Dread One-Shots

About the adventure

Dread is a horror RPG designed for narrative one-shots that ask you to stay calm, stay focused, and stay alive. With every action taken, your theoretical time grows shorter, and the odds of everybody escaping unscathed are slim to none. From fighting supernatural monsters to exploring a derelict spaceship to spending an evening in a haunted gothic manor, you'll never know what lies in store for you. All that matters is reaching the end of the game. Because in Dread, the only way to win is to survive.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players should have a microphone or some other means of accessing a voice chat. Players do not need to read rules ahead of time, but are welcome to do so if they'd like to. Characters should be created before the main gameplay session, and players will need access to their character sheet, either digital or physical. Players do not need to bring any items, such as dice, to the game. Players may need to install voice chat software depending on what communication system is chosen for the game (Discord, Zoom, etc.)

What I provide

I will provide blank character sheets for every player and the deck of cards used to perform in-character actions. There will be no other items involved in the game: no maps, no GM-made character art, etc. The game is entirely played in the Theater of the Mind.

Gameplay details

A typical session will consist of a single, 3-6 hour one-shot game. A Session 0 can also be scheduled, for free, in order for players and the GM to introduce themselves, determine what particular one-shot adventure the players would like to do, quickly fill out character sheets (five-ish minutes) and go over safety tools, content warnings, and preferences players would like in the game. The point of a horror themed game is to scare the characters and provide an enjoyable atmospheric adventure for the players. The point is not to scare the players themselves. Every player will have the right to remove any content from the game that they find objectionable. If a Session 0 does not occur, players will fill out character sheets independently, with assistance from the GM as requested/required, and will go over safety tools with the GM on a person by person basis. Players will introduce their characters to each other at the start of the main gameplay session. During the game, players attempting to take actions will be asked to "make pulls." This means the GM will draw cards from a single deck shared by all players. The harder the action, the more cards are drawn. Drawn cards are not returned to the deck. When a particular card is drawn (for example, the Ace of Spades), the character attempting that action is removed from play, typically via death. The deck is then reshuffled to full and play continues. If a character draws the death card early in the game, or while attempting a non-lethal action, that character (and player) will continue to play as if nothing occurred. However, it is now guaranteed that by the end of the story, that character will not survive, likely dying during the final challenge. Players will not be forced to sit around uninvolved due to an early character death, and can expect to be an active player until the end of the game. The deck of cards can be customized to make the game easier or harder, at the players' discretion.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

(none)

How will character creation work

Players will create their characters either together during a Session 0 or independently before the main game session. Character creation takes approximately 5 minutes and consists of answering a brief questionnaire about the character's personality and backstory.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.