Libre SRP was built for action and adventure. That could be gritty and dangerous, high-flying heroics or two-fisted pulp mystery. It was all about getting the protagonist on the case for a mission, looking to achieve a goal without being thwarted.
So the question of will Libre Solo Role Playing handle horror, was sort of like asking the meme, will it blend? It could always be done in theory. The Libre SRP book (p.36) had some horror themed examples that mix asking for trouble with the practice of exposing the unknown: The shock reveal of a hidden threat, and uncovering the horrible truth.
It was mostly theory. So I sat down and put the GM Engine through its paces with two frightening tales. The verdict: It delivers! My protagonist, Daniel Severyn moved into a brooding old Victorian in rural upstate New Hampshire, an isolated place next to an ancient graveyard.
The town’s church minister had recently disappeared. Throughout the story, Daniel kept requesting, and the police kept giving lip service but never dispatched an officer; the closest next-door neighbor was an odd duck who called herself “Cousin Jane”, who kept sniffing around the place looking for stuff to take.
The supernatural turned out to be the least of Daniel Severyn’s problems — he ended up drawn into the graveyard at night after seeing some mysterious lights and noises — and bore witness to an unspeakable cultist ritual. After that, Daniel was in over his head. The protagonist survived the first story only because he got smart and ran for his life, piled into his car and never stopped driving until he was back over the Massachusetts border.
It worked — the only weak spot in the first story was that I’d been unclear on Daniel’s objectives (what Libre SRP calls a mission). The game benefits from a motivated protagonist who pushes the action forward. Daniel Severyn was a reluctant protagonist tripping into dangers instead of driving the plot in the first story.
Part 2 righted that error. Danny was hired by tycoon Jasper Saltonstall to head right back up to the same old Victorian house in rural New Hampshire, backed by a team of professional ghost hunters called J&J Paranormal. Because of cultist interference they never made it to the house. Most of the J&J team ended up in the hospital. They quit on the spot.
That meant Daniel Severyn had to go back cap in hand to Jasper, who arranged his personal lawyer, a professional bodyguard and an ex-cultist, and set them up with a bulletproof SUV. That group got to the house without trouble, but after that got dicey. The cultists managed to convince the lawyer it would be in his best interests to leave quietly; they sabotaged Daniel’s car; then they cut the power to the house as the sun went down… but the protagonist’s group survived the night. From one of the cultists they retrieved clues of the cult’s activities worldwide. Their stronghold in New Hampshire was just one of a series of global nexus points. Jasper Saltonstall was extremely pleased, and can’t wait to sponsor Danny to get on the road and investigate further. I’m torn whether I’ll risk Danny a third time by continuing the story. In two stories he’s already had several close calls.
So, horror? Yes, Libre Solo Role Playing does horror – quite well, in fact.