Theme Zine 1 for Fear of the Unknown
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Welcome to the first collection of themebooks for Fear of the Unknown. This collection includes Deadly Dreams¸ Found Footage¸ Halloween Party¸ Curious Things¸ Day of the Mall¸ and The Return.
You'll need the core rules to play.
A theme is a pattern that you want to use to give structure to your story. A themebook is a collection of tools to help you tell stories about that theme.
Deadly Dreams is about something killing people in their sleep. Whether it's the ghost of a serial killer¸ an alien from another dimension¸ or a creature straight from mythology¸ this antagonist can stalk their victims in ways far beyond that of a normal¸ or even most super-powered¸ killers.The theme is the fickle nature of reality¸ especially in fiction.
Found Footage features characters watching a movie they found¸ as well as the actions of the characters in the movie. The theme is the effect of fiction on reality.
Halloween Party is a story that¸ instead of taking place over the course of several days in a small town¸ takes place in a single night at a Halloween party. The theme is companionship.
Curious Things is about living in a world where certain people have strange¸ mysterious¸ nigh uncanny abilities beyond those of ordinary people. The theme is outsiders.
Day of the Mall takes place entirely in a mall¸ rather than in the broader town containing the mall. It has tools to help you create a distinctive identity for the mall¸ fill it with shops¸ subcultures¸ and amenities¸ then generate a unique antagonist and figure out what they're trying to do in this suburban Mecca. The theme is the social interactions that come from people being stuck together in a small space.
The Return takes place over decades. It has tools to help you play a pair of games¸ with the same protagonists as children and adults¸ and explore how the town and your characters have changed in the intervening years. The theme is the passage of time.