October is Horror Month!

September is here, which means the leaves are going to start turning gold, the winds are going to get chillier, and October is just around the corner. I love horror roleplaying, and for several years I've wanted to get a Victorian-era horror game going in October. Well this year I'm doing it.

Starting on Friday, October 3rd, I'm going to get a short Rippers game going for the month. Rippers is a setting for the Savage Worlds system that takes the ideas and characters behind classic monsters - Dracula, Frankenstein's Creation, Dr. Van Helsing, John and Mina Harker, etc. - and creates an atmospheric world of horror and madness. It's set in the Victorian-era (1890's).

The setting is hooked around two organizations - the Rippers and the Cabal. The Rippers are the good guys, formed and led by Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who hunt the monsters and evils of the world. They're called Rippers because of an ancient secretive technique that rips the power out of supernatural creatures and bestows it to a willing subject. This "Rippertech" eventually drives men and women insane but it is often the only edge they have in their fight against the darkness.

The Cabal is a loose organization of that darkness. Led by a mysterious man known simply as Dr. Jack, the Cabal is made up of disparate factions each with their evil agenda and nefarious schemes. They are united in their hatred of the Rippers. All manner of terrible creatures are found within the loose ranks of the Cabal, but Dr. Jack has yet to secure the support of the ancient vampires (led by Count Dracula).

It's a world where a secret war between the darkness and the light has been brewing for centuries. The disciples of Van Helsing, brave men and women, know they fight for not just their own lives but for the safety of the entire world. But they also know that the edge they sometimes need to confront the darkness will drive them ultimately towards madness, death ... and worse.

I'm going to make another post with PC suggestions, but I'll have character information packets available in a week or so. Also - EXTRA EXPERIENCE POINTS will be awarded for anyone who dresses up in costume on Halloween. Or any day really.