TIDO02Table of Contents
Chapter 1: To Begin With. 2.2... ee 3
Chapter 2: Briefly, the Rules... ee 6
Chapter 3: A Question of Character. 2... ee 16
Chapter 4: How to Host a DreadGame.... 2.0... 28
Chapter 5: How to Create a DreadGame ......... 38
Chapter 6: The Suspenseful Game... 0... ee 50
Chapter 7: The Supernatural Game 2... ee 53
Chapter 8: The Mad Game 2... 2... ee 56
Chapter 9: The Moral Game. 2... 59
Chapter 10: The Mysterious Game. 2... 00 62
Chapter 11: The Gory Game 2.2... ee 65
Appendix: Alternate Methods... 2... ee 68
Story: Beneath the Full Moon... 0.0... ee ee 70
Story: Beneath a Metal Sky. oe 82
Story: Beneath the Mask... 2 ee 89
Dread is a horror game, There is no reason that the content of any game of
Dread need be any more horrifying than you wish it to be, and therefore Dread
can be suitable for nearly any age. However, the contents of this book delve
into mature topics at points, in order to facilitate groups who enjoy those sorts
of horror, so please exercise discretion when passing this book around, In par-
ticular, Chapter 11 is not suitable for our younger players,For Leslie Scott.
original concept by Epidiah Ravachol and woodelf
development by The Impossible Dream
writing by Epidiah Ravachol
editing and additional writing by The Impos
copy editing by Jere Foley
layout and cover design by woodelf
back cover illustration by Christy Schaefer
illustrations on pages 13, 20, 35, 38, 49, 51, 57 by Taylor Winder
illustrations on pages 7, 15, 28, 31, 45, 53, 60, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 69 by Jill Krynicki
Dread Standard, PDF version
Layout done with Adobe® InDesign® CS 3 on Mac OS X, using the typefaces Attic
and Book Antiqua
Text copyright 2005 by The Impossible Dream. All illustration copyrights are
retained by their creators,
The text of this work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-Sharedlike License. To view a copy of this license, visit
or send a letter to
Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Jenga® is a registered trademark of Pokonobe Associates.
‘The Impossible Dream logo is a trademark of The Impossible Dream.
The Impossible Dream is Nat “woodelf” Barmore, Akira Barnes, Dan.
Bongert, Rebecca Kinraide, & Epidiah Ravachol. Visit us on the Web at
.Intro + Warning + Basies
Chapter 1: To Begin With
T remember watching the mugs as I gingerly altempted to carry the coffee to the bereaved, without
spilling it om their immaculate living room carpet. Within a breath, the steam disappeared and the
dark fluid frosted aver. A chill crept across my neck and I looked up to see poor, litle Lucy standing
just outside the window. For a moment it all seemed a horrible mistake. It toas nat her body the police
found alongside that hateful highway. She had simply been lost, as we first suspected, and just now
found her way home,
I woas abou! fo relay the good news to the Koklmans and the reverend when I saw their faces blanch as
they stared at me
rather, just Beyond me. That was when I realized that it wasn’t Lucy outside, but
her reflection agaist the darkened windows Soon Ito learn that both the police and [were correc.
Tha os Lucy's boy in he ditch, and she di indeed fond her way home.
invokes the hand-quivering emotion that lends its
name to the game.
‘The thrill of a Dread game lies within the tension
between desire and loss, You will take on the role
of people trapped in a story that is only as compel-
ling as it is hostile—people who will find them-
selves making decisions we hope never to face in
real life,
The Warning
So, it should be said
that Dread is not neces-
sarily for everyone. The main purpose of any game
is to have fun. Like a good game of Truth or Dare,
Dread should make you uncomfortable from time
to time. If this does not sound like fun, then please
do not play
If, however, you crave a game that savors alien-
ation, tension, anxiety, fear, and all those other deli-
cious emotions that draw an audience of millions
to horror novels, stories, comics, and movies each
year, then by all means, enjoy.
The Basics
During a Dread game
you and your friends
will create characters to populate your own brand
of horror story. It may take several hours to accom-
plish this, or even several nights, and it will require
some preparation, Within this book you will find a
set of rules and guidelines that will help you with
this endeavor. However itis important that you
remember the ultimate goal is the story itself. fany
part of this book or its contents gets in the way, feel
free to ignore or ater itas you see fit.
To play, you will need yourself and at least one oth-
er person, though itis recommended that you gath:
er about five to six players in total. The majority of
you will be playing the roles of characters caught in
a tale of horror—one character to a player. One of
you will have the fortune (fair or foul) to host the
game, Who among you shall take up this mantle is
a choice for your group to make. All players have
responsibilities in the game, but the host’s duties
are unique. The host will create the basic frame-
work for the story and will be the arbiter of all the
conflicts the characters find themselves in. The host
will also take on the roles of al the other characters,
that aren't played by the other players. Because the
duties of the host are slightly more involved, the
majority of this book is dedicated to them.
What could you have done to save your brother's life? What book do you read every year on the anniversary of your father’s4 Chapter 1: Introduction
‘The Tower
‘The tower isa pile of fifty-four 1”x#"%3" wooden blocks
stacked three toa level, in alternating directions, eighteen
levels high, that can be purchased commercially under
the brand name Jenga*. If you do not already own this
fairly ubiquitous game, itis readily available in the game
and toy sections of most stores. Ifyou wish to create your
‘own, we encourage you to experiment with your own di-
mensions and send us photos of the completed set
In addition to players, you will need a sturdy, flat
surface; plenty of scratch paper; pens or pencils;
and the tower (see sidebar and the next chapter)
It may also be useful to have this book handy—at
Teast for the first few times you play. Eventually,
‘once your group finds its particular style and.
rhythm, you will find this book useless. In fact, it
can become a hindrance if you are constantly refer-
cencing it. Once that happens, we encourage you to
pass it on.
The Ambience
When you are ready
to play, you will want
to set aside a sufficient amount of time and meet
at an appropriate place. To maintain a horrific
atmosphere you should begin with the proper en-
vironment. A dark, quiet place will work best. You
will need light enough to read by, but litle more
‘You may wish for some mood music. Try to avoid
anything with obtrusive lyrics, keep the volume
low, and make sure you bring enough to avoid it
becoming repetitive. Since many Dread games can
take four or more hours, this may take some plan-
ning. The key to making both the lighting and the
music work is to keep it subdued. Don't let them
detract from the game itself. Candles ean add to
the atmosphere, but avoid placing them on the
same surface as the tower or where someone may
knock
and drink handy, so the game isn’t interrupted by a
quest to sate such carnal desires,
yem over. You may also want to have food
The Book
‘Throughout these rules
you will happen upon
‘two different sidebars: the marrow and the flesh.
Both serve to clarify concepts in the game but do so.
in their own fashion. The marrow is meant to be a
quick reference, a distillation of the contents of the
page. The text is repeated in simplified language
to make it easier to find the foundations of the
rules during play or a swift search of the book. The
flesh will expand on the page's content, offering,
examples, insight, or other materials. They exist to
develop the basic concepts in the rules in ways that
should assist you in understanding them,
The rules in the next ten chapters are divided into
three sections. The next two chapters (Briefly, the
Rules and A Question of Character) are a basic
overview of rules that all players should have
some familiarity with. The fourth and fifth chapters
(How to Host a Dread Game and How to Create a
Dread Game) are dedicated entirely to the tasks of
the host, and most players need not bother with
them. The final six chapters are also aimed at the
host, but may not be pertinent to every Dread
game. They are a collection of tips and guidelines
that will assist the host in using various common.
horrific themes and elements in his stories. Finally,
there is an appendix covering alternatives to Jen-
ga°, and then three ready-to-run Dread scenarios.
Support
Ifany part of these
rules is unclear to
you, visit the Impossible Dream’s website at