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Monster of the Week

Monster of the Week

Monster of the Week (MotW) is a tabletop roleplaying game, or TTRPG, about a group of monster hunters taking on the terrors that prey on humanity. Inspired by media like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Supernatural, players create characters based on archetypes. They might take on the Chosen, a hero with a grand destiny; the Divine, an angel or holy warrior here to protect humanity; the Monstrous, fighting against their own evil nature; the Professional “man-in-black”; and many more! One player, the Keeper or Game Master (GM), takes on the role of the world those characters inhabit. They’ll create the mysteries the hunters must investigate, the environments they’ll explore, and the victims, meddling authorities, and of course, monsters they’ll face.

Originally created by Michael Sands

Details

3-5 Players
Powered by the Apocalypse

Themes

Mystery
Horror
Modern
Supernatural

Release Date

2015

Monster of the Week Reviews (25)

See what other Game Masters and players are saying about Monster of the Week

Katie avatar

Katie

New review

MotW is a really accessible game for new players! It is a story-driven game that will be narratively intuitive to fans of the genre it is named for. With a straightforward 2d6 system and just a handful of basic moves, it is fast to learn, but has enough crunch to keep players invested in unlocking more advancements over the course of a campaign. If you are a player coming from a more combat-focused system like D&D, it may be an adjustment that the heroes in MotW are more successful when they do their research ahead of time; just "fighting" the monsters head-on with brute force can very quickly become deadly for unprepared hunters!

Hanna avatar

Hanna

New review

Played 2 sessions

MotW is pretty much the perfect game system for Start Playing, especially one shots. It's super easy to pick up if you are familiar with Buffy or Supernatural and have played any ttrpg before, and the 'of the week' format lends itself really well to 2-3 hours sessions. You only need 2 D6 and 4ish pages of rules. It's not as complicated of a game structure as D&D or Pathfinder, which again - makes it easy to pick up - and in some ways also makes it feel more creative and exciting because you aren't just min/maxxing and crunching numbers constantly. Highly highly recommend trying it on StartPlaying (or IRL!)

Yorik avatar

Yorik

New review

The game is absolutely awesome - one of my favorites. It's basically a detective story where players are investigators and a big dark mystery is waiting to be uncovered and possibly defeated. The only downside is a fight system. I like it's mainly theater of the mind but the possibility of avoiding harm is little to none. I always try not to fight at all if there is a chance. Over all, easy system that brings a lot of fun.

Mel avatar

Mel

New review

Played 1 sessions

A fun and easy theatre of the mind game. Great for beginners. I personally found it too prescriptive.

Leland House avatar

Leland House

New review

Ran 32 sessions

I honestly cannot recommend this game enough, even if you haven't found yourself consuming Monster of the Week (trope) media since your early formative years like I have. It's just such a splendid experience that encourages creativity and group collaboration at it's finest. It can handle any storytelling tone you throw at it, from absolutely bonkers berserk, to esoteric and philosophical, to action packed ass-kicking madness. I highly recommend that you try this incredible game with a group of friends or friends-to-be through StartPlaying!

Aj  avatar

Aj

New review

Played 37 sessions

Monster of the Week is the perfect system for lovers of urban fantasy and horror. Inspired by shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files, this adaptation of the Apocalypse World systems offers straightforward mechanics that encourage imagination and roleplay from everyone at the table. This combination makes it my favorite system that I have played to date and I recommend that almost anyone give it a try! Pros: + Straightforward rules make the system accessible to a variety of players + Story-forward design allows for expansive roleplaying and shared ownership of the story + Published expansions are consistently great but never necessary to purchase Cons: - Long-term campaigns require some tweaks to the system as advancements occur quickly - Flexible ruleset requires that Keepers adjudicate when rolls should be made and how to interpret those results, which may be challenging for new GMs

How to play Monster of the Week

Monster of the Week uses the rule system pioneered by Apocalypse World, in which players roll two six-sided dice and add a bonus from one of their character stats; a 10 or better is a full success, a 7-9 is a partial success or success with consequences, and a 6 or lower is a “miss”, not necessarily a failure, but a bad outcome for the character. Characters trigger these rolls when they take specific actions in the game, like Investigate a Mystery or Kick Some Ass. You’ll use these “moves” to solve mysteries and hunt monsters in a world not unlike our own!

Monster of the Week Dungeon Masters

3 years on StartPlaying

1117 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Podcaster
LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent
Game Designer

4 years on StartPlaying

1752 games hosted

Average response time: 3 hours

Response rate: 100%

Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Neurodivergent
Voice Actor

2 years on StartPlaying

587 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Cosplayer
Teacher/Educator
Game Designer

4 years on StartPlaying

706 games hosted

Average response time: 4 hours

Response rate: 80%

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Disabled
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor
Game Designer

2 years on StartPlaying

985 games hosted

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Queer
Neurodivergent
Artist
Voice Actor

4 years on StartPlaying

1268 games hosted

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

4 years on StartPlaying

446 games hosted

Neurodivergent

4 years on StartPlaying

713 games hosted

Average response time: 3 hours

Response rate: 100%

Frequently asked questions about Monster of the Week

Explore Monster of the Week Classes

The Divine  image

The Divine

If you’d rather fight evil than investigate it, Monster of the Week’s Divine Role is for you. Your character has been sent from above to carry out a mission and given a magic weapon to see it through. You can heal your friends, but you can just as easily call upon divine power to smite evil. Of course, such mighty power comes with strings attached. You are bound to the heavenly mission assigned to you by your patron.

The Expert  image

The Expert

There’s always a cool mentor figure in supernatural action stories, an experienced monster hunter who has seen it all. As the Expert, you’ll be the one who knows exactly what you’re facing and how to end it. You could be a hunter who stockpiles weapons in a secret base, a researcher with a hidden library, or the genius who whips up the perfect gadget just in time.

The Flake  image

The Flake

No one believes the Flake until it’s too late. They run around town warning everyone of the impending alien invasion but can’t get people to see the truth until they’re all being probed. As the Flake in Monster of the Week, your unusual mind helps you piece together clues faster and find useful friends who see the world like you do.

The Initiate image

The Initiate

The Initiate Playbook lets you add to the story by creating a sect of guardians. Maybe you belong to an ancient order of monks or a clandestine witch coven. Whatever you choose, your character comes equipped with skills, weapons, or magic granted by their sect. You can also have ally characters like a mentor or subordinate to help you out.

The Mundane  image

The Mundane

A normal person who suddenly discovers the existence of the supernatural. Now, with no powers whatsoever, they help the team out by… stumbling into things. The Mundane abilities tend to give you bonuses when you get in a sticky situation and when you need to run away from said situation. This is a great playbook if you want to play a comic relief character.

The Professional image

The Professional

Monster of the Week’s Professional Playbook is great for Men in Black type characters. These government agents get specialized gear for taking on the supernatural. They also have multiple abilities for keeping their cool in scary situations and improvising a solution.

The Spell-Slinger image

The Spell-Slinger

Bring the fight to the monsters with an arsenal of spells. Many of these cause damage directly to the enemy, but more creative uses can manipulate the environment. You also get bonuses to investigating magical mysteries and performing complex rituals that are often needed to resolve bigger threats.

The Spooky image

The Spooky

Power comes with a price. If you like roleplaying that dynamic, play the Spooky Playbook. They can have psychic powers, visions of the future, or the ability to bend luck. The fun cost to these abilities is a dark urge that the Game Master can draw upon to complicate any situation you find yourself in.

The Wronged image

The Wronged

Become a tragic warrior obsessed with destroying the creature that took everything from them. The Wronged gets a signature weapon, bonuses to tracking their prey, and several skills that keep them going when others would go down. If the image of a dark, brooding hunter inspires you, play as the Wronged.

The Chosen image

The Chosen

As the chosen one who must fulfill a destiny, you cannot die. Literally, there’s an ability that says you can’t die until your destiny comes to pass. Other abilities further protect you from harm or reward you for creating big moments that tie into your larger fate.

The Crooked image

The Crooked

This can be your criminal with a heart of gold or loner with a mysterious past. The Crooked comes with a shady background that can be invoked to bail the party out of a tight spot. Imagine a loyal crew ready to throw hands, a black market contact that owes you a favor, or the skill to hotwire a getaway car.

The Monstrous image

The Monstrous

When you just gotta be edgy, here’s your half-monster class. You’ll have a tragic curse based on whatever monster you spawn from. This is great for those who love roleplay as you’ll get to ham up your dark emotions or need to feed. In exchange for your curse, you get awesome powers like flight, super strength, or mind control.

Virtual table tops for Monster of the Week (VTTs)

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