Learn to Play: Monster of the Week!
Free
Details
Once / Sunday – 11:00 PM UTC
Nov 14
2–3 Hour Duration
5 / 5 Seats Filled
Schedule
About the adventure
All is not right in your sleepy little Pennsylvania town. Danger is clearly afoot, although not everyone sees it. Now, it's up to you and your friends to solve the mystery before it's too late for you and everyone else. In this session, you'll learn to play Monster of the Week - an amazing, extremely easy-to-learn game system that looks to shows like Buffy, The X-Files, and Supernatural to create a modern-day world of mystery and monster hunting. Once you play, you're sure to be coming back for more scares, more thrills, and more monsters. After all, most people don’t believe in monsters, but you know the truth. They’re real, and it’s your task to bring them down.
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(26)
4 years on StartPlaying
575 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Voices
About me
Like many, Dungeons & Dragons was my first step into tabletop gaming, and I wish I'd come to it much earlier that I did. But since I started playing about five years ago, it's become a true passion. There's nothing like being able to put the world aside and step into a new reality of heroes, monsters, and epic adventures. I love crafting an immersive, inclusive, and intensely personalized world in my games: one focused on character development and story arcs that players will remember as much as a great book or an amazing film. And more than anything, I love riffing off player choices and taking a story in new directions that surprise even me. D&D was of course just the first step. Since then, I've taken players on epic monster hunts through Monster of the Week and helped them live their medieval fantasy through King Arthur Pendragon. And for all you David Bowie/Jim Henson fans, look no further for your next step into the Labyrinth. With regard to experience, I've been a regular DM and GM for the past three years with games both in-person and online. I host a weekly table at Hex & Co in NYC with original adventures taking place in the Forgotten Realms setting. I also have experience with new players, creating a fun and easy-going atmosphere for people just learning the game. And a little bit about my non-D&D life. I'm a fundraiser and songwriter based in NYC, where I've lived for the past 15 years. I love film, theater, food, good (and bad) wine and Teeling Whiskey, and aggressive karaoke sessions. A huge fan of horror as well as camp classics. And as much as I love Marvel, I will always be a DC guy.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
All players will work together to build their characters and picking their playbook/character sheet at the top of that first session. Character creation is incredibly easy and can be done directly on Roll20. However, I'll also provide PDFs in advance if you would like to spend a little time figuring out what type of character you'd like to play before we start the game.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
To join the game, you'll need a Roll20 account, a webcam and mic (your default phone or computer cam and mic are fine), and access to Discord, which will host our voice/video. Also, I understand that some people prefer to not to use video, so if that's you, I'm totally fine with that. For actual gameplay, all you need is two six-sided dice, although you'll be able to use Roll20 for that as well. Other than that, I will provide everything you need to play!
What Nick Luckenbaugh brings to the table
I will provide a link to the Roll20 game and Discord server as well as character sheet PDFs for everyone to review. I run Monster of the Week largely using theater of the mind, but where maps are needed, we'll access those on Roll20. In addition, I will be providing some supplemental information to players in advance about the very simple rules of the game as well as the different types of characters you can create. You can read this in advance of game play or not. Totally up to you, as the game is very easy to learn in the moment.
Platforms used
Safety
How Nick Luckenbaugh creates a safe table
Monster of the Week is a horror-based system to draws from shows like Buffy, The X-Files, and Supernatural to create a modern world where the paranormal is alive and well and ready to be investigated or destroyed. And it's incredibly easy to learn, too! All you have to do is describe the action your character is taking, and a roll of the dice tells you the outcome. (Only two standard, six-sided dice are needed, and the character sheets - called "playbooks" - are very simple!) Monster of the Week is the perfect role playing game for beginners while being engaging and thrilling enough for longtime players. To help ensure that every player is comfortable and having a great time as we traverse the themes of horror of the game, I'll be setting lines and veils at the start of the game with each player to ensure maximum comfort. These lines and veils will inform gameplay and ensure the ability to "fade to black" whenever needed. During the session, we'll be employing X, N, and O signals in chat as needed. We'll also be ending the session with a brief Highlight Reel and Wrap Session to discuss the highs, lows, and feedback for the game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used