LIMINAL HORROR DELUXE EDITION preview

Take a sneak peek at what is to come for LIMINAL HORROR.

As official LIMINAL HORROR projects begin to wrap up (One Night at the Shelterwood Inn & The Bloom) attention begins to be focused on the next step.

For those who’ve been paying close attention, that next step has already been hinted at…

Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition

As LIMINAL HORROR has grown, the desire to revisit the core zine has grown. I’ve never had interest in a 2nd edition, or something that makes the original work no longer relevant, but instead create an opportunity spend more time with the text that started it all.

In my interview with Iko on the Lost Bay we meet routinely over 10 months to explore how I’ve grown as a designer.

One major difference now as opposed to back then is that LIMINAL HORROR has grown to be a team. Each member of The LIMINAL HORROR Deluxe Edition team has been pivotal in the development of the system as a whole. In an upcoming delve we’ll look at exactly how each member has come to define aspects of LH, but for now big shout outs to:

• Zach Hazard (art): Who’s going to be doing art throughout the zine, from beginning of dev all the way through!

• Jarrett Crader (editing): Who, at the helm of the Space Penguin, will be our fateful editor on the project.

• Josh Domaski (co-writer & design): Josh has been my co-writer since The Bureau and it is only fitting that we tackle the deluxe edition together.

What’s going to be inside?

As stated above, the goal of the Deluxe Edition is not to replace the core zine. It is not a 2e. Instead it is a hardcover edition that expands on LIMINAL HORROR, providing tools and options for Facilitators (and players).

Two texts that are great exemplars for what we are going for is The Vaults of Vaarn Deluxe Edition and the latter half of Electric Bastionland (the conductors guide & oddendum)

Below is a sneak peek at the current outline for LIMNIAL HORROR Deluxe Edition (not sure if this will be the final name or not). Everything is subject to change based on the whims of the team. While it may not be the final form, it does give you a good idea of the vision and structure of the text that we are going for.

Whenever possible I may include block quotes below to expand on ideas, or link to concepts/resources that are relevant. They will act as my commentary on the outline.

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Outline

Introduction (Section X)

An introduction needs to be worthwhile in my opinion, so a lot of care will go into what this includes.

• Table of Contents

It won’t be a Goblin Archives pdf unless there is methodical linking within the pdf.

• CATS

This is a resource that Josh uses when running games that does a fantastic job of setting expectations for players and the game. More info can be found on The Gauntlet Blog

• Safety Tools

Given that this is a horror game, providing tools for tables is essential. The specific tools included/referenced have not yet been decided.

Player Rules (Section 1)

The current idea is to have the text divided into player facing and then Facilitator facing, most of the core zine will be included in some form or fashion in the Player Rules Section of the text).

• Principles for Players

• Survive, Save, Solve, or Stay Whole

Anyone who has payed close attention to me as a writer/designer/GM knows that Sean McCoy (mothership) is a major inspiration for me. His Survive, Solve, or Save: Pick Two has been important in framing my understanding of horror in ttrpgs. Taking inspiration from SSS, we’ve created a framework that leans into the Liminality of Characters in LH.

• Character Creation

In essence the process will be the same, but we will likely shift and rewrite tables, as well as provide different character generation options. Some ideas at the moment are: the traditional roll it all and equipment, a table with backgrounds & items (like funnel), some example starting kits (like bureau & bloom).

• Rules

Almost all of the core rules are the same as the core zine. There are only a small handful that may change or be updated. I will also be including references to where appendix rules could be integrated if desired. Deprivation/Fatigue may slightly be reworked, along with one small tweak to inventory, expanded reaction tables

• Combat

One shift will be cutting detachments & morale.

The biggest rules change will be officially integrating critical damage = wounds.

Toolkit

• Principles for Facilitators

• Liminality of characters

This topic has been talk about in a few forms in regards to LIMINAL HORROR, but a small blurb can be found here.

• Setting and Place

I have started to put my thoughts on that here.

• Liminal Horror and Cops

• Stress & Fallout

• Magic

• Factions & Bestiary

  • Factions.

    • Example Factions

    • Creating Factions

    • Include template and advice

  • Bestiary

  This will be one of the most fun parts, creating a myriad of different monsters that can be included in your games. The goal is to have a wide breadth of types/genres represented.

  • Creating Monsters

• Relics/Artifacts/Cool Items

  Who doesn’t like items!

• Procedures:

  • DOOM CLOCK

  Explicit guidance on how to make one, examples, and references on how to use the other procedures to impact it.

  • Time Procedures

  • Voidcrawl

  The voidcrawl has been a way that Josh and I have integrated multiple procedures (encoutners, time, doom clock). An example of the updated Voidcrawl can be found in The Bloom. The original version can be found here.

  • Gearing Tables

  

  Luke Gearing is my favorite rpg writer. This is no secret. His influence can be found throughout my work. How he structures encounters in The Isle (as seen above) is something I would like to include as guidance for Facilitators as an option.

  • Underclock

Another possible inclusion of a procedure that Facilitators can use would be to Adapt Goblin Punch: THE UNDERCLOCK: Fixing the Random Encounter

• Creating A Mystery

Tools and resources to help Facilitators create mysteries/adventures)

• Styles of Play

  • One-shots

  • Episodic (X-Files)

  • Mini-Series / Modules (Yellow Jackets, Fear Street)

  • Grand Conspiracy (Scooby Do Mystery Incorporated,

• Adapting a Mystery

• Running an Investigation

• Reinforcing Themes/Genres in Horror

  • Character Gen

  • Party Composition

  • Party Questions

  • Entanglements - Connections

  • Entanglement - Bonds

  • Modular Rules

  • Hacking Stress & Fallout

Appendices

• APPENDIX F: FUNNEL RULES

• APPENDIX C: CONDITIONS

• APPENDIX L: LUCK

• APPENDIX F: FLASHBACKS

• APPENDIX V: Vehicles

• APPENDIX P: CUSTOM PARTIES

Different party compositions that lead to a more cohesive reason the group is together. See the pre-gens created for One Night at the Shelterwood Inn

• APPENDIX NPC Use this: Writing NPCs - Luke Gearing (blot.im) and this

Everyone could use some great NPCs. Using the character list from The Thing (shown above) and the writings of Luke Gearing on NPCs I want to include a strong list of NPCs that can be leveraged in any game (or could be used as pre-gens)

• APPENDIX I: ITEM TAGS

• APPENDIX CONVERSION GUIDES (just a brainstormed list at the moment. Conversion Guides for running other stuff using LH)

  • Call of Cthulhu

  • Delta Green

  • FIST

  • Monster of the Week

  • General guide - Cairn’s Advice / Easy Medium Hard monsters NPCS Weird

• APPENDIX S: STRANGE HAPPENINGS

A table of adventure seeds and weird things afoot. Rumors, leads, etc.

Setting & Adventures

This is the biggest addition of all. A new (maybe even two) starting adventure that showcases some of the tools included above. These will also include a setting that could be used to integrate official modules for a campaign.

Rules Summary