The monstrous Springtrap from Five Nights At Freddy's 3 has recently been added to my latest obsessions, Dead by Daylight. I haven't done a Music Monday post in a while so I'd post JT Music's first Springtrap track. I plan on doing more Dead by Daylight themed posts soon. I think many of the killers would make great villains to drop into rpgs.
If you'd like to add some haunted Fazbear electronics to your games, check out the posts below.
I saw a clip of this horror comedy short online and decided to check out the full film. I thought it was really funny and a nice addition to the cursed doll/puppet subgenre. After watching the trailer to see if this looks like something you'd enjoy you can go here to watch the full short film.
With a few small exceptions characters in Camp Blood are normal kids, teens, and young adults. The focus of this book changes that. Instead of just playing a regular mortal you can be a human, a lineage human, or a doppleganger. There is a short discussion on Empowered characters and a new random background chart for them.
I don't feel like there needs to be much explanation about humans. Y'all know the spiel. Dopplegangers are a lot like their D&D counterparts except they don't have telepathy. Lineage humans are a varied bunch. You're human and something else, whether this be from genetics, curse, or experimentation. You create a character as normal but you have some new abilities and bonuses based on your lineage. You gain new abilities (and potentially drawbacks) at levels 3, 5, and 7. At 10th level you must decide if you embrace your human side or your other. If you stay human, you lose the non-skill boons granted by your inhuman heritage but gain other attribute bonuses. You can also reject your humanity and become a full fledged member of your bloodline. The following lineages appear in the book:
Intro and Overview
Some SURVIVE THIS!! games allow for inhuman and supernatural characters. Characters in a (core) Camp Blood game are human. They are also assumed to be campers and/or counselors in training. I feel this alters the vibe from Bloody Appalachia and almost puts it more in line with Dark Places & Demogorgons. There are several classes to choose from. Most of them are self explanatory but I do feel like pointing out some interesting aspects of a few:While there is a specific camp discussed later, there's a cool chart that lets you come up with the type of camp the game will take place at. This can affect character creation. There are also 12 adventure hooks. They are presented like adventure hooks/story seeds in other ST books. There's a nice variety of threats and ideas here. There are some legendary creatures, fey, revenants, and cults. There's also a small bestiary of camp creatures. If you need more, you should check out the Ultimate Edition of the DP&D Cryptid Manual.
Camp Red Ivy (aka Camp Blood) is given some detail. It's layout, information about the surrounding area, and staff are all presented. While you can (and should) add more to the staff and community, there are several npcs with related stats. Additionally campers and counselors at Camp Blood can earn badges, which grant one-time benefits for certain achievements. This is a great and thematic way to reward players. The book ends with several random chart to help GM's flesh out their camp and some recommended viewing.
Final Thoughts
Camp Blood is a great thematic SURVIVE THIS!! game. The femme Jason homage by Peter Frain is phenomenal. It goes great with the Bloody Appalachia and Bloody University (currently on Kickstarter) covers. There are a few really brutal art pieces by Christopher Torres and Phil Stone that fit with the grindhouse vibe of the bloody horror line. However, I feel Camp Blood is more of a stand alone Dark Places & Demogorgons setting book. Don't get me wrong, the game is bloody and dangerous, but with a youth centric focus, it just gives me different vibes. I love the book, it's just a bit more tame than I expected (and there's nothing wrong with that). If DP&D is a kids and younger teen game and Bloody Appalachia is for adults then this one falls somewhere in between. You can play it as safe or dark as you'd like. Whether you want Ernest Goes To Camp or The Burning, you can do it with this book.
Order your physical copy from the Bloat Games store or grab the pdf on DriveThruRPG
The next installment of Bloat Games Bloody Horror Universe, Bloody University launches on Kickstarter in a few days. Go here and click "Notify me on launch" to stay in the loop. Eric and crew always do a phenomenal job and this grindhouse inspired collegiate slasher game will be no different.
Review
Full disclaimer, I helped fund this one on Indiegogo and am online friends with the writer and some of the cast, so I'll admit some bias. The acting in this one is not A24 by any means, but that's not why you watch a flick like this one. The movie has what you want from a slasher: gore, tits, and a menacing antagonist.
Writer and producer, Shawn Burkett portrays the adult Mr. Buzzkill. He cuts and imposing figure and is utterly brutal. While there are several blood soaked deaths my favorite involved the travel bong (which gets its own song), followed by the final camp massacre death.
The rest of the cast do a good job as the victims. You know not to get too attached because of the style of flick, but that's part of the fun. If you're a fan of the filmmakers, Ohio's very own Concept Media Films, you'll recognize several of the folks from their previous flicks Don't Fuck in the Woods, Don't Fuck in the Woods 2, and Stranded (among others).
Mr. Buzzkill is an indie slasher that doesn't even remotely try to reinvent the wheel. It wears its slasher roots on its sleeve. There are elements of all the Friday the 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre in this one. The kills are bloody, brutal, and would do Jason, Michael Myers, and Leatherface proud. The mystery surrounding Mr. Buzzkill reminded me a lot of how Springwood dealt with Freddy.
One thing I appreciate about the flick is one of the characters is constantly poking fun at the logic of the story being told. This is a valid critique of slasher flicks in general. I was surprised that some characters' deaths were mentioned, but you don't see them or know how (or truly if) they go. Maybe we'll get to see them if the flick gets a sequel.
Mr. Buzzkill isn't for everyone, but there's an audience for it. Obviously, I'm a member of that audience.
In Your Game
As I mentioned Mr. Buzzkill is very familiar to other famous slashers. If you'd like to add him to your Bloody Appalachia, What Shadows Hide, or We Die Young game you could just use one of the Jason Vorhees stat blocks from my free Friday the 13th SURVIVE THIS!! fan supplement.
