2008 Halloween Countdown 27: Chill's Evenings of Terror With Elvira

Evenings of Terror is a Chill roleplaying game supplement from Pacesetter that was published in 1985. Not only does color pictures of Elvira adorn the front and back covers but there are also black and white pictures before and after each adventure. She even introduces and ends each of the nine adventures of horror like the following:

"This is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, getting all you CHILL fans ready for our first Evening of Terror, an adventure called "The Epidemic." Kind of a catchy title for an adventure, isn't it...but really what happens is that everybody goes to this town to try and find out why people are vanishing mysteriously and why animals are dropping over dead. And this S.A.V.E. organization which is supposed to be so goody-goody, right? This S.A.V.E. organization gives the people a little puppy and kitten to use as bait. I mean, when you need the ASPCA, they're never around.

"Well, the excitement waiting for the adventure to begin is kind of contagius, don't you think? So let's get on with the story..."

"O.K., first off, what's with these Pacesetter guys? Animal zombies? Little dog's body with a little kitten's head? For that matter, a little kitten's body with a little dog's head. I mean, gross me out! These guys are really not subtle or anything.

"And one verterinarian who just happens to be there? Sure. Just happens to know about half the stuff those S.A.V.E. folks need to know. Made it kinda easy for them, if you ask me. Even if you don't ask me.

"Anyway, the next adventure is going to be more tougher. But more of that later. As for now...Unpleasant Dreams."

For those not in the know, Chill: Adventures into the Unknown was a horror roleplaying game released in 1984. The players work for S.A.V.E. (Societas Argenti Viae Eternitata, or, The Eternal Society of the Silver Way), a secret society dedicated to protecting the innocent from creatures of the unknown. I had the boxed set and several supplements before I sold them several years ago. Mayfair Games bought the game and put out a second edition that gave the rules a facelift.

I had some fun with Evenings of Terror but never actually used any of the nine adventures of horror with my gaming group. I did make a very large campaign with Elvira as a main focus. One player found out the hard way never to take a sleeping pill in a supernatural charged place. Another player had fun hitting werewolves with his silver briefcase.


Evenings of Terror with Elvira front cover

Evenings of Terror with Elvira back cover