Oklahoma has a wealth of hooks for great horror roleplaying, from real-world history to real places that are supposed to be haunted. On top of that, there are a number of great places and neighborhoods that just ooze the supernatural.
Crime & Headlines
The first place to start is the actual crime and news headlines from today, as well as the past. We have had our share of crime, from current gang crimes to racial conflicts to historical crime such as during Prohibition. These are all there, and can be found with a simple Google search.
Other story hooks from the headlines include serial killers and other murderers that have come through the Oklahoma over the past century. As a major crossroads in the heart of America, any amount of killers could be explained coming through Oklahoma, in areas as urban as Oklahoma City and as rural as the smallest down just off of I-40.
Another thing that does not get talked about much, but definitely is present is that of cults. One of the most prominent is that of Elohim City, in Adair County. This is an evangelical Christian movement, with ties to right wing militants, and even the OKC Federal Bombing. Besides Christian or religious cults, there are a number of rumors of satanic cults in the eastern parts of Oklahoma–all fantastic hooks for horror gaming.
Yet another source for stories is just that of the sheer number of missing persons in Oklahoma. After all, something must be behind these disappearances, right?
Real Scary History
Oklahoma’s long history is a wonderful source for horror gaming as well. Start with the Native Americans, and the bloody history of the US forcing Native Americans to settle here–and then taking the land away from them. There is no telling how many unhappy spirits can be found here from that alone.
Then there are the real places that are actually said to be haunted. The first one is the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. That place is noted for the ghost of a maid who killed herself.
Another is the old County Line restaurant (now called Gabriella’s). It was a speakeasy during Prohibition, and is said to be haunted, too. Yet another place is the old Boy’s Orphanage in Guthrie. It was the legend of an evil nurse who killed 6 boys and then hanged herself.
These do not even take into account the number of haunted bridges ("crybaby bridges") across the state, nor instances of ghosts and Native American monsters. There are tons of those, just waiting to be tapped.
Neighborhoods & Actual Places
Even the real neighborhoods and places in Oklahoma are great places for story hooks, starting with the historic neighborhoods like Crown Heights or Edgemere. All of these houses were build at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, and have had a lot of time to absorb any amount of scary things.
Even more obvious, are places like the Deep Deuce and Bricktown areas near downtown Oklahoma City. These places were happening throughout the Twentieth Century, and went through a number of massive changes–from the World Wars, to Prohibition, to the Civil Rights Era.
For a more modern place to use for story hooks, look at the tunnel areas in Downtown Oklahoma City. These tunnels connect many of the high-rise buildings together, and include shops and stores. But being down there late at night is just spooky, and that obviously can be used for great storylines.
In the immediate area, places like Lake Draper have been used by killers for years as dumping grounds for bodies. If you venture further out to the rural or smaller communities in Oklahoma, just about any kind of horror or supernatural story could be set in them.
That is where Oklahoma can really shine–you have great sources of urban horror story hooks in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but wide open places for almost any kind of horror story hooks in the rural towns and areas that are sparsely populated–and far from help.
I am sure that if you looked, you could find a wealth of story hooks and ideas around where you live, from urban legends to the newspapers. All of them would be perfect for horror or supernatural roleplaying–you just need to view things with a little bit of… skew.
While Oklahoma may not have the years of history like places back east, it definitely is a land ripe with possibilities for horror gaming!
Marko ∞
