# Liminal Horror

Liminal Horror is a modern investigative horror RPG descended from Into the Odd and Cairn. Fast saves, Stress, and Fallout keep cases tense while the rules stay light enough for one-shots, short campaigns, and strange occult mysteries.

## At a Glance

Modern investigative horror • Into the Odd/Cairn lineage • Stress and Fallout • 3-5 players + GM • Low prep • Strong for one-shots

## Why It Fits

A strong fit for groups that want tension, danger, and unease to stay active at the table, with investigation helping define the experience.

## Fit Facts

- Players: 3-5 players + GM
- Session length: 60-180 minutes
- Prep: Low

## Facets

- Genres: Horror
- Systems: Old-School Renaissance (OSR), New School Revolution (NSR)
- Mechanics: Investigation, Rules Lite
- Themes: Psychological
- Decision tags: Low Prep

## Scores

- Complexity: 3/5
- New GM Fit: 4/5
- Roleplay Focus: 5/5
- Combat Focus: 3/5
- Tactical Depth: 1/5
- Campaign Depth: 4/5

## Best For

- Groups that want tension, danger, and unease to stay active at the table
- Tables that want solving problems and following clues to matter
- Players who enjoy danger, discovery, and player-driven problem-solving

## Avoid If

- You want low-tension or low-threat play
- You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table
- You want a much breezier tone than this game is built to support

## Directory Notes

Liminal Horror brings the lean Into the Odd and Cairn style into contemporary occult investigation. The characters are ordinary people under extraordinary pressure, pulled into cursed places, impossible phenomena, conspiracies, and personal consequences they cannot simply fight their way through.

## Theme and Setting

The default mode is modern horror at human scale: clinics, motels, suburbs, archives, tunnels, missing people, ritual aftermath, and things that should not be understood too quickly. The game leaves room for the GM to build specific cases while keeping the focus on dread, discovery, and cost.

## How Play Feels

Scenes move quickly because the rules do not interrupt investigation with heavy subsystems. When danger matters, players make saves; when pressure mounts, Stress and Fallout make the horror stick to the characters. Answers are possible, but learning them usually changes the situation or the people involved.

## What Makes It Distinct

Liminal Horror is not Call of Cthulhu with fewer skills. Its strength is speed and consequence: rules-light investigation, dangerous confrontations, and Fallout that turns fear into lasting fictional change. It suits groups that want horror cases without a large character sheet between them and the scene.

## Where It May Not Fit

It is not ideal for long tactical fights, heroic monster hunting, or highly granular clue procedure. It works best when the table wants mood, uncertainty, and fast rulings more than mechanical comfort.

## Links

- Directory page: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/liminal-horror
- Agent JSON: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/liminal-horror.json
- Publisher or official site: https://goblinarchives.itch.io/liminal-horror?ac=YUqaLN4pVvG
- Reviews or retailer page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/366656/Liminal-Horror?affiliate_id=1659151