Page 20 - Chronicles of Darkness

have collapsed but life goes on. Ellis’s seedy narratives and the series begins with the ritualistic murder of a prostitute, it
Templesmith’s deceptively stylized visuals reveal the kinds rapidly expands in scope to include biker gangs, drug deals,
of characters and crimes that would be right at home in the politics, and a possible conspiracy involving abuse at a now-
Chronicles of Darkness. The supernatural is never overt or defunct religious school. True Detective is an excellent show
confirmed, but an eerie atmosphere and macabre rituals to use as inspiration for a longer chronicle wherein players
permeate the story. slowly piece together what is really happening, while still
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, or directed by David Fincher. having contained adventures in each session.
Gone Girl owes much of its mystery and atmosphere to its unreli-
able narration. Both the book and the movie switch from the Storytelling System Books
perspective of Nick Dunne, who comes home one day to find
his wife missing, and the diary of Amy Dunne, the missing Midnight Roads revs up your game with an in-depth
wife. Are memories reliable? Can one really believe witnesses exploration of the Chronicles of Darkness through America’s
and news stories, or is everything just tabloid journalism? How roads. Packed with odd traveling companions, small-town
well can you ever really know a person, whether a neighbor or a strangeness, and hints at a greater purpose to it all.
spouse? Both the movie and the novel (as well as Gillian Flynn’s Mysterious Places fleshes out several locales unique to
other two books, Sharp Objects and Dark Places) exemplify how the Chronicles of Darkness. What horrors await you in a
a seemingly-simple situation can actually possess unexpected crematorium full of puppets made from bone, or when the
depth, if only people know how to ask the right questions. Empty Room stalks and abducts you?
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron. Though Urban Legends is the Chronicles of Darkness treat-
nominally science fiction, this classic horror-action flick is ment of all of the fears we hide behind fables and humor.
the story of a woman pursued by an implacable monster as It includes several urban legends as full adventures, plus a
the result of a family curse. Pay attention to the neon-lit neo- chapter that covers everything from tainted Halloween candy
noir Los Angeles setting, and the way an ordinary waitress to the Mexican Pet.
becomes a hardened survivor. Hurt Locker, coming soon, is an in-depth treatment of
True Detective, created by Nick Pizzolatto. This show, violence in the Chronicles of Darkness, from action-packed
which jumps back and forth in time, follows multiple ho- options like fighting styles to exploring the grim consequences
micide cases and conspiracies over a 17-year period. Though of trying to kill another human being.

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Inspirational Media