Eldritch and Momentous

An hack of the great Lasers and Feelings with a Lovecraftian spin, right at the intersection between Cosmic Horror and Gothic Horror. 

Geared towards One-Shot play.

What first motivated me to work on this hack was the unsatisfaction for the "sanity" mechanics and the depiction of mental health found in many Lovecraftian-inspired ttrpgs. I asked myself how to give the same flavour without being insensitive, and I came up with the theme of a gradual loss of humanity fueled by dark-magic and horrific practices. I didn't realize at first that these themes would move the fiction from Cosmic Horror more towards Gothic Horror. Nevertheless I found that the mechanic supports equally well the (also Lovecraftian) themes of loss of self and fear of the other (as in The Dunvich Horror, Whisperer in the Dark and so on...).

Tips for Players:

• Build a tormented character: the hauntings are a great way to sparkle the GM's creativity. The more tormented they are, the better!
• “Treat your character like you're driving a stolen car”. This game is particularly suited for one-shots because the characters (as good Lovecraftian protagonists do) rarely make it out alive and well. Don't be afraid of the terrible destiny that awaits your characters: embrace their ill fate and guide them gleefully towards their inevitable end.
  

Tips for GMs:

• Use the hauntings! These are suggestions on what the player want to see in a session. Sprinkle in subtle reminders to instill paranoia in the characters and to amuse their players.
• Remember that horror games thrive on building an atmosphere: don't be afraid of slowing down the pace to soak up in a particularly creepy scenery.
• Start slow and precipitate things towards the end. Also, don't feel like everything needs to be explained, but solve some of the misteries to give a sense of closure.
• Honor the end of each one of the characters, the one who died, and the one who escaped, making sure that their closing scenes are equally epic. Also, don't forget to remark how changed they are after the adventure, and ask players to contribute by narrating the consequences of their irreversible change. 

Safety Tools
When playing, especially when engaging with horror content, remember to make sure that everybody feels safe so that they can freely enjoy the game. There is plenty of resources online on Safety Tools, in my opinion the Quick Reference Guide by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk is a particularly solid starting point.