{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/horror-tension--t217","type":"mechanic","id":"horror-tension--t217","lang":"en","title":"Cooperative horror and group risk","summary":"Group risk arises from split tasks, mutual dependence and limited communication while under threat.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/horror-tension--t217/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/horror-tension--t217.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/horror-tension--t217.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Horror and tension","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-b2a89cba190d4ef9","source-dd67970435963347"],"sources":[{"id":"source-b2a89cba190d4ef9","title":"Frictional Games: Amnesia","url":"https://www.amnesiagame.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-dd67970435963347","title":"Lethal Company","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Group risk arises from split tasks, mutual dependence and limited communication while under threat."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t217-variants\"></a>\n\n- Splitting speeds objectives at the cost of support. <a id=\"t217-v1\"></a>\n- Communication noise exposes the team. <a id=\"t217-v2\"></a>\n- Rescue forces a shared route change. <a id=\"t217-v3\"></a>\n- Shared resources require coordinated spending. <a id=\"t217-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"One participant starts a basement generator while others hold a door and report the approaching threat.\n\nPrototype check: Test recovery after a disconnect and useful actions for a participant left alone."},{"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":"t217","title":"Horror and tension","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/horror-tension/#t217","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Cooperative horror and group risk","description":"Group risk arises from split tasks, mutual dependence and limited communication while under threat.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/general-lethal-company-08.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Lethal Company","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1966720/ss_27eb66c9d0e327f90915cef23b1377e9b10bc27b.1920x1080.jpg?t=1775380053","credit":"Zeekerss / Zeekerss","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Expedition members enter dangerous terrain together","alt":"Expedition members enter dangerous terrain together","markers":[{"x":24,"y":65,"label":"Two participants stand together on a shared expedition"}]},"tips":["Split information and risk so a teammate’s help remains meaningful."],"examples":[{"title":"Lethal Company","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720/"}]}},"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"}}