(Loosely inspired by that cuddlegame I vaguely remember being a thing however long ago that was.)
Characters wake up in a thick, dark forest heavily populated by nightmarish creatures that feed on fear and dark thoughts. They eventually stumble upon a city in their frantic wandering, set in the middle of the forest and surrounded by a high wall with a single gate. From the highest tower inside the city, there appears to be no end to the forest in any direction. The creatures in the forest thrive on darkness and fear, but they can be kept at bay by light and warmth; fire works pretty well for fighting them off, but love and comfort and physical intimacies are the best defense and power a barrier that helps keep the things out of the city.
There would be a central plot, with players being able to work out the game's mysteries over time (how characters are ending up there in the first place, how the city ended up there, etc). Major plot events would have the potential for success or failure depending on how the characters do, furthering the plot or making things worse for everyone in the city. Sometimes there will be excursions outside the city, and sometimes things get past the city's defenses and cause problems within. There'd be opportunity for peaceful moments and SoL, but for the most part the danger can't be ignored or opted out of - there's gotta be some hurt to go with your comfort.
Magic and supernatural powers would be stripped away upon entry and I wouldn't want any in-game system to get them back or get new powers (as the whole point is to be more vulnerable and thus more prone to fear). Super strength and speed would be nerfed to theoretically possible human levels (so those with Hulk strength are downgraded to Captain America strength). Biological differences would remain (vampires still have to drink blood, ghouls still need to eat human flesh, etc) but may be nerfed or altered on a case by case basis as best suits the setting.
I'm imagining a standard jamjar game, but memory loss could work too - either way, the point is for characters to be confused and scared when they first arrive, so either could work depending on what people are more interested in.
AC and game pace is still up in the air, would decide that based on level of interest.
plotty hurt/comfort game
Characters wake up in a thick, dark forest heavily populated by nightmarish creatures that feed on fear and dark thoughts. They eventually stumble upon a city in their frantic wandering, set in the middle of the forest and surrounded by a high wall with a single gate. From the highest tower inside the city, there appears to be no end to the forest in any direction. The creatures in the forest thrive on darkness and fear, but they can be kept at bay by light and warmth; fire works pretty well for fighting them off, but love and comfort and physical intimacies are the best defense and power a barrier that helps keep the things out of the city.
There would be a central plot, with players being able to work out the game's mysteries over time (how characters are ending up there in the first place, how the city ended up there, etc). Major plot events would have the potential for success or failure depending on how the characters do, furthering the plot or making things worse for everyone in the city. Sometimes there will be excursions outside the city, and sometimes things get past the city's defenses and cause problems within. There'd be opportunity for peaceful moments and SoL, but for the most part the danger can't be ignored or opted out of - there's gotta be some hurt to go with your comfort.
Magic and supernatural powers would be stripped away upon entry and I wouldn't want any in-game system to get them back or get new powers (as the whole point is to be more vulnerable and thus more prone to fear). Super strength and speed would be nerfed to theoretically possible human levels (so those with Hulk strength are downgraded to Captain America strength). Biological differences would remain (vampires still have to drink blood, ghouls still need to eat human flesh, etc) but may be nerfed or altered on a case by case basis as best suits the setting.
I'm imagining a standard jamjar game, but memory loss could work too - either way, the point is for characters to be confused and scared when they first arrive, so either could work depending on what people are more interested in.
AC and game pace is still up in the air, would decide that based on level of interest.