My players are being pursued by an enemy that’s something of a mix of John Carpenter’s Thing, Stephen King’s It, and an H.P. Lovecraft elder god. Here’s the dungeon front I tried out on them last night which ends with a custom location-based move. The idea is a kind of twisted flashback episode where the player’s answer questions about their PC’s past and their answers are used to fuel dark visions.
This is really my first time using a formal Front, as I usually just jam off what’s in my head with what the players do, would appreciate feedback.
Campfire Tales (Outdoor Dungeon Front)
The Darkness invades the minds of the party while they are making camp and tries to sow fear and dissent in the group.
Cast: The Darkness in many varied guises
Stakes: What will we learn about each PC’s past and motivations? Will any of them succumb to the Darkness’ influence?
Danger: “A Touch of Evil” (Chosen One / Force of Chaos)
Impulse: To terrify and confuse with visions and quietly invade minds for later subjugation
Portents:
– The sky darkens and the fire flickers with an eerie blue light.
– A thick fog fills the night air, a thin mist coating the camp ground, as a feeling of oppressive evil falls upon the camp
– PCs on watch see ghastly shapes in the mist that disappear quickly. Eerie and unearthly shrieks and howls fill the night air.
– Sleeping PCs suffer terrible nightmares of terror, pain, and powerlessness that are difficult to wake from.
Impending Doom:
When you finally see the rising sun after a fitful night of dark visions, roll+WIS. On a 10+, you shake off the dread and steel yourself in the certainty that you can face any danger and overcome. On a 7-9, choose one:
– You are shaken by what you have experienced, choose a new fear for your character and describe how they express it.
– You see the others in a new light, describe the difference and how it will affect how you interact with them.
– Your sense of your own purpose has shifted, describe the change and how it will affect what you do from now on.
In the end, all but one rolled 6- (the last rolled a 10+) but I decided to have them choose instead of making a hard move off my own.