Learn to Play: Monster of the Week!

How to prepare

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 I provide

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.

Gameplay details

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

How will character creation work

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.

Combat / Tactics

Low

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Medium

Experience level

Beginner