For a while I was working on a PbtA/MotW hack meant to channel Twin Peaks with a weird horror vibe, but it turns out…

For a while I was working on a PbtA/MotW hack meant to channel Twin Peaks with a weird horror vibe, but it turns out…

For a while I was working on a PbtA/MotW hack meant to channel Twin Peaks with a weird horror vibe, but it turns out hacks are an awful lot of work (especially when you decide to add in an entire additional optional rule set to accommodate playing a more Lovecraftian style game with “mythology” and “sanity” rules). I got about as far as creating my first playbook, The Special Agent, which I’ve since gone back and adapted to MotW. I’d love to hear folks thoughts on it!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-lrvVv8HXm1nNE6Xb5_q2G47jIJ4QCNe

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

I’ve played once before, and was so excited that I found some friends who I could be Keeper for.

For context: It’s my first time being a Keeper of GM of any type. Out of the three hunters, 2 have never played an RPG before, and one has played DnD several times.

I know the book suggests choosing a classic monster for the first mystery, but I got excited about an idea and ran with it. It’s intended to be a one-shot, to see if we like the game before committing to a campaign. With that in mind, I was thinking of giving the hunters 3 luck each.

Would y’all mind taking a look and seeing what I could change/improve? I have about 48 hours to make changes. The thing I’m most unsure about is the 5-day timeframe; I don’t know if the rigid schedule is a good idea.

I’m also happy to accept any first-time-keeper tips/advice, including letting me know if this might be a little difficult to run for a first timer.

Thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ooDZccU5Dsdw7pv9XwsjECmS7cWg9VtEz0d7-pxN_uI/edit?usp=sharing

Writing a Horror Scenario the Sandy Petersen Way.

Writing a Horror Scenario the Sandy Petersen Way.

Writing a Horror Scenario the Sandy Petersen Way. He mostly references Cthulhu role playing games, but there’s great advice in here for MOTW. 1 hour video, filmed at GenCon 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o9P9fYrIfo

I’m not used to improvising this much.

I’m not used to improvising this much.

I’m not used to improvising this much. We ran our first session last week; two players had never done any tabletop roleplaying games and the other two were fairly inexperienced. Roleplaying was minimal when I didn’t prompt them or push them, but I’m not worried about that; as they learn and their characters grow from vague ideas into solidly defined people that will get better.

I’ve only run Pathfinder and 5E before, and this game plays so differently than anything else I’ve done. I knew I shouldn’t plan too much, so I kept things minimal, and it really really stretched my improvisation ability (in a good way). I had a few takeaways that might help others running the game:

1. Take notes during and, more importantly, just after play. I had a bunch of things I had decided on the fly in my head that there was no way I’d remember a week later. This one I will do so so so much better in the next session.

2. Have a list of names ready for when you need to create an NPC/Bystander on the fly. Write down who they are and check them off the list so you don’t re-use them. Make sure it’s a diverse list.

3. You won’t think of everything. This first mystery involves the murder of a security guard at a museum. My players immediately asked about security cameras and security gates. I recovered quickly, but was so used to fantasy settings that those hadn’t even crossed my mind. Now they have become a key element of how the players are going to solve the mystery.

4. Remember the Hunter names. Write them down if you need to. I struggled with this one. My mind was preoccupied with rules I am still not 100% confident on without reference and trying to keep all the npcs and their motives and jobs in my head. There probably would have been more roleplaying if I’d consistently addressed the hunters by name.

5. Set the scene. I thought I did this one well, and the players responded to it. I based the main location in this mystery on the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, which I expected most of the players to have visited. None had. So, I had to describe not just how it looked, but how it felt, especially at night when it was empty. This put them in the right frame of mind to play a horror themed game.

CUSTOM MOVE:

CUSTOM MOVE:

CUSTOM MOVE:

I made custom move for my campaign that takes place in the 1920’s and involves a speakeasy that caters to the magical lot in town (magic is not widely accepted or known among the “ungifted”).

We found that there was a lot of deception/distraction stuff that people wanted to do in place of just kicking ass or trying to manipulate someone. So this is kind of a hybrid move that overlaps a bit, and to that effect I’ve incorporated the “glitch” type mechanic from Use Magic – with consequences from other moves into a sort of Frankenstein move assembled from the parts of others.

My players have used it quite a few times since I made it and it feels right in practice, so I figured I’d share it.

____________________________________________________

Hoodwink Em!: This covers trying to do something that will influence a conversation or fight by hiding, lying, or misdirecting or attempting to Protect Someone, or Kick Some Ass without involving yourself in the fray; trying to get the monsters attention when you are far away from the harm; trying to tell the security guard that your FBI ID is totally real “dude”; trying to shoot that sword out of The General’s hand before he can finish his down-swing; or telling that barkeep that you will definitely consider giving them a raise when you certainly won’t.

When you Hoodwink Em! roll +Cool or +Charm (ask the Keeper):

• On a 10+ you do what you set out to.

• On a 7-9, you succeed, but choose an “uh-oh” from below, and the Keeper will determine what effect it has:

– You draw immediate unwanted attention;

– You expose yourself to extra danger;

– You gain a 1 forward;

An ally gains 1 forward;

Something or someone breaks down;

• On a miss, things go to hell.

__________________________________________________

Hey everyone, I’m looking for players for a weekly game.

Hey everyone, I’m looking for players for a weekly game.

Hey everyone, I’m looking for players for a weekly game. I’m running it more like a Monster of the Month, where the players face off against a couple of related mysteries before the “boss fight” mystery. If anyone is interested, you should come check it out.

“There are some things that you don’t talk about in Dartford, Maine. You do not talk about the screaming coming from the graveyard. You do not talk about the thing that lurks in the sewers. And you most assuredly do not talk about the old crone who lives atop Abbey Hill, doling out cures and curses in equal measure.

But after you find yourself allying with a group of strangers, searching each other’s faces in the dark between the trees, after having meddled in something even worse, you all agree there might just be more harm than good in not getting involved.

Did you think you’d spend peak leaf-peeping months this way, squashed together in the back of a car, knees knocking, stakes and a shotgun clanking in the trunk on your way to what’s next? Hell no. But curiosity killed the cat they say and sticking together to find out what’s going bump and slash in the night in Dartford might just be your safest and only option.”

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/128752/disturbances-in-dartford

Here we are our latest episode of Monster of the Week: River City Apocalypse is out!

Here we are our latest episode of Monster of the Week: River City Apocalypse is out!

Here we are our latest episode of Monster of the Week: River City Apocalypse is out! This Episode is titled You call this an Apocalypse? Agent Alexander is trying to adjust to his new condition while still dealing with the insanity that his world has become. Alexa decides to start taking a much more direct role in affairs with explosive consequences. Mercedes delves even deeper into her dark side as she becomes more convinced that desperation is her only play. Bryan has no time to learn and the world to understand and he is desperate to find more time. Damien is now missing the last of what makes him human and is desperate to find them again. As always the tension is high and the stakes are too. Please tune in, give us a listen and a review!

https://dinnerandagame.net/

GRAmel has just published “It’s still Sparta!” – my crazy experimental mystery for MotW.

GRAmel has just published “It’s still Sparta!” – my crazy experimental mystery for MotW.

GRAmel has just published “It’s still Sparta!” – my crazy experimental mystery for MotW.

In this two-mysteries-in-one the players first become ancient Spartans and die heroically, “300”-style, to defend their homeland against immortal monsters, then take control of their regular hunters and face the monsters once more in our times. My players loved it, I’ve got a feeling you might as well 🙂

https://www.rpgnow.com/product/250707/Its-still-Sparta