You’re in a diner, listening to a shaken police officer describe seeing her dead comrade standing by his own grave. Suddenly, three skeletons crash through the door and rush toward her. You grab your baseball bat and charge.
You’re at the top of the town’s clock tower, speaking to a teen boy who seems possessed by an evil mask. As the mask’s dark eldritch power draws the moon closer to crushing the town, your mind races for a way to reason with the boy.
You’re in a fancy hotel – but you can’t quite remember how you got here. You strike up a conversation with the bartender but he seems … off. Unreal, somehow. You look closely around the bar. Surely there’s a clue here?
Monster of the Week is a narrative-focused roleplaying game in which the players are Hunters, who have devoted their lives to killing monsters. The GM, called a Keeper, is tasked with designing monsters and mysteries for the hunters to deal with, bringing the world to life and portraying the monsters and people the hunters meet.
Monster of the Week’s great innovation – one I use in the other games I run – is that everything has a narrative purpose. When you prepare your game, you give each monster, bystander and even location a tag that defines its role in the story. A monster might be a sorcerer, aiming to usurp unnatural power, or a beast, running wild destroying and killing. A minion might be a scout, reporting to the monster, or an assassin sent to target the hunters. An abandoned mansion might be a deathtrap, meant to harm intruders, or a hellgate bringing evil into the world.
The upshot of this is that as a Keeper you always have a sense of what happens next. If someone has a bad Read a Bad Situation roll in the hellgate mansion, that probably means a demon is about to crash through the window. If that same bad roll happens in a location tagged as a crossroads (bringing people together) perhaps an old rival arrives to cause a complication, or a witness bystander reports a monster attack.
It’s a fair bit of work designing all your monsters, minions and such from scratch. But you’re not buried in math and stat blocks – instead its the fun work of imagining the possibilities your story can take.
Make no mistake, this is a lightweight RPG. For example, the Monstrous Keeper playbook has the ability to fly – no further details provided. How fast, high and far the character can fly, and for how long, is up to the GM and player to negotiate. (I let my wife’s were-velociraptor character zip around Superman style. It didn’t break the game.) This is about as far from the granular details provided by the Fly spell in Dungeons and Dragons as you can get.
The price to pay for that fun and freedom is a lack of tactical combat. There’s no formal initiative order or flanking or advanced combat maneuvers or encounter balancing formula. You can do some minor things to optimize your build but it’s not necessary. Instead, the tension is in trying to figure out a monster’s weakness, as it can’t be killed unless you exploit it. In the context of what this game is trying to achieve, loosey-goosey narrative combat is a feature rather than a bug, but it’s something to be aware of.
Monster of the Week is a fun, light RPG that will expand your DM-ing skills. I recommend everyone give it a spin, especially considering how inexpensive it is.
Lastly, here’s the mystery I recently ran for my friends. I didn’t end up using everything I’d prepared, but it was nice to have lots of options at hand. I used some ideas from the excellent 2 Minute Tabletop to help bring the town and its residents to life. (I bought the art assets but didn’t really need to use them.) Feel free to take it for a spin yourself!
Sins of the Skeleton King
Concept
An undead dragon who betrayed the evil Lich King in another world has found itself transported to Earth – and is gathering power to wreak havoc.
Hook
The PCs are asked to investigate a sighting of former police officer Sgt. Lachlan Hunt – who was just buried two days ago.
Threats
- The Skeleton King.
- His minions and allied monsters.
- The location where the King is awaiting.
Countdown
- Day – Minions collect potential sacrifices to prepare for the awakening.
- Shadows – Minions conduct a dark ritual to prepare the way, killing the sacrifices.
- Sunset – Minions conduct the dark ritual that awakens the Skeleton King.
- Dusk – The Skeleton King awakens and wreaks havoc.
- Nightfall – The Skeleton King builds up its armies of minions.
- Midnight – The Skeleton King converts the area into a hellish kingdom where all humans are enslaved or killed.
Monster
The Skeleton King (Ghost form)
- Description: A human-sized winged shadow made of black and purple tendrils. The Skeleton King is from another place and time – he was a soldier in the Lich King’s war against the Dragon Empire. In life, he was a powerful dragon – and unlike all the other Lich King’s servants, he retained his own free will and ambition. During a battle, he activated a necrotic superweapon ahead of schedule in order to destroy both armies – but something went wrong and he found himself in a strange new world. Now, he gathers his strength, and his own army, to wreak havoc on humankind.
- Sorcerer: Usurp unnatural power
- Attack: Terrifying visions: 3-harm ignore armor.
- Powers: Incorporeal; immortal; manipulating/intimidating the living; raising and commanding the dead
- Aura of Terror: Anyone within immediate distance takes -1 ongoing unless they act under pressure to resist the fear.
- Weaknesses: Rock salt, banishment ritual (Requirements: exact location of the original portal; an incantation in the Skeleton King’s language commanding him to enter; use magic.)
- Harm capacity: 8 harm
The Skeleton King (Dracolich form)
- Descripton: A 20-foot tall skeletal dragon with glowing purple marrow and black smoke in its eye sockets. The Skeleton King, now made whole, will begin his conquest of this world.
- Destroyer: To bring about the end of the world.
- Powers: Raising and commanding the dead. Flight. Immortal. Extremely strong. Can climb any wall. The landscape turns to embers and ash wherever he walks.
- Aura of Terror: Anyone within a short distance takes -2 ongoing unless they act under pressure to resist the fear.
- Attacks: Bite: 5-harm
- Harm capacity: 12 harm
- Weakness: Direct sunlight.
Minions
Lachlan Hunt: Herald (prepare the way). Hunt, a former police constable, recently died of cancer and was buried two days ago. Because his spirit was still present in this world, the Skeleton King raised him to carry out more complex tasks that regular zombies can’t perform. Hunt now looks pale and sickly and is occasionally wracked by coughing fits. He has retained his grim sense of humor and despite the Skeleton King’s influence still feels a sense of duty toward his community.
- Powers: Command the undead, unnatural strength
- Attack: Pistol: 9mm (3-harm, close, loud)
- Weaknesses: Sunlight; sense of duty toward the living
- Armour: 1
- Harm Capacity: 7
Zombies: Plague (swarm and destroy).
- Powers: Unnatural strength and tenacity
- Attacks: Bite/claw – 2 harm intimate
- Weaknesses: Sunlight
- Harm Capacity: 5
Skeletons: Thief (steal and deliver to the monster)
- Powers: Unnatural speed, stealth
- Attacks: Bite – 2 harm intimate
- Weaknesses: Sunlight
- Harm Capacity: 1
Bystanders
- Ned Rubybrand: Gossip (pass on rumours). Ned, a short, stocky man in his 40s with a full beard, owns Rubybrand’s Tobacco, a two-storey general store and gift shop that’s been in his family since the 1920s.
- Sgt. Lia Lindsey: Witness (to reveal information). Lia is a tall, imposing cop. She’s 23, and plans to make a career in the RCMP. She has memorized many regulations and hierarchies and spends much of her off-time either maintaining her equipment or practicing techniques. She thinks she saw Lachlan watching her when she visited his grave.
- Mayor Andrew Reed. Official (to be suspicious). Reed’s dream of a career in big city politics went nowhere fast, so he has returned to his hometown and became its youngest ever mayor. He is paranoid of anyone who might claim what little power he has – and is highly protective of his town’s reputation.
- Jacob and Myrtle Garduno: Helper (join the hunt). Jacob and Myrtle, in their 50s, are Canadian Forces reservists who run an outfitting and hunting business just outside town. They take pride in their knowledge of the forests in the area and make sure to practice their shooting everyday in a range behind their house.
- Nina Kutter: Victim (put themselves in danger). Something of a professional drifter, Nina is passing through with her old Ford Focus. She somehow always seems to have a supply of good weed and is always willing to share.
- Cameron Reid: (Busybody: interfere in other people’s plans) Cameron is a man with a small herd of goats. At night he keeps them penned up near his house, but he spends most of his days wandering around the forest with them. He sells goat milk and wool. His knowledge of the forest is extensive, thanks to his years wandering around it. He’s generally quite pleasant to strangers.
- Leo Plesner: Innocent (do the right thing). Leo is a general handyman, currently living in the motel. He owns a nice set of carpenter’s tools. He’s well known for showing up to fix things around town no matter the time of day.
- Lich King: Witness (reveal information). The lich king, with his glowing pink gem in an eye socket, is a villain from another world. He seeks revenge on the Skeleton King.
Locations
Emerald Vale: Crossroads (to bring people, and things, together).
Nestled deep in the forests of northern Ontario, Emerald Vale used to be a bustling mining town. Many residents left after the nearby gold mine shut down – but those who stayed are trying to turn Emerald Vale into a tourist hotspot. They’ve had little success. Still, they’ve seen a few travelers wander through and the local inn has been able to keep the lights on – for now.
Nightmares. When you go to sleep in Emerald Vale, count how many times you have spent here and roll +sleeps. On a 10+ you have nightmare visions of what is to come and know it can’t be stopped. You must act under pressure to break out of your despair. On a 6 or less, take 1 harm, ignoring armor, as the nightmares batter your mind. On a 7-9 you have nightmare visions but that’s all. On a 10+ you can ask the DM one question about something you want to learn from the visions.
Sparrowhawk Motel: Hub (reveal information)
The motel is owned by Frank and includes 20 units over two floors, featuring the latest 70’s wood paneling and cheap landscape paintings. It’s also attached to the Blackbird Midnight Diner and Sundry Supplies.
Intrusion: During a quiet moment, someone – or something – bursts through the door or window and creates a problem – or opportunity – for the Hunters.
Lachlan Hunt’s home: Lab (create weirdness) Hunt’s abandoned log house, located behind the motel, is split into a bedroom and kitchen/living room, with a fireplace on the central wall. Hunt had a reputation for simple, clean living – but scattered on his bedside table are strange drawings and a journal detailing nightmarish visions of a terrifying ghost.
Conjure weirdness: Hunt’s drawings and journal attract supernatural forces.
Cemetery: Deathtrap (harm intruders). An unnatural chill is in the air, along with strange tendrils of purple light. The dirt around Hunt’s grave seems a bit more disturbed than a fresh grave should be.
Dead rising: The Skeleton King appears in ghost form, raising zombies to attack the Hunters.
Forest: Wilds (contain hidden things). The forest around Emerald Vale is dark and dense. Little sunlight reaches the forest floor. Unwary travellers can run into dangerous wildlife – but it’s also a good place to work or live in secret.
Their bonds were cut: The forest reveals evidence of a struggle involving the Skeleton King’s forces.
Faerie Circle: Hellgate (create evil). The ruined stone tower and stone circle don’t fit the history of northern Ontario – it looks more like a medieval European or Celtic structure. Judging by the surrounding geography, it’s almost as if they appeared out of nowhere.
Preparing the way: Lachlan Hunt and other undead servants sacrifice victims on the stone circle. As they do, the victim’s blood seeps into the stones and the area begins to glow.
Summoning the Skeleton King: After the magic of the circle is activated, Hunt and the minions perform a chant that allows the Skeleton King to take is real, terrifying form.
Into the Fray 