Does anybody have any recommendations for Skins that could represent:

Does anybody have any recommendations for Skins that could represent:

Does anybody have any recommendations for Skins that could represent:

– a Jekyll & Hyde / Hulk like character

– a Terminator / robot-in-disguise character

(I’m plotting something.)

Since Game Chef 2013, I’ve been working on a diceless AW hack to create noirs.

Since Game Chef 2013, I’ve been working on a diceless AW hack to create noirs.

Since Game Chef 2013, I’ve been working on a diceless AW hack to create noirs. I’m happy to say it’s now finished and available. Soth is my game about small-town cultists trying to summon a dark god. I’d call it a cousin of Apocalypse World.

I wanted to create a game with the tension of a noir or thriller: stories like Breaking Bad or Psycho, where we follow someone trying to deceive and murder their way out of trouble.

So, Soth uses a diceless process to evaluate how suspicious the cultists are being. The GM then spends that Suspicion to put the cultists under pressure (I think of it as an economy for Hard Moves).

To celebrate the start of this year’s Game Chef contest, you can get it for $6 from https://payhip.com/b/Ux9O (until Monday).

#SummonSoth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hhk_Ipt0sE

Just finished proofing the 2nd edition of Monster of the Week.

Just finished proofing the 2nd edition of Monster of the Week.

Just finished proofing the 2nd edition of Monster of the Week. Feeling very happy about how the game has shaped up. And I saw its new interior art today: it’s magnificent (and includes one image I think will become iconic).

I just gave some advice on what I’ve learned about running Monster of the Week since editing the book.

I just gave some advice on what I’ve learned about running Monster of the Week since editing the book.

I just gave some advice on what I’ve learned about running Monster of the Week since editing the book. Thought I’d share it here:

—  —  —

I would divide the mystery you create into two parts: the setting and the monster.

For the setting, I’d advise taking somewhere you know or something from a documentary or movie you’ve seen recently. An unusual setting that you can describe with authority. In the past I’ve done a Burning Man festival, a Christian themed haunted house theme park and a backpackers.

For the monster, all I’d say is what are you excited about? Like, I did a monster based on the one from The Host after I’d seen it, and then for another game I created a dragon that transformed when you injured it (after watching Pacific Rim).

As for running the game, my main advice is “Be rigorous about how magic is used”. It’s really easy for people to try and take advantage of the “Do one impossible thing” aspect of magic. That can quickly lead to the game becoming a game where the hunters are like superheroes.

I say: Let them have access to superheroic powers, sure … but make it Big Magic rather than the Use Magic move.

Soth was my entry for Game Chef 2013: a diceless AW hack about cultists in small-town America trying to summon the…

Soth was my entry for Game Chef 2013: a diceless AW hack about cultists in small-town America trying to summon the…

Soth was my entry for Game Chef 2013: a diceless AW hack about cultists in small-town America trying to summon the god Soth. It’s a noir where the GM plays the investigators. No playbooks. One stat: Sanity. 4 to 8 hours to play. You can download it here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3362532/Soth%20-%20Draft%203.01.pdf Soth (Dropbox, 1MB .pdf)

I just cut a little monster-hunting short film (2 mins). Thought people might enjoy it.

I just cut a little monster-hunting short film (2 mins). Thought people might enjoy it.

I just cut a little monster-hunting short film (2 mins). Thought people might enjoy it. 

http://youtu.be/jd1kW1C_2e0

http://youtu.be/jd1kW1C_2e0

Thinking about moves for the Scooby Doo variant of MotW.

Thinking about moves for the Scooby Doo variant of MotW.

Thinking about moves for the Scooby Doo variant of MotW. I think you can use Monsterhearts ‘Run Away’ move. You also need a ‘When you hide from a monster’ move. And with ‘Investigate a Mystery,” you get clues instead of weaknesses. You can accuse anyone at any time, but if you accuse the right person and have no clues then they can shrug off the accusation and destroy your credibility.

I’ve just finished Fringe, and I’m really curious about how to use Monster of the Week to run games like that -…

I’ve just finished Fringe, and I’m really curious about how to use Monster of the Week to run games like that -…

I’ve just finished Fringe, and I’m really curious about how to use Monster of the Week to run games like that – where the threat in an episode is often a mad scientist releasing some sort of weaponised terror.

How would you run a game like that?