Greeting everyone! This is my first time posting on The Forge, so please let me know if I unintentionally step out of bounds. I am working on a game entitled You Brought This On Yourself, the roleplaying game of Slasher Film family values. The game only has three types of characters: Maniacs, Teenagers, and Locals. The first two are player characters, while the third type comprises the game’s non-player characters. There is no Game Master, and much of the game’s action centers around a struggle for narrative control between the type types of PCs.

As part of the character creation process for Maniacs, I have been compiling an extensive list of various types of objects, clichés, and tropes typical to the genre. Lists are an important part of this project. For example, the explanation for each of the Maniac’s eight characteristics is followed by a list of typical examples of that characteristic (you’ll see in a moment). I was wondering if any of you would like to add to these lists? It would be helpful to me, as well as potentially amusing for those of you who are fans of the Slasher Film genre. As I don’t want to post all eight lists at once, here’s the first one. Enjoy!

Jason Walters

FACE
One of the hallmarks of a Maniac is that he disguises his identity behind a mask of some kind. This is known as his Face, and it tells whoever looks upon him a great deal about the menace that lurks beneath (or it tells them nothing at all, which also tells them something). Pumpkin Jack, our sample character, feels very strongly about his Face (an entire Jack O Lantern that he wears over his head), and has thus assigned three Dice to it. Either create your own Face or use one of the ones provided in the list below.

Maniac Faces
Hockey mask
Pumpkin
William Shatner Mask
Burlap Sack
Human Skin Mask
Woman’s Wig and Makeup
Executioner’s Hood
Stocking
Mexican Wrestling Mask
Pink Bunny Head
Santa Clause Beard and Hair
Gas Mask
Pig Head
Hillbilly Hat, Huge Beard, and Corncob Pipe
President Mask (you pick!)
Welder’s Mask
Ski Mask
Clown Makeup
Motorcycle Helmet
Surgical Mask and Hat
Skull Mask
Satan Mask
Scarecrow Head
Happy/Sad Drama Mask
Gorilla Head
Semi-Transparent Mask
Astronaut Helmet
Fisherman's Hat
Burned Beyond Recognition
WWI Prussian Helmet
Bondage Geek with Ball-Gag
Unknown Comic Head (paper bag)

this sounds like a really cool game!

i think you're forgetting the stealth lampshade

Jason, is this a list of examples, or a definitive list?

If I, as a player, have an idea that isn't on the list, is it still legit to use it? I'm hoping so.

That said:
alien mask
a false identity
a werewolf face
always bathed in shadows

Or, the scariest option of all, is that he looks like Tommy, the best friend you've known since eight grade.

Thanks priestofroadkill - that's high praise indeed! Joepub, it's a list of examples rather than a definitive list. I would much rather the players come up with their own Faces!

Thank you for the suggestions, gentlemen. I will add them to my list.

That list is full of goodness.  It's very funny.  Does your choice of mask impact game play in some way?

Potentially, yes. A Maniac's Face is one of his four primary characteristics (the others are Origin Story, Costume, and Weapon Of Choice). Together they are known as his Persona. Basically, they constitute what a director or scriptwriter might think about when creating a Maniac for a film. How important his Face is in a given situation will have a great deal to do with how important it is to him, the other Maniacs, and to the Teenagers. For example, a Teenager character who is particularly prone to screaming when she is startled is more likely to freak out (and potentially lose Narrative control) when confronted by a Maniac who places a great deal of importance to his Face. Conversely, if the same Teenager manages to damage the same Maniac's Face, he might stumble away clutching at it, potentially giving her the ability to seize narrative control away from him.

And, in You Brought This On Yourself, control of the Narrative can not only mean the difference between life and death, but also affects the philosophical Perspective through which the ongoing story is being told. 

OK, cool.  I hope you've considered ways in which Faces can be transferred, as well.  A Teen assuming the mantle of a downed Maniac, like in My Bloody Valentine.

That thought had occured to me, only it will be built into the game as a plot device for a "sequel" game. Besides having their Persona (four primary characteristics), the Maniac characters also have four secondary characteristics known as Attributes. These include Superhuman, Subhuman, Birth, and Rebirth. These are storytelling tools that help to both define and restrict the Maniac’s abilities.

Transference of a Face would occur using the Rebirth Attribute. Here, let me show you the section - maybe you guys can help me thinks of more entries for this section as well!

Rebirth
In situations where a player wishes to reuse his Maniac in a “sequel” game, the Rebirth Attribute specifies how a diseased character can “come back to life.” Often the Rebirth isn’t a literal resurrection -- the character wasn’t really dead, had an identical twin, or the like – though supernatural explanations are certainly acceptable. Like Birth, Rebirth can be written as a simple phrase. Pumpkin Jack’s Rebirth is “He who touches the maniac’s weapon becomes the maniac.” Either create your own Rebirth Attribute or use one of the ones provided in the list below.

Rebirth Attributes
Dead for a while, then gets back up again.
Another identical maniac simply appears using same Birth.
He who kills the Maniac, becomes the Maniac.
The Forest/Lake/Old Tree grows another one
The maniac’s spirit is transferred into another lunatic/prisoner.
The maniac’s brother escapes from his basement room.
There was always more than one
He who touches the maniac’s weapon becomes the maniac
Someone else was always really the maniac
It’s THAT TIME (certain day of the year, pumpkin season, and so forth)
Rises from autopsy table.
Wakes up in ambulance.
Wearing the maniac's Face also transfers his spirit
Donated organ from Maniac transfers spirit of Maniac to host.
Psychiatrist who studies Maniac becomes Maniac.
 

Hey man, do you have a draft we can look at?  And some direct questions you'd like to discuss?