Carpenter's The Thing

>>51496411
Don't do it in D&D, or if you do make it level 1 and make a Thing offshoot like level 3 and really vulnerable to magic. But you'd be better off just using a simple d6 system or something.

The way to do it is via notecards and via constant stepping away from the table. Make it where PCs can routinely ask to talk to other PCs in private [like in the movie] and if a PC is the Thing, they can use this private time to attack where the other PCs are unaware.

Start the game by explaining the premise [so they know its a Thing quest] and take every PC aside and tell one of them "You are the Thing"

>>51496411
If it's the Thing like in the movie, they're dead before the game even begins.
>plants are the thing
>insects are the thing
>rodents are the thing
Unless you have magical nukes, you're doomed.

You'd be better off with shoggoths or dopplegangers.

>>51496628
OP here, I thought about starting the game with classical game elements to fool the few people in my group that are seasoned players. After that I'd change the pace. For the rest I see your point but how would you handle interactions outside the table, and how the Things assimilate new people ?

Do you think It would be good to let them a chance to escape or kill all monstres ?
Thx for your useful input.

>>51496411
Just invite them to movie night.

>>51496856
I seriously think this would be better as a simple beer and chips game, where everyone knows to be paranoid from the get-go because everyone knows its a Thing game.

And just use a ton of notecards and walking away from the table for private conversations and private combats.

The Thing should be defeatable in combat [even easy to defeat with a flamethrower] but you should have some mechanic for limiting flamethrower use and some mechanic so if two Things meet alone, they both realize they're Things.

>>51496856
The main plot point of the thing is that both the scientists and the thing are trapped, so assuming that they can escape could break the mood, or if they escape, it might just be on a slightly larger scale (like, in the thing, going from one base to another). But letting them kill the monster is obviously necessary, even if it's really hard to pull of (planning to kill it, might not work... drama, tension...).

What do you mean by how to handle interaction outside the table ? You just need to do exactly the same thing you do at the table but aside. Just try to be quick. Try as much as possible to use notes to stay around the table, and just play the most important, plotwise, moments aside. Actually, a game like this could work really well with two dm.

>>51496856
also, prepare props to give to your player : for example, a small description that goes like "you've been assimilated ! you're now the thing, your goal is to.... stuff stuff stuff". Several Cthulhu scenario handle it quite well (a lot of yellow king stuff, more with the going cultist side and also a really good scenario I played called the space between, which involves players becoming empty husk filled with void... on the set of a propaganda movie for a scientology church-ish cult, awesome, and truly in a carpenter's tone)