Specifically, Lovecraft’s ghouls. I hate to say, but… they just ain’t that scary to me, sorry. Or mind-blastingly evil. Mi-Go? Sure: brains-in-a-can and deep space frightfulness. Deep Ones? No problem, especially since Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity did a revamp. Great Race? Yeah, those SOBs are pretty freaky-deaky when you realize that they’ve got a real problem with personal head space. But… ghouls?
OK. You eat dead people. Hold on, am I dead? No? Well, then, you just keep on with gnawing on that head then, buddy: he’s obviously past caring and it’s nobody I know. I mean, seriously: read “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” again. You can recruit those guys as a ally race in that one.
They got real nuanced after “Pickman’s Model,” is all I’m saying.
Moe Lane
I know the Rat-human crossbreed race from the “Tales from Darkside” series was far more fightening. But then you consider that they are a Human-Rat crossbreed. Then you begin to understand. They will kill to get their decaying flesh, they aren’t scary just dangerous. By the way what what did you think of “Space 1888” the game?
It was pretty to look at, but I never actually ran a campaign in it.
The fear in Lovecraft’s ghouls is caused by the fact that any one can be corrupted in to becoming one. In fact I had an idea for a NPC in a Delta Green game to slowly become a ghoul.
Oh and the whole connection to the Fate in DG makes the scary too.
matt: true, but even in DG actually being a ghoul isn’t all that bad, particularly since they can change their appearance.
Agreed. Jim Butcher’s ghouls from his Dresden Files series are much more frightening, mainly because they close to impossible to kill and they like their meat…fresh.