Yeah I know Halloween was five days ago, so this is a little late.

But hey give me some slack I only just came across these two D&D Beyond posts.

Yes you could argue if I had checked D&D Beyond last week I could have posted this in a more timely manor.

Although in my defence I did post about trying a fantasy horror D&D adventure for free at the start of October. So in a way I was ahead of the game.

However D&D Beyond now have a couple of articles about playing Curse of Strahd in a single session that can be played at Halloween as a one shot.

Sadly to make use of these two most excellent posts you will need a copy of the Curse of Strahd Adventure book. They also recommend (although not necessary) the Galeforce 9 produced tarokka deck, a sixty minute hourglass, a top down map of Ravenloft (they point to a battle map pack on the DM’s Guild).

Here are the links to the two D&D Beyond posts.

Strahd Must Die Tonight! How to Play Ravenloft in a Single Night

Strahd Must Die Again (And Again And Again)

But what options are there if you don’t like the Ravenloft setting or want a break from the D&D system? Hence why I’m not mentioning Pathfinder first edition and the horror scenarios and rules it has. Plus not sure if they are out in second edition. I don’t play Pathfinder.

Well there is always the Lovecraftian Call of Cthulhu RPG. Like all good RPG’s these days they have a Starter box set that allows new players (both to RPGs and the system) to dip their toe in the system for a relatively cheap price. Sadly it’s not entirely possible to try the game for free with a bunch of friends. But if you visit their page here, you can get the basic rules and a solo adventure (both in starter set).

Another alternative is Tales from the Loop RPG. “In this roleplaying game in the vein of E.T. and Stranger Things, you’ll play teenagers solving mysteries connected to the Loop. The game rules are based on Mutant: Year Zero.” Sadly I’ve not located a free way to try before buying. Personally I think that’s a mistake. Which as far as I can tell the following two recommendations also make.

For a more mature r rated RPG gaming experience there is Vampire: The Masquerade which might be worth a look.

The final option that is the FFG The End of the World Series of RPG’s. In particular the Zombie Apocalypse one. Which seems more appropriate to the time of year than alien invasions or machines taking over.

I wish there was more “you can try these or play these for free” above. I don’t like the idea of splashing out money for stuff that might only see the light of day once a year. Plus that free option is great advertising to get people to maybe buy into the system once they have tried it.