Dread RPG - Scooby Doo and the Labyrinth of Shadows

This is a Scooby-Doo meets H.P. Lovecraft scenario where Mystery Inc. is reuniting after 10 years of being disbanded due to a freaky unsolved mystery that changed them. Each character now has a dark secret that either exacerbates their weaknesses from the show, inverts their strengths, or creates an all new twist. However, there’s much room for players to explain how these changes actually affect the characters and their group dynamic, as well as filling in the blanks about the unsolved mystery. 

I ran this adventure this past weekend for Halloween, and I’m listing this as a WiP because I think I need to make some changes. I wanted to share this in time for Halloween though, so instead I’ll be sharing some advice before I officially incorporate some changes myself.

1. Share what the genre of horror is - Cosmic Horror in the style of HP Lovecraft.

 I tried to keep it a secret and it resulted in the players answering their character questionnaires in entirely different genres of horror. A strong GM might be able to adapt, but I personally believe this is crucial knowledge that will help the players fill out their character questionnaire and make your job easier.

2. Use the “What Actually Happened” section as a prelude to the adventure.

I had hoped that I could piece together an unsolved mystery only using answers from the character questionnaires. And maybe that is possible for some GMs. But because my players aren’t story-pushers, they rely on the GM to push the narrative (which isn’t a problem, just a preference), they didn’t take the time to character role play and share what bits of the backstory they had with each other. So that led to one player saying “maybe the unsolved mystery is [ X,Y,Z ]?” Which didn’t end up being very compelling. I fortunately had the “what actually happened” section pre-prepared just in case and sharing that story helped my players orient themselves. I think sharing this before character creation will help players inform their questionnaire choices as well.

3. Use “A Potential End” for inspiration but it is not required

As the name suggests, this isn’t the only way the story could end. I ended up having to use this because my players depended on the GM to move the plot at the time. I think if I would have promoted the players to take more narrative control, asking them to describe things, asking them to narrate actions when they succeed, asking them what their characters were worried might happen, then maybe a more dynamic ending would have happened based on the players’ creativity. But most importantly there’s the next tip…

4. Take really good notes on your players’ questionnaires. 

This is something Dread RPG recommends anyway, but I wanted to emphasize here. If you want to have an adventure with Mystery Inc. that was entirely different every time, you definitely want to take as much inspiration from your players’ answers as possible. That’s how you get your players invested, and that’s how you don’t have to rely on “a potential end” to get to a satisfying ending. But know, it’s not 100% on the GM to bring the PC’s backstory into the narrative, you’ll want to ask your players to share their character’s thoughts and feelings with each other either during downtime, or whenever they make a pull. But if you really want to use the questionnaires to the fullest… 

5. Consider giving the players their character sheets in advance.

If you are playing at home, and you want a session that will really make your players choices shine, then you may want to give yourself some lead time. In fact, if the players give you their character questionnaire answers perhaps a week in advance, you could probably just use their sheets to create a new story entirely. A unique set of events and backup events. Maybe hanging on to the locations and NPCs just to cut down on your work. I also wonder if that would mean you could create a unique unsolved mystery that way, but I haven’t playtested enough to know.

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Anyway, I had a lot of fun. I had scooby doo music playing in the background, mixed with music from the 70’s, with a cameo of songs from the band Ghost. I also had some cool light effects from the smartbulbs in my home. And I would constantly pressure the players when they would make their pulls by rattling off descriptions and thoughts while they’re trying to focus.

Hope you have fun with this. I created this adventure because I remember… I think One Shot Podcast, or maybe I’m confused with another podcast, had a Scooby Doo adventure they talked about, “A pup on the doorstep”?… that’s probably not actually the name. But I could not find that adventure published anywhere, nor could I find a recorded actual play featuring it. So I wanted to make my own because I liked the idea of a Dread Scooby Doo adventure that mixed in cosmic horror.