horror setting. The lay of the land is well known to everyone. How do people run exploration in these kind of settings? Or do GM's rely on a different framework to base their campaign's on like a more spy oriented or conspiracy vibe? You know with a lot of secret handshakes, hidden signs and signals, meetings with contactpersons, people in raincoats in dark alleys saying "Psssst. Over here." etc. etc. etc.

If you have to travel to a foreign land, things can be really weird. I remember getting dropped off from a bus at a wrong stop outside of Salzburg several years ago and pointed to go in a direction. It was snowing and dark as can be, with the stars largely hidden by the mountains. It was an hour of hiking through a town that was totally closed for the night but it had all sorts of creepy Krampus-like decorations placed about. Eventually, I found the lodge I supposed to be staying in...and the bus that had made a long circuit around a mountain and finally gotten to the stop I should have taken. If you wanted to add a horror element, there was opportunity aplenty.

Also, watch the Amazing Race TV show for some ideas of how foreign modern settings can be.

Kevin Crawford's Silent Legion RPG presumes the campaign is a horror sandbox.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions?term=silent+legion

I personally don't like horror in the modern setting due to cell phones, internet, cameras everywhere, so the closest to modern I would do is 1970s. I agree with the other posters that a city foreign to the players would be the best choice.

The best horror RPG that uses a big city for exploration is Cold City. It's Berlin 1950, segmented by the Allied forces, but underneath are rogue Nazis and the aftermath of their occult experiments, and above ground are the nations vying for power as the Cold War begins.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/20677/Cold-City-v11

Quote from: jan paparazzi on December 27, 2020, 10:49:09 PM
But that needs a setting where there is a lot to explore and I don't really see that in a modern day city-based horror setting. The lay of the land is well known to everyone. How do people run exploration in these kind of settings? Or do GM's rely on a different framework to base their campaign's on like a more spy oriented or conspiracy vibe? You know with a lot of secret handshakes, hidden signs and signals, meetings with contactpersons, people in raincoats in dark alleys saying "Psssst. Over here." etc. etc. etc.

I've played a fair bit of modern horror. It mostly comes down to investigating specific sites rather than mapping the mundane parts of the city. The PCs can look up a street map on Google, but that's not going to tell them where a given gang's hideout is -- or where the cultists are meeting. Especially in horror, there's a lot of room for there to be secret lairs, caves, or dungeons that aren't mapped by Google.

Quote from: jan paparazzi on December 27, 2020, 10:49:09 PM
Hi, I was thinking it's a bit easier to come up with certain tasks or goals that lead to exploration in a fantasy, space opera, post-apocalyptic or pirate setting than in a city-based modern horror setting. In a fantasy or space opera setting I could easily say "What if you are merchants and you have to transport a shipment of medication to the frontier worlds?" and that could serve as main campaign idea. Player can have their individual goals and motivations, but the group goal is to bring stuff from point A to point B and the location is the frontier worlds. So I got my 'what' and my 'where' and the 'why' is probably different for all players. While they are doing that, they probably run into all kinds of other adventures and all those adventures together form the campaign. Same thing could be said for a mercenary or explorers campaign. As long as you get them on the road you are fine. The traveling is the framework of the campaign.

But that needs a setting where there is a lot to explore and I don't really see that in a modern day city-based horror setting. The lay of the land is well known to everyone. How do people run exploration in these kind of settings? Or do GM's rely on a different framework to base their campaign's on like a more spy oriented or conspiracy vibe? You know with a lot of secret handshakes, hidden signs and signals, meetings with contactpersons, people in raincoats in dark alleys saying "Psssst. Over here." etc. etc. etc.

  I watched a video a few years ago on youtube and the guy in the video was exploring the subways and tunnel systems under new york, many of which were off limits and no longer in use by subways.   Trust me, if you watch that, you get a very ominious feeling just seeing the places the guy was exploring.  There were people living down there who had been down there for years as well.  It was eye opening as to what you think you know, is not as straight forward as it seems.

  The size of some of the areas, and the nature of the winding subways, access tunnels, conduit tunnels, etc made it look like you could have anything going on down there.

Quote from: Spinachcat on December 28, 2020, 04:42:47 AM

I personally don't like horror in the modern setting due to cell phones, internet, cameras everywhere, so the closest to modern I would do is 1970s. I agree with the other posters that a city foreign to the players would be the best choice.

I hate to do this, but I think this shows a lack of imagination on your part, Spinach.

All the things you list off, are tools. Tools can be messed with. Broken. Or fooled. Inside a strange building? Cell phone gets no signal. Pictures don't show what you think you see. No Internet connection. Temporal and spatial anomalies. Getting weird text messages. Technology is a wonderful way to mess with people.

Quote from: Ghostmaker on December 29, 2020, 09:27:31 AM

Quote from: Spinachcat on December 28, 2020, 04:42:47 AM

I personally don't like horror in the modern setting due to cell phones, internet, cameras everywhere, so the closest to modern I would do is 1970s. I agree with the other posters that a city foreign to the players would be the best choice.

I hate to do this, but I think this shows a lack of imagination on your part, Spinach.

All the things you list off, are tools. Tools can be messed with. Broken. Or fooled. Inside a strange building? Cell phone gets no signal. Pictures don't show what you think you see. No Internet connection. Temporal and spatial anomalies. Getting weird text messages. Technology is a wonderful way to mess with people.

Right. "The cultists can communicate with Outer Gods, but no way can they mess with google maps", seems a bit restrictive.

Quote from: Dimitrios on December 29, 2020, 11:03:43 AM
Right. "The cultists can communicate with Outer Gods, but no way can the mess with google maps", seems a bit restrictive.

And who says that Google isn't run by cultists?

Quote from: Shrieking Banshee on December 29, 2020, 11:10:22 AM

Quote from: Dimitrios on December 29, 2020, 11:03:43 AM
Right. "The cultists can communicate with Outer Gods, but no way can the mess with google maps", seems a bit restrictive.

And who says that Google isn't run by cultists?

Truth!  Or were you talking about the game...?

And it might mess with the PC's heads when they find themselves wandering a network of streets that google earth's satellite view assures them isn't there...

The foreign city is a good one, and it can get weirder depending on your ability or inability to fit in. Add a natural disaster on top of that or other complications.

A lay over flight in city X when an intense earthquake happens could be a good start.