Hi! I was wondering if you had any tabletop recommendations for games that have a cosmic horror theme in a modern setting (by modern I mean like having the technology of today). I know it’s kind of an odd request but I’m looking for something that would potentially allow for a game along the same plotline as the SCP-1730 incident. Thank you for your time!
That you specifically want to riff on the SCP-1730 incident is where it gets tricky. It’s not not enough for a game to do contemporary cosmic horror – if that was the only criterion, I could easily think of a dozen games you could have a look at. What you’re looking for is a contemporary cosmic horror game that’s also amenable to old-school dungeon crawls, and that’s a rare combination!
If you don’t mind dealing with some serious crunch, you might have a look at Delta Green. It’s a Call of Cthulhu spinoff that retools the mechanics for a contemporary paramilitary milieu; it’s rather shootier than would be strictly appropriate for a more generally SCP Foundation inspired game, but since you’re specifically interested in running a meat-grinder dungeon crawl like the SCP-1730 incident, that puts you much closer to Delta Green’s comfort zone.
On the flip side, if a system with skill percentiles and page-long lists of guns sounds too much like work, you might instead have a look at The Esoterrorists. As a GUMSHOE System variant, it’s a slower paced game with more of an investigative focus, so you’d have to play your dungeon crawl with less run-and-gun action and more puzzling over the grisly aftermath to figure out what in blazes just happened; it’s not entirely without support for the occasional firefight, but pitched battles aren’t the system’s strong suit.
