Suspense can be particularly challenging to convey effectively in a tabletop RPG. It requires the right mix of player buy-in, effective GM presentation, and a collaboration between all parties. Today’s topic for RPG a Day 2025, Suspense, made me think of recent games where I have felt suspense most effectively.
I don’t want to speak about suspense from my perspective as a GM; that view is a little askew. I would rather discuss my experiences as a player, particularly in relation to suspense and horror games, which are my favorites to play.
Playing Call of Cthulhu in high school was a treat. It was the first game I got to play as a player. I was a fan of Lovecraft, and although I have a more nuanced view of him today, I remain a fan of the game. To a D&D player, the Sanity rules, the eldritch books, and the undefeatable evils all seemed fresh. After years of playing, including CoC, the element of suspense seems better served by other mechanics.
I wrote about Gumshoe this year for Day 14, and mentioned Trial of Cthulhu, which seems like the best system for running Cthulhu for me. However, I have not played Arkham Horror, which I don’t own, nor Cthulhu Awakens from Green Ronin, which I do own.
However, I have played a game that did suspense right, Ten Candles. A collaborative storytelling game played by candlelight, where you burn the index cards that describe your character, which you created collaboratively with the other players. I won’t go into too many details, but the Wikipedia entry for the game has a nice description if you are interested.
I will say this was the most suspenseful session of an RPG in a long time. We played it two years ago, in 2023, near Halloween. The game is excellent, but the GM also helped. Jose García also ran a two-session adventure, which was very exciting. He definitely excels at suspense and horror RPGs. I’m sharing some pictures of the session.
The one horror RPG which I really want to play, but haven’t, is Dread. I have owned the book for years, and I have yet to run it. Maybe this year, for Halloween, we can play it. I’ll let you know.
What system do you believe best handles suspense? Any tricks you use to create suspense in your games? I’d love to read your ideas and comments about the prompt; feel free to share them here in the comments or tag me wherever you’re sharing them. If you choose to join in the conversation, don’t forget to include the #RPGaDay2025 hashtag so the community can find your contribution.
