I’ve got a question about Monster of the Week. How does it handle sandbox play. I know the game is set up to be played in various stages with the players finding the one thing that can defeat the monster. Does it fall apart if you don’t want to stick to this pattern?
I’ve got a question about Monster of the Week.
I’ve got a question about Monster of the Week.
It doesn’t, I use it this way all the time (intersparsed with properly structured mysteries). I still give it an episodic structure, because I feel that that is still needed to not stray away too much from the designer’s intents.
MisterTia86 thanks. I like pbta games but not a big fan of the predertermined steps that some of them have. I want to throw Monster of the Week characters into the world and see where it goes.
Erik Buchanan it’s pretty much built to do that Supernatural/Buffy/X-Files “mystery of the week.” There won’t be much left of the game if you discard that!
However, the wider world and things going on in between or in the background of the individual mysteries are entirely up to your group to determine, so that side of it is already a sandbox style by design.
There’s also nothing that says you have to present the hunters with a single mystery to investigate either. It will work just fine if you give them a bunch of rumours and let them work out what to follow up from there. Once they’re on the trial of a particular monster, you probably need to fall back on the investigate/defeat pattern for that critter, but there’s still plenty of room to move within that.
Michael Sands I have no problem with doing a game like Buffy or other shows of that type. I just don’t like the idea of being stuck in the pattern of research, find the one thing that can defeat the monster, defeat the monster. I’m just wondering how close you have to stick to that formula. Can I stray off the monster hunting formula without making the game break down? I could see times when no research at all goes down like in the original movie Tremors. Monsters show up and well armed people fight for their lives. Or could you play a game based on The Mist? No research but trapped with monsters outside and human monsters inside.
Erik Buchanan the way people react in the first Tremors film is entirely compatible – MotW investigation is taken broadly and allows for the sort of observation of monster activities that they do in the film. It doesn’t have to be reading books in a library or forensic inquiry – it’s anything that helps you learn about the monster & situation.
The mist I’m not familiar with, but I suspect it can also work (especially with the Phenomenon mystery rules, currently available in draft form).
Michael Sands thanks for the feed back. So overall running a sandbox ongoing campaign is than doable? If you or anyone else have suggestions or examples of things done with MotW I’d love to hear them.
Erik Buchanan I think so, although you may need to massage a few things to fit.
Erik Buchanan Depending on what exactly you mean by “sandbox” too. It’s not exactly a precise term!
But if you want to have a player-driven monster hunting game, then yes.