Dead of Night
Dead of Night is Andrew Kenrick's survival horror TTRPG of campfire tales, slasher films and B-movie monsters. Players roll 2d10 plus one of eight paired attributes against 15, spend Survival Points that double as hit points, and face a GM whose Tension pool rises through the night. Built for low-prep one-shots and short horror series.
B-movie and slasher horror • 2d10 + attribute vs 15 • Survival Points vs GM Tension • 3+ players + GM • Rules-lite • Low prep • One-shot friendly
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Dead of Night is one of the best TTRPGs for a pick-up horror one-shot. It emulates campfire tales, slasher films and B-movie monster flicks, makes characters in a few minutes, and gives both sides of the table a resource to spend, so the night builds to a scary, chaotic finale without much prep.
It is less suited to long investigative campaigns, cosmic horror with detailed occult lore, or groups who want a tactical survival simulation. The rules are built to make horror movie clichés happen on cue, and characters are expected to die.
What the game is
Dead of Night is a survival horror TTRPG designed by Andrew Kenrick and published by Steampower Publishing, which describes it as "the roleplaying game of campfire tales, slasher movies and b-movie horror". Players are ordinary people, not monster hunters: teenagers at the lake, villagers on a dark night, survivors in a mall. One player is the GM. The game's aim is genre emulation, so its rules and GM advice are about pacing scares and paying off tropes.
Publication history and editions
The first edition appeared in 2005 and drew praise from designers such as Ken Hite and Ron Edwards. The current second edition was released in June 2010, with expanded rules, monster design, sub-genre guidance and new scenarios. Kenrick has continued to sell print copies directly and through Indie Press Revolution, and the PDF is on DriveThruRPG. Steampower's site offers a free preview and character sheet.
What you need to play
You need the core book, two ten-sided dice and some way to track points (tokens work well). The book contains the full rules, GM advice, monster building, one-page breakdowns of horror sub-genres with an example game for each (pitched as "forgotten classics" of horror cinema), and three complete scenarios, some with rules variants such as infection. There is no wider supplement line; the core book is the whole game.
Sub-genres and scenarios
The genre chapter is one of the book's most praised parts. Each major horror sub-genre gets a single page covering its tropes, typical victims and threats, and the kind of ending it builds toward, plus a mock film pitch you can run straight from the page. That covers slashers, zombie outbreaks, haunted houses, creature features and more. The three complete scenarios at the back show how to bend the rules for a specific film; one replaces Survival Points at random so characters become more and more "infected" as the night goes on. Together these make the book a useful horror GM reference even for groups who play another system.
Core rules and play structure
Characters have eight attributes in four opposed pairs, such as Identify and Obscure or Assault and Protect, and each pair must add up to 10. Being good at one thing means being poor at its opposite. To act, you roll 2d10 and add the relevant attribute, aiming for 15 or more; opposed rolls compare totals.
Specialisations let a character become expert in a narrow area, such as hunting vampires. A specialisation uses the higher value of its attribute pair, and taking one lowers your attributes a little, so the trade-off is focus against breadth.
The game's heart is two resources. Players have Survival Points, which they spend to improve rolls and influence the story, and which also act as hit points. The GM has Tension, which rises as the night goes on and as players spend or lose Survival Points, and which the GM spends to make things worse. Tension also works as a gauge: the higher it is, the weirder and more dangerous the world becomes and the closer you are to the finale.
Characters and advancement
Character creation is fast: a concept, the four attribute pairs, any specialisations, and traits or reasons to live that hook the character into the story. Players regain Survival Points in many situations during play, so spending them freely on dramatic, risky choices is part of the design rather than a mistake. There is little long-term advancement, because most characters will not survive the film.
Signature mechanics
The Survival Points and Tension economy is what people remember. Points are meant to cycle quickly: the GM removes them regularly, players earn them back, and running low means you are close to being written out. Rising Tension pushes the story toward a climax, so a session has a natural three-act shape without the GM forcing it. Reviewers often suggest borrowing this economy for other horror games even if you do not use the whole system.
What play feels like
A session usually runs as a single film. Characters arrive, something feels off, a few people go missing, the group splits up at exactly the wrong moment, and the last act is a frantic fight to survive or escape. Rolls are quick and the point exchange keeps everyone engaged, so the pacing feels like a horror film: slow build, sudden violence, a final scramble.
Running the game
Prep is light. The book recommends picking a sub-genre, a location, a monster or killer and a handful of victims, then letting Tension drive escalation. The GM has to manage Tension deliberately, which takes some practice, and one reviewer found the specialisation rules could be explained better. A GM who knows horror films will get the most out of the sub-genre pages.
Campaign fit
Dead of Night is built for one-shots and short series, like a run of horror films with a recurring survivor or monster. Long campaigns are possible but not the design focus: characters are fragile, advancement is minimal and the Tension curve is tuned for one night.
Reception
The game has a long, loyal following. Stardust & Sigil called it "a brilliant horror game explicitly designed for genre emulation and pick-up-and-play short games" and praised the GM sections and film-poster presentation. Players on DriveThruRPG describe it as simple, hackable and close to prepless; others call it the best one-shot game they know. Caveats: the paired-attribute and specialisation rules feel unusual, and the Tension system needs a GM's attention to work.
Where it is strongest
- Halloween and convention one-shots that need almost no prep
- Emulating specific horror sub-genres, from slashers to zombie films
- A player and GM resource economy that naturally paces the night
- Quick character creation for new or casual players
Where it can frustrate groups
- Not built for long campaigns or character growth
- Paired attributes and specialisations take a moment to click
- Investigation and lore depth are lighter than in Call of Cthulhu-style games
- The GM has to manage Tension well or the climax can arrive too early or too late
Content and safety notes
Expect gore, stalking killers, monsters and character death, often played with B-movie humor. Agree before play on how graphic violence should be, and on any themes, such as particular kinds of horror or victimization, that are off the table.
Best starting path
Download the free preview and character sheet from Steampower's Dead of Night page, then buy the core book and run one of its three scenarios as a one-shot. Read the sub-genre pages first; they are the fastest way to plan your own film.
Research notes
Last checked October 28, 2026. Rules details were confirmed against independent reviews; release history from Steampower's site and blog.