October Horror Challenge - Clown In A Cornfield (2025)

  

Synopsis

Teenager Quinn and her father move to a quite Midwest town to start a new life. The town has fallen on hard times. Soon she and her new friends are being targeted by a local mascot, Frendo the clown.

Review

Based on the Adam Cesare's young adult novel of the same name, Clown in a Cornfield is a fun teen slasher. While a lot of the cast feel like stock slasher victims, a few stand out. Katie Douglas is fantastic as the lead, Quinn. Aaron Abrams is funny and likable as her father, Glenn. I also think Carson MacCormac does a fantastic job as the young oligarch of the town, Cole. 

For slasher fans there is some gore, though it's not excessive. While at times the film is predictable to genre fans, there were some nice twists too. There was a lot more comedy than I expected. There are a few truly laugh out loud moments. My favorite involves the teens not understanding how to use a rotary phone. Now to be fair, I'm 41 and never used one so maybe it's not that strange that they didn't know how to use it.

Also I really like the themes and topics addressed in this one. I don’t want to spoil anything by saying what they are, just that I think it works.

If you want a fun slasher that isn't over the top, check this one out. As of time of post, it's available to stream on Shudder.

In Your Game

I won't go into any details for these stats, but if you want to add Frendo to your SURVIVE THIS!! game here's how to do it.

Frendo the Clown

Armor Class: 12

Hit Dice: 2

Move: 12

Actions: 1

Attack Damage: By weapon

Special: Inept

Bonuses: +1 to melee attacks, +2 to Stealth checks

Alignment: Evil    

Morale: 7

Madness: 3 (9)

Terror: -               

HDE: 2

Inept: When Frendo rolls a 1 on his attack roll the attack hits himself or an ally. 

October Horror Movie Challenge 2025 

Viewed: 7
First Time Views: 2

DP&D 100 Adventure Hooks

Dark Places & Demogorgons: Ultimate Edition 100 Adventure Hooks is a treasure trove of adventures for your DP&D and other SURVIVE THIS!! games. The hooks are presented in classic SURVIVE THIS!! style. They are one page a piece and feature a few paragraphs of the pertinent info. This is followed by a selection of relevant stats, charts, and art for each. If a location is mentioned in the hook, its something related to DP&D's default setting Jeffersontown, but can easily be set in other locations. 

One of the strengths is the sheer variety of adventure hooks. It's not all Stranger Things style sci-fi or horror stuff either, there are some mundane but still fun hooks too. These adventure hooks can help keep your games grounded and remind players that they are still playing kids. 

Here are a few of my favorite hooks:

• Zbrork's Head - the kids find a robot head that asks them to reassemble his body so he can leave the planet, while doing this robotic scavenger hunt they must avoid a shady federal agent
• Don't Let Her In - the teens are visited by a strange girl, who may or may not actually be a ghost
• Asylum Contest - the kids seek to spend the entire night in the "haunted asylum" to win bragging rights and a prize, the adventure has no supernatural elements, which makes it a nice red herring adventure
• Cul De Sac Kumite - obsessed with martial arts movies, local teens have created a fighting tournament.
• Falling From Heaven - an angel crashes to Earth during a sleepover and the kids need to help him thwart the plans of a demon
• Nuts McGruder - an intelligent giant squirrel and his horde of squirrels seek to protect the area from pollution
• Pond Scum - inspired by a Creepshow 2 segment I still find scary, the teens find an out of the way swimming spot inhabited by a killer ooze 

If you play Dark Places & Demogorgons this is a must have. Even if you run another "kids on bikes" style game, there's some useful stuff here. If you want to pick this one up, you can use the links below:

PDF Link

Print and PDF Link

POD

Dark Place & Demogorgons Ultimate Edition

Been planning this review for a while, but considering the teaser for Stranger Things Season 5 dropped a few days ago I think the timing for it is great.  The Ultimate Edition of Dark Places & Demogorgons is a gorgeous full size hardcover (not the digest size of the original). It takes the original DP&D SURVIVE THIS!! core book, adds a lot of great new content, new art (which is fantastic), and cleans up/clarifies the original. While most of this content has appeared in various Bloat Games releases, it's awesome having all of it in one (gorgeous) spot. I won't go into the rules of the game because I discussed them in my original review, which can be found here.

Most of the classes from the original book are here, as well as some new ones. I appreciate that they classes are just listed in alphabetical order instead of in archetypes. Teen Heart Throb and Bully are dropped. However the following classes are now a part of the core rules: Final Girl, Horror Connoisseur, Most Excellent Dude (or Dudette), Party Animal, Performer, and Snoop.  Additionally the optional Psion classes are now just the Psion (and the original class archetypes are Psion powers along with several additional powers). The original DP&D supplements included a few different magic using classes. Like the Psion this has been simplified and now there is simply a Mystic class.

 

While the original core book included some information about Jeffersontown, it's greatly expanded in the Ultimate Edition. While not as extensive as the Jeffersontown Setting Guide, there is nearly 60 pages of setting material here. I really appreciate the rumors for each of the locations. These are all excellent adventure hooks. Speaking of adventure hooks there are thirty two more fleshed out ones included in the book. Many of these have appeared in previous DP&D releases, but it's fantastic having them all in one location. 

Whether you already own Dark Places & Demogorgons or not, this is a fantastic book to pick up. It has everything you need and then some. It's also fully compatible and fits thematically with Camp Blood, These Campers are Different, and Greasers & Ghouls (which is also set in Jeffersontown and is essentially a prequel game). It's also compatible with The Dead West, Bloody Appalachia, and Beware the Locals, though those games are much more adult in nature.

You can get the pdf here and print copies from the Bloat Games store.

You Should Unchain Creepy Dolls Right?

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. 

I thought it would be fun to stat Finley for Dark Places & Demogorgons and other SURVIVE THIS!! games. I've put my own spin on him, based on the supernaturally bad luck he has in the short. Finley could become a regular npc for your games. I also don't think he knows that he's cursed meaning he will continue to try elaborate death traps to kill the residents. If they start to trust him, his murderous tendencies might lessen, but they will always be there.

Finley the Cursed Dummy (Construct)

Armor Class: 12

Hit Dice: 3

Move: 12

Actions: 1

Attack Damage: Something Sharp (1d4)

Special: Ambush, toughness +2, construct, cursed, fearless, home protector

Bonuses: +1 to melee attacks, +3 to ranged attacks, +3 to Initiative, +3 to Stealth checks

Alignment: Evil    

Morale: 8

Madness: -

Terror: 12 (when first animated)                   

HDE: 2

Ambush: Finley can lay motionless until he wishes to strike, gaining surprise on his initial action. He may attempt to Stealth, allowing him to go back to a still state. If nobody sees him, he may repeat this ability.

Construct: Immunity to mind-affecting effects, poisons, stunts, being sickened, diseases, and Critical hits.

Cursed: Finley is bound to his trunk and must stay within 100 yards of it. Additionally until he gains the trust of the residents, any attempt to harm them or their guests will be unsuccessful.

Home Protector: Finley gains Advantage on all rolls related to defense of his home.

These Campers Are Different!

These Campers Are Different is the companion book to Camp Blood. Like other "Bloody Horror Universe" books it features an awesome cover by Peter Frain. The killer is reminiscent of Samhain, one of my favorite Ghostbusters' villains. Phil Stone and Christopher Torres do all the interior art.

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:

• Angel
• Bigfoot
• Chupbacabra
• Demon
• Extraterrestrial: Grays
• Fairy
• Goatman
• Medusa
• Merman
• Mothman
• Vampire
• Were-beast.

There's a nice mix here and they'd fit into most SURVIVE THIS!! games. Goatman is particularly appropriate for Dark Places & Demogorgons given the setting. To be honest, I would have been disappointed had it not been included as an option. My other favorite is Merman which could be used to make a character who's family is from Innsmouth.

Five new empowered classes are presented. These are updates of classes from previous SURVIVE THIS!! books. There is a mix of sci-fi and supernatural. The classes are:

• Alien in Disguise
• Psion
• Dark Witch
• Earth Witch
• Light Witch

Most of the spells and psion abilities presented are features in Dark Places & Demogorgons Ultimate Edition so they are pretty familiar to SURVIVE THIS!! regulars.. There are two brand new Psion powers: Nature Manipulation and Phantasmogan. I really like the fear based Phantasmagon power and it would be great for a villainous camper. There are some quick rules for gaining a familiar and creating potions. Additionally. we're given a few pages of potions.

Finally the book gives us four new adventure hooks for Camp Blood. The Lost Cabin is an Evil Dead style scenario. Nature Trail To Hell is a reusable adventure hook that is randomly generated every time. Night of the Living Brats is The Fog but with zombie kids and teens. The Tower Lookout at Mt. Boone ads a bit of Firestarter or the Hawkins National Laboratory to your game via a couple young psions on the run.

The page count for These Campers Are Different! is lighter compared to other SURVIVE THIS!! titles (even expansions), but it still contains excellent supplementary material. Despite the overlap, I think it's an excellent expansion for Dark Places & Demogorgons in particular. Grab your hardcover here today.

Welcome Campers, Time To Die!

Intro and Overview

Camp Blood is the second part of Bloat Games bloody grindhouse trilogy. Like the first, Bloody Appalachia, it's a stand alone game but fully compatible with other SURVIVE THIS!! games. If you've played  any SURVIVE THIS!! game, Camp Blood is a game you know how to play. You have familiar attributes, class, and roll a d20 and add your modifiers.  

Character Creation

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:

• Athlete 
• Badger Scout
• Camp Archer
• City Kid - because they "keep it real" they have resistance to magic and psionics
• Counselor in Training - there's a lot of variety with this one because you get to pick specialties
• Cryptid Enthusiast 
• Farm Kid 
• Lascivious Teen - regain HP after sex, but also attract the attention of monsters by doing so
• Naturalist - this is the healer class
• Party Animal
• Prankster - this class pulls agro and has the ability to get away
• Snob - Who knew entitlement was a benefit?
• Survivor
• Underdog - this class is cool because it gets reward for failing, this is an awesome idea
• Whiz Kid - this class gain a robot buddy that can upgraded as the level up
• Woodsman

There's definitely overlap with several of these classes, but its still a great selection overall. Again, all of these make a lot of sense in a DP&D game. Skills and equipment are pretty much the same as standard supernatural ST games.

Rules For Play

This section includes standard ST rules. This is the general how to play section. It looks like the one for Bloody Appalachia.

Game Master Section

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

October Horror Challenge - Dark Harvest (2023)

For Day 31 "All Hallows Eve" I watched Dark Harvest, mainly because I remember always digging the cover the novel its based on.

Plot

In a small Midwestern town in 1963, a teens confront a local legend that raises every October 31st.

Review

This is a dark fantasy Halloween tale that's heavily influence by Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. Casey Likes and E'mryi Crutchfield are fantastic as the leads, Richie and Kelly. The film has an excellent style and some excellent effects, even if it wasn't too scary. I liked the design of Sawtooth Jack, though I wish he would have had an actual Jack-o-lantern head. His design is reminiscent of Pumpkin Head, which is a good one, but I think a fiery gourd would have been more interesting. 

Honestly even though I know the twist and ending, I think I want to read the book. I've read some excellent reviews.

Your Game 

Sawtooth Jack (Aberration) 

Armor Class: 14

Hit Dice: 27 (6 HD)
Move: 15
Actions: 2 

Attack: Unarmed (1d8) or By Weapon
Special: Limb Tear, Breath Fire 

Bonuses: +4 to melee attacks, +4 to melee damage

Alignment: Neutral

Madness: N/A

Terror: 15

HDE: 3

On a natural attack roll of 20 Sawtooth Jack rips a limb off and does X3 regular damage. Once per day Sawtooh Jack may breath fire, forcing creatures with 15 feet to make a Magic Saving Throw or take 3d6 fire damage.

Movies Watched: 34

New to Me: 20.66

October Horror Challenge - Piranha 3D (2010)

 For Day 30 I decided to do an alternate prompt. "Best Gratuitous Nudity" 

Plot

Spring break turns into a total slaughter when ancient flesh-eating fish are let loose at a lakeside resort.

Review

This movie is schlock, but it's funny and has a lot of gratuitous nudity. The movie has a phenomenal cast. My two favorite  members are Richard Dreyfus (which is a nice Jaws call back) and Jerry O'Connell. O'Connell plays an absolute sleezeball and has one of the funniest moments of the flick. He get's his too, in a hilarious way.  If you're cool with low brow humor, this is a fun ride full of blood and boobs. 

Your Game 

These are updates of some stats for SURVIVE THIS!! I did years ago. This one honestly could be used in any of those games, but I think it'd be extra appropriate with Bloody Appalachia and Camp Blood.

Piranha, Prehistoric (Animal) 

Armor Class: 12

Hit Dice: 10 (3 HD)
Move: 5/15 (Swim)
Actions: 1 

Attack: Bite (1d6)
Special: Blood Frenzy, can leap up to 10 feet out of water

Bonuses: +1 to melee attacks, +2 to melee damage

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 10

Madness: 0 (6)
Terror: 9

HDE: 1

The smell of blood will cause a piranha to frenzy, giving it advantage on attack rolls, but giving it a -2 AC penalty.

Movies Watched: 33

New to Me: 19.66

October Horror Challenge - Grave Encounters (2011)

"Found Footage" was the prompt for Day 25.

Plot

When the crew of a ghost hunting tv show lock themselves in a reportedly haunted mental hospital overnight things go terribly wrong.

Review

The movie is basically "what if the crew of Ghost Hunters investigated the wrong location." Much like the Blair Witch Project before it this film claims to be actual footage. The film begins with a producer explaining that Grave Encounters was a show for his network. Five episodes were filmed. The movie we watch is the edited footage from what would have been the sixth episode. In many ways this is stock found footage affair. There wasn't anything really unique about it. There are a few moments of overt supernatural events and they are CGI, These scenes would have definitely been improved had practical effects been used. That being said it was an entertaining flick (if you don't mind found footage style).  

Your Game 

The Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital would be a great "dungeon" for a modern game (horror or otherwise). If you want to include ghost hunting in an OSR game, particularly a SURVIVE THIS!! game, I highly recommend Dark Places & Demogorgons - The Ghost Hunter's Handbook. You can read my review here.

Movies Watched: 28

New to Me: 16.66

October Horror Challenge - Trick'or'Treat (2007)

"Howl At The Moon" was today's prompt. Instead of watching a movie that was just a werewolf movie, I thought I'd watch one of my favorite Halloween movies, which has a werewolf story. Plus I need to have at least one Ohio movie in the mix.

Plot

Sinister things are out on Halloween in a small Ohio town. If you wish to survive, you'd do best to keep the ancient traditions. 

Review

If you haven't watched this anthology, do so asap. It's a series of interwoven stories told in a non-linear fashion. There are some great faux comic covers and panels which is a nice nod to movies like Creepshow. I love how the stories connect and if you watch closely you'll see the characters cross paths. I also appreciate that no one is off limits. this one isn't afraid to kill kids. As I spoke in my Terrifier 3 post, that's normally a deal breaker, but I didn't mind the way it's done here. It didn't feel gratuitous. Plus this movie gave us Sam. He's my favorite Halloween character and I love that there's tons of Sam merch, even if there is only one movie featuring him. Now that I've got my overall thoughts out, I'll break this down by story.

Opening

Couple, Henry and Emma, return home from a night of drunken fun. Emma blows out a jack-o-lantern and this is where we're presented with our first rule of Halloween. I have to say of all the characters killed in this one (obviously outside of the bus children) I feel like Emma got the worst out of it. Other than not liking Halloween, she really didn't do anything deserving up the punishment she got. Yes she broke a rule, but what she got in return was excessive.

Principal

Principal Steven Wilkins (played by Dylan Baker) poisons a student from his school. While disposing of the body he's interrupted by his curmudgeon neighbor and son. Baker is fun in this one, as well as being quite sinister at times. I think of the stories, this was the most suspenseful for me (at least the last scene).

Halloween School Bus Massacre

A group of teens get a neurodivergent savant to do a ritual at the site of the local urban legend, the "Halloween School Bus Massacre." However, this is all a trick. This one is creepy because we see the massacre. I love Rhonda, the neurodivergent girl. Honestly, next to Sam, she's my favorite in the movie. Overall this is my favorite segment. The set up and setting is memorable and eerie. 

Surprise Party

More spoilers in talking about the segment, but this is our werewolf story. This one stars Anna Paquin as a virginal young woman celebrating with her sister and her friends. On the way to the celebration she's stalked by a vampire. There are tons of werewolf references in this one and once you know what's happening, they're charming. Also, the vampire is a previously introduced character and its cool to see him go from predator to prey. 

Sam

Principal Wilkins grumpy neighbor, Mr. Kreeg (played by Brian Cox). He's visited and terrorized by Sam. This is the most action packed segment which ends with a revelation about who Kreeg is that ties the stories up nicely. While we don't get any concrete details about who or what he is, we see that Sam seems to be immortal. Cox is fantastic in this one and is the kind of jerk you love to hate and see get his. 

Conclusion

The closing segment gives us one more glimpse of the surviving characters and wraps the film back around to the beginning. The film ends perfectly with the line "trick or treat."

Your Game 

Here are some spells and stats I've previously post on here.

New Spells - Always Check Your Candy, Jack-o-Lantern's Protection

New Monster Stats - School Bus Massacre Children 

Movies Watched: 25

New to Me: 15.66

#RPGaDay2024 - Day 18

 "Memorable moment in play"

I have many memorable moments from gaming when I was younger, but as I get older they happen fewer and far between. A more recent one that comes to mind is from a Dark Places & Demogorgons session I ran back in 2018. You can read about the entire session here, but essentially it involved an encounter with little green men at a Conway Twitty impersonation contest. To deescalate a potential slaughter between aliens and locals, one of my players hopped onto the stage, attempted to calm the crowd with their best rendition of Hello Darlin' and rolled a Nat 20! I know the word gets used a lot, but it was epic!

Burn Rubber with Greasers & Ghouls

Greasers & Ghouls is a b-movie horror rpg by Bloat Games. It was written by Josh Palmer. The cover was done by Phil Stone, while the interior features art from Christopher Torres, Bradley K. McDevitt, and Rich Hershey. You can get it as a pdf and/or as a gorgeous 137 page hardcover. Like many Bloat Games releases, this uses their SURVIVE THIS!! osr rules set. I've talked about ST rules many times on here so I'll be brief. It uses familiar D&D attributes and a basic roll a d20 and add relevant bonuses system. As far as classes for G&G we've got the following:

All-American Kid, Badger Scout, Beatnik, Biker, Bully, Cheerleader, Farm Kid, Greaser, Letterman, Soc, Square. Sweet Baby, Teen Idol, Thorned Roses

The skill section has everything you'd expect. A few new ones I don't remember seeing in previous ST books are Fighting: ROTC/Military and Homebrewing (aka bootlegging and recreational chemistry).  The equipment section has everything you'd expect. Since cars were such a big deal in the 50's, there's a more time spent discussing them. In addition to the standard equipment chart for vehicles, there's also charts for upgrades. Additionally we get some chase and vehicle rules.  This is a handy addition to the system (though variations have been seen in a few ST games). Most of the play rules are the same as other ST games, though there is a section for new horsemanship rules. This may seem a bit out of place, but considering the game takes place in Kentucky horse country, it shouldn't. 

I've previously mentioned We Die Young is the spiritual sequel to Dark Places & Demogorgons. Greasers & Ghouls is the literal prequel to that DP&D, with a default setting of Jeffersontown, KY. That's right, Greasers & Ghouls gives us a look J'town's past. Instead of the standard ST list of generic npcs and such, we're presented with more detailed 22 Advanced Story Hooks. Nearly every one of these includes stats for a new menace for your party to encounter. They are all fun and iconic. I think the one that really stands out is Drive-In Mayhem/ Giant Radioactive Critters Attack!!. Giant animals are such an iconic 50's monster trope. The section includes 37 different animal statblocks and 4 templates to make them creepier! I think I should also point out there are some familiar faces for DP&D loves. Tara the Clawed Menace is a new urban legend in J'Town in the 50's. We get the origins of the little green men (long before they fell in love with Conway Twitty). Finally you know the Pope Lick Monster has to make an appearance. Following the hooks, we get a map of Jeffersontown in the 50's and some locations within the town (including a list of the best places to drag race). 

The book ends with an index and a bunch of useful information about the 50's: slang, what kids were into, fashion, things that were common then but scare/gone now. This is a nice 50's primer and definitely useful for GM's and players.

Greasers & Ghouls is a fantastic addition to the SURVIVE THIS!! line. It works particularly well with the more horror-centric books in the line. Again, because the game is set in J'town, I feel like this one is a must have for fans of Dark Places & Demogorgons. You could do a really cool generational or parallel game if you had both. Characters have a character in the 50's and the 80's and you could weave the events together. Now that I say that, I might have to do it myself.

Where to buy: pdf, hardcover

October Horror Challenge - Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

Because the movie I'm watching tomorrow is so heavy, I wanted something life to "Sci-Fi Horror" so I went with Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

Plot

Mike, a teen, and his friends witness a shooting star crash outside of their small town. They investigate and find that it's actually a space ship inhabited by horrifying alien Klowns. They do their best to warn the authorities and save their town.

Review

Confession time... this movie is one of the reasons I was afraid of horror movies until I was in my early 20's. I saw the dinosaur shadow puppet scene on HBO as a kid and it scarred me. However, today I think this movie is a well-crafted loving send up of retro-sci-fi horror covered in Klown makeup. The movie is genuinely creepy, despite also being goofy as Hell. The costume and set designs are fantastic. There are thrills, chills, and laughs to be had if you check this one out. 

The Klowns are still around. Spirit Halloween creates merchandise based on the property(product page). There is a new asymmetrical horror game coming out (watch here), a short film (watch here) was released a few years ago, and the creators would love to do a series (read more here). 

In Your Game 

I've posted several stat blocks based ok the Killer Klowns. I've decided to update them and reshare below.

Killer Klown From Outer Space (Alien Outsider)

Armor Class: 12
Hit Dice: 3
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Popcorn Gun (d4, 50' range) or Capture Device (Target makes Critical save or is bound)
Special: Weak Spot: Nose (ignore all other damage)

Bonuses: +2 to Hit

Alignment: Anarchist

Morale: 10

Madness: NA
Terror: 12 (once true nature is revealed)

HDE: 2

Any popcorn from a popcorn gun not destroyed will turn into a PopKorn Klown

PopKorn Clown (Alien Outsider)

Armor Class: 12
Hit Dice: 1
Move: 8
Actions: 1
Attack: Bite (d4-1)
Special: -

Bonuses: -

Alignment: Anarchist

Morale: 8

Madness: NA
Terror: 10

HDE: 1/2 pt

They were definitely not referred to as Klussy in the movie, that's a moniker I gave them.

Female Killer Klown From Outer Space aka Klussy (Alien Outsider)

Armor Class: 12
Hit Dice: 3
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Unarmed (1-2)
Special: Can inflate bosoms, attackers must make a DC 10 Wisdom check to be able to attack, Weak Spot: Nose (ignore all other damage)

Bonuses: +5 to seduction rolls

Alignment: Anarchist

Morale: 8

Madness: NA
Terror: -

HDE: 1

Jojo the Clownzilla (Alien Outsider)

Armor Class: 10

Hit Dice: 10
Move: 16
Actions: 2
Attack: Slam (2d6)
Special: Great Strength (capable of breaking walls, flipping cars, and other unbelievable feats ofstrength), Weak Spot: Nose (ignore all other damage)

Bonuses: +2 to Hit

Alignment: Anarchist

Morale: 10

Madness: NA
Terror: 15

HDE: 10

October Horror Challenge - Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

Ernest Scared Stupid is the best Halloween movie "For The Kiddos" and I will die on that hill. Fun fact the movie was released 32 years ago today.

Plot

While working as a garbage man and helping his young friends, Ernest P. Worrell accidentally unleashes a troll that wreaks havoc on his town.

Review

I loved this movie as a kid and still love it as an adult. I get that not everyone love's Jim Varney's humor, but I love it. He has a wholesome lovableness as Ernest. There's a seen in the film involving his dog that gets me to this day, because when Ernest cries, we all cry. An interesting fact about the movie is it canonically explains why Ernest is so dumb (troll curse). The film has Ernest regulars John Cadenhead and Billy Byrge as the Tulip brothers. Additionally Eartha Kitt plays Old Lady Hackmore. I quote this movie way more than any adult should. 

One of my favorite fun facts/Easter eggs is that many of the troll costumes were repurposed by the cult classic Killer Klowns From Outer Space. However, I just found a new one that I think is cool. The young bullies in the movie are the Murdock brothers. Their names are Matt and Mike, which means they share names with Daredevil and his sometimes real/sometimes made up twin brother Mike.

If you want a dumb, but lovable Halloween movie that's kid friendly, check out Ernest Scared Stupid.

In Your Game

Of all the SURVIVE THIS!! games, Dark Places & Demogorgons is the most appropriate game to play a scenario like this. 

Trantor the Troll (Humanoid)
Armor Class: 14

Hit Dice: 30 HP (6 HD)

Move: 10

Actions: 1
Attack: Punch (d4) or by weapon

Special:  Toughness +4, Fearless, Curse, Regeneration, Voice Mimicry, Spells, A Mother's Love, The Heart of a Child 

Bonuses: +3 to Melee attacks

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 10

Madness: 2 (8)

Terror: 10
HDE: 4

Items: dirty troll clothes

Curse: Trantor can call upon dark powers to lay generational curses.

Dendrology: Trantor can use his action to make nearby trees and greenery grow and twist. He can even use it to grapple.

Regeneration: Trantor regains 1 hit points at the end of every turn even if reduced below 0 HP

Dollification 1/day: Duration: Instant Range: Touch - Child must make a Mental (or Magic in other ST games) saving throw or be transformed into a small wooden doll.

A Mother's Love: All trolls of Trantor's species take 2d6 points of damage when the come in contact with milk. This ignores his toughness.

The Heart of A Child: The only way to permanently defeat Trantor is to give him enough unconditional love (aka the heart of a child). It is possible for truly whole adults of Good alignment to give this.

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First Time View: 2

Total Watched (Including Non-Challenge Horror Movies): 14

 

Beware Of The Locals Review

Intro and Overview

Beware of the Locals is the first supplement to Bloody Appalachia. While the core book focuses on playing outsiders entering Bludworth Hollow, this book includes new classes and rules to let you play locals.

Character Creation

The book starts with a local specific occupation table. We're then presented with several new classes:

• Backwoods Chemist - While the Pusher from the core book might sell illicit substances, you know how to make 'em
• Backyard Wrestler- you're one Jim Cornette would refer to as an outlaw garbage wrestler, as the first official wrestling class for ST this, I'm super happy with this one! 
• Family Prodigy - the class name, taken out of context is misleading, this one is designed to play a champion of the Lee and Hooper families. This class emulates the Sawyer family from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
• Good Ol' Boy/Girl - this is just a rough and tumble country native
• Miner - Miners have along history in Appalachia, it's hard dangerous work, the class also has an option for spelunkers
• Moonshine Runner - you know how to drive and deliver your goods without get caught by the law
• Mountain Folk - this is a solid class for kin that live in the back hollers
• Mountain Preacher - this one is a fun one and very fitting. That old-time religion is an important part of Appalachian society (for good or ill). There are four variants and I've met them all (except the snake wrangler)
• Poacher - these folks hunt when they want and where they want, laws be damned
• Survivalist (Mountain Tracker Variant) - A doomsday prepper that's at home in the hills

Because of the lethal nature of the game, it's recommended to have back up characters ready. The skills section looks pretty similar to other ST games. The same can be said for the equipment. There is a small section on improvised explosives and quick and dirty drug creation. There's a full page of drugs, costs, and effects.

Rules For Play

Beware of the Locals adds vehicle and vehicle combat rules. There's a chart with vehicles, their costs and stats. We're also presented with ways to upgrade them (and what that costs). New car chase/race rules and specific actions for drivers are detailed (with a multiround example). Of course, the roads aren't always going to be clear so obstacle and crash rules are also included.  

Game Master Section

There are three new scenario for Bloody Appalachia. They can be played by locals or outsiders. There is an appendix of Appalachian terms. Going to be honest, I've lived in Appalachia 35 of my 39 years on Earth and haven't heard a lot of these terms. Not doubting there veracity, there just older terms. There are several useful tables like weapons you would fin in a barn, basic items you would find in a barn, what's in the cooler, as well as several other.

Final Thoughts

While this supplement is short (only 40 pages), it's definitely useful. Honestly, even if you don't plan on playing Bloody Appalachia, I think this is a good rural sourcebook for something like What Shadows Hide.  Plus it provides some vehicle rules not found in that game. Speaking of those rules, I might revisit this flick now that I have an Appalachian horror game with vehicle rules.

The art is fantastic. Peter Frain did a great job on this cover too and Christopher Torres art is metal af.

Preorder Link

Bloody Appalachia Review

 

Intro and Overview

I want to start with a full disclaimer and admission. When Eric and Josh decided to do this one they brought me on as an additional writer. I love horror and love Appalachia. I am credited with additional writing in the book, but to be honest, I just helped out with ideas and inspiration. I definitely supported this one, but I don't feel I deserve writing credits. 

If you've played  any SURVIVE THIS!! game, Bloody Appalachia is a game you know how to play. You have familiar attributes, class, and roll a d20 and add your modifiers.  Everything is compatible with other ST content which allows for maximum awesomeness. 

Character Creation

Unlike What Shadows Hide and We Die Young, players in Bloody Appalachia are human. There are no races presented, though we do get an outsiders occupation table. All of the classes presented are mundane (no magic or psionics) and are designed to represent outsiders that would come to the region. They are:

• College Student- this is the classic horror victim and fits perfectly; there are 5 subtypes to choose from
• Emergency Medical Technician - the field medics are invaluable when you trying to stay alive
• Film Maker - what better place to film your indie masterpiece than the deep dark woods?... Eric mentioned he was inspired by watching the movie X, which explains this one.
• Final Girl - this might be the most iconic horror character archetype, it's fitting in pretty much any modern-ish ST horror game
• Folklorist - some folks head to the hills to learn more about rich history of Appalachia and its culture while others are more interested in cryptids and legends
• G-Men - a rookie government agent sent to the holler to investigate, they folks are definitely distrusted by the locals
• Paranormal Investigator - like the Final Girl, this one fits into most modern-ish horror ST games
• Police Officer - a local cop investigating something in Bludworth Hollow, they have several different subtypes (including CPS)
• Private Investigator - an independent investigator 
• Pusher - the pusher sells illicit substances, whether they be weed, meth, or moonshine
• Songcatcher - these skilled musicians seek to learn the music of the people to preserve it.
• Weekend Warrior - office workers and such during the week, these folks dream about their weekends in nature

Because of the lethal nature of the game, it's recommended to have back up characters ready. The skills section looks pretty similar to other ST games. The same can be said for the equipment. There is a small section on improvised explosives and quick and dirty drug creation. There's a full page of drugs, costs, and effects.

Rules For Play

This section includes standard ST rules. This is the general how to play section. There is a Madness and phobia section. 

Game Master Section

The setting of Bloody Appalachia is the focus of the latter half of the book. It isn't era specific. It works perfectly if you want a game set in the 60's to day. Just change some equipment and tech and you're good. A conceit of the setting is that characters never leave. Even if they survive a horrid event... the just stumble into another. The setting is Bludworth Hollow. Just off a highway, the area is controlled by two cannibalistic families, the Lee's and the Hooper's. We're presented with several pages that highlight various locations in the area and a brief discussion of nearby Aviation Hill. There's an extremely useful "Basic Hooks That Could Bring You To Bludworth Hollow" table.

This is followed by Advanced Bloody Appalachia Hooks. These are similar to the Adventure Seeds present in most ST games. If Bloody Appalachia was a franchise, these advanced hooks would be the individual films. There's a wide variety here. We've got crazy religious leaders, cursed undead, aliens, slashers, and more. There are several plot hooks/points for each and related stats. If that wasn't enough, there's also 20+ pages of additional beasts, humans, templates, and monsters. 

The book ends with some useful charts and GM References. 

Final Thoughts

Bloody Appalachia is a game for adults. Its a game that contains extreme violence, cannibalism, gore, and other strong subjects. It also deals with drugs and other substances. It's a game for folks that love rural horror movies. This game plays into tropes of the horror genre and such. There's a lot here that plays to the negative stereotypes of the region. I can see that upsetting some folks sensibilities. However, I can attest that you can be a proud Appalachian and still enjoy some mindless hillbilly slashers.  

This book is pretty brutal. Peter Frain did an fantastic job on the cover. The interior art is done by Christopher Torres and a lot of it reminds me of stuff you'd find in the Black Dog Game Factory imprint of White Wolf back in the day. There's a lot of horrific gore and tits. This isn't a complaint, because it fits the theme of the book well. 

The game pairs well with What Shadows Hide and if you don't run it as a stand alone game, is a nice subsetting for that one.  While they don't mix well thematically, there's definitely some crossover potential with We Die Young. If you want to expand the character creation possibilities, I'd say the following classes from the latter could work in Bloody Appalachia:

• Papal Pursuant - while they have some supernatural connected power with their anti-undead abilities, but the Vatican could definitely send someone to investigate a demonic phenomena in the holler. 
• Riot Grrl - while there's no direct hook for a Riot Grrl, they'd be an appropriate addition to a group and would probably challenge local opinions on what's appropriate behavior for a lady
• Rock Star - a rock star's bus could get lost and end up in Bludworth Hollow, they could also be connected to a Songcatcher
• Serial Killer - the class fits right in, you can actually set up a nice hunter hunted scenario if you allow a serial killer
• Street Bard - like the Riot Grrl, a street bard could be traveling with friends, they could also be connected to a Songcatcher or Rock Star
• Street Fighter - a street fighter could head to Bludworth Hollow looking for a challenge among the local backwoods wrestlers.

Preorder Link

We Die Young Review

Intro and Overview

Created by Eric Bloat and Josh Palmer, We Die Young is a SURVIVE THIS!! love letter to grunge, Seattle, and 90's rpgs like the original World of Darkness. I tend to think of this game as the sequel to Dark Places & Demogorgons (as it's a supernatural game that takes place in the 90's rather than the 80's). That's sort of true, but honestly it's it's on beast and has more of a specific setting for What Shadows Hide (which was released after this).

The book begins with a disclaimer. Drugs factor into the game (and there's a class that is specifically made up of drug users). The game doesn't glorify or promote drug use, but also acknowledges that it was a prominent part of the 90's Seattle scene. 

The mysterious Zapatral Stones are calling supernatural beings of all types to the Pacific Northwest. The stones have also affected the youth of the area, given them a general sense of apathetic melancholia. This, combined with the weather and disenchantment, has given rise to the grunge scene that is dominating the area. For good or ill, the players can band together to gather the stones and the power found within them.

If you are familiar with any SURVIVE THIS!! game, We Die Young will look familiar. You have familiar attributes, a race, class, and roll a d20 and add your modifiers.  Everything is compatible with other ST content which allows for maximum awesomeness. 

Character Creation

Unlike the (predominantly human) DP&D, you have several race options in We Die Young. They are: 

• Dopplegangers - androgynous shapeshifters mistrusted by others
• Ghouls - humanoid flesh eaters (they are humanoid, despite looking undead)
  Humans - 'nuff said
• Imperishable - immortal humans, can only die by having their bodies utterly destroyed
• Jari-Ka - mummies that feed on magic and psionic energy, each is associated with a ritual path tied to their creation
• Realm Twisted Fey - humans intermingled with something else. Subtypes are: beastial, exalted, scalesouled, serpentcrowned, twitter, and voidhearted
• Vampire - vampires gain new powers as the level, but this is balanced out with racial weaknesses
• Were-beast - humans that carry an ancient curse, not all can control their rages, though players can. They have subtypes: were-bat, were-bear, were-cat, were-gator, were-otter, were-rat, were-shark, were-spider, and werewolf.  Each gain new abilites as they level up.

Players then roll on a d100 chart to find their character's occupation. This will alter their skills and attributes and give you their starting funds. We are then presented with several classes. They are:

• Mystic - gain power from invisible rune tattoos
• Naturalist - magic users that tap into the natural world
• Papal Pursuant - secret Vatican archeologist priests
• Psion - individuals blessed (or cursed) with psychic abilities
• Revenant - think the Crow, you or someone you loved were wronged and you were brought ack for vengeance 
• Riot Grrl - rough and rowdy chicks that fight for a cause
• Rock Star - a musical super star
• Serial Killer - this optional class is nasty, it includes methods (which grant bonuses) and a special victim type table
• Shaman - spiritual spellcasters that call upon their ancestors for aid
• Sickman - unfortunate individuals addicted to the drug Sickman, which grants them superhuman abilities
• Street Bard - a more down to earth musician
• Street Fighter - an expert brawler
• Thrall - human servants to vampires; a Reinfield 
• 
  Tremor Christ - telekinetic religious prophets that belong to a cult known as the Silver Shivers
• Warlock - spellcasters that specialize in summoning 
• Witch - spellcasters that focus on hexes and curses

The skills section looks pretty similar to other ST games. This is followed by 60 or so pages of magic and psionics. There is also some information and tables related to the Void. There are some fantastic themed spells like Heaven Beside You, Super Unknown, and Pretty Noose.  

The equipment section starts out similar to other ST games and a lot of the weapons and items are similar. Then we're presented with magic items, potions, and street drugs. There are some simple addiction rules included. We are then given more in depth information on the Zapatral Stones. Where you can find them, information, effects, activation and side effects are all presented. There are 5 or 6 pages of actual stones and powers, plus rules for crafting with the stones. 

Rules For Play

This section includes standard ST rules. This is the general how to play section. However it includes some new rules specific to We Die Young. Curses, Exorcism, and Madness are all presented.  Rules for XP and Leveling are also presented.

The World of We Die Young

The book ends with more specifics on the setting. We're presented with some journal entries about the stones. We're then presented with racial factions: Ghoul Legacies, Jari-Ka Circles, Vampire Lineages, and Wearbeast Fangkin. There are several non-racial organizations discussed too. The most notable is C.A.R.E., a global organization that protects the world from dangerous threats, and the focus of What Shadows Hide. There are two pages of short location descriptions. Seven adventure seeds are presented. They are given typical ST treatment. After this there's a nice bestiary (featuring everything from pimps, to bears, to demons). Need to customize those stat blocks? There are templates to help with that.

The book ends with d100 Adventure hooks and an appendix of recommended media.

Final Thoughts

At 368 pages, I'm pretty sure this is the biggest Survive This!! book. It's packed full of character options and helpful content to GM's. This is the perfect game for Gen X gamers. As an elder millennial, I was able to appreciate a lot of it too, but the vibe and references might be lost on younger gamers. That being said, even if you aren't a grunge person, this is a great game and is an awesome companion book to What Shadows Hide.

PDF Purchase Link 

Physical Purchase Link 

Bloody Appalachia Kickstarter

I'm excited to talk about a new Bloat Games project I'm working on called Bloody Appalachia. The game is a mature grindhouse rpg using BG's fantastic SURVIVE THIS!! rules set. It will be standalone game, but can combined with any other ST!! products.

"In the hollers of Appalachia Kentucky, the hills run red with blood. Folks around these parts don't take kindly to outsiders. Before you venture off the safety of the highway to stop for gas and a bite to eat, or rent a rural cabin in the woods, know and heed this warning:  You are not welcome here!"

The game seeks to emulate scenarios scene in flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devil's Rejects, X, Pearl, and My Bloody Valentine. It's deadly and nasty. The game will include sensitive material, just like the low budget slashers that inspired it. Gore, violence, assault, mutilation, horror, nudity, cannibalism, and other genre specific themes ill be found in the game. It's not for the faint of heart, but not every game is for everyone.

Characters take on the role of outsiders trying to survive a backwoods-nightmare. The game will be great for one-shots and short campaigns. It's being written by the Bloat All-Stars (Josh Palmer and Eric Bloat)... along with myself. 

In the Kickstarter you can grab a copy from the initial print run or get an at-cost POD LULU code if you're outside the US. There will also be a supplement entitled Beware the Locals. Finally there's a dope logo t-shirt you can snag during the Kickstarter. 

I'm extremely excited about this one. While I love tasteful and respectful representations of my Appalachian heritage, I'm also down for a nasty exploitative grindhouse version of things. The game is set in the same state as J'Town (the primary setting of Dark Places & Demogorgons) and you can definitely pull the horrors from this game and add to that one if you want a more mature DP&D game. Personally I think there can be some amazing crossover work if you you use this one to come up with some rural adventures for a What Shadows Hide game. Mixing this one with Vigilante City could also be a lot of fun, particularly if you have a group of non-powered characters. 

If you're not squeamish and you like the source material, this is the game for you. Check out the Kickstarter and consider backing. You won't be disappointed.