One Shots Review: Monster of the Week

Monster of the Week Cover Art

So I have to start with one of my absolute favorite games that we’ve run for our local nerd events. We’ve run it for TTRPG Days and Community Game Nights both and it’s always been a blast. It’s Monster of the Week by Michael Sands. Published by Evil Hat, it was originally released in 2012 but has had several revisions and touchups since then, with both an updated core book (in 2015 and 2022) and several expansions like Tome of Mysteries, Codex of Worlds and the recent Slayer’s Survival Kit and Hunter’s Journal.

To me, Monster of the Week is one of the best illustrations of the power of “Powered by the Apocalypse” games. It takes a single genre, marries a set of narrative and character driven mechanics to the tropes of that genre and then lets players loose to tell their own stories. In this case, Sands has taken the classic “Monster of the Week” formula, perfected in shows like Supernatural, Buffy, X-Files, etc. and created a toolkit that lets players jump right into those tales. If you’ve watched any of those shows (or especially if you’ve watched a lot of them), you instantly know how this game plays. The rhythms, the story beats, the unfolding dread and revelations, it will all feel natural in a way that is hard to replicate in any other system.

At its most basic level, MotW is a 2d6 + stat system, offering its own riff on the PBtA style. All resolutions come in the form of a simple 1-12+ spectrum, ranging across failure (1-6), mixed success (7-9) and full success (10+). Almost all rolls are initiated through characters taking actions in the narrative and the Keeper (GM) will never touch dice.
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Instead of dice, the Keeper is equipped with Soft and Hard Moves, actions and responses they can take to help direct the story. Soft moves are, as advertised, more gentle. They hint at dangers or mysteries or help push Hunters to move forward. They give the players a chance to respond, to make choices and prioritize actions. Hard moves are the dangers revealed, monstrous attacks, precarious situations, bystanders in the line of fire, punishing unresolved threats.

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Monster of the Week: Tome of Mysteries Cover Art

Every “Mystery” unfolds across a ticking clock. The longer the hunters take to solve the mystery, the more dangerous and damaging the monster or phenomenon becomes. The pressure keeps hunters on the move and allows the Keeper to spool out more hints, dangers and lore as the mystery progresses. And the range of possible monsters and mysteries is a lot of fun. I’ve fought a cornfield labyrinth minotaur, I’ve led hunters into a poultry plant where a spectral t-rex is avenging its descendants and I’ve dropped players into an Appalachian Vampires and Werewolves spin on Romeo and Juliet. It’s a great combo of flexibility and flavor.

One of the best aspects of MotW (and most PBtA games) is the playbook character creation. Playbooks embody iconic tropes like “The Chosen”, “The Divine”, “The Expert” and “The Monstrous” drawing deeply from the source material to let players easily pick up an archetype and run with it. The mechanical side of character creation is as simple as checking a few boxes to select some abilities, allocating stats and choosing equipment.

As I mentioned in our setup post, I run almost exclusively one shots when trying out new systems and that does affect my perception. MotW has great mechanics for long term progression and building a setting and team over time (even retiring hunters or handing them over to the Keeper as monsters). But for my money, you will find few better systems for a satisfying one or two session mystery, especially if you’re introducing PBTA and non-d20 games to a table.

​If you pick up Monster of the Week in a game store you can also take advantage of their participation in the Bits and Mortar program to receive matching PDFs with your purchase. I've done it before and not only was it easy but the folks I interacted with were super nice.

If you can't grab it in your FLGS you can find it on Bookshop Amazon and DriveThruRPG (and help support your friendly neighborhood TTRPG reviewer through affiliate perks).

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