Editing Fragile:Main Page

[[Fragile:Timeline|'''Timeline''']]

Hank: 3

Peter: 3

The game will be set in and around Nevada in the Summer of 2008. Aside from the specific threat that the PCs will encounter, the world will be a close approximation of our real one, and be fairly realistic in tone up to a point.

Origins can be taken from the core rulebook and the World on Fire sourcebook, with some possible exceptions if I feel the Talent or Specialty is inappropriate. PCs can take levels in the following basic classes, from the core book and World on Fire:

As 7th or higher level characters, PCs may also take levels in the following expert classes, from the core book and World on Fire:

Aliens (Movie): I think Alien might be a superior film artistically, but for pure entertainment value, you can't do much better than this roller coaster ride of a sequel. It takes the universe presented in the first film and expands on it in ways that seem natural and only build on rather than detract from the premise. The characters are great, the pacing is terrific, and it has an emotional core that's particularly evident in the Special Edition. Probably the ideal model of a survival horror movie.

Alone in the Dark (Video Game): The original PC game was the prototype for most of the survival horror genre games that followed (spooky haunted house, roaming monsters, deathtraps...sound like anything you know, Capcom?), and I suspect that the newer console-based game will be quite good, too.  While most video games feature protagonists who can easily slay their numerous opponents, this game gave us fewer but more dangerous opponents, less weapons, and a protagonist who had to think as much as shoot. Whatever you do, though, don't rent the apparently horrible Uwe Boll movie, which has little if anything to do with the games. EDIT: After reading some game site reviews, it appears that the console game is really, really bad. A shame.

Black Hawk Down (Book, Movie): The real world incident in Somalia, 1993, features a very survival horror-esque premise; a group of well-trained and determined men surrounded by a horde of people who are trying their best to kill them. The book is much more balanced in its portrayal of the Somalis and their rationale for their actions, but the movie does a good job of conveying the mayhem of modern urban warfare. You also see examples of how people and organizations can either rise to the challenge or completely collapse under the strain.  

Condemned: Bloodshot (Video Game): A first person video game that blends the serial killer thriller with close combat violence and even a bit of the supernatural. Its got an aesthetic of "destroyed beauty" borrowed from David Fincher, director of Alien 3 and Se7en, and the tone is pretty damn bleak. The violence is particularly notable for its creative use of improvised weapons and for its sheer ugliness.

Dawn of the Dead (Movies): I like the George Romero one better than the remake, but both of these entries in the zombie horror genre are great examples of survival horror. Once more, you have a band of survivors struggling to stay alive as the walking dead threaten their only refuge. The first film also adds in quite a bit of social commentary and satire of consumer culture, but it also works purely as a scary and exciting movie. Particularly relevant to Fragile is its use of SWAT police officers.  

The Descent (Movie): Not to be confused with The Cave, this horror film follows a group of adventurous women as they go on a spelunking expedition that goes terribly, terribly wrong. The monsters of the film don't really show up until late in the film, and a considerable amount of the tension is created by the claustrophobia of the heroes' situation and personal, psychological subtext. Its also a lovely looking movie, having obvious inspiration from John Carpenter's scary movies, particularly The Thing. The CGI could've been better, and its ultimately a pretty formulaic film - but it does what it sets out to do very well. Make sure to see the UK version; the ending is much more effective, I think.

Dog Soldiers (Movie): Another Neil Marshall movie, this time a relatively light hearted action-horror story about a band of soldiers on a training mission who encounter some werewolves. Think of it as a cross between An American Werewolf In London and Aliens and you wouldn't be far off. There's some great and funny bits of banter between the soldiers, and it also manages to be pretty spooky at times.

I Am Legend (Book): I haven't seen the movie, to be honest, but what I know about it suggests that its a decent survival horror flick. Anyways, I'm more inspired by the book, by Richard Matheson, which is about the last man in a world overrun by classical-style vampires. There's a great sense of isolation and loneliness throughout, and the conclusion is both chilling and heroic in a strange way.  Its probably one of the oldest examples of survival horror, and its very grounded.

Resident Evil (Video Games): Capcom coined the term "survival horror" with this famous series. While the translation and voice acting got better as the series progressed, the stories also got more and more outrageous. In any case, the gameplay set a much imitated prototype, with a lonely hero surrounded by monsters and zombies, having to navigate puzzles and deathtraps while also collecting the occasional ammo, weapon, or health boost between sparse save points. I haven't seen the movies, but I assume they have at least some resemblance to this premise.  

The Thing (Movie, Video Game): A semi-remake of a 50's science fiction film (The Thing from Another World), John Carpenter's 1982 horror film was originally panned by the critics as too gory. Nowadays, it seems relatively tame, though the special effects are still grotesque and jaw-dropping. The Arctic setting is about as isolated as you can get, and while there is some action here and there, its mostly about the paranoia the outpost personnel feel as a shape shifting and personality absorbing alien infiltrates their camp. Its great visually, and its really quite bleak. The console game that came out some years back is a pretty fun game on its own right and improves a great deal if you're a fan of Carpenter's movie. Its got much more shooting and a variety of incarnations of the monster of the title to wrangle with.