Oct 21, 2026, 2:29 PMOn Sunday I playtested a one-shot vampire horror story game. Not an adventure; a _game_. The designer's goal was to create something that felt totally different to Vampire the Masquerade, _and_ a gaming experience that would feel complete in one sitting (3-4 hours). It was fun. 1/5
Oct 21, 2026, 2:30 PMIt's not released yet. Working title is "One foot in the grave". The premise is modern-day Oslo, one of the players play a character that is just now waking up as a vampire for the first time. There is no "vampire society", no "super strength", no "turning into a bat". Just the horror of discovering that you now hunger for fresh blood. 2/5
Oct 21, 2026, 2:30 PMThe other three players play friends and relations of the vampire, and the game follows the first few days after the transition. Mood is inspired by the novel "Carmilla" and the movie "Let the right one in".
System is based on rotating GM, pre-written characters (short and sweet descriptions), and "prompt cards", where any player can add to the scene by playing cards like "hidden knowledge revealed", "play harder", "success!", and so on.
3/5
Oct 21, 2026, 2:31 PMWhat I found most controversial before start was that the game was already sequenced into "chapters" (a broader concept of "scenes"). Quite open, but with prompts like: "First meeting. Focal character survives" and even "Focal character dies". But where the scene is set, and how it's played out, is totally up to the players in the moment.
It worked, it really did. It was like being handed prompts in an improvised theatre session, with a shared context and clear boundaries.
4/5
Oct 21, 2026, 2:31 PMI think it was a case of "when limits are explicit, creative freedom can really take flight". It was like participating in a moody drama, and the familiar setting made the few supernatural elements hit especially hard, and created an eerie mood. I was reminded of the Bergman movie "Fanny and Alexander".
I know I have been critical to "realizing the designer's vision"-type-of-games, but this was simply a very fun and engaging evening with friends. Will link to the game when it's released.
5/5