Sources of Inspirations?

[Shadow]

I was wondering where fellow fraternity members got inspiration for the dark plots and horror appropriate for a Ravenloft game. For me, I get a lot of ideas from television and movies. The old Twilight Zone series of the 1960s have a lot of great ideas for horror (see especially the episodes It's a Good Life and Person or Persons Unknown - the latter of which is a very frightening psychological horror dealing with identity and memory).

I have also gotten ideas from some freaky dreams that I have had, altough most of my nighmares deal with stong emotions that are hard to convey in a game.

[Jester of the FoS]

I just try and think about something normal and ordinary and then twisty it just slightly and make it creepy. Or I read fairy tales and work off of that.
Other times I start with a monster of game mechanic as a framework, having a starting point often helps.

Alot of the time it's a combination of many things. My creepiest adventure/ monster came out of wanting to use a boogieman from Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends as well as an ettercap.
So with that in mind I created a folk legend from scratch adding several elements. Nightmare on Elm Street inspired me to add a children's rhyme to the tale. And from movies and such I knew that what you can't see is often scarier than what you can't, so I played with that.

[MadStepDad]

I walk down the street. Or I pick up a newspaper. Or go see the fiends downtown for some truly horrifying stories. Vanilla Dutches work too.

But seriously, movies and literature is a given. But I think music can give you some crazy ideas too. Not from the music or lyrics literally, but from the gray space in between your own thoughts that seem to come when you're lost in the vibe. Just my thoughts.

peace,

MSD

[Archedius]

obviously gothic literature goes on the list : )

I spend a lot of time thinking about what would frighten me as well. Nightmares help : )

I also like reading classical/romantic period poems/stories as you can often find a disturbing underlying detail somewhere in them to exploit.
The poetry of John Keats comes to mind- especially when you learn about his short and brutal life. Poems that appear sweet and wistful become desperate and maddened when put in the context of when he wrote them during his life.

H.P. Lovecraft wrote in his own style of wierd fiction for most of his works. However, early on he sought to emulate Edgar Allen Poe and had a very ghoulish mileau permeating his writings. Read one of his stories called The Outsider.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Outsider

It's a short read and is VERY good.[/i]

[High Priest Mikhal]

Obviously I get a lot of inspiration from dreams (like I haven't said it enough). Sometimes I look back at things I grew up with, like Garbage Pail Kids cards (some of those freaks are great monsters). Video games are a huge source (:roll:), and not just the recent ones. Splatterhouse is a great series to mine for ideas. I'm actually thinking of making the West Mansion into a pocket domain but less splatter-horror and more Gothic. Then there are folk tales, urban legends, and other things that spawn out of the public psyche. And of course every place has reputed hauntings that one can draw on.