{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/horror-tension--t210","type":"mechanic","id":"horror-tension--t210","lang":"en","title":"Survival horror and limited defenses","summary":"Limited defenses turn threatening encounters into choices between resistance, avoidance and spending a scarce reserve.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/horror-tension--t210/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/horror-tension--t210.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/horror-tension--t210.md","aliases":["Limited means of defense"],"tags":["Horror and tension","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-b2a89cba190d4ef9","source-6669156765be17e4"],"sources":[{"id":"source-b2a89cba190d4ef9","title":"Frictional Games: Amnesia","url":"https://www.amnesiagame.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6669156765be17e4","title":"Resident Evil 4 (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Limited defenses turn threatening encounters into choices between resistance, avoidance and spending a scarce reserve."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t210-variants\"></a>\n\n- Ammunition limits direct confrontations. <a id=\"t210-v1\"></a>\n- Gunfire noise attracts additional threats. <a id=\"t210-v2\"></a>\n- Consumables create a brief safety window. <a id=\"t210-v3\"></a>\n- Injuries reduce options for subsequent escape. <a id=\"t210-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"The last round clears a passage but attracts an opponent from another wing.\n\nPrototype check: Test completion with the minimum viable supplies, including avoidance of optional combat."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Horror builds decisions around limited certainty, defensive means and safe recovery time. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"horror-tension","id":"t210","title":"Horror and tension","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/horror-tension/#t210","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Limited means of defense","description":"Limited defenses turn threatening encounters into choices between resistance, avoidance and spending a scarce reserve.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-tetris-inventory.webp","width":1024,"height":576,"game":"Resident Evil 4 (2023)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/resident_evil_4_remake_inventory.jpg","credit":"Capcom; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses.","caption":"Different weapon shapes in Leon’s case","alt":"Weapons and supplies fill a gridded case in Resident Evil 4; a rifle occupies a long row with empty cells below.","markers":[{"x":57,"y":31,"label":"A long weapon occupies a row of cells"},{"x":50,"y":54,"label":"Empty cells for new items"}],"crop":{"x":245,"y":68,"width":515,"height":370}},"tips":["Show defensive reserves before a threat and preserve a meaningful way around it."],"examples":[{"title":"Resident Evil 4 (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/horror-tension"}}