TEXT: michael SAnds
  mOnster of
  theWeEk
  
  EHP0009 • ISBN 978-1-61317-092-2 • US $25.00
  www.evilhat.com • @EvilHatOf  cial
  facebook.com/EvilHatProductions
  A monster lurks in the shadows...
  Most people don’t believe in monsters, but you know the truth. 
  They’re real, and it’s your task to bring them down. This revised 
  edition of Monster of the Week brings that adventure to life.
  Monster of the Week is a standalone action-horror RPG for 3-5 
  people. Hunt high school beasties a la Buf y the Vampire Slayer, 
  travel the country to bring down unnatural creatures like the 
  Winchester brothers of Supernatural, or head up the government 
  investigation like Mulder and Scully. This book contains everything 
  you need to tackle Bigfoot, collar a chupacabra, and drive away 
  demons.
  In this revised edition, you’ll ﬁ nd:
  • 
  Character creation rules to bring your hunter to life and 
  create a cohesive hunting team.
  • 
  Eight simple moves to investigate and deal with monsters.
  • 
  An easy-to-use system based on the popular Apocalypse 
  World RPG.
  • 
  Thorough mystery-creation tools and two ready-to-play 
  mysteries.
  • 
  New material including an introductory mystery; example 
  monsters like Balkan vampires, ghouls, and spore trolls; 
  and hunter types like the Crooked and the Spell-Slinger.
  Grab the ﬁ replace poker and open your spell book. 
  That monster’s going down!
  
  Revised Edition, 2015
  mOnster of
  theWeEk
  Michael Sands
  Author
  Daniel Gorringe, 
  Juan Ochoa, 
  and Kurt Komoda
  Interior Art
  Eric Quigley
  Cover Art
  Sean Nittner
  Project Management
  Steve Hickey
  Editor
  Fred Hicks
  Layout and 
  Spell-Slinger Playbook
  Chris Hanrahan 
  Business Development
  Carrie Harris
  Marketing
  For Amanda and Zelda with love, for their support and tolerance 
  over the very long time this game was in development.
  
  An Evil Hat Productions Publication  
  in partnership with Michael Sands
  www.evilhat.com • feedback@evilhat.com
  @EvilHatOfficial on Twitter
  facebook.com/EvilHatProductions
  Monster of the Week Revised Edition
  EHP0009 • ISBN 978-1-61317-091-5
  Text copyright © 2015 Michael Sands.
  Art and Spell-Slinger playbook are copyright © 2015  
  Evil Hat Productions, LLC and their respective creators.
  All rights reserved.
  First published in 2015 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
  10125 Colesville Rd #318, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
  Evil Hat Productions and the Evil logo are trademarks owned 
  by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.
  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a 
  retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, 
  without the prior express permission of the publisher.
  That said, if you’re doing it for personal use, knock yourself out.
  That’s not only allowed, we encourage you to do it.
  For those working at a copy shop and not at all sure 
  if this means the person standing at your counter 
  can make copies of this thing, they can. 
  This is “express permission.” Carry on.
  This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, 
  terrible, impossible, glorious things. All the characters and 
  events portrayed in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to 
  real people, creatures of the night, psychic hunters hellbent on 
  ending the werewolf threat, or actual Mongolian death worms 
  is purely coincidental, but kinda hilarious.
  
  Acknowledgements For the Revised Edition
  Thanks to Fred Hicks and the Evil Hat crew for supporting this revised 
  edition, to Steve Hickey for once again editing my words into shape, 
  and to everyone who has played Monster of the Week over the past two 
  and a half years.
  Acknowledgements for the First Edition
  Thanks go to many people who helped me with this game. Firstly, to 
  Vincent Baker for Apocalypse World, and for not minding that I took 
  his rules and changed them all around to fit my vision. 
  Also, to the many playtesters who indulged me by joining in and 
  hunting monsters over four or five years of development (especially 
  my regular Monday night crew: Scott Kelly, Bruce Norris, Andrew 
  McLeod, Jason Pollock, and Stefan Tyler). 
  Steve Hickey, who edited the game, was one of my first enthusi-
  astic fans, the first Keeper (aside from me), and has provided great 
  feedback throughout the process. Thanks to my other early fans: Jenni 
  Sands, Sophie Melchior, Hamish Cameron, and Stefan Tyler. 
  Daniel Gorringe for the art: he was on the same page as me 
  instantly in terms of style, and his work is fantastic. 
  Thanks to Amanda Reilly, Todd Furler, Patrice Hede, Stephanie 
  Pegg, and Peter Aronson for finding typos above and beyond the call 
  of duty. 
  Thanks also to everyone who contributed to the game’s fundrais-
  ing campaign: the game would have been much rougher without you. 
  And, finally, to my wife and daughter. As the dedication says, they 
  put up with a lot while I was writing, and were supportive all along.
  Thanks also to all the fans who have played and enjoyed Monster 
  of the Week since the first printing, especially those of you who have 
  created new hunter classes, mysteries, monsters, talked about your 
  games, or shared it at conventions.
  
  Play-testers Roll of Honour
  Revised edition: Dennis McFaull, Stefan Tyler, Paul Wilson, Chris 
  Fletcher, Sara Fletcher, and Nasia Alevizos, John Adamus, Matthew 
  Aaron, Mark Miller, Sophie Legacé, Rick Neal, Michael Robbins.
  First edition: Andrew McLeod, Scott “It’ll be fine” Kelly, Jason 
  “Dark past” Pollock, and Stefan “Unstoppable” Tyler, Steve Hickey, 
  Sophie Melchior, Hamish Cameron, Jenni Sands, Svend Andersen, 
  Celeste Mackintosh, Wayne Ulyate, Dale Elvy, Karen Wilson, Stepha-
  nie Pegg, Ellen Couch, Andy Millar, and Nick Cole.
  Many more people playtested earlier beta versions of this game. 
  Thanks to you all, too.
  Funders Roll Of Honour
  Thanks to all of you who contributed to the first edition crowd-fund-
  ing campaign:
  Peter Aronson, Lester Ward, Alasdair Sinclair, Sophie Melchior, 
  Malcolm  Harbrow, Colin Jessup, Dev Purkayastha, Marco Andreeto, 
  Hamish Cameron, Shane Mclean, Jamas Enright, Jeremy Tidwell, Rohan 
  Smith, Ian Raymond, Morgan Davie, Stephanie Pegg, Andrew Millar, Robert 
  Oglodzinski, Herman Duyker, Todd Furler, Luke Walker, John Harper, 
  Jonathan Davis, Avram Lewis, Fealoro, Martin Gray, Eirik Kildal Stangnes, 
  Emma-Jean, Jason Pollock, Antoine Fournier, Sevag Bakalian, Steve Dempsey, 
  Rich Rogers, Marcus Constable, Yragaël Malbos, Nathan Roberts, Joseph 
  Le May, Linda Larsson, Vincent Baker, Jonathan Bristow, Stuart Chaplin, 
  Robert T Roy, Marc  Majcher, Kevin Lindgren, Nick Reynolds, Dale Elvy, 
  John Ryan, Mike Olson, Brian Allred, Ken Finlayson, Guns_n_Droids, Alan 
  Jackson, Scott White, Matthew Edwards, Guillaume Carré, Svend Andersen, 
  Stefan Tyler, Paul Wilson, Florian Hoheneder, Peter Borah, Bryan Chavez, 
  Dag Sverre Syrdal, David Bowers, Paul Edson, Jason L Blair, Marcus Bone, 
  Jeremy Friesen, Phil Garrad, Adam Waggenspack, Tim Ireland, Sevag 
  Bakalian, Nathan Riddell, Richard Rogers, Derek Grimm, Julianna Backer, 
  Ferrer Jean-Olivier, James Iles, Katrina Allis, Nicolas Brian, Sean Dunstan, 
  Chris Norwood, Mark Harris, Gary Anastasio, Felan Parker, Steve Hickey, 
  Noah Doyle, Karen Wilson, Sven Folkesson, Gino Moretto, Frank Pitt, Chris 
  Moriarty, Jenni Dowsett, Neal Dalton, Alden Strock, Reid San Filippo, Zoe 
  Tsang, Christopher Weeks, W. Mark Woodhouse, Ben Wootten, James 
  Gabrielsen, Aurynn Shaw, Alex Abate Biral, Jason Pitre, Justin Koopmans, 
  René John Kerkdyk, Diogo Curado, Grégoire Pinson, Brett Easterbrook, 
  Wayne West, Nicolas Ronvel, Alex Fradera, Noam Rosen, Mark Shocklee, 
  Scott Kelly, Will A Wright, John Machin, Peter Edwards, Guy Milner, Joe 
  Beason, Avery Mcdaldno, Gerry Saracco, Jim Sweeney, Carl Rigney, Jonathan 
  Walton, Keith Higdon, Scott Bennett, Joshua Cupp, Parke Hultman, Bryan 
  Rennekamp, Andrew Rosenheim.
  
  Table of Contents
  Foreword to the 
  Revised Edition           9
  There Are Monsters  
  Out There                11
  What You’ve Signed Up 
  For                         12
  What You’ll Need            13
  What You Should Read      14
  Structure                      15
  Feedback                      15
  The Hunters             17
  The First Session             18
  Extra Hunter Types  .  .  .  .  .  .  20
  Just One Of Each . . . . . . . . 21
  Making Your Hunter . . . . . . 21
  Team Concepts               22
  Team Customisation . . . . . . 22
  Example Team Concepts  .  .  .  23
  Before You Get Started       25
  Moves  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  The Ratings . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  The Playbooks           29
  The Chosen                    30
  The Crooked                  35
  The Divine                     41
  The Expert                     46
  The Flake                      51
  The Initiate                    55
  The Monstrous                60
  The Mundane                 66
  The Professional              70
  The Spell-Slinger             75
  The Spooky                    81
  The Wronged                  86
  Get Ready  
  For Action               93
  Introductions                 94
  History                         95
  How To Play                  96
  Hunter Agenda . . . . . . . . . 96
  The Game Is A Conversation . 96
  Moves  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
  The Basic Moves . . . . . . . .101
  Big Magic                     107
  Fights                         109
  Unarmed Attacks And 
  Improvised Weapons.  .  .109
  Harm                         110
  Monsters and Harm . . . . . .110
  Healing   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .111
  Resurrection  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .112
  The Luck Counter           113
  When You Run Out Of Luck  .113
  Gear                           114
  Getting New Gear  . . . . . . .114
  Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
  Armour  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .116
  Other Gear  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .117
  Gear Tags . . . . . . . . . . . .117
  Custom Gear Moves . . . . . .117
  Leveling Up                  118
  End Of Session Experience . .118
  Improvements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .118
  Advanced Improvements . . .120
  Advanced Moves . . . . . . . .122
  Summary: Hunter’s 
  Session                   125
  The First Time Only  . . . . . .125
  Every Game . . . . . . . . . . .125
  
  The Keeper              127
  What You Do                       128
  How It Will Play Out . . . . . .128
  It’s About the Hunters, Not 
  The Mystery . . . . . . . .129
  Before Your First Game   130
  Think About Style  .  .  .  .  .  .  .130
  Get Into The Keeper Mindset 130
  The Keeper Agenda  .  .  .  .  .  .131
  The Keeper Principles . . . . .131
  Creating Your First 
  Mystery                 132
  An Example Mystery: 
  Mongolian Death 
  Worm Attack  . . . . . . .132
  Preparing Your First Mystery .136
  Mystery Countdowns  . . . . .146
  Summary: First Mystery 
  Creation . . . . . . . . . .147
  Introductory Mystery:  
  Dream Away  
  the Time                149
  Mystery concept  . . . . . . . .150
  Hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
  Countdown . . . . . . . . . . .150
  Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
  Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
  The First Session      163
  Hunter Creation             164
  Introductions . . . . . . . . . .165
  History . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
  Mention How Things Work . .165
  Running The First 
  Mystery                 166
  The Game Is A Conversation .166
  Keeper Agenda . . . . . . . . .166
  The Keeper Principles . . . . .167
  Always Say   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .170
  Moves  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
  The Basic Keeper Moves   .  .  .172
  Threat Moves . . . . . . . . . .176
  The Basic 
  Hunter Moves          181
  Act Under Pressure  .  .  .  .  .  .182
  Help Out   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .183
  Investigate A Mystery . . . . .184
  Kick Some Ass  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .188
  Manipulate Someone  .  .  .  .  .190
  Protect Someone . . . . . . . .193
  Read A Bad Situation  .  .  .  .  .194
  Use Magic . . . . . . . . . . . .195
  Big Magic  . . . . . . . . . . . .197
  Playbook Moves  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .199
  Actions Not Covered By A 
  Move . . . . . . . . . . . .199
  On With The 
  Mystery!                201
  Start-Of-Mystery Moves   .  .  .202
  The Teaser . . . . . . . . . . . .202
  Beginning the Investigation . .203
  Use The Countdown . . . . . .205
  I’m Not Prepared For This   .  .205
  It Always Comes To A Fight   .206
  Harm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
  Healing   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .215
  An Example Fight  .  .  .  .  .  .  .216
  End of the First Session   223
  Getting Ready For Next Time .223
  Summary: Keeper’s First 
  Session                   225
  
  Between Game 
  Sessions: Arcs          227
  Arcs                           228
  Building Arcs . . . . . . . . . .228
  The Basic Concept . . . . . . .229
  Arc Threats . . . . . . . . . . .230
  Arc Countdowns . . . . . . . .232
  Arc Templates               233
  Ancient Evil Rising . . . . . . .233
  The Nemesis  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .234
  The End of Days  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .235
  Corruption  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .236
  Arc Custom Moves         237
  Summary: Arc Creation   237
  Between Game 
  Sessions: Subsequent 
  Mysteries                239
  Summary:  
  Mystery Creation      240
  Basic Concept . . . . . . . . . .241
  The Hook  . . . . . . . . . . . .242
  The Threats . . . . . . . . . . .243
  The Countdown  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .260
  Messing With The Formula . .264
  Sessions and Mysteries  .  .  .  .266
  Mystery Letters . . . . . . . . .267
  Running Subsequent 
  Mysteries               270
  At the Beginning of Each 
  Session . . . . . . . . . . .270
  Playing the Mystery  .  .  .  .  .  .270
  At the End of Each Session  . .271
  Summary: Keeper’s Session . .271
  Mystery:  
  Damn Dirty Apes      273
  Requirements . . . . . . . . . .274
  Hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
  Countdown . . . . . . . . . . .274
  Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
  Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
  As the Game  
  Goes On                 287
  At the End of Each 
  Mystery                 288
  Checking On Your Arcs   289
  Building Mythology  .  .  .  .  .  .289
  Endgame                      290
  Leveling Up and 
  Improvements   .  .  .  .  .  .290
  Running Out Of Luck  . . . . .290
  Dealing With Arcs . . . . . . .291
  Other Things To Consider   .  .291
  How To End A Game  .  .  .  .  .291
  One-Shot Games           292
  One-Shot Hunters  . . . . . . .292
  One-Shot Mystery Creation   .293
  One-Shot Mystery Play  .  .  .  .293
  Player Numbers             294
  Customising Your 
  Game                    295
  Custom Moves               296
  Defining The Move . . . . . . .296
  Triggering The Custom Move 297
  Move Types . . . . . . . . . . .297
  Example Custom Moves . . . .297
  Custom Threats             301
  Legacy Experience Rules   301
  Sharing The Keeper 
  Duties                   302
  Custom Playbooks         302
  A Whole New Game       305
  Inspiration                   307
  Television . . . . . . . . . . . .307
  Film   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .307
  Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
  Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
  Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
  Index                    309
  
  8
   
  
  Foreword 
  to the Revised Edition
  Hi there! My name’s Fred, and I’m a bit late to the party.
  I’ve always loved the urban fantasy genre, and I’ve been partic-
  ularly happy to see it take over primetime with shows like Buffy the 
  Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and Sleepy Hollow. Yet somehow the 
  first edition of Monster of the Week—a game modeled after shows like 
  those—flew under my radar.
  But when I finally did find Monster of the Week, man, did it bite 
  me hard: a system driven by Apocalypse Engine sexiness, a genre I go 
  ape for, and smart choices made at every turn in the text and design. 
  The game had it all. I was particularly taken by its clarity: this is a game 
  that’s easy to read, learn, and put into practice.
  As is my way, I threw a lot of enthusiasm at the game. I started a 
  (still-ongoing) campaign inspired in part by Harry Connolly’s Twenty 
  Palaces series, and I wrote up a new playbook based on a particular 
  wizard of my acquaintance (you’ll find it in this book as the Spell-Slinger). 
  I also looked into how this game was getting out into the world, 
  because, man, it deserves to go far. Turns out, it wasn’t getting out into 
  the world in all the ways it could—it wasn’t in retail distribution, and 
  physical copies largely only happened via print on demand. 
  I wanted to help bring Monster of the Week to a broader audience, 
  so I asked Michael Sands, the author, if he’d be interested in partner-
  ing with Evil Hat to get the game out to retail. Michael was on board 
  with the idea. And he had a few revisions in mind, too. And I had 
  some ideas about improving the layout and increasing the amount of 
  art ... and several months later you’re reading the result: a game that’s 
  as great as it ever was, and better in some ways than ever before.
  I can’t wait to hear how it works at your table! You’re in for a treat.
  — Fred Hicks
  9
  
  10
  FOREWORD TO THE REVISED EDITION
  
  There Are Monsters 
  Out There
  Most people don’t believe in monsters, but they’re real. 
  When someone finds out that monsters are real, it’s 
  usually just before they get eaten.
  But some people are mean enough, smart enough, 
  crazy enough, or hurt enough, that they live.
  And some of those survivors go on a crusade against 
  the monsters.
  That’s you.
  It could be that you make a stand and defend your 
  hometown from everything evil that comes there.
  It could be that you take to the road and go hunt 
  them down, wherever you can find them.
  It could be that you have magic powers to put you 
  on an even footing, or that your name came up in 
  prophecies thousands of years ago.
  The one sure thing is that you aren’t gonna go back 
  to your old safe life.
  11
  
  12
  THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE 
  What You've 
  Signed Up For
  When you play this game, most of you will create hunters, people who 
  have devoted their lives to killing monsters.
  One player will be the Keeper (that’s short for “Keeper of Mon-
  sters and Mysteries”). The Keeper will be in charge of:
  • designing monsters and mysteries for the hunters to deal with
  • bringing the world to life
  • portraying the monsters and people the hunters meet.
  The rest of you will decide how the hunters work together to 
  investigate the weird situations they find, slay the monsters causing 
  the trouble, and save the people in danger.
  Your hunters aren’t normal people; you’re not even normal 
  monster hunters. You are the ones who stand out, larger than life and 
  twice as badass. You can change the world—save it, destroy it, or alter 
  it forever. One way or another, you will make a difference.
  
  What You'll Need
  The game works best with three to five people, with one of you acting 
  as Keeper. It works with more or less people, too, but there will be 
  a corresponding change to how much time each person gets in the 
  spotlight.
  Make sure you have:
  • copies of the hunter playbooks (each of these is a rules refer-
  ence and record sheet for your hunter)
  • enough hunter reference sheets to go round
  • a Keeper reference sheet
  • one mystery sheet for the Keeper, or an introductory mystery 
  to play (there’s one on page 149)
  • pencils and note paper for everyone
  • a pair of normal six-sided dice for each hunter (the Keeper 
  won’t need dice).
  The files you need can be downloaded from here: 
  http://www.evilhat.com/home/monster-of-the-week/ 
  or from http://genericgames.co.nz.
  Also handy, mostly for the Keeper, is a big list of names that you 
  can use for the characters that will be part of the game (I like to use the 
  Story Games Names Project book, but a phone book or the cast and 
  crew list of a film work just as well). If you want to set your adventures 
  in real places you’ll find a source of maps, such as Google Maps, will 
  also be useful.
  It’s a good idea to have drinks and snacks for everyone, too.
  A mystery is one situation for the hunters to deal with—like 
  a typical monster of the week episode on Supernatural, Buffy the 
  Vampire Slayer, or The X-Files. Each time you sit down to play expect 
  to get through a single mystery in about 2-4 hours. Sometimes it 
  might stretch out longer, so that the mystery is split like a two-part 
  episode instead. The first game will take a little longer because you 
  have to make up your hunters at the beginning.
  13
  THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE 
  
  What You Should Read
  I’ve written the rulebook in the order that you’ll need as you play, with 
  all the hunters’ information first and then the Keeper’s section after.
  If you want to skip that and just hit the basics, here’s some sug-
  gestions:
  • If you’re going to be Keeper, focus on the First Session section 
  (page 163): that covers what you need to prepare and what 
  to do for the first game. It’s best to know the hunters’ basic 
  moves (page  181) and playbooks (from page  29), at least 
  in passing
  • If you’re going to play a hunter, read the hunter playbooks 
  (from page  29), and about moves (page  101) and ratings 
  (page  27). Most important is to pick which hunter type(s) 
  you want to play.
  • If you’ve played Apocalypse World (or another game based on 
  those rules, such as Monsterhearts or Dungeon World) then 
  plenty here will be familiar. Check out ratings (stats in Apoc-
  alypse World) (page  27), playbooks (page  29), and basic 
  moves (page 101) to get a sense of the main differences. Luck 
  is new (page 113). The Keeper’s (MC in Apocalypse World) 
  agenda and principles (page  131), threats (page  137), and 
  moves (page 172) are different, and mysteries (page 132 & 
  page 239) and arcs (page 227) take the place of fronts.
  • If you’re an experienced roleplayer who hasn’t played Apoc-
  alypse World (the game these rules are adapted from), 
  check out the hunter playbooks (page  29) and the moves 
  (page  101) and ratings (page  27). From there everything 
  else should fall into place.
  • If you want to run a game right away, skim “Running the First 
  Mystery” (page 166) and “On With the Mystery” (page 201) 
  and then read through “Dream Away the Time” on page 149. 
  That should be enough to get you up and running. You can 
  come back for more detail later.
  14
  THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE 
  
  Structure
  This book is split into two main sections, The Hunters and The Keeper. 
  Each section contains the rules for the corresponding player role. 
  It’s helpful for the Keeper to be familiar with how the rules work for 
  hunters as well as for their own Keeper responsibilities. There’s also 
  no reason for other players to avoid the Keeper’s section (there are no 
  spoilers there, except in the example mysteries) if you want another 
  perspective on the rules.
  Feedback
  If you have some feedback or just want to talk about the game, you can 
  send me email at mike@genericgames.co.nz, or post at:
  • the Monster of the Week forum at apocalypse-world.com/
  forums/index.php?board=33.0
  • The Monster of the Week Roadhouse G+ community at: plus.
  google.com/communities/110209328442902551212
  If you want to keep up with Monster of the Week news and 
  updates, you can watch the game website at http://www.evilhat.com/
  home/monster-of-the-week/ or http://genericgames.co.nz or follow 
  @MotW  rpg on Twitter.
  15
  THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE 
  
  16
  THE HUNTERS
  
  The Hunters
  So, you’re going to be a monster hunter. I’ll take you 
  through what happens the first time you sit down to 
  play: creating hunters, coming up with a team history, 
  and getting on with investigating mysteries and 
  slaying some monsters.
  It’s written to tell you what you need to know in 
  the order you’ll need it (with a few digressions along 
  the way).
  17
  
  The First Session
  In the first session, you’ll create your hunters and investigate your first 
  mystery.
  The first step is to decide if the group wants to pick a team concept 
  (page  22). That’s the reason you are a team, for example, “We all 
  work for a secret monster hunting agency” or “We defend our home 
  town against the monsters that keep coming here.” The Keeper may 
  have some suggestions based on what they’ve been planning.
  If you have a team concept that needs certain hunter types, allo-
  cate those first.
  If you don’t have a team concept, just let everyone pick a play-
  book (that’s your hunter rules and record sheet) and see what the team 
  looks like. You’ll work out why they are together as you create your 
  hunters, establish their history with each other, and as you play the 
  game.
  The hunter types are:
  • The Chosen: a once-ordinary person who discovered they have a 
  special destiny, and who has been given the power to accomplish 
  it. The Chosen is good in a fight, with some weird powers. E.g. 
  Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See page 30.
  • The Crooked: a criminal turned monster hunter, haunted by their 
  past and enemies. The Crooked is good in social situations and 
  has a lot of contacts. E.g. Anna Valmont from The Dresden Files, 
  Peter Bishop from Fringe. See page 35.
  • The Divine: an agent of a higher power, with a mission to fulfill. 
  The Divine is very tough and has been granted holy powers. E.g. 
  Castiel from Supernatural; Michael Carpenter from The Dresden 
  Files. See page 41.
  • The Expert: the hunter who knows all about monsters and magic. 
  The Expert knows a lot of hidden secrets and how to find out 
  more, and also has a well-supplied base to work from. E.g. Bobby 
  Singer from Supernatural; Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire 
  Slayer. See page 46.
  • The Flake: a conspiracy theorist. The Flake is great at finding 
  things out and seeing how the events of separate mysteries are 
  connected. E.g. Agent Mulder or the Lone Gunmen from The 
  X-Files. See page 51.
  18
  THE HUNTERS
  
  19
  THE HUNTERS
  • The Initiate: a member of an ancient monster-slaying Sect, 
  trained to fight and use magic. The Initiate is good with magic, 
  and their Sect provides help (and sometimes problems). E.g. 
  The Wardens from The Dresden Files; Annelise from the Twenty 
  Palaces series. See page 55.
  • The Monstrous: a monster fighting for the good guys. The 
  Monstrous is very weird, and can have a variety of different 
  powers based on what monster breed they are. E.g. Angel from 
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel; Bill Compton from True 
  Blood (page 60).
  • The Mundane: just a normal regular person, especially good at 
  dealing with regular people you meet and have to save, and at 
  getting captured by monsters (which can be more useful than you 
  might expect). E.g. Xander or Cordelia from Buffy the Vampire 
  Slayer. See page 66.
  • The Professional: you work for an agency that hunts monsters. 
  The Professional is good in a fight, and a good team player. E.g. 
  Riley and the Initiative from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Olivia 
  Dunham from Fringe. See page 70.
  • The Spell-slinger: a trained wizard, wielding powerful magic in 
  their crusade against evil. The Spell-slinger’s arcane training gives 
  them an advantage when dealing with eldritch secrets. E.g. Harry 
  Dresden from The Dresden Files; Willow from Buffy the Vampire 
  Slayer, in the later seasons. See page 75.
  • The Spooky: has psychic or magical 
  powers. These powers are 
  strange and sinister ... and 
  not completely under 
  the Spooky’s control. E.g. 
  Sam Winchester from 
  Supernatural; Willow from 
  earlier seasons of Buffy 
  the Vampire Slayer. 
  See page 81.
  • The Wronged: 
  revenge-driven, and 
  really tough. The 
  Wronged is all about 
  killing a specific breed of monster 
  and protecting others as you do 
  it. E.g. Dean and John Winchester 
  from Supernatural. See page 86.
  
  Extra hunter types
  There are some extra playbooks out there, some official and others 
  fan-made. You can find advice on making your own on page 302.
  The currently available hunters include:
  • The Action Scientist. Just like it says, a scientist ready for 
  action and dealing with monsters. Directly inspired by 
  Atomic Robo.
  • The Big Game Hunter. An expert hunter who has decided 
  to hunt monsters for the thrill of the chase rather than the 
  need to protect.
  • The Constructed. A built being, now free of its maker. 
  Inspired by Frankenstein’s monster.
  • The Exile. A monster hunter from the past who has been 
  transported to the present day.
  • The Hard Case. The toughest, hardest to kill fighter. E.g. Ray 
  Lilly from the Twenty Palaces series or Owen Pitt from the 
  Monster Hunter International series.
  • The Luchador. A heroic masked wrestler, fighting to protect 
  the innocent between matches.
  • The Mad Scientist. A crazy scientist who has seen the 
  error of their ways and is now working for good. So they say, 
  anyhow.
  • The Meddling Kid. Jinkies! I think there’s something more 
  going on here, and old man Smithers seems to be involved! 
  E.g. Scooby-doo and the Scooby gang.
  • The Sidekick. They worship another hunter on the team, and 
  is good at helping them out. And one day, they’ll be just as 
  good as their hero. E.g. Garth from Supernatural.
  • The Snoop. A journalist looking for the real story behind 
  weird events. Great at finding stuff out, terrible at fighting. 
  E.g. The Ghostfacers from Supernatural.
  • The Summoned. A creature summoned to end the world but 
  who has decided they do not want to do that. Lots of weird 
  powers, dangerous, and hard to kill. E.g. Hellboy.
  Most of these are available on the Monster of the Week website.
  20
  THE HUNTERS
  
  Just One Of Each
  Only one hunter of each type is allowed at the same time in any game. 
  That’s because you’re not just one of that type of hunter: you’re the 
  archetype. There may be a whole agency of professional monster 
  hunters, but only one of them is The Professional.
  Making Your Hunter
  After you’ve all picked your hunter types, you’ll spend about 20-30 
  minutes of the first session defining their abilities and establishing the 
  relationships in your team. Follow the instructions in your playbook 
  to create your hunter. You don’t need to spend too long deciding on 
  each option in the playbook—if you make any choices you regret, you 
  can always revise them after the first session.
  When you get to the ‘Introductions’ section, wait until every-
  one catches up. The Keeper will guide everyone as you make up your 
  hunters, so ask them if you have any questions (For the Keeper, there 
  are instructions on how to guide this process in ‘The First Session’ 
  section on page 163).
  21
  THE HUNTERS
  
  Team Concepts
  It’s good to work out why the hunters formed their team. You may 
  have decided on this already. If not, have a quick discussion and see if 
  you come up with an idea—even if it’s just a vague one.
  The combination of playbooks you’ve selected may demand a 
  particular team concept. Or it may seem like two (or more) teams 
  of hunters have been mashed together (for instance, a family and a 
  government agency)—in which case, it’s good to ask yourselves why 
  they’re co-operating.
  If nobody has any ideas, you can either work it out later on (after 
  you have all made your hunters, and figured out your history together), 
  or you can accept that this is a random collection of hunters: some-
  times it’s okay to let things develop in play.
  Don’t set your concept in stone yet. You’ll want to revise it as you 
  make up your hunters, based on the choices you make along the way.
  Team Customisation
  Sometimes your team concept will require additional stuff on top of 
  the normal character creation options. This is stuff that enables the 
  game to run smoothly. If you find yourselves saying, “It doesn’t make 
  sense that we don’t have this,” and everyone agrees, then it’s a good 
  candidate for customisation.
  Decide as a group if any changes are needed, and what they will 
  be. You can work these out at any point: it might come up right away 
  when you pick your concept, or you might think of it later on.
  Your concept might require:
  • Equipment that isn’t in your playbook options. For example: 
  your team concept has the hunters always on the move, but 
  none of your playbooks include transport in the gear section. 
  You can decide the team has a van to travel in.
  • Something that can be written up as a custom move (page 296). 
  For example: the team concept is that you are all members of 
  a secret organisation, so everyone starts with a version of the 
  Professional’s deal with the Agency move (page 72).
  • New options when you level up (page 118). For example: the 
  team concept has a special mystical artifact for each hunter, 
  but these artifacts’ powers are not initially available. Each 
  hunter may choose to unlock one of their artifact’s powers 
  when they level up.
  22
  THE HUNTERS
  
  Example Team Concepts
  Here are some example team concepts and the playbooks that work 
  with them. Use them as they are, or as inspiration for your own ideas.
  Slayer and Entourage
  There’s a chosen one, and their support group. Hopefully, together 
  you’ll be able to save the world.
  The team has a Chosen, who is at the centre of things. An Expert, 
  Initiate, or Spell-slinger would make a good mentor. A Mundane 
  or Flake could be a friend of the Chosen. A Divine, Monstrous, or 
  Spooky gives the team some magical powers to draw on.
  The Unexplained Cases Team
  The Agency needs a team to handle all the weird stuff regular agents 
  don’t understand. That’s you: the Unexplained Cases Team. You check 
  out the mysterious disappearances, the fungus monsters, the alien 
  abductions, the vampires and everything else the regular agents can’t 
  handle.
  This team concept requires a Professional. A Flake, Mundane, 
  Expert, Spooky, and Wronged would all be good choices to fill out the 
  team’s skill profile, while a Crooked might have some useful contacts.
  The Professional’s Agency will employ the whole team. As a cus-
  tomisation, allow any of the hunters to take the Professional’s deal 
  with the Agency move as a leveling up option (page 72). Until then, 
  they’re just consultants, contractors, or temps.
  23
  THE HUNTERS
  
  The Order
  You are all members of an ancient order of monster slayers.
  You’ll need an Initiate. Everyone else makes up the team the Ini-
  tiate commands: the Spooky, Expert, Mundane, Flake, Crooked, or 
  Chosen all work well here.
  Everyone is a member of the Order, but initially only the Initiate 
  will have to deal with your superiors. As a customisation, anyone can 
  take the Initiate move for when you are in good standing with the 
  Sect as a leveling up option (page 56). Anyone may also substitute 
  one of the Initiate’s old-fashioned weapons (page  57) for a regular 
  weapon choice.
  Road-tripping Hunter Family
  Your family’s trade is hunting monsters. The nomadic life, drifting into 
  town just long enough to find and slay whatever is causing trouble... 
  well, it suits some of you just fine. Others, not so much.
  This team concept suits the Wronged, Spooky, Divine, Expert, 
  Flake, and Chosen best. A Monstrous could fit in too, but not com-
  fortably. All the others except the Professional could round out the 
  team. If there’s an Initiate, maybe the Sect is comprised of certain 
  bloodlines, so everyone in the family is a member.
  You are all family, or as good as family.
  Oh, and make sure you have a cool car. Or a sensible anonymous 
  car, if that’s your thing. If none of the hunters has a vehicle, you can 
  decide the team gets one as a customisation.
  24
  THE HUNTERS
  
  Before You GET STARTED
  Before you get started, you need to know about two game concepts: 
  moves and ratings.
  The hunter playbooks mention some other terms that I haven’t 
  introduced yet. Don’t worry about those, you don’t need to under-
  stand them just now. If you want to find out more, read the “How to 
  Play” section starting at page 96.
  Moves
  Moves cover situations when the game rules step in to help you deter-
  mine what happens. If your hunter wants to do something that any 
  normal person can do, then it just happens. Moves are used to deter-
  mine what happens in cases where your hunter tries to do:
  • something normal people can’t do, such as casting a magic 
  spell
  • something dangerous, such as getting into a fight with a 
  monster
  • something that’s more exciting if we don’t just decide the 
  outcome on our own. For example, seeing if your hunter’s lie 
  to a monster-attack victim has any repercussions.
  Each move is triggered when a particular situation happens in the 
  game. Look at when the move says it happens, and follow the instruc-
  tions when you do it.
  For example, you need to use the move protect someone to 
  save another hunter from a bone puppet’s attack. The move 
  says when you protect someone from harm, roll +Cool, so you 
  roll the dice and get a two and a five. That’s seven, plus your 
  hunter has Cool +1 for a total of eight. The move’s instructions 
  say that on a 7-9, you protect the target okay but you may 
  suffer some or all of the harm instead.
  After you’ve recognised the move’s trigger, it will tell you want to 
  do next. Moves can:
  • ask you to roll the dice, with the results of the roll determining 
  what happens next
  • grant you a special ability that you can use whenever you 
  want
  • give you a bonus to certain rolls
  • give you extra options to use in certain situations.
  25
  THE HUNTERS
  
  The Hunter Basic Moves
  All the hunters have a set of moves that allow them to investigate and 
  deal with monsters. These are called the “basic moves” (page  101). 
  There are eight basic moves:
  • Act Under Pressure, used for any difficult or dangerous 
  action that isn’t covered by another move.
  • Help Out, used to help another hunter do something. If you 
  succeed, you’ll give them a bonus on their task.
  • Investigate a Mystery, used to work out what kind of 
  monster you are dealing with, what it can do, and what it’s 
  planning.
  • Kick Some Ass, used for fighting. Fighting monsters, mainly.
  • Manipulate Someone, used to try and get someone to do 
  something for you, after you give them some kind of reason.
  • Protect Someone, used to save someone from danger.
  • Read a Bad Situation, used to work out what dangers are 
  immediately threatening you. For instance, if you think you 
  are walking into a trap, or want to do some tactical analysis.
  • Use Magic, used to cast magic spells or use enchanted items.
  In addition, each hunter playbook has its own set of moves. These are 
  called “playbook moves.”
  26
  THE HUNTERS
  
  The Ratings
  Your hunter has ratings that describe how good they are in certain 
  areas that are important when hunting monsters. The ratings add to 
  (or subtract from) your dice total when you roll for a move.
  • Cool is how calm and collected you are. It is added to your 
  die roll for the act under pressure and help out basic moves.
  • Tough is how strong and mean you are in a fight. It is added 
  to your die roll for the kick some ass and protect someone 
  basic moves.
  • Charm is how pleasant and persuasive you are. It is added to 
  your die roll for the manipulate someone basic move.
  • Sharp is how observant you are. It is added to your die roll 
  for the investigate a mystery and read a bad situation basic 
  moves.
  • Weird is how attuned to the supernatural you are. It is added 
  to your die roll for the use magic basic move.
  The ratings range from -1 to +3.
  • -1 is bad
  • 0 is average
  • +1 is good
  • +2 is really good
  • +3 is phenomenal
  27
  THE HUNTERS
  
  28
  THE HUNTERS
  
  The Playbooks
  Next up are the hunter playbooks, which define how 
  to create your hunter and what abilities each hunter 
  can use.
  29
  
  The Chosen
  Your birth was prophesied. You are the Chosen One, and with 
  your abilities you can save the world. If you fail, all will be 
  destroyed. It all rests on you. Only you.
  To make your Chosen, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, fate, moves, gear, and your special 
  weapon. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  30
  THE CHOSEN • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, boy, girl, androgynous.
  • Fresh face, haggard face, young face, haunted face, hopeful face, 
  controlled face.
  • Preppy clothes, casual wear, urban wear, normal clothes, neat 
  clothes, street wear.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm+2, Cool-1, Sharp+1, Tough+2, Weird-1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+2, Sharp+1, Tough+2, Weird-1
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+2, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird-1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp+2, Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+2, Sharp-1, Tough-1, Weird+2
  Fate
  You get to decide what sort of fate is in store for you. Pick how you 
  found out about your fate, from the list below.
  How You Found Out (pick one):
   
  b Nightmares and visions
   
  b Some weirdo told you
   
  b An ancient cult found you
   
  b Sought out by your nemesis
   
  b Attacked by monsters
   
  b Trained from birth
   
  b You found the prophecy
  Then pick two heroic and two doom tags for your fate from the lists 
  below. This is how your fate will unfold. It’s okay to pick contradictory 
  tags: that means your fate is pulling you both ways.
  Whenever you mark off a point of Luck, the Keeper will throw 
  something from your fate at you.
  Heroic (pick two):
   
  b Sacrifice
   
  b You are the Champion
   
  b Visions
   
  b Secret training
   
  b Magical powers
   
  b Mystical inheritance
   
  b A normal life
   
  b True love
   
  b You can save the world
   
  b Hidden allies
   
  b The end of monsters
   
  b Divine help
  Doom (pick two):
   
  b Death
   
  b You can’t save everyone
   
  b Impossible love
   
  b Failure
   
  b A nemesis
   
  b No normal life
   
  b Loss of loved ones
   
  b Treachery
   
  b Doubt
   
  b Sympathy with the enemy
   
  b Damnation
   
  b Hosts of monsters
   
  b The end of days
   
  b The source of Evil
  31
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE CHOSEN
  
  Moves
  You get all of the basic moves, plus three Chosen moves.
  You get these two:
   
  B Destiny’s Plaything: At the beginning of each mystery, roll 
  +Weird to see what is revealed about your immediate future. 
  On a 10+, the Keeper will reveal a useful detail about the coming 
  mystery. On a 7-9 you get a vague hint about it. On a miss, some-
  thing bad is going to happen to you.
   
  B I’m Here For A Reason: There’s something you are destined to 
  do. Work out the details with the Keeper, based on your fate. You 
  cannot die until it comes to pass. If you die in play, then you 
  must spend a Luck point. You will then, somehow, recover or be 
  returned to life. Once your task is done (or you use up all your 
  Luck), all bets are off.
  Then pick one of these:
   
  b The Big Entrance: When you make a showy entrance into a 
  dangerous situation, roll +Cool. On 10+ everyone stops to 
  watch and listen until you finish your opening speech. On a 7-9, 
  you pick one person or monster to stop, watch and listen until 
  you finish talking. On a miss, you’re marked as the biggest threat 
  by all enemies who are present.
   
  b Devastating: When you inflict harm, you may inflict +1 harm.
   
  b Dutiful: When your fate rears its ugly head, and you act in accor-
  dance with any of your fate tags (either heroic or doom) then 
  mark experience. If it’s a heroic tag, take +1 forward.
   
  b Invincible: You always count as having 2-armour. This doesn’t 
  stack with other protection.
   
  b Resilience: You heal faster than normal people. Any time your 
  harm gets healed, heal an extra point. Additionally, your wounds 
  count as 1-harm less for the purpose of the Keeper’s harm moves.
  Gear
  You can have protective gear worth 1-armour, if you want it.
  You have a special weapon you are destined to wield.
  32
  THE CHOSEN • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Your Special Weapon
  Design your weapon by choosing a form and three business-end 
  options (which are added to the base tags), and a material. For example, 
  if you want a magic sword you could choose the following: handle + 
  blade + long + magic.
  Form (choose 1):
   
  b staff (1-harm hand/close)
   
  b haft (2-harm hand heavy)
   
  b handle (1-harm 
  hand balanced)
   
  b chain (1-harm hand area)
  Business-end (choose 3 options):
   
  b artifact (add the 
  “magic” tag)
   
  b spikes (+1 harm, add 
  the “messy” tag)
   
  b blade (+1 harm)
   
  b heavy (+1 harm)
   
  b long (add the “close” tag)
   
  b throwable (add 
  the “close” tag)
   
  b chain (add the “area” tag)
  Material (choose 1):
  Finally, pick what material the business-end is made from: add “steel,” 
  “cold iron,” “silver,” “wood,” “stone,” “bone,” “teeth,” “obsidian,” or any-
  thing else you want.
  Material:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Chosen by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each 
  other hunter:
  • You are close blood relations. Ask them exactly how close.
  • They are destined to be your mentor. Tell them how this was 
  revealed.
  • Your best friend in the world, who you trust totally.
  • A rival at first, but you came to a working arrangement.
  • Romantic entanglement, or fated to be romantically entangled.
  • Just friends, from school or work or something. Ask them what.
  • They could have been the Chosen One instead of you, but they 
  failed some trial. Tell them how they failed.
  • You saved their life, back when they didn’t know monsters were 
  real. Tell them what you saved them from.
  33
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE CHOSEN
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Chosen special: When you spend a point of Luck, the Keeper will 
  bring your fate into play.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +3
   
  b Take another Chosen move
   
  b Take another Chosen move
   
  b Gain an ally
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Delete one of your Doom tags, and (optionally) one of your Heroic 
  tags. You have changed that aspect of your destiny.
  34
  THE CHOSEN • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Crooked
  “Yeah, I’ve been around the block. A bit of this, a bit of that. 
  When I came across the secret underworld of monsters and 
  magic… well… it wasn’t so different from the underworld I 
  already knew. It was easy to find an angle, just like before.”
  To make your Crooked, pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, background, heat, underworld, 
  moves, and gear. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  35
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE CROOKED
  
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, concealed.
  • Hard eyes, friendly eyes, watchful eyes, smiling eyes, calculating 
  eyes.
  • Street wear, tailored suit, cheap suit, tracksuit, nondescript 
  clothes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm +1, Cool +1, Sharp +2, Tough 0, Weird -1
   
  b Charm -1, Cool +1, Sharp +1, Tough +2, Weird 0
   
  b Charm -1, Cool +2, Sharp +2, Tough 0, Weird -1
   
  b Charm +2, Cool +1, Sharp +1, Tough 0, Weird -1
   
  b Charm +2, Cool 0, Sharp +1, Tough -1, Weird +1
  Background
  You worked a less-than-legal job before you became a monster hunter. 
  What did you do?
   
  b Hoodlum. You can use Tough instead of Charm to manipulate 
  someone with threats of violence.
   
  b Burglar. When you break into a secure location, roll +Sharp. 
  On a 10+ pick three, on a 7-9 pick two: you get in undetected, 
  you get out undetected, you don’t leave a mess, you find what you 
  were after.
   
  b Grifter. When you are about to manipulate someone, you can 
  ask the Keeper “What will convince this person to do what I want?” 
  The Keeper must answer honestly, but not necessarily completely.
   
  b Fixer. If you need to buy something, sell something, or hire 
  someone, roll +Charm. On a 10+ you know just the person who 
  will be interested. On a 7-9 you know the only person who can 
  do it, but there’s a complication. Pick one: you owe them; they 
  screwed you over; you screwed them over. On a miss, the only 
  person who can help is someone who absolutely hates you.
   
  b Assassin. When you take your first shot at an unsuspecting target, 
  do +2 Harm.
   
  b Charlatan. When you want people to think you are using magic, 
  roll +Cool. On a 10 or more, your audience is amazed and fooled 
  by your illusion. On a 7-9 you tripped up a couple of times, maybe 
  someone will notice. You may also manipulate people with 
  fortune telling. When you do that, ask “What are they hoping for 
  right now?” as a free question (even on a miss).
   
  b Pickpocket  When you steal something small, roll +Charm. On 
  a 10 or more, you get it and they didn’t notice you taking it. On 
  a 7-9 either you don’t grab it, you grab the wrong thing, or they 
  remember you later: your choice.
  36
  THE CROOKED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Heat
  You didn’t get here without making enemies. Pick at least two of these 
  and name the people involved:
   
  b A police detective,                             , has made it a personal goal 
  to put you away.
   
  b You have a rival from your background,                             , who 
  never misses a chance to screw you over.
   
  b You pissed off a well-connected criminal,                             , and 
  they’ll do whatever they can to destroy you.
   
  b                              is someone with special powers, a person or 
  monster, who you took advantage of.
   
  b                              is an old partner you betrayed in the middle of 
  a job.
  Underworld
  Pick how you discovered about the real underworld. Keep this in mind 
  when you select your moves in the next section, so that everything fits 
  together.
   
  b The target of a job was a dangerous creature. Pick one: vampire, 
  werewolf, troll, reptiloid.
   
  b You worked with someone who was more than they seemed. Pick 
  one: sorcerer, demon, faerie, psychic.
   
  b You were hired by something weird. Pick one: immortal, god, out-
  sider, witch.
   
  b Things went south on a job—including, but not limited to, running 
  into (choose one): a horde of goblins, a hunger of ghouls, a dream-
  eater, a salamander.
  37
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE CROOKED
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, and two Crooked moves:
   
  b Artifact: You ‘found’ a magical artifact with handy powers, and 
  kept it. Pick one: Protective amulet (1-armour magic recharge), 
  Lucky charm (may be used as a Luck point, once only), Grimoire 
  (studying the book gives +1 forward to use magic), Skeleton key 
  (opens any magically sealed lock), Imp stone (A weak demon is 
  bound to serve the holder. The imp must be summoned with the 
  use magic move).
   
  b Crew: You have a regular crew, a team of three or four people 
  who will help you out with pretty much anything. They count as 
  a team (see page 119).
   
  b Deal with the Devil: You sold your soul to the Devil. Pick one or 
  two things you got out of the deal: wealth, fame, youth, sensual 
  gratification, skill (add +1 to two ratings). Payment is due either 
  when you die, in six months (if you picked two things) or other-
  wise in a year.
   
  b Friends on the Force: You know a few cops who can be persuaded 
  to look the other way, or do you a favour, for certain consider-
  ations. You can act under pressure to get in touch with them 
  when you need to divert any law enforcement attention. There 
  will be a cost, although maybe not right now.
   
  b Made: You’re “made” in a gang. Name the gang and describe 
  how their operations tie into your background. You can call on 
  gang members to help you out, but they’ll expect to be paid. Your 
  bosses will have requests for you now and again, but you’ll be paid. 
  Minor trouble will be overlooked, but you better not screw over 
  any other made gangsters.\
   
  b Driver: You have +1 ongoing while driving, plus you can hotwire 
  anything (the older it is, the fewer tools you need to do it). You 
  also own two handy, widely-available vehicles (perhaps a sports-
  car and a van).
   
  b Home Ground: Your crew made a point of keeping the locals 
  happy - keeping them safe, ensuring things always went down 
  okay. When you’re back in your old neighbourhood, you can 
  always find people who will hide you or help you with a minor 
  favour, no questions asked.
   
  b Notorious: You have a reputation from your criminal past. When 
  you reveal who you are, your terrifying reputation counts 
  as a reason for people to do what you ask, for the manipulate 
  someone move. Revealing your identity to someone can create 
  other problems later, of course.
  38
  THE CROOKED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Gear
  Effective weapons, pick three:
   
  b .22 revolver (1-harm close reload small)
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy)
   
  b Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
   
  b Baseball bat (1-harm hand)
   
  b Submachinegun (2-harm close reload auto)
   
  b Assault rifle (3-harm close/far auto)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Crooked by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of 
  the other hunters:
  • This hunter knows about your criminal past. Tell them what 
  crimes they saw you commit.
  • This hunter was there when you decided to give up the life and 
  hunt monsters instead. Work out together what happened.
  • This hunter is your younger sibling or child (possibly adopted). 
  You look out for them.
  • This hunter is a cousin or more distant relative.
  • This hunter saved your life when a monster had the drop on you. 
  Now you owe them one.
  • This hunter worked with you on a semi-legal or illegal job. Work 
  out what it was.
  • This hunter is your moral compass. When you talk over things 
  with them, their advice keeps you on the straight and narrow.
  • You’re powerfully attracted to this hunter. Maybe someday you’ll 
  deserve them.
  39
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE CROOKED
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as just 0-harm. If your Luck boxes all get filled, you’ve run out 
  of good luck.
  Crooked special: Whenever you spend a Luck point, someone from 
  your past (heat or underworld) will re-appear in your life. Soon.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark of the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. More than four harm is especially dangerous.
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying 
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll a six or less, or when a move tells you to, mark an 
  experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the list below.
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Take another 
  Crooked move
   
  b Take another 
  Crooked move
   
  b Gain an ally: one of your old crew.
   
  b Recover a stash of money from the old days, enough to live 
  without care... for a year or two.
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these, from the list below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Erase one used luck mark from your playbook.
  40
  THE CROOKED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Divine
  I am the Light, the Sword.
  I am sent to defend the meek from Darkness.
  All Evil fears me, for I am its end.
  To make your Divine, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, mission, moves, and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and pick history.
  41
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE DIVINE
  
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, androgynous, asexual.
  • Blazing eyes, terrifying eyes, placid eyes, sparkling eyes, perceptive 
  eyes, starry eyes, glowing eyes.
  • Dirty clothes, perfect suit, rumpled suit, casual clothes, practical 
  clothes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+1, Sharp-1, Tough+2, Weird=0
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+2, Sharp-1, Tough+2, Weird=0
   
  b Charm-1, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough+2, Weird+1
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough+2, Weird-1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough+2, Weird+1
  Mission
  You have been put on Earth for a purpose. Pick one:
   
  b You are here to fight the schemes of an Adversary.
   
  b The End of Days approaches. Your role is to guide these hunters 
  and prevent it from coming to pass.
   
  b The End of Days approaches. Your role is to guide these hunters 
  and ensure it comes to pass.
   
  b You have been exiled. You must work for the cause of Good 
  without drawing attention from your brothers and sisters, as they 
  are bound to execute you for your crimes.
   
  b One of the other hunters has a crucial role to play in events to 
  come. You must prepare them for their role, and protect them at 
  any cost.
  42
  THE DIVINE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, and pick three Divine moves:
   
  b Boss from Beyond: At the beginning of each mystery, roll 
  +Weird. On a 10+, your Superiors ask you to do something simple. 
  On a 7-9, they ask you to do something complicated or difficult. 
  In either case, you get to ask them one of the questions from 
  the investigate a mystery move right now. On a miss, you are 
  required to do something terrible. If you do not accomplish what 
  they’ve ordered, you cannot use this move again until you have 
  made up for your failure.
   
  b Angel Wings: You can go instantly to anywhere you’ve visited 
  before, or to a person you know well. When you carry one or 
  two people with you, roll +Weird. On a 10+ you all go where you 
  wanted. On a 7-9, you don’t quite manage it. Either you are all 
  separated, or you all appear in the wrong place.
   
  b What I Need, When I Need It: You may store any small object 
  you own, putting it into a magical space nobody can get to. You 
  may retrieve anything you stored at any time; it appears in your 
  hand.
   
  b Soothe: When you talk to someone for a few seconds in a 
  quiet voice, you can calm them down, blocking any panic, anger, 
  or other negative emotions they have. This works even if the thing 
  that freaked them out is still present, as long as your voice can be 
  heard.
   
  b Lay On Hands: Your touch can heal injury and disease. When 
  you lay your hands on someone hurt, roll +Cool. On a 10+, heal 
  2 harm or an illness, plus they’re stabilized. On a 7-9, you can heal 
  the harm or illness as on a 10+, but you take it into yourself. On a 
  miss, your aura causes them extra harm.
   
  b Cast Out Evil: You may banish an unnatural creature from 
  your presence. Roll +Tough. On a 10+ it is banished. On a 7-9 it 
  takes a little while for the banishing to take effect—the creature 
  has time to make one or two actions. Either way, the banished 
  creature is unharmed, and you have no control over where it goes. 
  This move may be used on unnatural hunters (e.g. the Monstrous). 
  On a miss, something is keeping it here. That’s bad.
   
  b Smite: Your body and divine weapon always count as a weakness 
  against the monsters you fight. Your unarmed attacks are 2-harm 
  intimate hand messy.
  43
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE DIVINE
  
  Gear
  Pick one divine weapon:
   
  b Flaming sword (3-harm hand fire holy)
   
  b Thunder hammer (3-harm hand stun holy)
   
  b Razor whip (3-harm hand area messy holy)
   
  b Five demon bag (3-harm close magic holy)
   
  b Silver trident (3-harm hand silver holy)
  You also get divine armour (1-armour holy). It has a look suited to 
  your divine origin.
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Divine by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of 
  the other hunters:
  • If you are protecting another hunter as your mission, tell them 
  this: You have a crucial role in what is to come. I am here to guide 
  and defend you.
  • They should not be involved in this situation: the prophecies 
  didn’t mention them at all. This gets your attention but you don’t 
  know what it means yet.
  • They are, at heart, a good and righteous person. You must help 
  them stay that way.
  • They are an abomination, and should be destroyed. Except you 
  can’t–work out with them why not.
  • Their prayer (perhaps an informal or even unconscious prayer) 
  summoned you.
  • They fill you with feelings of sexual infatuation. You are confused 
  by the associated mortal emotions.
  • They saved your life, and you understand (intellectually at least) 
  that you owe them for it.
  • They’re the person you go to for advice on mortal stuff (e.g sex, 
  food, drugs, television, etc).
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as just 0-harm. If your Luck boxes all get filled, you’ve run out 
  of good luck.
  Okay bbb b bbb Doomed
  44
  THE DIVINE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark of the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable”.
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever your roll totals 6 or less, or when a move tells you to, mark 
  an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the list below.
  Improvements:
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +2
   
  b Take another Divine move
   
  b Take another Divine move
   
  b Gain a lesser divine being 
  as an ally, sent from above 
  to help with your mission
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Erase one used Luck mark from your playbook.
   
  b Change your mission. Select a different mission from the normal 
  options, or (with the Keeper’s agreement) a new mission of your 
  creation.
  45
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE DIVINE
  
  The Expert
  I have dedicated my life to the study of the unnatural. I know 
  their habits, their weaknesses. I may not be youngest or stron-
  gest, but my knowledge makes me the biggest threat.
  To make your Expert, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, moves, haven, and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and pick history.
  Look, pick one 
  from each List:
  • Man, woman, indeterminate.
  • Thoughtful face, lined face, 
  scarred face, contemplative 
  face, stern face, avuncular face, 
  experienced face, ancient face.
  • Old fashioned clothes, casual 
  clothes, utility clothes, tai-
  lored clothes, outdoor clothes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough+1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough-1, Weird+1
   
  b Charm+1, Cool-1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough+1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough=0, Weird+1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool=0, Sharp+2, 
  Tough-1, Weird+2
  46
  THE EXPERT • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Moves
  You get all of the basic moves, plus pick two Expert moves:
   
  b I’ve Read About This Sort Of Thing: Roll +Sharp instead of 
  +Cool when you act under pressure.
   
  b Often Right: When a hunter comes to you for advice about a 
  problem, give them your honest opinion and advice. If they take 
  your advice, they get +1 ongoing while following your advice, and 
  you mark experience.
   
  b Preparedness: When you need something unusual or rare, roll 
  +Sharp. On a 10+, you have it here right now. On a 7-9 you have it, 
  but not here: it will take some time to get it. On a miss, you know 
  where it is, but it’s somewhere real bad.
   
  b It Wasn’t As Bad As It Looked: Once per mystery, you may 
  attempt to keep going despite your injuries. Roll +Cool. On a 
  10+, heal 2 harm and stabilize your wounds. On a 7-9 you may 
  either stabilize or heal 1 harm. On a miss, it was worse than it 
  looked: the Keeper may inflict a harm move on you, or make your 
  wounds unstable.
   
  b Precise Strike. When you inflict harm on a monster, you can aim 
  for a weak spot. Roll +Tough. On a 10+ you inflict +2 harm. On 
  a 7-9 you inflict +1 harm. On a miss, you leave yourself open for 
  the monster to hit you.
   
  b The Woman (or Man) With The Plan: At the beginning of each 
  mystery, roll +Sharp. On a 10+ hold 2, on a 7-9 hold 1. Spend the 
  hold to be where you need to be, prepared and ready. On a miss, 
  the Keeper holds 1 they can spend to have you be in the worst 
  place, unprepared and unready.
   
  b Dark Past: You dabbled in the worst sort of mystical arts before 
  you became one of the good guys. If you trawl through your 
  memories for something relevant to the case at hand, roll +Weird. 
  On a 10+ ask the Keeper two questions from the list below. On 
  a 7-9 ask one. On a miss, you can ask a question anyway but that 
  will mean you were personally complicit in creating the situation 
  you are now dealing with. The questions are:
  • When I dealt with this creature (or one of its kind), what did 
  I learn?
  • What black magic do I know that could help here?
  • Do I know anyone who might be behind this?
  • Who do I know who can help us right now?
  47
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE EXPERT
  
  Haven
  You have set up a haven, a safe place to work. Pick three of the options 
  below for your haven:
   
  b Lore Library. When you hit the books, take +1 forward to inves-
  tigate the mystery (as long as historical or reference works are 
  appropriate).
   
  b Mystical Library. If you use your library’s occult tomes and 
  grimoires, preparing with your tomes and grimoires, take +1 
  forward for use magic.
   
  b Protection Spells. Your haven is safe from monsters—they 
  cannot enter. Monsters might be able to do something special to 
  evade the wards, but not easily.
   
  b Armory. You have a stockpile of mystical and rare monster-killing 
  weapons and items. If you need a special weapon, roll +Weird. 
  On a 10+ you have it (and plenty if that matters). On a 7-9 you 
  have it, but only the minimum. On a miss, you’ve got the wrong 
  thing.
   
  b Infirmary. You can heal people, and have the space for one or 
  two to recuperate. The Keeper will tell you how long any patient’s 
  recovery is likely to take, and if you need extra supplies or help.
   
  b Workshop. You have a space for building and repairing guns, cars 
  and other gadgets. Work out with the Keeper how long any repair 
  or construction will take, and if you need extra supplies or help.
   
  b Oubliette. This room is isolated from every kind of monster, spirit 
  and magic that you know about. Anything you stash in there can’t 
  be found, can’t do any magic, and can’t get out.
   
  b Panic Room. This has essential supplies and is protected by 
  normal and mystical means. You can hide out there for a few days, 
  safe from pretty much anything.
   
  b Magical Laboratory. You have a mystical lab with all kinds of 
  weird ingredients and tools useful for casting spells (like the use 
  magic move, big magic, and any other magical moves).
  48
  THE EXPERT • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Gear
  You get three monster-slaying weapons.
  Monster-slaying weapons (pick three):
   
  b Mallet & wooden 
  stakes (3-harm inti-
  mate slow wooden)
   
  b Silver sword (2-harm 
  hand messy silver)
   
  b Cold iron sword (2-harm 
  hand messy iron)
   
  b Blessed knife (2-harm 
  hand holy)
   
  b Magical dagger (2-harm 
  hand magic)
   
  b Juju bag (1-harm far magic)
   
  b Flamethrower (3-harm 
  close fire heavy volatile)
   
  b Magnum (3-harm 
  close reload loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm 
  close messy loud)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Expert by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each 
  other hunter:
  • They are your student, apprentice, ward, or child. Between you, 
  decide which.
  • They came to you for advice, and your advice got them out of 
  trouble. Ask them what the trouble was.
  • They know about some of your dark secrets, but they’ve agreed to 
  keep quiet about them. Tell them what they know.
  • A distant relation. Tell them exactly what.
  • You were previously both members of an eldritch group, now dis-
  banded. Ask them why they left, then tell them why you did.
  • They once helped you get a singular item that is now part of your 
  haven. Tell them what it was.
  • You were taught by the same master. Ask them how it ended.
  • You saved their life in a tight spot. Tell them what happened.
  49
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE EXPERT
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +2
   
  b Take another Expert move
   
  b Take another Expert move
   
  b Add an option to 
  your haven
   
  b Add an option to 
  your haven
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
  50
  THE EXPERT • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Flake
  Everything’s connected. But not everyone can see the patterns, 
  and most people don’t even look that hard.
  But me, I can never stop looking deeper. I can never stop 
  seeing the truth.
  I spot the patterns. That’s how I found the monsters, and 
  that’s how I help kill them.
  To make your Flake, first pick a 
  name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, 
  ratings, moves, and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and pick 
  history.
  Look, pick one 
  from each List:
  • Man, woman, transgressive, 
  concealed.
  • Wild eyes, moving eyes, 
  focused eyes, searching 
  eyes, suspicious eyes, wide 
  eyes, guarded eyes.
  • Ratty clothes, casual 
  clothes, rumpled suit, 
  neat clothes, comfortable 
  clothes, army surplus gear.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough-1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough-1, Weird+1
   
  b Charm+1, Cool-1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough+1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm+1, Cool-1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough=0, Weird+1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool-1, Sharp+2, 
  Tough=0, Weird+2
  51
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE FLAKE
  
  Moves
  You get all of the basic moves, plus pick three Flake moves:
   
  b Connect the Dots: At the beginning of each mystery, if you look 
  for the wider patterns that current events might be part of, roll 
  +Sharp. On a 10+ hold 3, and on a 7-9 hold 1. Spend your hold 
  during the mystery to ask the Keeper any one of the following 
  questions:
  • Is this person connected to current events more than they are 
  saying?
  • When and where will the next critical event occur?
  • What does the monster want from this person?
  • Is this connected to previous mysteries we have investigated?
  • How does this mystery connect to the bigger picture?
   
  b Crazy Eyes: You get +1 Weird (max +3).
   
  b See, It All Fits Together: You can use Sharp instead of Charm 
  when you manipulate someone.
   
  b Suspicious Mind: If someone lies to you, you know it.
   
  b Often Overlooked: When you act all crazy to avoid something, 
  roll +Weird. On a 10+ you’re regarded as unthreatening and 
  unimportant. On a 7-9, pick one: unthreatening or unimportant. 
  On a miss, you draw lots (but not all) of the attention.
   
  b Contrary: When you seek out and receive someone’s honest 
  advice on the best course of action for you and then do some-
  thing else instead, mark experience. If you do exactly the opposite 
  of their advice, you also take +1 ongoing on any moves you make 
  pursuing that course.
   
  b Net Friends: You know a lot of people on the Internet. When you 
  contact a net friend to help you with a mystery, roll +Charm. 
  On a 10+, they’re available and helpful—they can fix something, 
  break a code, hack a computer, or get you some special informa-
  tion. On a 7-9, they’re prepared to help, but it’s either going to 
  take some time or you’re going to have to do part of it yourself. 
  On a miss, you burn some bridges.
   
  b Sneaky: When you attack from ambush, or from behind, inflict 
  +2 harm.
  52
  THE FLAKE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Gear
  You get one normal weapon and two hidden weapons.
  Normal weapons (pick one):
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
   
  b Magnum (3-harm close reload loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy loud)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
  Hidden weapons (pick two):
   
  b Throwing knives (1-harm close many)
   
  b Holdout pistol (2-harm close loud reload)
   
  b Garrote (3-harm intimate)
   
  b Watchman’s flashlight (1-harm hand)
   
  b Weighted gloves/brass knuckles (1-harm hand)
   
  b Butterfly knife/folding knife (1-harm hand)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Flake by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each 
  other hunter:
  • They’re somehow tied into it all. You’ve been keeping an eye on 
  them.
  • They’re a close relative. Ask them to decide exactly what.
  • Old friends, who originally met through a long chain of coinci-
  dences.
  • You went through hell together: maybe a monster, maybe military 
  service, maybe time in an institution. Whatever it was, it bound 
  you together, and you have total trust in each other.
  • Members of the same support group.
  • Fellow freaks.
  • The signs all pointed to working together. So you found them and 
  now you work together.
  • You know each other through cryptozoology and conspiracy 
  theory websites.
  53
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE FLAKE
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +2
   
  b Take another Flake move
   
  b Take another Flake move
   
  b Get a haven, like the Expert 
  has, with two options
   
  b Gain another option 
  for your haven
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
  54
  THE FLAKE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Initiate
  Since the dawn of history, we have been the bulwark against 
  Darkness. We know the Evils of the world, and we stand 
  against them so that the mass of humanity need not fear. We 
  are the Flame that cleanses the Shadows.
  To make your Initiate, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, moves, Sect, and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and 
  pick history.
  Look, pick one 
  from each List:
  • Man, woman, 
  masked, concealed.
  • Hardened body, 
  tattooed body, agile 
  body, strong body, 
  thin body, angular 
  body, hunched body.
  • Archaic clothes, 
  unfashionable clothes, 
  ceremonial clothes, 
  mismatched clothes, formal 
  clothes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp=0, 
  Tough+1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp+1, 
  Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm-1, Cool=0, Sharp-1, 
  Tough+2, Weird+2
   
  b Charm+1, Cool-1, Sharp+1, 
  Tough=0, Weird+2
   
  b Charm=0, Cool=0, Sharp=0, 
  Tough+1, Weird+2
  55
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE INITIATE
  
  Moves
  You get all of the basic moves, plus four Initiate moves. You get this one:
   
  B When you are in good standing with your Sect, at the begin-
  ning of each mystery, roll +Charm. On a 10+ they provide some 
  useful info or help in the field. On a 7-9 you get a mission associ-
  ated with the mystery, and if you do it you’ll get some info or help 
  too. On a miss, they ask you to do something bad. If you fail a 
  mission or refuse an order, you’ll be in trouble with the Sect until 
  you atone.
  Then pick three of these:
   
  b Ancient Fighting Arts: When using an old-fashioned hand 
  weapon, you inflict +1 harm and get +1 whenever you roll protect 
  someone.
   
  b Mystic: Every time you successfully use magic, take +1 forward.
   
  b Fortunes: The Sect has ancient prophecies or divination tech-
  niques to predict the future. Once per mystery, you may use them. 
  If you look at what the future holds, roll +Weird. On a 10+ hold 
  3, and on a 7-9 hold 1. On a miss, you get bad information and the 
  Keeper decides how that affects you. Spend your hold to:
  • have a useful object ready.
  • be somewhere you are needed, just in time.
  • take +1 forward, or give +1 forward to another hunter.
  • retroactively warn someone about an attack, so that it doesn’t 
  happen.
   
  b Sacred Oath: You may bind yourself to a single goal, forsaking 
  something during your quest (e.g. speech, all sustenance but bread 
  and water, alcohol, lying, sex, etc). Get the Keeper’s agreement on 
  this—it should match the goal in importance and difficulty. While 
  you keep your oath and work towards your goal, mark experience 
  at the end of every session and get +1 on any rolls that directly 
  help achieve the goal. If you break the oath, take -1 ongoing until 
  you have atoned.
   
  b Mentor: You have a mentor in the Sect: name them. When you 
  contact your mentor for info, roll +Sharp. On a 10+, you get 
  an answer to your question, no problem. On a 7-9 you choose: 
  they’re either busy and can’t help, or they answer the question but 
  you owe a favour. On a miss, your question causes trouble.
   
  b Apprentice: You have an apprentice: name them. Your job is to 
  teach them the Sect’s ways. They count as an ally: subordinate 
  (motivation: to follow your instructions to the letter).
   
  b Helping Hand: When you successfully help out another hunter, 
  they get +2 instead of the usual +1.
   
  b That Old Black Magic: When you use magic, you can ask a ques-
  tion from the investigate a mystery move as your effect.
  56
  THE INITIATE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Sect
  You are part of an ancient, secret order that slays monsters. Where are 
  they from? How old are they? Are they religious? Why do they stay 
  secret? How do they recruit?
  You also need to pick the Sect’s traditions (these will be used by 
  the Keeper to determine the Sect’s methods and actions):
  Good Traditions (pick two):
   
  b Knowledgable
   
  b Ancient lore
   
  b Magical lore
   
  b Fighting arts
   
  b Modernised
   
  b Chapters 
  everywhere
   
  b Secular power
   
  b Flexible tactics
   
  b Open hierarchy
   
  b Integrated 
  in society
   
  b Rich
   
  b Nifty gadgets
   
  b Magical items
  Bad Traditions (pick one):
   
  b Dubious motives
   
  b Tradition-bound
   
  b Short-sighted
   
  b Paranoid and secretive
   
  b Closed hierarchy
   
  b Factionalised
   
  b Strict laws
   
  b Mystical oaths
   
  b Total obedience
   
  b Tyrannical leaders
   
  b Obsolete gear
   
  b Poor
  Gear
  If the Sect has fighting arts or obsolete gear, then pick three old-fash-
  ioned weapons. If the Sect has modernised or nifty gadgets, you 
  may pick two modern weapons. Otherwise, pick two old-fashioned 
  weapons and one modern weapon.
  You also get old-fashioned armour (1-armour heavy).
  Old-fashioned weapons (pick either two or three, as above):
   
  b Sword (2-harm 
  hand messy)
   
  b Axe (2-harm hand messy)
   
  b Big sword (3-harm 
  hand messy heavy)
   
  b Big axe (3-harm hand 
  messy slow heavy)
   
  b Silver knife (1-harm 
  hand silver)
   
  b Fighting sticks (1-harm 
  hand quick)
   
  b Spear (2-harm hand/close)
   
  b Mace (2-harm hand messy)
   
  b Crossbow (2-harm 
  close slow)
  Modern weapons (pick either one or two, as above):
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm 
  close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Sniper rifle (3-harm far)
   
  b Magnum (3-harm 
  close reload loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm 
  close messy)
  57
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE INITIATE
  
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Initiate by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one for each of the 
  other hunters:
  • They are a lay member of your Sect.
  • You fought together when the tide of monsters seemed unstoppable. 
  Ask them how it went.
  • Friends, but they first met you under your cover identity, and 
  learned about the Sect later. Ask how they feel about that.
  • They are your close relative, or partner/spouse. Decide between 
  you exactly what the relationship is.
  • Fellow ancient weapons/martial arts club members.
  • They’re described in the prophecies, but the role they will play 
  isn’t stated.
  • An ex-member of the Sect, but still friends. Ask them why they 
  left or got thrown out
  • You met researching mystical weirdness, and you’ve been occult 
  comrades ever since.
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If all your Luck boxes get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  58
  THE INITIATE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  59
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE INITIATE
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Take another Initiate move
   
  b Take another Initiate move
   
  b Get command of your chapter of the Sect
   
  b Get a Sect team under your command
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced 
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, 
  max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to 
  a new type.
   
  b Create a second 
  hunter to play as well 
  as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic 
  moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of 
  the basic moves as 
  advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to 
  safety.
   
  b Become the leader, or 
  effective leader, of the 
  whole Sect.
  
  The Monstrous
  I feel the hunger, the lust to destroy. But I fight it: I never give 
  in. I’m not human any more, not really, but I have to protect 
  those who still are. That way I can tell myself I’m different to 
  the other monsters. Sometimes I can even believe it.
  To make your Monstrous, first pick a name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, ratings, breed, moves, and gear. 
  Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, mysterious, transgressive.
  • Sinister aura, powerful aura, dark aura, unnerving aura, energetic 
  aura, evil aura, bestial aura.
  • Archaic clothes, casual clothes, ragged clothes, tailored clothes, 
  stylish clothes, street clothes, outdoor clothes.
  60
  THE MONSTROUS • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm-1, Cool-1, Sharp=0, Tough+2, Weird+3
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+3
   
  b Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp-1, Tough-1, Weird+3
   
  b Charm-2, Cool+2, Sharp=0, Tough=0, Weird+3
   
  b Charm=0, Cool-1, Sharp+2, Tough-1, Weird+3
  Breed
  You’re half-human, half-monster: decide if you were always this way 
  or if you you were originally human and transformed somehow.
  Now decide if you were always fighting to be good, or if you were 
  evil and changed sides.
  Define your monstrous breed by picking a curse, moves, and 
  natural attacks.
  Create the monster you want to be: whatever you choose defines 
  your breed in the game. Some classic monsters with suggestions for 
  picks are listed below. These are only suggestions: feel free to make a 
  different version!
  Monster Breed Suggestions
  • Vampire: Curse: feed (blood or life-force). Natural attacks: Base: 
  life-drain or Base: teeth; add +1 harm to base attack. Moves: 
  immortal or unquenchable vitality; mental domination.
  • Werewolf: Curse: vulnerability (silver). Natural attacks: Base: 
  claws; Base: teeth. Moves: shapeshifter (wolf and/or wolfman); 
  claws of the beast or unholy strength.
  • Ghost: Curse: vulnerability (rock salt). Natural attacks: Base: 
  magical force; add hand range to magical force. Moves: incorpo-
  real; immortal.
  • Faerie: Curse: pure drive (joy). Natural attacks: Base: magical 
  force; add ignore-armour to magical force. Moves: flight; preter-
  natural speed.
  • Demon: Curse: pure drive (cruelty). Natural attacks: Base: claws; 
  +1 harm to claws. Moves: dark negotiator; unquenchable vitality.
  • Orc: Curse: dark master (the orc overlord). Natural attacks: Base: 
  teeth; add ignore-armour to teeth. Moves: Unholy strength; dark 
  negotiator.
  • Zombie: Curse: pure drive (hunger), feed (flesh or brains). 
  Natural attacks: Base: teeth; +1 harm to teeth. Moves: immortal; 
  unquenchable vitality.
  61
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE MONSTROUS
  
  Curses, pick one:
   
  b Feed: You must subsist on living humans—it might take the form 
  of blood, brains, or spiritual essence but it must be from people. 
  You need to act under pressure to resist feeding whenever a 
  perfect opportunity presents itself.
   
  b Vulnerability: Pick a substance. You suffer +1 harm when you 
  suffer harm from it. If you are bound or surrounded by it, you 
  must act under pressure to use your powers.
   
  b Pure Drive: One emotion rules you. Pick from: hunger, hate, 
  anger, fear, jealousy, greed, joy, pride, envy, lust, or cruelty. When-
  ever you have a chance to indulge that emotion, you must do so 
  immediately, or act under pressure to resist.
   
  b Dark Master: You have an evil lord who doesn’t know you 
  changed sides. They still give you orders, and they do not tolerate 
  refusal. Or failure.
  Natural Attacks
  Pick a Base and add an extra to it, or 
  two Bases.
   
  b Base: teeth (3-harm intimate)
   
  b Base: claws (2-harm hand)
   
  b Base: magical force (1-harm 
  magical close)
   
  b Base: life-drain (1-harm 
  intimate life-drain)
   
  b Extra: Add +1 harm to a base
   
  b Extra: Add ignore-armour to a 
  base
   
  b Extra: Add an extra range to 
  a base (add intimate, hand, or 
  close).
  62
  THE MONSTROUS • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, plus pick two Monstrous moves:
   
  b Immortal: You do not age or sicken, and whenever you suffer 
  harm you suffer 1-harm less.
   
  b Unnatural Appeal: Roll +Weird instead of +Charm when you 
  manipulate someone.
   
  b Unholy Strength: Roll +Weird instead of +Tough when you kick 
  some ass.
   
  b Incorporeal: You may move freely through solid objects (but not 
  people).
   
  b Preternatural Speed: You go much faster than normal people. 
  When you chase, flee, or run take +1 ongoing.
   
  b Claws of the Beast: All your natural attacks get +1 harm.
   
  b Mental Dominion: When you gaze into a normal human’s eyes 
  and exert your will over them, roll +Charm. On a 10+, hold 3. 
  On a 7-9, hold 1. You may spend your hold to give them an order. 
  Regular people will follow your order, whatever it is. Hunters can 
  choose whether they do it or not. If they do, they mark experience.
   
  b Unquenchable Vitality: When you have taken harm, you can 
  heal yourself. Roll +Cool. On a 10+, heal 2-harm and stabilise 
  your injuries. On a 7-9, heal 1-harm and stabilise your injuries. 
  On a miss, your injuries worsen.
   
  b Dark Negotiator: You can use the manipulate someone move 
  on monsters as well as people, if they can reason and talk.
   
  b Flight: You can fly.
   
  b Shapeshifter: You may change your form (usually into an animal). 
  Decide if you have just one alternate form or several, and detail 
  them. You gain +1 to investigate a mystery when using an alter-
  nate form’s superior senses (e.g. smell for a wolf, sight for an eagle).
   
  b Something Borrowed: Take a move from a hunter playbook that 
  is not currently in play.
  Gear
  If you want, you can take one handy weapon:
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Magnum (3-harm close reload loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
   
  b Brass knuckles (1-harm hand quiet small)
   
  b Sword (2-harm hand messy)
   
  b Huge sword (3-harm hand heavy)
  63
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE MONSTROUS
  
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Monstrous 
  by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of 
  the other hunters:
  • You lost control one time, and almost killed them. Ask them how 
  they stopped you.
  • They tried to slay you, but you proved you’re on the side of good. 
  Ask them what convinced them.
  • You are romantically obsessed with them. Ask them if they know, 
  and if they reciprocate.
  • Close relations, or a distant descendant. Tell them which.
  • You saved them from another of your kind, and prevented repri-
  sals against that individual creature (maybe it’s another good one, 
  or maybe it has a hold over you).
  • They are tied to your curse or origin. Tell them how.
  • You fought together against the odds, and prevailed.
  • They saved you from another hunter who was prepared to kill you. 
  Ask them what happened.
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If all your Luck boxes get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  64
  THE MONSTROUS • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Take another Monstrous move
   
  b Take another Monstrous move
   
  b Gain a haven, like the Expert has, with two options
   
  b Take a natural attacks pick
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Free yourself from the curse of your kind. Your curse no longer 
  applies, but you lose 1 Weird.
   
  b You turn evil (again). Retire this character, they become one of the 
  Keeper’s threats.
  65
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE MONSTROUS
  
  The Mundane
  You heard about how monsters only pick on people with crazy 
  powers who can fight back on even terms? Yeah, me neither. 
  But, hell, I ended up in this monster-hunting team so I gotta 
  do what I can, right?
  To make your Mundane, first pick a name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, ratings, moves, and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and pick history.
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, boy, girl, androgynous, concealed.
  • Friendly face, alluring face, laughing face, trustworthy face, 
  average face, serious face, sensual face.
  • Normal clothes, casual clothes, goth clothes, sporty clothes, work 
  clothes, street clothes, nerdy clothes.
  66
  THE MUNDANE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm+2, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough+1, Weird-1
   
  b Charm+2, Cool-1, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp-1, Tough+1, Weird+1
   
  b Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird-1
   
  b Charm+2, Cool+1, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird-1
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, plus pick three Mundane moves:
   
  b Always The Victim: When another hunter uses protect someone 
  to protect you, they mark experience. Whenever a monster cap-
  tures you, you mark experience.
   
  b Oops! If you want to stumble across something important, 
  tell the Keeper. You will find something important and useful, 
  although not necessarily related to your immediate problems.
   
  b Let’s Get Out Of Here! If you can protect someone by telling 
  them what to do, or by leading them out, roll +Charm instead of 
  +Tough.
   
  b Panic Button: When you need to escape, name the route you’ll 
  try and roll +Sharp. On a 10+ you’re out of danger, no problem. 
  On a 7-9 you can go or stay, but if you go it’s going to cost you 
  (you leave something behind or something comes with you). On a 
  miss, you are caught halfway out.
   
  b The Power of Heart: When fighting a monster, if you help 
  someone, don’t roll +Cool. You automatically help as though 
  you’d rolled a 10.
   
  b Trust Me: When you tell a normal person the truth in order 
  to protect them from danger, roll +Charm. On a 10+ they’ll do 
  what you say they should, no questions asked. On a 7-9 they do it, 
  but the Keeper chooses one from:
  • They ask you a hard question first.
  • They stall and dither a while.
  • They have a “better” idea.
  On a miss, they’re going to think you’re crazy and maybe danger-
  ous too.
   
  b What Could Go Wrong?: Whenever you charge into immedi-
  ate danger without hedging your bets, hold 2. You may spend 
  your hold to:
  • Inflict +1 harm.
  • Reduce someone’s harm suffered by 1.
  • Take +2 forward on an act under pressure roll.
   
  b Don’t Worry, I’ll Check It Out: Whenever you go off by yourself 
  to check out somewhere (or something) scary, mark experience.
  67
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE MUNDANE
  
  Gear
  You get two Mundane weapons and a means of transport.
  Mundane weapons (pick two):
   
  b Golf club, baseball bat, cricket bat, or hockey stick (2-harm hand 
  innocuous messy)
   
  b Pocket knife or multitool (1-harm hand useful small)
   
  b Small handgun (2-harm close loud reload)
   
  b Hunting rifle (3-harm far loud reload)
   
  b Sledge-hammer or fire axe (3-harm hand messy)
   
  b Nunchuks (2-harm hand area)
  Means of transport (pick one):
   
  b Skateboard
   
  b Bicycle
   
  b Fairly new car in 
  decent condition
   
  b Classic car in terrible 
  condition
   
  b Motorcycle
   
  b Van
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Mundane by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of 
  the other hunters:
  • You are close relations. Tell them exactly how you’re related.
  • Initially rivals, you both now respect each others’ talents.
  • Romantically involved, or you just have a crush on them. Ask 
  them which they prefer.
  • They’re your hero, exactly the kind of monster hunter you aspire 
  to be. Tell them why you worship them.
  • Good friends. Tell them if it’s from way back, or recently.
  • You’re a bit suspicious of them (maybe due to their unnatural 
  powers or something like that).
  • They introduced you to the existence of monsters. Tell them how 
  you feel about that.
  • You saved their life from a monster due to an unlikely chain of 
  events. Tell them what.
  68
  THE MUNDANE • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If all your Luck boxes get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Take another 
  Mundane move
   
  b Take another 
  Mundane move
   
  b Get back one used 
  Luck point
   
  b Get back one used 
  Luck point
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Get back one used Luck point.
   
  b Get back one used Luck point.
  69
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE MUNDANE
  
  The Professional
  It’s kind of strange when your regular 9-to-5 job is to hunt 
  down monsters. Still, that’s the job I took on when I joined 
  this outfit. It pays well, and the benefits are good. Like they 
  say “You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it sure helps!”
  To make your Professional, first pick a name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, ratings, Agency, moves, and gear. 
  Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  70
  THE PROFESSIONAL • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, concealed.
  • Chiseled face, scarred face, unshaven face, soft face, young face, 
  old face, determined face.
  • Tailored suit, shabby suit, perfect suit, utility coveralls, battle-
  dress, paramilitary uniform, lab coat.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+2, Sharp-1, Tough+2, Weird-1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+2, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm+1, Cool+2, Sharp+1, Tough-1, Weird=0
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+2, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+1
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+2, Sharp+2, Tough-1, Weird-1
  Agency
  Decide who it is you work for. Are they a black-budget government 
  department, a secret military unit, a clandestine police team, a private 
  individual’s crusade, a corporation, a scientific team, or what?
  Is the Agency’s goal to: destroy monsters, study the supernatural, 
  protect people, gain power, or something else?
  Pick two resource tags for the Agency, and two red tape tags:
  Resources (pick two):
   
  b Well-armed
   
  b Well-financed
   
  b Rigorous training
   
  b Official pull
   
  b Cover identities
   
  b Offices all over the place
   
  b Good intel
   
  b Recognised authority
   
  b Weird tech gadgets
   
  b Support teams
  Red Tape (pick two):
   
  b Dubious motives
   
  b Bureaucratic
   
  b Secretive hierarchy
   
  b Cryptic missions
   
  b Hostile superiors
   
  b Inter-departmental rivalry
   
  b Budget cuts
   
  b Take no prisoners policy
   
  b Live capture policy
  71
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE PROFESSIONAL
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, plus four Professional moves.
  You get this one:
   
  B When you deal with the Agency, requesting help or gear, or 
  making excuses for a failure, roll +Sharp. On a 10+, you’re good—
  your request for gear or personnel is okayed, or your slip-up goes 
  unnoticed. On a 7-9, things aren’t so great. You might get chewed 
  out by your superiors and there’ll be fallout, but you get what 
  you need for the job. On a miss, you screwed up: you might be 
  suspended or under investigation, or just in the doghouse. You 
  certainly aren’t going to get any help until you sort it all out.
  Then pick three of these:
   
  b Bottle It Up: If you want, you can take up to +3 bonus when you 
  act under pressure. For each +1 you use, the Keeper holds 1. 
  That hold can be spent later—one for one—to give you -1 on any 
  move except act under pressure.
   
  b Unfazeable: Take +1 Cool (max +3).
   
  b Battlefield Awareness: You always know what’s happening 
  around you, and what to watch out for. Take +1 armour (max 
  2-armour) on top of whatever you get from your gear.
   
  b Leave No One Behind: In combat, when you help someone 
  escape, roll +Sharp. On a 10+ you get them out clean. On a 7-9, 
  you can either get them out or suffer no harm, you choose. On a 
  miss, you fail to get them out and you’ve attracted hostile atten-
  tion.
   
  b Tactical Genius: When you read a bad situation, you may roll 
  +Cool instead of +Sharp
   
  b Medic: You have a full first aid kit, and the training to heal people. 
  When you do first aid, roll +Cool. On a 10+ the patient is stabi-
  lized and healed of 2 harm. On a 7-9 choose one: heal 2 harm or 
  stabilize the injury. On a miss, you cause an extra 1 harm. This 
  move takes the place of regular first aid.
   
  b Mobility: You have a truck, van, or car built for monster hunting. 
  Choose two good things and one bad thing about it.
  Good things: roomy; surveillance gear; fast; stealthy; intim-
  idating; classic; medical kit; sleeping space; toolkit; concealed 
  weapons; anonymous; armoured (+1 armour inside); tough; 
  monster cage.
  Bad things: loud; obvious; temperamental; beaten-up; gas- 
  guzzler; uncomfortable; slow; old.
  72
  THE PROFESSIONAL • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Gear
  Pick one serious weapon and two normal weapons.
  You get either a flak vest (1-armour hidden) or combat armour 
  (2-armour heavy) for protection.
  Serious weapons (pick one):
   
  b Assault rifle (3-harm far area loud reload)
   
  b Grenade launcher (4-harm far area messy loud reload)
   
  b Sniper rifle (4-harm far)
   
  b Grenades (4-harm close area messy loud)
   
  b Submachine gun (3-harm close area loud reload)
  Normal weapons (pick two):
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Professional 
  by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one for each of the 
  other hunters:
  • Your relationship with them has romantic potential. So far it 
  hasn’t gone further.
  • They’re on the Agency’s watch list, and you’ve been keeping an 
  eye on them.
  • You are related. Tell them how close.
  • You met on a mission and worked together unofficially. And suc-
  cessfully.
  • They’ve worked with the Agency before, and they’re well regarded.
  • You were friends back in training, before the Agency recruited 
  you. This could be military, law enforcement, or some weirder 
  school: decide the details between you.
  • They pulled you (and maybe your team) out of a terrible FUBARed 
  mission.
  • You got sent to “deal with them” as a hazard to the Agency’s poli-
  cies one time. Tell them how you resolved this.
  73
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE PROFESSIONAL
  
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If all your Luck boxes get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Take another 
  Professional move
   
  b Take another 
  Professional move
   
  b Add a new resource 
  tag for your Agency or 
  change a red tape tag
   
  b Get command of an Agency 
  team of monster hunters
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
   
  b Take a move from 
  another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Get some or all of the other players’ hunters hired by your agency. 
  They get the deal with the agency move, as well as salary and 
  benefits.
  74
  THE PROFESSIONAL • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Spell-Slinger
  Fight fire with fire magic.
  To make your Spell-slinger, first pick a name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, ratings, Combat Magic, moves, and 
  gear. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  75
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPELL-SLINGER
  
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Woman, man, androgynous.
  • Rumpled clothes, stylish clothes, goth clothes, old fashioned 
  clothes.
  • Shadowed eyes, fierce eyes, weary eyes, sparkling eyes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+2
   
  b Charm=0, Cool-1, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm-1, Cool=0, Sharp+2, Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm+1, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm=0, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough=0, Weird+2
  Combat Magic
  You have a few attack spells you can use as weapons. When you use 
  these spells to kick some ass, roll +Weird instead of +Tough. Some-
  times the situation may require you to act under pressure to cast 
  your spell without problems.
  Pick three options from the list below. 
  Your combat spells can combine any of your base spells with any 
  of your effects.
  Combat magic, pick three (with at least one base):
  Bases:
   
  b Blast: 2-harm magical close obvious loud
   
  b Ball: 1-harm magical area close obvious loud
   
  b Missile: 1-harm magical far obvious loud
   
  b Wall: 1-harm magical barrier close 1-armour obvious loud
  Effects:
   
  b Fire: Add “+2 harm fire” to a base. If you get a 10+ on a combat 
  magic roll, the fire won’t spread.
   
  b Force or Wind: Add “+1 harm forceful” to a base, or “+1 armour” 
  to a wall.
   
  b Lightning or Entropy: Add “+1 harm messy” to a base.
   
  b Frost or Ice: Adds “-1 harm +2 armour” to a wall, or “+1 harm 
  restraining” to other bases.
   
  b Earth: Add “forceful restraining” to a base.
   
  b Necromantic: Add “life-drain” to a base.
  76
  THE SPELL-SLINGER • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves and four Spell-slinger moves. You have 
  this one:
   
  B Tools and Techniques: In order to use your combat magic effec-
  tively, you rely on a collection of tools and techniques. If you don’t 
  use them, there are drawbacks. Cross off one; you’ll need the rest.
  • Consumables: You need to have certain supplies— powders, oils, 
  etc— on hand to cast your spell. They’re used up when you cast 
  the spell. If you don’t have them on hand, your body will be the 
  substitute: take 1-harm ignore-armour when you cast.
  • Foci: You need wands, staves, and other somewhat obvious props 
  to focus your efforts at their most powerful. If you don’t have 
  what you need on hand, your combat magic does 1 less harm.
  • Gestures: You need to be able to wave your hands around obvi-
  ously in order to use your combat magic. If you’re restrained in 
  any way, you can still cast the spell but it’s more likely to go wrong; 
  take -1 ongoing to your combat magic.
  • Incantations: You must speak in an arcane language to control 
  your magic without it filtering directly through your mind. If you 
  use combat magic spell, successfully or failed, while unable or 
  unwilling to speak, you must immediately act under pressure 
  to avoid scrambling your thoughts—producing hallucinations, 
  sensory deprivation, and general befuddlement.
  77
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPELL-SLINGER
  
  Plus pick three of these:
   
  b Advanced Arcane Training: If you have two of your three Tools 
  and Techniques at the ready, you may ignore the third one.
   
  b Arcane Reputation: Pick three big organizations or groups in the 
  supernatural community, which can include some of the more 
  sociable types of monsters. They’ve heard of you and respect your 
  power. With affected humans, take +1 forward when you manip-
  ulate them. You may manipulate affected monsters as if they 
  were human, with no bonus.
   
  b Could’ve Been Worse: When you miss a use magic roll you can 
  choose one of the following options instead of losing control of 
  the magic:
  • Fizzle: The preparations and materials for the spell are 
  ruined. You’ll have to start over from scratch with the prep 
  time doubled.
  • This Is Gonna Suck: The effect happens, but you trigger all of 
  the listed glitches but one. You pick the one you avoid.
   
  b Enchanted Clothing: Pick an article of every-day clothing–it’s 
  enchanted without any change in appearance. Take -1 harm from 
  any source that tries to get at you through the garment.
   
  b Forensic Divination: When you successfully investigate a 
  mystery, you may ask “What magic was done here?” as a free 
  extra question.
   
  b Go Big or Go Home: When you must use magic as a require-
  ment for Big Magic, take +1 ongoing to those use magic rolls.
   
  b Not My Fault: +1 to act under pressure when you are dealing 
  with the consequences of your own spellcasting.
   
  b Practitioner: Choose two effects available to you under use 
  magic. Take +1 to use magic whenever you choose one of those 
  effects.
   
  b Shield Spell: When you protect someone, gain 2-armour against 
  any harm that is transferred to you. This doesn’t stack with your 
  other armour, if any.
   
  b Third Eye: When you read a bad situation, you can open up 
  your third eye for a moment to take in extra information. Take +1 
  hold on any result of 7 or more, plus you can see invisible things. 
  On a miss, you may still get 1 hold, but you’re exposed to super-
  natural danger. Unfiltered hidden reality is rough on the mind!
  78
  THE SPELL-SLINGER • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Gear
  You don’t need much—aside from any foci or consumables to power 
  your magic. Still, it’s good to carry some backup. Pick one:
   
  b Old revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b Ritual knife (1-harm hand)
   
  b Heirloom sword (2-harm hand messy)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Spell-slinger 
  by name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one for each of the 
  other hunters:
  • They act as your conscience when the power goes to your head. 
  Ask them about the last time this happened.
  • Blood relation, though you were out of contact for years. Ask 
  them how they reconnected with you.
  • Mentor from another life. Ask them what they taught you.
  • Your magic-fueled rescue of them introduced them to the super-
  natural. Tell them what creature was after them.
  • An old rivalry has turned into a tight friendship. Tell them what 
  you once fought over.
  • You thought they were dead, and now they’re back. What “killed” 
  them?
  • They’re an on-again/off-again love interest. Ask them what keeps 
  you apart. Tell them what keeps you together.
  • A comrade-in-arms. You’ve faced the biggest threats together.
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  79
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPELL-SLINGER
  
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +2
   
  b Take another Spell-Slinger move.
   
  b Take another Spell-Slinger move.
   
  b Take a move from another playbook.
   
  b Take a move from another playbook.
   
  b Take another Combat Magic pick.
  Advanced Improvements
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below:
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b Erase one used Luck mark from your playbook.
   
  b Take another Combat Magic pick.
   
  b You may cross off another option from your Tools and Techniques.
  80
  THE SPELL-SLINGER • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  The Spooky
  I can do things, things that normal people can’t. But there’s a 
  price—I haven’t paid it in full, yet, but the bill’s gonna come 
  due soon. It’s best I don’t tell you any more. You get too close, 
  you’ll get hurt.
  To make your Spooky, first pick a name. Then follow the instructions 
  below to decide your look, ratings, moves, dark side and gear. Finally, 
  introduce yourself and pick history.
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, boy, girl, concealed, androgynous.
  • Burning eyes, dark eyes, pained eyes, blank eyes, unblinking eyes, 
  piercing eyes, shadowed eyes, creepy eyes.
  • Ratty clothes, casual clothes, goth clothes, neat clothes, nerdy 
  clothes.
  81
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPOOKY
  
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm+1, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm-1, Cool+1, Sharp=0, Tough+1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm+2, Cool=0, Sharp-1, Tough-1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm=0, Cool-1, Sharp+1, Tough+1, Weird+2
   
  b Charm-1, Cool-1, Sharp+2, Tough=0, Weird+2
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves, plus pick three Spooky moves:
   
  b Telepathy: You can read people’s thoughts and put words in their 
  mind. This can allow you to investigate a mystery or read a bad 
  situation without needing to actually talk. You can also manip-
  ulate someone without speaking. You still roll moves as normal, 
  except people will not expect the weirdness of your mental com-
  munication.
   
  b Hex: When you cast a spell (with use magic), as well as the 
  normal effects, you may pick from the following:
  • The target contracts a disease.
  • The target immediately suffers harm (2-harm magic ignore- 
  armour).
  • The target breaks something precious or important.
   
  b The Sight: You can see the invisible, especially spirits and magical 
  influences. You may communicate with (maybe even make deals 
  with) the spirits you see, and they give you more opportunities to 
  spot clues when you investigate a mystery.
   
  b Premonitions: At the start of each mystery, roll +Weird. On 
  a 10+, you get a detailed vision of something bad that is yet to 
  happen. You take +1 forward to prevent it coming true, and mark 
  experience if you stop it. On a 7-9+ you get clouded images of 
  something bad that is yet to happen: mark experience if you stop 
  it. On a miss, you get a vision of something bad happening to you 
  and the Keeper holds 3, to be spent one-for-one as penalties to 
  rolls you make.
   
  b Hunches: When something bad is happening (or just about to 
  happen) somewhere that you aren’t, roll +Sharp. On a 10+ you 
  knew where you needed to go, just in time to get there. On a 
  7-9, you get there late—in time to intervene, but not prevent it 
  altogether. On a miss, you get there just in time to be in trouble 
  yourself.
  82
  THE SPOOKY • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
   
  b Tune In: You can attune your mind to a monster or minion. 
  Roll +Weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. On a miss, the 
  monster becomes aware of you. Spend one hold to ask the Keeper 
  one of the following questions, and gain +1 ongoing while acting 
  on the answers:
  • Where is the creature right now?
  • What is it planning to do right now?
  • Who is it going to attack next?
  • Who does it regard as the biggest threat?
  • How can I attract its attention?
   
  b The Big Whammy: You can use your powers to kick some ass: 
  roll +Weird instead of +Tough. The attack has 2-harm close 
  obvious ignore-armour. On a miss, you’ll get a magical backlash.
   
  b Jinx: You can encourage coincidences to occur, the way you want. 
  When you jinx a target, roll +Weird. On a 10+ hold 2 and on a 
  7-9 hold 1. On a miss, the Keeper holds 2 over you to be used in 
  the same way. Spend your hold to:
  • Interfere with a hunter, giving them -1 forward.
  • Help a hunter, giving them +1 forward, by interfering with 
  their enemy.
  • Interfere with what a monster, minion, or bystander is trying 
  to do.
  • Inflict 1-harm on the target due to an accident.
  • The target finds something you left for them.
  • The target loses something that you will soon find.
  The Dark Side
  Your powers have an unsavory source, and sometimes you get tempted 
  to do things you shouldn’t. These could be orders from whatever 
  granted your power, or urges that bubble up from your subconscious. 
  Something like that. Whatever it is, it’s unsettling.
  Pick three tags for your dark side:
   
  b Violence
   
  b Depression
   
  b Secrets
   
  b Lust
   
  b Dark bargain
   
  b Guilt
   
  b Soulless
   
  b Addiction
   
  b Mood swings
   
  b Rage
   
  b Self-destruction
   
  b Greed for power
   
  b Poor impulse 
  control
   
  b Hallucinations
   
  b Pain
   
  b Paranoia
  The Keeper can ask you to do nasty things (in accordance with the 
  tags), when your powers need you to. If you do whatever is asked, 
  mark experience. If you don’t do it, then your powers are unavailable 
  until the end of the mystery (or until you cave). As you mark off Luck 
  boxes, these requests will get bigger and nastier.
  83
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPOOKY
  
  Gear
  You get two normal weapons and any magical items or amulets that 
  you use to invoke your powers.
  Normal weapons (pick two):
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you can do your 
  introductions together.
  Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your Spooky by 
  name and look, and tell the group what they know about you.
  History
  Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of these for each 
  hunter:
  • They taught you to control your powers, to the extent that you can 
  control them at all.
  • You are blood-kin. Decide together exactly what.
  • You are married, or romantically involved. Decide between you 
  the exact relationship.
  • You’re old friends, and trust each other completely.
  • You used your powers on them one time. Decide if it was for 
  selfish reasons or not, and tell them if they found out about it.
  • You’ve known each other some time, but since your powers man-
  ifested, you keep them at a distance emotionally.
  • You hope they can help you control your powers.
  • They saw you use your powers for selfish or vindictive reasons. 
  Ask them who the victim was, and then tell them what you did.
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If all your Luck boxes get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Spooky special: As you mark off Luck boxes, your dark side’s needs 
  will get nastier.
  84
  THE SPOOKY • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Charm, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Take another Spooky move
   
  b Take another Spooky move
   
  b Change some, or all, your dark side tags
   
  b Get a mystical library, like the Expert’s haven option
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b You discover how to use your powers at a lower price. Delete one 
  dark side tag permanently.
  85
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE SPOOKY
  
  The Wronged
  They took my loved ones. Back then I wasn’t strong enough to 
  fight, but I studied, trained, and now I’m ready to cleanse the 
  world of their taint. I’ll kill them all. That’s all I have left.
  86
  THE WRONGED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  To make your Wronged, first pick a name. Then follow the instruc-
  tions below to decide your look, ratings, who you lost, moves, and 
  gear. Finally, introduce yourself and pick history.
  Look, pick one from each List:
  • Man, woman, concealed.
  • Sad eyes, icy eyes, angry eyes, untouchable eyes, emotionless eyes, 
  hurt eyes, harrowed eyes.
  • Nondescript clothes, ragged clothes, casual clothes, hunting gear, 
  army surplus gear, old clothes.
  Ratings, pick one line:
   
  b Charm=0, Cool+1, Sharp-1, Tough+2, Weird+1
   
  b Charm=0, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough+2, Weird=0
   
  b Charm+1, Cool=0, Sharp+1, Tough+2, Weird-1
   
  b Charm-1, Cool-1, Sharp=0, Tough+2, Weird+2
   
  b Charm+1, Cool-1, Sharp=0, Tough+2, Weird+1
  Who You Lost
  Who did you lose? Pick one or more of:
   
  b Your parent(s): 
   
                                                                    
   
  b Your sibling(s):  
   
                                                                    
   
  b Your spouse/partner:  
                                                                    
   
  b Your child(ren):  
   
                                                                    
   
  b Your best friend(s):   
                                                                    
  What did it? 
  With the Keeper’s agreement, pick the monster breed.
  My prey:  
   
   
                                                                    
  Why couldn’t you save them? You were (pick one or more):
   
  b at fault
   
  b selfish
   
  b injured
   
  b weak
   
  b slow
   
  b scared
   
  b in denial
   
  b complicit
  87
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE WRONGED
  
  Moves
  You get all the basic moves plus three Wronged moves. You get this one:
   
  B I Know My Prey: You get +1 ongoing when knowingly investigat-
  ing, pursuing or fighting the breed of monster that caused your 
  loss.
  Then pick two of these:
   
  b Berserk: No matter how much harm you take, you can always 
  keep going until the current fight is over. During a fight, the 
  Keeper may not use harm moves on you and you cannot die. 
  When the fight ends, all harm takes effect as normal.
   
  b NEVER AGAIN: In combat, you may choose to protect someone 
  without rolling, as if you had rolled a 10+, but you may not choose 
  to “suffer little harm.”
   
  b What Does Not Kill Me   : If you have suffered harm in a fight, 
  you gain +1 ongoing until the fight is over.
   
  b Fervor: When you manipulate someone, roll +Tough instead of 
  +Charm.
   
  b Safety First: You have jury-rigged extra protection into your gear, 
  giving you +1 armour (maximum 2-armour).
   
  b DIY Surgery: When you do quick and dirty first aid on someone 
  (including yourself), roll +Cool. On a 10+ it’s all good, it counts 
  as normal first aid, plus stabilize the injury and heal 1 harm. On 
  a 7-9 it counts as normal first aid, plus one of these, your choice:
  • Stabilise the injury but the patient takes -1 forward.
  • Heal 1-harm and stabilise for now, but it will return as 2-harm 
  and become unstable again later.
  • Heal 1-harm and stabilise but the patient takes -1 ongoing 
  until it’s fixed properly.
   
  b Tools Matter: With your signature weapon (see your gear, below), 
  you get +1 to kick some ass.
  88
  THE WRONGED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  89
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE WRONGED
  Gear
  Pick one signature weapon and two practical weapons.
  You have protective wear, suited to your look, worth 1-armour.
  If you want, you may take a classic car, classic motorcycle, plain 
  pickup, or plain van.
  Signature Weapons, pick one:
   
  b Sawn-off shotgun (3-harm hand/close messy loud reload)
   
  b Hand cannon (3-harm close loud)
   
  b Fighting knife (2-harm hand quiet)
   
  b Huge sword or huge axe (3-harm hand messy heavy)
   
  b Specialist weapons for destroying your foes (e.g. wooden stakes 
  and mallet for vampires, silver dagger for werewolves, etc.). 
  4-harm against the specific creatures it targets, 1-harm otherwise, 
  and other tags by agreement with the Keeper.
   
  b Enchanted dagger (2-harm hand magic)
   
  b Chainsaw (3-harm hand messy unreliable loud heavy)
  Practical weapons, pick two:
   
  b .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
   
  b 9mm (2-harm close loud)
   
  b Hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
   
  b Shotgun (3-harm close messy loud)
   
  b Big knife (1-harm hand)
   
  b Brass knuckles (1-harm hand stealthy)
   
  b Assault rifle (3-harm close area 
  loud reload)
  Introductions
  When you get here, wait for 
  everyone to catch up so you 
  can do your introductions 
  together.
  Go around the group. 
  On your turn, introduce 
  your Wronged by name 
  and look, and tell the 
  group what they know 
  about you.
  
  History
  Go around the group again. When it’s your turn, pick one for each of 
  the other hunters:
  • They helped you at a critical point in your quest for revenge. Tell 
  them what you needed help with.
  • They stood between you and what you needed to find out. Ask 
  them why.
  • They also lost a friend or relative to these monsters. Ask them 
  who it was.
  • Relations, close or distant. Tell them exactly what.
  • You saved their life, back when they were a pathetic newbie hunter. 
  Ask them what you saved them from.
  • You respect their hard-earned knowledge, and often come to 
  them for advice.
  • They showed you the ropes when you were learning how to fight.
  • They saw you absolutely lose it and go berserk. Tell them what 
  the situation was, and ask them how much collateral damage you 
  caused.
  Luck
  You can mark off a Luck box to either change a roll you just made to a 
  12, as if you had rolled that; or change a wound you have just taken to 
  count as 0-harm, no matter how bad it was. If your Luck boxes all get 
  filled, you’ve run out of good luck.
  Okay bbbbbbb Doomed
  Harm
  When you suffer harm, mark off the number of boxes equal to harm 
  suffered. When you reach four harm, tick “Unstable.”
  Okay bbb|bbbb Dying
  Unstable: b (Unstable injuries will worsen as time passes)
  90
  THE WRONGED • THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Leveling Up
  Experience: bbbbb
  Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a move tells you 
  to, mark an experience box.
  When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level up. Erase 
  the marks and pick an improvement from the following list:
  Improvements
   
  b Get +1 Tough, max +3
   
  b Get +1 Cool, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Sharp, max +2
   
  b Get +1 Weird, max +2
   
  b Take another Wronged move
   
  b Take another Wronged move
   
  b Gain a haven, like the Expert has, with two options
   
  b Add one more option to your haven
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
   
  b Take a move from another playbook
  After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for advanced improve-
  ments in addition to these. They’re below.
  Advanced Improvements
   
  b Get +1 to any rating, max +3.
   
  b Change this hunter to a new type.
   
  b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one.
   
  b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced.
   
  b Retire this hunter to safety.
   
  b You track down the specific monster(s) responsible for your loss. 
  The Keeper must make the next mystery about them.
   
  b Change the target of your vengeful rage. Pick a new monster 
  breed: I know my prey now applies to them instead.
  91
  THE PLAYBOOKS • THE WRONGED
  
  92
  THE PLAYBOOKS
  
  Get Ready  
  For Action
  Once you’ve picked your hunter playbook, work 
  through it to create your hunter, making the choices 
  your playbook gives you.
  The Keeper will guide you through the process, 
  and can answer any questions you have.
  93
  
  Introductions
  When you’ve all reached the “Introductions” section, you’ll take turns 
  introducing your hunter to the others. Describe how your hunter 
  looks, and the main things the team would know about you. What are 
  you good at? What drives you? What personality traits stand out? The 
  Keeper or the other hunters might have some questions for you too. 
  Answer them as appropriate.
  94
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  History
  When everyone has introduced their hunters, you’ll each take another 
  turn, this time picking “History.” That’s the significant shared memo-
  ries, or relationships, between the hunters. Each playbook has a list to 
  choose from.
  Select one of the hunter players to start. This starting player picks 
  a history option from the list for each other hunter in the group. Many 
  of these options require some additional detail. Sometimes the history 
  choice will tell you who decides on the detail. If not, just work it out 
  between you. The Keeper or the other hunters might ask questions 
  here as well. Answer these, too.
  If there’s an option that you’d like to assign but it’s not clear which 
  hunter would fit it best, ask the group if anyone wants to volunteer. 
  It’s okay if you can’t decide which option to assign to a hunter. Pass 
  the turn to the next player and choose your remaining options after 
  you’ve learned more.
  At each other hunter’s turn, they’ll pick a history option for you, 
  so in the end each pair of hunters will have two history choices defin-
  ing their backstory. This gives you a good opportunity to figure out 
  which of your history options might fit with them—and which ones 
  might complicate your relationship.
  Take a few moments to work out what the history choices imply 
  about how and why the team came to work together. Tie this in to 
  your team concept, or use it to build a team concept if you didn’t pick 
  one already.
  Get Started
  The Keeper will have prepared a mystery for you to investigate, and 
  will start by telling you what clues drew you in.
  Moves for the Beginning Of The Mystery
  If you have a move that is triggered at the beginning of a mystery, you 
  should make it now.
  The Chosen and Initiate have moves they always make at this 
  point.
  The Divine, Expert, Flake, and Spooky all have moves that can 
  take place now. If you picked one of those moves, make it now (if it’s 
  mandatory) or decide if you want to (if it’s optional).
  95
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  How To Play
  This is what you do when you are playing your hunter.
  Hunter Agenda
  When you’re playing your hunter:
  • Act like you’re the hero in this story (because you are).
  • Make your own destiny.
  • Find the damn monsters and stop them.
  • Play your hunter like they’re a real person.
  Think like your hunter would think. Do what your hunter would do. 
  Remember that you’re a badass: extremely dangerous, and good at 
  what you do.
  When you get into a fight, you might take a lot of harm, but 
  hunters are lucky and heal quickly. Use Luck to avoid harm if you need 
  to. Alternatively, you can hold on until the end of the fight and then 
  take a break to rest up and heal. For the full harm and healing rules 
  see page 110.
  You need to work out what’s behind each situation. Then work out 
  how to find it and what its weaknesses are. Then kill it.
  The Game Is A Conversation
  This is an improvisational game in which you create a story together.
  The story emerges from a conversation between the players, with 
  the Keeper describing the initial situation and the rest of the players 
  describing what their hunters do in response.
  This leads into an ongoing back-and-forth between the Keeper 
  and hunters. The Keeper will ask you questions and describe how the 
  inhabitants of the game’s world react, based on your answers.
  The Keeper will also present you with situations and crises to 
  do with the monster you’re hunting and its potential victims. These 
  require new decisions from you about what happens next: you’ll 
  describe what your hunter does, and make moves when they’re called 
  for. Each of your decisions and actions will lead to new situations.
  When deciding how to react, think like your hunter and keep your 
  agenda in mind.
  96
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Moves
  Hunters make moves to find the 
  monster, and to defeat it. Moves are 
  moments of danger and uncertainty. 
  You never know quite how they’ll 
  turn out.
  Your hunter’s moves cover all 
  the things you can do where the 
  game’s rules get involved in the story.
  Most of the time, you’ll be 
  describing what your hunter says, 
  where they go, or what they do 
  without activating a move. That 
  goes for everything that a normal 
  person could do, in situations where 
  failure would not be interesting and 
  where there’s no particular danger.
  In 
  circumstances 
  where 
  a 
  normal person couldn’t do what 
  you want to do, or the drama of the 
  story requires it, or it’s dangerous, 
  that’s when the moves come in and 
  control how well you do.
  Here are some examples:
  Archer is checking out the site of a monster attack. There’s 
  blood and guts all over the place, and police have walked in 
  and out of the area. Archer starts trying to track where the 
  monster went after the attack. When she makes the investi-
  gate a mystery move, what does she discover?
  Chris realises that a ghul is sneaking up on him, so he gets 
  out his sawn-off shotgun and blasts it in the face as it leaps for 
  him. Does Chris get hurt? He makes the kick some ass move 
  to find out how bad his injuries are and what happens to the 
  ghul.
  A roof-beam comes down on Ted as a giant spider 
  smashes through the wall and scampers to freedom. Ted’s 
  partner, Rainer, grabs a chair and tries to wedge the beam so 
  there’s room for Ted to escape. Does she succeed? How badly 
  is Ted hurt? Is he trapped? She needs to make the act under 
  pressure move to find out.
  97
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  You Have To Make The Move
  A key element of the use of moves is “You have to make the move.”
  This means that if you want to (for instance) manipulate someone 
  in the game, you need to describe your hunter doing that. How do you 
  ask? What do you offer, to make them do what you want? Why would 
  they believe your offer is genuine?
  For example:
  Alan, the Keeper: “The flayed one is racing you to the car, 
  and it looks like it’s going to get to you before you can close the 
  door. So Mark, what do you do now?”
  Mary, playing her hunter Mark: “I kick some ass!”
  Alan: “What are you doing?”
  Mary: “I’m going to smash it out the way with my baseball 
  bat so I can get in the car.”
  Alan: “That sounds like you’re not really getting into a 
  fight: what’s most important? Killing the flayed one or getting 
  to the car?”
  Mary: “Oh, yeah, killing it I guess. I’ll stop running and 
  just start smashing it on the head.”
  Alan: “Sure. The flayed one brandishes its skinning knife 
  as it grabs you. It screams, ‘You will become one of us now, 
  hunter!’ Now roll kick ass.”
  It works the other way too—if you are describing what you are doing, 
  someone might notice that you are making one of the moves. In that 
  case, go ahead and roll the dice to see what happens.
  For example:
  Alan: “Okay, you get to the place the body was found. You 
  can still see some bloodstains on the concrete, and there’s some 
  scratches there that might be related to the attack.”
  Mary: “I want to carefully check the bloodstains, to work 
  out how she was killed. Like is it a blood spray from a torn 
  throat or did she bleed out slowly from a wound or what?”
  Alan: “That sounds like you’re investigating a mystery. 
  Why don’t you roll?”
  Sometimes the Keeper will ask you questions to clarify what’s going 
  on. That’s cool; for the game to work, everyone needs to clearly under-
  stand what’s happening, so make sure your answer in as much detail 
  as you can.
  98
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Rolling the Dice
  Often the rules for a move will tell you to roll, say, +Cool. This means 
  you should grab two everyday six-sided dice, roll them, add them 
  together and then add whatever number is written down for your 
  hunter’s Cool.
  If it says something else instead of Cool (usually another rating), 
  then add that number instead. So, if you are told to roll +Weird, roll 
  two dice and add your Weird rating. If you are told to roll +Tough, roll 
  two dice and add your Tough rating. If you have a negative rating, like 
  -1, then you subtract one from your total instead.
  The move description will say what the different results mean. 
  Usually, 7 or higher is good, and 10 or higher is really good. A result of 
  6 or lower is a miss, which means the Keeper will have an opportunity 
  to screw your hunter over.
  Example:
  I need to roll “manipulate someone.” That’s a +Charm roll, 
  and my Charm is +1. I roll the dice and get a 2 and a 5. My 
  total is 1 + 2 + 5 = 9. That’s a partial success for manipulate 
  someone.
  Bonuses and Holds
  Sometimes a move will give you a bonus to future dice rolls: you get 
  to take the bonus “forward” or “ongoing.” Sometimes a move will give 
  you a “hold.”
  Forward
  If you get +1 forward, you get +1 on your very next roll only.
  For example:
  Another hunter can give you a bonus of +1 forward as 
  the result of a move. The next thing that happens is that you 
  charge in to attack a monster. You get +1 on your kick some 
  ass roll. If you had decided to use magic instead, to cast a 
  protection spell, then you would have gained the +1 on that 
  roll. Once you have used the bonus, it’s gone.
  99
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Ongoing
  If you get +1 ongoing, you get +1 to every roll you make until the sit-
  uation no longer applies.
  For example:
  If you read a bad situation, you might be awarded +1 
  ongoing while using an escape route you spotted. You get +1 
  on all rolls while escaping via that route, but nothing more 
  once you have escaped. You also get no bonus if you don’t try 
  to escape via the way you spotted.
  Hold
  When you get a hold, you’ll get a number of points. Each point can be 
  spent one-for-one to get a specific effect. The move will list the effects 
  you can spend your hold on.
  For example, you are interviewing the witnesses to a monster 
  attack and you make an investigate a mystery roll. Your 
  result gives you 3 hold. You can spend your hold to ask the 
  Keeper questions from the list in the investigate a mystery 
  move.
  You ask a witness, “Did you see where the attacker went?” 
  and spend one hold. (“Where did it go?” is one of the ques-
  tions.)
  The Keeper says (as Mrs Henderson, the witness), “It scur-
  ried over there, and pulled up that grating and went into the 
  sewers.”
  As the conversation with the witnesses continues, you 
  spend the next hold to ask the Keeper about the monster’s 
  powers. “Hey, from all the things they’ve told me, can I work 
  out any powers?” (“What can it do?” is another question.)
  The Keeper replies, “The witness descriptions don’t agree 
  at all. It must be able to change shape or maybe change mem-
  ories.”
  Later the last hold goes to ask the Keeper about whether 
  a witness is hiding something. That exhausts your hold, so you 
  don’t get any more questions for now.
  100
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  The Basic Moves
  I introduced the basic moves earlier: the things every hunter can do 
  to find the monster and kill it. Now that you’re about to start, let’s go 
  into more detail about what these are.
  Act Under Pressure
  This covers trying to do something under conditions of particular 
  stress or danger. Examples of acting under pressure are: staying on 
  task while a banshee screams at you; barricading a door before the 
  giant rats catch up; resisting the mental domination of a brain-worm; 
  fighting on when you’re badly injured.
  When you act under pressure, roll +Cool.
  • On a 10+ you do what you set out to.
  • On a 7-9 the Keeper is going to give you a worse outcome, 
  hard choice, or price to pay.
  • On a miss, things go to hell.
  Help Out
  When you help another hunter with a move they are making, roll 
  +Cool.
  • On a 10+ your help grants them +1 to their roll.
  • On a 7-9 your help grants them +1 to their roll, but you also 
  expose yourself to trouble or danger.
  • On a miss, you expose yourself to trouble or danger without 
  helping.
  Note that help bonuses do not stack: if two people help out, the 
  hunter just gets +1 on their roll.
  101
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Investigate A Mystery
  Investigating can be done any number of ways: following tracks, inter-
  viewing witnesses, forensic analysis, looking up old folklore in a library, 
  typing the monster’s name into Google, capturing the monster and 
  conducting tests on it, and so on. Anything that might give you more 
  information about what’s going on is fair game for an investigate move.
  When you investigate a mystery, roll +Sharp.
  • On a 10+ hold 2, and on a 7-9 hold 1.
  One hold can be spent to ask the Keeper one of the following 
  questions:
  • What happened here?
  • What sort of creature is it?
  • What can it do?
  • What can hurt it?
  • Where did it go?
  • What was it going to do?
  • What is being concealed here?
  On a miss, you reveal some information to the monster or whoever 
  you are talking to. The Keeper might ask you some questions, which 
  you have to answer.
  It’s important that your attempts to investigate (and the results 
  you get from them) are plausible and consistent with what’s happen-
  ing. For example, if you’re using laboratory equipment to investigate 
  evidence, you probably won’t be able to learn anything about the mon-
  ster’s magical origins. The Keeper is obliged to answer truthfully, but 
  not necessarily in full—just what you can work out in your current 
  situation and using your current methods. The Keeper may choose to 
  describe how something you’ve just discovered relates to something 
  you learned previously.
  The Keeper may ask, “How do you find that out?” If you don’t have 
  a good answer, choose another question instead.
  102
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Kick Some Ass
  This is used when you are fighting something that’s fighting you back.
  When you get into a fight and kick some ass, roll +Tough.
  On any success (i.e., total 7 or more) you and whatever you’re 
  fighting inflict harm on each other. The amount of harm is based on 
  the established dangers in the game. That usually means you inflict 
  the harm rating of your weapon and your enemy inflicts their attack’s 
  harm rating on you.
  You can take seven harm before you die.
  If you roll a 10+, choose one extra effect:
  • You gain the advantage: take +1 forward, or give +1 forward 
  to another hunter.
  • You inflict terrible harm (+1 harm).
  • You suffer less harm (-1 harm).
  • You force them where you want them.
  On a miss, you get your ass kicked instead. You suffer harm or get 
  captured, but don’t inflict any harm back.
  103
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Manipulate Someone
  This move is used when you want someone to do something for you 
  and they don’t want to do it. To get them to do what you’re asking 
  you’ll need a good reason. What counts as a good reason depends on 
  what you are asking for and your relationship with them.
  For friends and allies, you might just need to ask. For witnesses to 
  a monster attack, you could tell them you are with the police, or just 
  offer them some cash for answering your questions.
  Once you have given them a reason, tell them what you want 
  them to do and roll +Charm.
  For a normal person:
  • If you get 10+, then they’ll do it for the reason you gave them. 
  If you asked too much, they’ll tell you the minimum it would 
  take for them to do it (or if there’s no way they’d do it).
  • On a 7-9, they’ll do it, but only if you do something for them 
  right now to show that you mean it. If you asked too much, 
  they’ll tell you what, if anything, it would take for them to 
  do it.
  • On a miss, your approach is completely wrong: you offend or 
  anger the target.
  For another hunter:
  • On a 10+, if they do what you ask they mark experience and 
  get +1 forward.
  • On a 7-9, they mark experience if they do what you ask.
  • On a miss, it’s up to that hunter to decide how badly you 
  offend or annoy them. They mark experience if they decide 
  not to do what you asked.
  Manipulating Monsters
  Manipulate someone does not normally work on monsters, even if 
  they can reason and talk. You can try and make a deal with one if you 
  really want, but you don’t get to roll to ensure it keeps its side of the 
  bargain. You just have to hope it’s an honourable fiend. Good luck 
  with that.
  If you take the Monstrous move dark negotiator (or any other 
  move that specifically allows it) then you are allowed to manipulate 
  monsters, at least if they can reason and talk. Of course, a monster 
  probably needs a different sort of reason than normal people—quite 
  possibly something you really won’t want to do.
  Minions may or may not be susceptible to manipulation. It may 
  be possible to manipulate minions who are human, or almost human; 
  those that are incapable of understanding or reason cannot be manip-
  ulated.
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  Protect Someone
  If someone is about to suffer harm and you can somehow prevent it, 
  then you can try to protect them.
  When you prevent harm to another character, roll +Tough.
  On any success (i.e., 7 or more), you protect them okay, but you’ll 
  suffer some or all of the harm they were going to get.
  If you got a 10+ choose an extra:
  • You suffer little harm (-1 harm).
  • All impending danger is now focused on you.
  • You inflict harm on the enemy.
  • You hold the enemy back.
  On a miss, then you end up making things worse.
  Read A Bad Situation
  When you look around and read a bad situation, roll +Sharp.
  On a 10+ hold 3, and on a 7-9, hold 1.
  One hold can be spent to ask the Keeper one of the following 
  questions:
  • What’s my best way in?
  • What’s my best way out?
  • Are there any dangers we haven’t noticed?
  • What’s the biggest threat?
  • What’s most vulnerable to me?
  • What’s the best way to protect the victims?
  If you act on the answers, you get +1 ongoing while the infor-
  mation is relevant. For example, if you ask for the best way into the 
  monster’s lair then you’ll get +1 while you are infiltrating it. But once 
  you’re in, the information doesn’t help you any more. The bonus is 
  only applied once on each roll, even if more than one question applies 
  to your course of action.
  On a miss, you might mis-read the situation (e.g. “Everything is 
  fine here! It will be totally safe to go investigate alone!”), or you might 
  reveal tactical details to your enemies (which means the Keeper can 
  ask the questions above of you).
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  Use Magic
  When you use magic, say what you’re trying to achieve and how you 
  do the spell, then roll +Weird.
  • If you get a 10+, the magic works without issues: choose your 
  effect.
  • On a 7-9, it works imperfectly: choose your effect and a glitch. 
  The Keeper will decide what effect the glitch has.
  • On a miss, you lose control of the magic. This never ends well.
  By default the magic has one of the effects listed below, lasts for 
  around thirty minutes, and does not expose you to danger, unwanted 
  attention, or side-effects. If there’s a glitch that might change.
  Effects:
  • Inflict harm (1-harm ignore-armour magic obvious).
  • Enchant a weapon. It gets +1 harm and +magic.
  • Do one thing that is beyond human limitations.
  • Bar a place or portal to a specific person or a type of creature.
  • Trap a specific person, minion, or monster.
  • Banish a spirit or curse from the person, object, or place it 
  inhabits.
  • Summon a monster into the world.
  • Communicate with something that you do not share a lan-
  guage with.
  • Observe another place or time.
  • Heal 1-harm from an injury, or cure a disease, or neutralize 
  a poison.
  Glitches:
  • The effect is weakened.
  • The effect is of short duration.
  • You take 1-harm ignore-armour.
  • The magic draws immediate, unwelcome attention.
  • It has a problematic side effect.
  The Keeper may require one or more of the following:
  • The spell requires weird materials.
  • The spell will take 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute to cast.
  • The spell requires ritual chanting and gestures.
  • The spell requires you to draw arcane symbols.
  • You need one or two people to help cast the spell.
  • You need to refer to a tome of magic for the details.
  If you want to do magic that goes beyond these effects, it counts as big 
  magic. Big magic uses different rules, described below.
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  Big Magic
  Sometimes the everyday spells and rituals of the use magic basic 
  move aren’t enough. Big magic covers everything more powerful, 
  such as bringing someone back from the dead or opening a portal to 
  another dimension. Big magic is both more powerful and more dan-
  gerous than the basic use magic.
  Decide what magical effect you want to make happen, and tell 
  the Keeper. They will determine what you must do in order to cast the 
  spell. The options (and the Keeper can pick more than one) are:
  • You need to spend a lot of time (days or weeks) researching 
  the magic ritual.
  • You need to experiment with the spell—there will be lots of 
  failures before you get it right.
  • You need some rare and weird ingredients and supplies.
  • The spell will take a long time (hours or days) to cast.
  • You need a lot of people (2, 3, 7, 13, or more) to help.
  • The spell needs to be cast at a particular place and/or time.
  • You need to use magic as part of the ritual, perhaps to 
  summon a monster, communicate with something, or bar 
  the portal you opened.
  • It will have a specific side-effect or danger.
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  Once you know the requirements, you need to arrange them. 
  Once you’ve done that, the magical effect you want will simply happen. 
  You don’t need to roll any move for big magic itself, but you might 
  need to roll some other moves, as you try to meet the requirements.
  Here are some examples of how you can use big magic.
  The hunters want to discover where a particular person is, 
  with only a photograph to go on. The Keeper decides this will 
  require three people to take part in the ritual, and that they 
  need a very precise map of the area—the spell will guide a 
  pendulum to the person’s location.
  The hunters are investigating a frogbeast that’s been devour-
  ing people. After discovering it’s from an alien dimension, the 
  hunters propose casting a spell that “detunes” it from our 
  dimension and sends it home (or somewhere else, at least). 
  The Keeper decides this will require a few experiments taking 
  up the afternoon, the spell will take around six hours to cast, 
  it requires them to use magic to banish the frogbeast from 
  this dimension, and it will expose them to danger—the frog-
  beast will feel the spell being cast and know where the force is 
  coming from.
  One of the hunters on the team has died, and the others want 
  to bring her back to life. The Keeper decides that it will take 
  some weeks of research, the ritual requires her body, it must 
  take place at dawn on the spring solstice in view of the rising 
  sun, they must use magic to summon back the dead hunter’s 
  soul from Death’s realm, and it exposes them to a big danger—
  Death will be angered by this transgression.
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  Fights
  Here are some things to remember when you get down to the slaying.
  Don’t always go right to rolling dice for kick some ass. That move 
  puts you in danger of harm as well as your enemy. If you can find a way 
  to attack without putting yourself in danger, then you can inflict harm 
  on the enemy without suffering any yourself (and without needing to 
  succeed on a roll).
  Remember you can try to protect someone whenever they are 
  threatened with harm. Think about who needs protecting, and where 
  everyone is in relation to each other. If you set things up right, you 
  might even be able to save a teammate from the harm they’re going to 
  suffer if they miss a roll.
  Remember that you can help another hunter to give them +1 on 
  a roll. This can sometimes be the difference between life and death, 
  plus if you help in a fight the Keeper might say you can add the harm 
  from your attack to the attack of the hunter you’re helping—so you 
  can take a monster down faster.
  Unarmed Attacks And 
  Improvised Weapons
  If your hunter has been caught unarmed, and is just fighting with fists 
  and feet, you do 0-harm hand/intimate. You can still hurt things if you 
  have a bonus to harm. That could come from getting a 10+ on a kick 
  some ass roll, or a move you have.
  If your hunter grabs a random object to use as a weapon, decide 
  between you and your Keeper about how it is rated. Here are some 
  guidelines:
  • If it’s hardly more dangerous than a punch, 0-harm hand.
  • If it’s sharp or heavy (kitchen knife, lamp), 1-harm hand.
  • If it’s really heavy (microwave, bar stool), 2-harm hand heavy.
  • If you can throw it, add “close” range.
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  Harm
  When you take harm, the Keeper will tell you what happened and how 
  many points of harm it was. Mark off that number of boxes on your 
  harm track. There will be an additional effect: the Keeper will tell you 
  what it is.
  Injury severity depends on how much harm you have suffered:
  • 0-harm wounds have only minor, short term effects.
  • 4-7 harm wounds are serious and unstable. They will get 
  worse unless treated. Mark the “Unstable” box.
  • 8-harm or more will kill a normal human, including a hunter.
  • Note that armour reduces the harm suffered by the number 
  of points it is rated for.
  There are more details in the Keeper section (page 212).
  Monsters and Harm
  Monsters are usually a lot harder to kill than humans. Minions (lesser 
  supernatural creatures) can be as well.
  All monsters (and some minions) have weaknesses. That means 
  they cannot be killed until you use their weakness against them. How 
  to use a weakness against a monster depends on what the weakness is. 
  Weaknesses can include:
  • Things that can be used as a weapon: e.g. fire, cold iron.
  • Specific methods of attack: e.g. a silver weapon, decapitation.
  • Something to do: e.g. a magic ritual, a burial procedure.
  • A harmful environment: e.g. sunlight, running water.
  If you know the monster’s weakness, use it.
  If you don’t know its weakness, find out using your moves.
  If you don’t use a creature’s weakness, it will come back, even if 
  you win the fight.
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  Healing
  A 0-harm wound goes away right after you get it. It can cause a 
  momentary problem, but after that it is purely cosmetic.
  Moderate wounds (1-3 harm) will improve when your hunter has 
  a chance to rest up (e.g. a decent night’s sleep), or get some first aid 
  treatment. This reduces an injury by 1-harm.
  First aid does not normally require a move, it’s just regular prac-
  tice. Hunter moves that provide healing may be used in addition to 
  first aid. You can only benefit from first aid once per injury or condi-
  tion.
  Serious wounds (4+ harm) require treatment. They are normally 
  unstable, meaning that they will worsen if untreated (the Keeper will 
  tell you when to mark off another point of harm). Left too long, serious 
  wounds will kill you. If a move tells you that the injury is now stable, 
  you can erase the mark in the unstable box. If you take more harm and 
  are still at 4-harm or more, then your injuries become unstable again. 
  For serious wounds, first aid heals one harm but it will still be unstable.
  What counts as treatment depends on the wound, but it will 
  usually be one of the following:
  • A hunter’s healing move.
  • Time in an infirmary in someone’s haven.
  • A visit to a doctor or emergency room.
  • A magic spell.
  Healing moves will mention how many harm they heal.
  Healing Between Mysteries
  After a mystery is concluded, but before the next one, all the injured 
  hunters will get some healing.
  If there was a while to rest between mysteries, then heal all your 
  harm.
  If there was no time to rest between mysteries, then heal 1-harm.
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  Resurrection
  If someone wants to bring a slain hunter (or someone else) back from 
  the dead, this requires big magic. But there’s an extra step for this 
  particular case.
  When you return to life, roll -Weird (so subtract three if you 
  have +3 Weird, add one for -1 Weird, etc.). The weirder you are, the 
  weirder it is when you come back from the dead.
  On a 10+, you have changed a little. Mark experience and pick any 
  one of the options below (for 7-9 or miss results).
  On a 7-9, choose one of these:
  • You come back a little bit broken (memory loss, stressed, dis-
  connected).
  • You come back a little different. Add 1 to one rating (max +3) 
  and subtract 1 from another (min -2).
  • You come back very different. Change to a new playbook, just 
  as if you took that advanced improvement (see page 121).
  • Your revival satisfies an ancient prophecy.
  • Something comes back with you (e.g. a possessing spirit, a 
  slain monster is revived, an ancient evil is released), but it’s 
  not a pressing danger.
  • You, or the one who brought you back, owes a favour to a 
  powerful spirit, monster, or demon.
  On a miss, choose one of these:
  • You come back broken (soulless, insane, depressive).
  • You come back disabled. Take -1 to a rating (to -2, at worst).
  • Your revival satisfies an ancient, dark, and terrible prophecy.
  • Something comes back with you (e.g. a possessing spirit, a 
  slain monster is revived, an ancient evil is released). It is an 
  immediate and pressing danger.
  • You, or the one who brought you back, owes a huge debt (soul, 
  firstborn, ten years of servitude, etc.) to a powerful spirit, 
  monster, or demon.
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  The Luck Counter
  Every hunter has a certain amount of Luck they can call on in emer-
  gencies.
  When you mark off a point of Luck, you can choose one of the 
  following lucky breaks:
  • Decrease a wound you just suffered to 0-harm.
  • After you roll, retroactively change the result to a 12.
  Your playbook has a Luck counter that keeps track of how much 
  is left. You only get a limited supply. Make it count.
  When You Run Out Of Luck
  When you have marked off all your Luck, the Keeper is allowed to hit 
  you with more bad stuff. Fate will be looking for some payback.
  If your playbook includes fate-related stuff (such as the Chosen’s 
  fate or the Spooky’s dark side), running out of Luck means all that bad 
  stuff is going to start happening.
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  Gear
  Here are the rules for gear, vehicles, teams, allies, havens and all that.
  Getting New Gear
  If you want to get something that you could just buy, just buy it.
  You can also get new gear when you take certain improvements.
  If you want something that you couldn’t just buy (like a flame-
  thrower, or a magical artifact), or something you don’t have the 
  resources to get, then you need to do something special (like call in a 
  favour, or steal it). Tell the Keeper what you’re doing, and play through 
  the acquisition attempt to see how well it works.
  The same thing can apply if you want an ally, a team under your 
  command, or something else hard to arrange (like an Expert’s haven).
  If you do everything necessary to get the new gear, well, then you 
  get it (even without using an improvement or anything like that).
  Weapons
  All weapons have some “tags” (i.e. lists of descriptions) that describe 
  how they work. All weapons have a harm and range tag, that let you 
  know how much harm an injury from it causes, and how far away the 
  target can be.
  For example: Power drill (2-harm hand loud messy)
  “2-harm” “hand,” “loud,” and “messy” are the tags. “2-harm” 
  is the harm tag, “hand” is the range tag, and “loud” and “messy” 
  are descriptive tags.
  Here’s what the tags mean:
  • 1-harm, 2-harm, 3-harm, etc: This is how much harm the attack 
  inflicts.
  • area: Can hit multiple foes. You may divide the harm you inflict 
  among multiple targets.
  • balanced: Easy to wield and keep your grip on.
  • barrier: Does harm to anything that passes through. Counts as 
  armour against any attacks that pass through it.
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  • close: Effective at fairly close quarters—outside arms’ reach, but 
  not too far.
  • far: Effective at long range.
  • fire: Sets things on fire.
  • forceful: Pushes things around, allowing you to “force them 
  where you want them” in addition to normal attack effects.
  • hand: Effective within arms’ reach.
  • life-drain: Transfers life energy: the wielder is healed for as many 
  points of harm as were inflicted. E.g. if you inflict 2-harm, then 
  you heal 2-harm from your injuries.
  • heavy: This weapon is heavy and difficult to wield.
  • holy: This will be more effective against monsters with a weak-
  ness to holy items.
  • ignore-armour: Ignores protective armour. Armour has no effect 
  on this harm. If armour has the magic tag, then the attack needs 
  both ignore-armour and magic to bypass the armour.
  • innocuous: Doesn’t draw suspicion.
  • intimate: Effective at the closest of quarters—within the embrace 
  of your foe.
  • loud: Loud enough that it draws attention.
  • magic: Enchanted, and so can affect certain creatures and 
  armours that are proof against normal weapons.
  • many: These weapons are small enough you can carry a large 
  number of them.
  • [a material]: This weapon is made from the named material, and 
  is thus useful against monsters with that weakness.
  • messy: Spreads a lot of blood and gore around.
  • quick: Fast to prepare and attack with, giving you a better chance 
  of going first.
  • reload: This weapon has limited ammunition, and may run out 
  and need to be reloaded.
  • restraining: A successful attack entangles or grabs the victim.
  • slow: This weapon is slow to prepare and attack with.
  • small: This weapon is tiny and easy to conceal.
  • unreliable: This weapon needs regular cleaning and maintenance, 
  otherwise it just isn’t gonna work.
  • useful: This weapon has other uses aside from violence.
  • valuable: This weapon is antique, or made of valuable materials.
  • volatile: This weapon is dangerous and unstable.
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  Custom Weapons
  If your hunter (or your foes) get a new weapon that needs tags, you 
  can define your own. Think about the way the weapon is used and 
  what effects it will have, then write down tags in accordance with that.
  Every weapon must have a harm and range tag. There’s no upper 
  limit on the harm rating, but 4 or more is unusually destructive. Use 
  the existing weapons in the hunter playbooks and the following table 
  as a guide. Permitted range tags are intimate, hand, close, and far. 
  Other tags are optional.
  • If it’s hardly more dangerous than a punch, 0-harm hand.
  • If it’s sharp or heavy, 1-harm hand.
  • If it’s dangerous, 2-harm hand heavy.
  • If it’s a weapon designed to kill, 3-harm.
  • If it’s overkill for a person, 4-harm.
  • If you can throw it, add +close.
  For example, a hunter decides they want a super-soaker type 
  water gun for a monster that has “water” as a weakness. It needs a 
  “liquid” tag (not “water,” because you could fill it with something else 
  too), so write it: water gun (0-harm close liquid).
  Armour
  Armour reduces the harm suffered by the wearer, by the number of 
  points that it is rated for. For example, if you are wearing a leather 
  jacket worth 1-armour, and a sewer mutant claws your arm for 3-harm, 
  you only suffer a 2-harm injury.
  1-armour includes heavy leather jackets, motorcycle armour, bul-
  letproof or stab-proof vests and other light but significant protection.
  2-armour includes military body armour, police riot gear, medi-
  aeval mail, or other seriously bulky and highly effective protective gear.
  If armour has the magic tag, then normal weapons that have 
  ignore-armour don’t bypass the rating. Only weapons that have magic 
  and ignore-armour will bypass magic armour.
  Normally hunters can only get gear worth 1 or 2-armour. Armour 
  worth more than that would be something very rare and special: 
  perhaps ancient magic, or the results of weird science.
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  Other Gear
  In general your hunter can simply use other gear without needing any 
  extra rules for it.
  It’s not necessary to define every piece of equipment that comes 
  into play, but if something becomes significant in play then you can 
  define it in more detail so that everyone’s on the same page. This can 
  be done via gear tags and custom gear moves.
  Gear Tags
  Defining tags for a piece of gear gives you a definition of what it can do, 
  and the advantages or disadvantages of using it.
  Tags come into play by opening up possibilities for the hunters. 
  For example, night-vision goggles (tag: see in the dark) allow you to 
  follow a creature’s tracks even when it’s dark.
  Custom Gear Moves
  If tags aren’t quite enough, you can also define a custom move for gear. 
  Custom moves are dealt with in detail on page  296, but the basic 
  idea is simple: just define when the gear works, and what it does for 
  the user.
  For example, if you get a sports car, you could define a custom 
  move to represent its speed and performance. E.g. “When you flee or 
  pursue in a sports car, you get +1 ongoing.”
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  Leveling Up
  You get an experience point whenever your roll totals six or less, or 
  when a move tells you to. Mark your next experience box.
  Whenever you mark the fifth experience box on your playbook, 
  you level up. Erase all five marks and choose an improvement from 
  the list in your playbook. Mark the improvements off as you take 
  them: each can only be selected once.
  Then you start collecting experience marks again, until you level 
  up again when you get another five experience points.
  When you have leveled up five times, you can start choosing from 
  the advanced improvements list as well (page 120).
  End Of Session Experience
  At the end of each session, the Keeper will ask the following questions:
  • Did we conclude the current mystery?
  • Did we save someone from certain death (or worse)?
  • Did we learn something new and important about the world?
  • Did we learn something new and important about one of the 
  hunters?
  If you get one or two “Yes” answers, each hunter marks one experi-
  ence. If you get three or four, each hunter marks two.
  Improvements
  There are ten types of improvement. Here are the details:
  Get +1 To A Rating (Max +X)
  Permanently raise the specified rating. The maximum is a limit: you 
  can only raise the rating to the listed maximum, and no further. If your 
  rating is already at (or above) the listed maximum, then don’t select 
  this improvement.
  For example, your hunter has Tough=0 and you select an 
  improvement: “+1 Tough (maximum +3).” Increase your 
  Tough rating to Tough +1.
  Take Another Move From Your Playbook
  Select another one of the moves from your playbook.
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  Take A Move From Another Playbook
  Select a move from any other playbook that’s available in your game 
  (whether it’s currently in use or not).
  This improvement requires a little care. It won’t always make 
  sense to take certain moves (especially supernatural ones). Make sure 
  that the new move makes sense for your hunter.
  Gain an Ally/Gain a Team
  You gain a new ally or a friendly team of people to help you out. You 
  might already know the ally/team, or they might be new to the story.
  Allies and teams are defined the same way, even though an ally 
  is individual and a team is several people (usually 2-6). The main dif-
  ference is that for a team, the motivation describes how they act as a 
  team, but the individual members can have their own, different, moti-
  vation when they do their own thing.
  Pick one of the following types (the “motivation” is the guideline 
  for the Keeper about how they act):
  • Ally: subordinate (motivation: to follow your exact instruc-
  tions)
  • Ally: lieutenant (motivation: to execute the spirit of your 
  instructions)
  • Ally: friend (motivation: to provide emotional support)
  • Ally: bodyguard (motivation: to intercept danger)
  • Ally: confidante (motivation: to give you advice and perspec-
  tive)
  • Ally: backup (motivation: to stand with you)
  If the ally/team members don’t have names yet, pick them now. Decide 
  what their background is too, how they look, and any special skills 
  they bring.
  Gain A Haven Like The Expert Has
  You get a haven. When you take this, it will tell you how many options 
  you can pick from the list in the Expert playbook.
  Decide how you got the haven, and where it is.
  Add An Option To Your Haven
  Select a new haven option from the list in the Expert playbook. You 
  have added this facility to your haven.
  Don’t bother taking this improvement if you don’t have a haven!
  Crooked: Recover a Stash of Money
  Like it says, you get a big pile of cash to spend. It’s a lot, but not unlim-
  ited.
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  Initiate: Gain Command Of Your 
  Chapter Of The Sect
  The Initiate can take this. It means they get promoted to be head of 
  their local chapter. This gives the Initiate access to all the Sect’s local 
  facilities and command of the chapter’s members.
  It doesn’t mean you can constantly bring people along to help you 
  on your mysteries—you need to take a team under your command 
  for that.
  You can still call on resources from the Sect on a case by case 
  basis, using your usual start-of-the-mystery move, but you can ask for 
  bigger things now. Of course, your new superiors also expect more 
  from you.
  Mundane: Erase a Luck Mark
  Erase a used Luck mark from your sheet. You have bought some time 
  before Fate comes for you.
  Professional: Add Resource Tag/
  Change Red Tape Tag
  If you want to add a new resource tag, pick one from the list in the 
  Agency section of your playbook.
  If you want to change a red tape tag, erase the one you don’t want 
  and put a new one from the list in its place.
  Either of these changes may imply the Agency is altering tactics 
  or objectives, so there might be further consequences because of this.
  Spell-Slinger: Take another combat magic pick
  Pick a new combat magic option, either a new base or a new extra.
  Spooky: Change Some Or All 
  Of Your Dark Side Tags
  Erase the old tags and substitute new ones that you want to change to. 
  You don’t get to have any fewer, just change them around.
  This implies that you have changed your relationship with your 
  powers in some way.
  Advanced Improvements
  After a hunter has leveled up five times, they unlock the advanced 
  improvements. That’s a list of new improvements you can choose 
  from in addition to the basic improvements. From now on, when you 
  level up choose from either the basic or advanced improvement lists.
  Some of the playbooks have special advanced improvements of 
  their own. These are unlocked at the same time (after five level-ups).
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  +1 to Any Rating (Max +3)
  Just like the normal +1 to a specific rating advance, except you can 
  choose whichever you want. +3 is the maximum for any rating—once 
  you’re there, you can’t improve any further.
  Change Your Hunter To A New Type
  When you change your type, pick another playbook you wish to 
  change to.
  Your ratings and history stay the same.
  You may change your name or look, if you want.
  For your old moves, check each one and decide (with the Keeper) 
  if it is intrinsic to who you are, or just something you did for a while. If 
  it’s intrinsic, keep that move. If not, erase it.
  Then add new moves from your new playbook, as if you were cre-
  ating a new hunter.
  Finally, you may or may not get the new gear, or keep your old 
  gear, depending what makes sense given the circumstances of your 
  change.
  Make A Second Hunter
  Create a new hunter to join the team. You can play both hunters at 
  once, or maybe take turns, deciding which of them will come along on 
  a mystery on a case-by-case basis.
  Make up the new hunter as normal, except for history. Only pick 
  history for the hunters played by different people—don’t tie your own 
  hunters together with history picks.
  Retire To Safety
  Your hunter retires to a safe place. They no longer actively hunt mon-
  sters, and have found a place to live that’s safe from old enemies.
  Give your hunter to the Keeper to look after from now on. They 
  are safe from the Keeper’s threats, and never count as a threat them-
  selves. Your retired hunter might, at your and the Keeper’s discretion, 
  count as an ally for the other hunters.
  Erase One Used Luck Mark
  Erase a used Luck mark from your sheet. You have bought some time 
  before Fate comes for you.
  Mark Two Of Your Basic Moves As Advanced
  This means you get better at the basic moves.
  There’s a new result for each advanced move, that applies when 
  you roll a 12 or higher. These 12+ results represent the extraordinary 
  levels of success you can now achieve. See below for details.
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  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Advanced Moves
  If you have advanced a basic move, you gain access to an even better 
  result when you roll a 12 or more for the move.
  For act under pressure, on a 12+ you rise above the pressure 
  completely. You may choose to either do what you wanted and some-
  thing extra, or to do what you wanted to absolute perfection (so that 
  people will talk about it for years to come).
  For help out, on a 12+ you make the difference. The person you 
  are helping acts as if they just rolled a 12 on their move, regardless of 
  what they actually got.
  For kick some ass, on a 12+ you devastate and overawe your 
  enemy. You inflict and suffer harm as normal, and pick one of these 
  enhanced effects:
  • You completely hold the advantage. All hunters involved in 
  the fight get +1 forward.
  • You suffer no harm at all.
  • Your attack inflicts double the normal harm.
  • Your attack drives the enemy away in a rout.
  For protect someone, on a 12+ you defend them perfectly. Both 
  you and the character you are protecting are unharmed and out of 
  danger. If you were protecting a bystander, they also become your ally 
  (pick a type for them as if you had taken the “gain an ally” improve-
  ment on leveling up, see page 119).
  For manipulate someone, on a 12+ you absolutely convince them. 
  They do what you want right now. For a hunter, they must act under 
  pressure to resist your request. If they do what you ask, they mark 
  one experience and take +1 ongoing while doing what you asked. For 
  a bystander, not only do they do what you want right now, they also 
  become your ally (pick a type for them as if you had taken the “gain 
  an ally” improvement on leveling up, see page 119) for the rest of the 
  mystery (or, if you do enough for them, permanently). Note that allies 
  can be lost, too! If they discover you’ve manipulated them into acting 
  against their best interests, your new ally may become a threat to you.
  For investigate a mystery, on a 12+ you may ask the Keeper any 
  question you want about the mystery, not just the listed ones.
  For read a bad situation, on a 12+ you may ask the Keeper any 
  question you want about the situation, not just the listed ones.
  For use magic, on a 12+ you are infused with magical power. 
  What you wanted to do happens and the Keeper will offer you some 
  extra benefit on top of that.
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  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Playbook-Specific Advanced Improvements
  These are only available to the hunters of the type listed. They become 
  available after you have leveled up five times, the same as the usual 
  advanced improvements.
  For the Chosen
  • Delete one doom tag from your fate, and (optionally) change one 
  heroic tag as well.
  For the Divine
  • Change your mission. When you choose this, you accept that 
  your initial mission has failed, that it is impossible, or that things 
  have changed too much to continue. Whatever the reason, decide 
  with the Keeper what your new mission is. If none of the original 
  choices are right for you, make up something new.
  For the Initiate
  • Become the leader, or effective leader, of the whole Sect.
  This operates similarly to becoming the leader of your chapter. 
  You are now in charge of everything. You don’t have superiors any 
  more (except maybe divine ones), but you’ll still have to manage 
  the factions within the Sect to get things done.
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  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  For the Monstrous
  • You have freed yourself from the curse of your kind: your curse no 
  longer applies, but you lose 1 Weird.
  • You turn evil (again): retire this character, they become one of the 
  Keeper’s threats.
  Turning evil takes your hunter out of your control perma-
  nently. The character is now a threat, for the Keeper to use against 
  the hunters. Given how many of the team’s secrets your hunter 
  knows, this option shouldn’t be chosen lightly!
  For the Professional
  • You can get some or all of the hunters hired by your agency (they’ll 
  get the deal with the agency move, as well as salary and benefits).
  All the hunters you pick are now Agency employees. They all 
  get the deal with the Agency move, and everything else that goes 
  along with being an agent.
  For the Spell-Slinger
  • You may cross off another option from your Tools and Techniques. 
  This works just like when you first created your Spell-slinger—you 
  are now less restricted in your spell casting.
  For the Spooky
  • You discover how to use your powers at a lower price. Delete one 
  dark side tag permanently.
  For the Wronged
  • You track down the specific monster(s) responsible for your loss—
  the Keeper must make the next mystery about them.
  Note that this doesn’t mean you get to automatically win. You 
  just get a shot at them. Keeper, the Wronged’s targets should be 
  central to the next mystery but otherwise create the mystery as 
  normal.
  • Change the target of your vengeful rage. I know my prey now 
  applies to these monsters instead.
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  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  Summary: Hunter's 
  Session
  There’s two parts to this: the things you’ll do just at the start of a new 
  game, and then the things you’ll do every time.
  The First Time Only
  • Choose hunter playbooks and come up with a team concept.
  • Create your hunter while everyone else creates theirs.
  • Go around the group: each of you introduces your hunter to the 
  others
  • Go around the group again: each of you picks a history option for 
  every other hunter on the team.
  • Keeping your selected history options in mind, tidy up the team 
  concept and work out your backstory.
  • Go on to the things you do every game (see below)
  • At the end of the first session, review your hunter’s playbook and 
  decide if any of the options you picked didn’t match your vision 
  of what the character would be like. If you need to make some 
  changes, go ahead and do it.
  Every Game
  • Do all the start-of-mystery moves.
  • Get the first clue from the Keeper, and make a plan.
  • Investigate the mystery: interview witnesses; check out where key 
  events happened; look into any other weird stuff going on.
  • When you know what you’re hunting, work out its weaknesses 
  and where to find it.
  • Whenever a roll totals six or less, mark experience. Whenever a 
  move tells you to, mark experience.
  • When you mark your fifth experience point, level up, select an 
  improvement and reset your experience to zero.
  • Protect all the innocent bystanders.
  • Go and kill the monster!
  • When you’re done, answer the end-of-session experience ques-
  tions and mark any experience you earn from the answers.
  125
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  126
  GET READY FOR ACTION 
  
  The Keeper
  If you are going to be the Keeper, your responsibilities 
  are quite different to playing a hunter. This section 
  takes you through all that.
  It’s written to tell you what you need to know in 
  the order you’ll need it (with some digressions along 
  the way).
  127
  
  What You Do
  Your job as Keeper has two parts.
  First, before each game you need to spend a few minutes invent-
  ing a mystery: a monster and a situation for the hunters to investigate 
  and sort out.
  Second, when you sit down to play, you are responsible for por-
  traying the hunters’ world: describing the places, people and monsters 
  they meet, and how those things react to the hunters’ actions.
  Incidentally, the term “Keeper” comes from the classic 
  game Call of Cthulhu. It’s short for “Keeper of Arcane 
  Lore” there, but in Monster of the Week the meaning is 
  “Keeper of Monsters and Mysteries.”
  How It Will Play Out
  This is an improvisational game. You will start each mystery having 
  defined the monster and other details, but you won’t know how the 
  situation will play out once the hunters get involved. Let them do what 
  they want: it’s your responsibility to decide how the people and mon-
  sters and anything else react to those actions.
  The game is improvised in the wider scale too: you and the other 
  players will develop a backstory and mythology about the hunters and 
  their world as you play. When something happens in an individual 
  mystery, you can weave some of those events back into later events to 
  build a consistent world.
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  THE KEEPER
  
  No Planning Ahead
  One thing that the Keeper definitely does not do is decide what is 
  going to happen to the hunters. You’ll prepare the situation that 
  they’re coming in to investigate, and you’ll think about what would 
  happen if they didn’t come.
  But once you sit down to play your mystery with the hunters, then 
  everything is up to them. They get to choose which places they visit, 
  which people they talk to, how they chase down the monster, and 
  everything else.
  Your preparation gives you a sketch of what’s going on, just enough 
  for you to work out how everything will react to what the hunters do.
  It’s fine to speculate about what is likely to happen. Say if you have 
  a hunter who is likely to be sympathetic to a particular person in the 
  mystery, you can go ahead and think about some possible things that 
  might happen because of that. Or perhaps you set up a place because 
  you are sure that the hunters will track the monster down there and 
  have a big fight. That sort of thing is fine: just as long as you remember 
  it’s only a possible outcome.
  What you should not do is force the story to go a certain way. 
  Instead, let the hunters do whatever they want, in the situation you 
  have set up for them.
  It's About the Hunters, 
  Not The Mystery
  Another thing to remember is that although in each game of Monster 
  of the Week the hunters have a mystery to solve, this isn’t really a game 
  about solving mysteries. We want to see the hunters being awesome, 
  and that requires that they solve the mystery and find out your secrets 
  about what’s going on in the wider world. Then we see what they do 
  with the answers.
  We play for the times when the hunters realise they need to do 
  something terrible, or put themselves in danger, or pull out all the 
  stops. When the hunters make those decisions, and we play out all the 
  consequences, that’s what this game is about.
  129
  THE KEEPER
  
  Before Your First Game
  There’s a few things you need to do before you begin.
  • Think about the style you want.
  • Get into the Keeper mindset.
  • Create a mystery for the hunters to investigate.
  Think About Style
  Before you begin playing, spend some time thinking about the style 
  you want to bring to the game. Consider the monster hunting fiction 
  that excites you the most, and maybe watch or read some of it. Gen-
  erate some ideas about how you want the world of the game to work, 
  how it will look to the hunters, and what sorts of things might be 
  going on. You’ll find a list of my favourite monster hunting fiction on 
  page 307 if you need some extra inspiration.
  The game is going to be built by you and the other players together: 
  so at this stage consider your ideas just a sketch. Once the hunters are 
  created and the game begins, all your sketches might get overwritten. 
  Having something in mind gives you a skeleton of the world to begin 
  with, but you’ll fill in the details as a group, in play.
  Get Into The Keeper Mindset
  You also need to prepare yourself for how to run the game.
  I’ve codified my best practices for running Monster of the Week 
  into a ‘toolbox’ of advice. This toolbox owes a huge debt to Vincent 
  Baker: in Apocalypse World Vincent described his methods for 
  running that game. As he’s done, I’ll present an agenda for what you 
  do as Keeper, what you should always say, the principles you use to 
  create the world, and the moves you can make.
  I’ll have more to say about these later, but I’ll present them here so 
  you have them in mind while you prepare your first mystery.
  130
  THE KEEPER
  
  131
  THE KEEPER
  The Keeper Agenda
  The Keeper agenda is what you should focus on in play. It’s the foun-
  dation for everything else you do.
  Your agenda is made up of three elements:
  • Make the world seem real.
  • Play to see what happens.
  • Make the hunters’ lives dangerous and scary.
  The Keeper Principles
  The Keeper principles are twelve specific ways to 
  apply your agenda:
  • Put horror in everyday situations.
  • Address yourself to 
  the hunters, not the 
  players.
  • Use the Keeper moves, 
  never use their names.
  • Be a fan of the hunters.
  • Build up a coherent 
  mythology of the world as 
  you play.
  • Nothing is safe. Kill bystanders and 
  minions, burn down buildings, let 
  monsters be slain.
  • Name everyone they meet, make them 
  seem like normal folks.
  • Ask questions and build on the answers.
  • Sometimes give the hunters exactly what 
  they earned, rather than everything they 
  wanted.
  • Think about what’s happening off-screen.
  • You don’t always have to decide what 
  happens.
  • Everything is a threat.
  
  132
  THE KEEPER
  Creating Your 
  First Mystery
  Before each game, you’ll create a mystery for the hunters to investi-
  gate. Here’s how to build your first mystery.
  If you want to skip this step, you can use either of the introduc-
  tory mysteries: “Dream Away the Time” on page  149, or “Damn 
  Dirty Apes” on page 273. Then you can resume reading at “The First 
  Session” on page 163 for advice on how to run the game.
  A mystery is made up of six basic elements. You can create them 
  in any order, but I’ll show you the order I usually use:
  • A basic concept for the mystery.
  • The hook that got the hunters’ attention.
  • The monster.
  • The minions, bystanders, and locations that are involved.
  • The mystery countdown.
  • Optionally: custom moves for special aspects of the mystery.
  Before I get into the guts of it, here’s what a finished mystery looks like. 
  Read it, and then I’ll talk about how the pieces fit together.
  An Example Mystery:  
  Mongolian Death Worm Attack
  The hunters get a report of some strange deaths at a local 
  museum. Professor Josh Singer, Dr Jennifer Sofia, and Michelle 
  Fitzsimmons were last seen alive working late unpacking 
  and cleaning up new items for the collection. The 
  next morning they were found “burned and par-
  tially dissolved” (according to police reports).
  The monsters are three newly hatched 
  Mongolian death worms. They’re bright red 
  and look moist and intestinal. Each 
  is about 5cm thick and 50cm 
  long. They have a deadly venom 
  that they can spit, and excrete 
  via the skin. Plus, they can 
  shoot lightning bolts. They like things dry, and water is poi-
  sonous to them.
  
  133
  THE KEEPER
  There’s someone here working for the monster, sort of. Dr 
  Kelly Morrison became obsessed with them during field work 
  in the Gobi Desert, and she smuggled the eggs back. Her plan 
  didn’t include them hatching and getting out, but now that 
  they have she wants to protect and observe them.
  While the hunters are investigating, they are likely to 
  come across these people:
  • Dr Frances Ferrara, who worked with the victims. 
  She’ll be helpful to the hunters, which may endanger 
  her.
  • Detective Patrick Eagan. He’s the police officer in 
  charge of investigating the deaths, and won’t appreci-
  ate the hunters getting involved.
  • Chris Larsen, museum administrator. A stickler for 
  procedure, he will annoy the hunters with demands 
  for authorisation and interfere with anything he 
  thinks is strange or against the rules.
  The Natural History Museum is a large, modern complex. 
  It’s divided into several wings, each with plenty of exhibition 
  halls, offices, store rooms, and work rooms. Looking for things 
  here, the hunters are going to be poking into all kinds of dark 
  corners.
  The worms have split up and are looking for warm, dry 
  spaces to nest. Once they find those (and finish digesting their 
  initial meal) they’ll start hunting through the museum: they 
  won’t need to start small, either, due to their venom. Humans 
  will be on the menu right away. Once they’ve eaten and grown, 
  they’ll mate (each is hermaphroditic) and each lay a clutch 
  of eggs. When those hatch, a plague of dozens of worms will 
  spread out from the museum.
  What That All Means
  That mystery writeup shows the level of detail you need to play the 
  game. You also give the hunters a reason to come and investigate the 
  situation and to deal with the monster(s) at the bottom of it. You start 
  the game knowing what the monster’s doing, some important people 
  and places, and with a plan about what will happen if the hunters don’t 
  sort it out.
  When you’re making up your own mystery, some of these ele-
  ments will be defined in game terms to make it easier for you to 
  manage them. I left the jargon out of the example, but I’ll describe 
  each of the pieces now. These are the six mystery elements I men-
  tioned before.
  
  Components Of A Mystery
  The basic concept is your original idea, the thought that led to this 
  mystery.
  In the example, the basic concept is the Mongolian death 
  worms—the stories are awesome, so I wanted to make a 
  mystery about them.
  The hook is whatever has drawn the hunters’ attention to the situa-
  tion: reports of deaths or disappearances, a monster sighting, or some 
  weird phenomena. You’ll tell the hunters up front what the hook is, 
  but after that it’s totally up to them how they deal with what’s going on.
  In the example, the hook is the news reports of the first three 
  deaths.
  Next there’s the monster. The monster has a type that defines its moti-
  vation, a description of what it looks like, what it can do, the attacks it 
  can use in a fight with the hunters, and some powers (its supernatural 
  abilities). Monsters also have a weakness: until the hunters use the 
  monster’s weakness against it, it cannot be destroyed.
  Mongolian Death Worms are monsters. They are beasts (a 
  specific style of monster in the game), which means they have 
  the motivation “to run wild, killing and destroying.”
  Powers:
  • Venom: When you are poisoned by a worm, its venom 
  will cause 1-harm every five minutes until the injury is 
  stabilized or the affected area is flushed clean with water.
  Attacks: Venom: 4-harm hand/close poison; Lightning blast: 
  3-harm close electricity stun.
  Weakness: Water.
  Next up are minions. These are servants of the main monster, who 
  help it out and work against the hunters. Minions also get a type and 
  motivation to guide you about how they act.
  In the example, Dr Kelly Morrison is a minion. She’s a guard-
  ian, with the motivation “to bar a way or protect something.” 
  She’s going to try and protect the worms as they nest and breed, 
  because she wants to study and understand them.
  134
  THE KEEPER
  
  There’s also a list of bystanders. These are the people involved in the 
  situation. These can be people who are in danger, who might help 
  the hunters’ investigation, who might get in the way. Bystanders each 
  have a type and associated motivation.
  Dr Francesco Ferrara, is a victim with the motivation “to put 
  herself in danger.” She’ll put herself in danger by helping the 
  hunters as much as she can.
  Detective Patrick Eagan is a detective, with the moti-
  vation “to rule out explanations.” If the hunters talk to him, 
  they’ll quickly discover that the deaths were no normal acci-
  dent or criminal attack.
  Chris Larsen is an official with the motivation “to be sus-
  picious.” He is there to get in the way of the hunters by bringing 
  up annoying regulations they need to comply with, and that 
  sort of thing. Just so the hunters don’t have too easy a time 
  exploring the museum.
  Next up is one or more locations that will be important. Locations 
  are allocated a type from a list. The type has a descriptive name and a 
  motivation. Locations in this game are able to do things. The motiva-
  tion tells you what sort of things this particular place will do.
  In the example, the one location is the Natural History 
  Museum. It’s a Wilds, with the motivation “to contain hidden 
  things.” The plan is to have it full of scary places, and fake-out 
  scares, as well as people to protect and worms to hunt down.
  Those elements (monsters, minions, bystanders, and locations) are 
  threats. Threats are the things that make trouble for the hunters, one 
  way or another. Each threat gets a type and a corresponding motiva-
  tion.
  Any kind of threat can have a custom move, too. This is a special 
  rule that defines something this particular threat can do. See page 296 
  for how to create custom moves.
  The last required element is a countdown. That’s what would 
  happen if the hunters never dealt with this situation. I’ve summarized 
  it in the final paragraph of the example, but when you’re making your 
  own mysteries, you’ll note down six particular events that will happen 
  unless the hunters prevent them.
  That covers enough ideas and game-related notes to get started 
  creating your first mystery.
  135
  THE KEEPER
  
  Preparing Your First Mystery
  This first mystery is going to be everyone’s introduction to the hunters 
  and to your game’s world. Build a straightforward hunt, to give the 
  hunters space to talk and get a sense of how the team operates. Pick 
  a classic monster that everyone will recognise from folklore, urban 
  legend, or pop culture.
  Once you have a monster, come up with a basic concept. Think 
  about what the creature could want, and what bad stuff is going to 
  happen if the hunters don’t stop it. The bad stuff might be personal, 
  local, or apocalyptic in scale.
  I’ll build an example ghost story while we go through the process, 
  to illustrate each piece.
  The basic concept is a haunted house story. There’ll be a ghost, 
  murdered unjustly, who wants restitution and is lashing out 
  at anyone who stays in the house.
  Marie O’Connell is the angry ghost. She was murdered 
  by her husband Damian (in an unjustified jealous rage) and 
  subsequently drove him to suicide.
  The Hook
  Now come up with a hook for the hunters. That’s the mysterious event 
  or clue that points to a supernatural problem. The hook is what came 
  to the hunters’ attention: it needs to clearly point to the mystery.
  The ideal hook screams “There is a monster here!” to a hunter, but 
  would be easily dismissed by normal folks who don’t believe in mon-
  sters. It also suggests what sort of monster it might be.
  A family just moved into the haunted house and attracted the 
  attention of the ghost. The house has been in the family for a 
  long time, but uninhabited for many years. Local news reports 
  have been running puff pieces about the haunting. Specifically, 
  the family have heard strange noises, objects have been moved, 
  and parts of the house are always cold. The articles mention 
  the tragic suicide of Damian O’Connell in the house 42 years 
  ago, after his wife Marie disappeared.
  136
  THE KEEPER
  
  The Threats
  Now the mystery needs some threats. These are the things that will 
  interfere with the hunters as they attempt to sort out the mystery.
  Threats come in four types:
  • Monsters (the big bad behind these events).
  • Minions (allies of the monster, usually weaker creatures).
  • Bystanders (normal folks who are involved).
  • Locations (significant places).
  Threat categories are more concerned with the role that the entity will 
  have in the mystery than rigid definitions. Sometimes powerful crea-
  tures will be “minions” because that’s how they fit into the situation. 
  In other cases, normal people could be a “minion” (if they’re inadver-
  tantly supporting a monster) or even a “monster” (if they’re a mass 
  murderer). Think about how the situation in your mystery is set up, 
  and choose threat types based on which part each element plays.
  137
  THE KEEPER
  
  Monsters
  Start with the monster. Most mysteries will have just one: the single 
  creature behind everything bad that’s going to happen.
  Monsters need the following details:
  • A description.
  • A monster type and motivation.
  • Supernatural powers.
  • Attacks and armour.
  • How much harm will kill it.
  • Any weaknesses it has.
  • Custom moves for its powers (optional).
  First, pick the monster’s type. The twelve types (and the motivations 
  that go with them) are:
  • Beast (motivation: to run wild, destroying and killing)
  • Breeder (motivation: to give birth to, bring forth, or create 
  evil)
  • Collector (motivation: to steal specific sorts of things)
  • Destroyer (motivation: to bring about the end of the world)
  • Devourer (motivation: to consume people)
  • Executioner (motivation: to punish the guilty)
  • Parasite (motivation: to infest, control and devour)
  • Queen (motivation: to possess and control)
  • Sorcerer (motivation: to usurp unnatural power)
  • Tempter (motivation: to tempt people into evil deeds)
  • Torturer (motivation: to hurt and terrify)
  • Trickster (motivation: to create chaos)
  In my example, Marie O’Connell, a ghost seeking justice, 
  makes a good Executioner with the motivation “to punish the 
  guilty.” To give her a reason to be angry at the hunters, she 
  wants to be properly laid to rest (Damian buried her under 
  the basement floor), and treats anyone who isn’t actively doing 
  that as one of the guilty parties she is punishing.
  138
  THE KEEPER
  
  Next up, think about the supernatural powers the monster possesses. 
  Think about your initial inspiration for the monster and work out what 
  it can do. There’s no particular level of detail you need for monster 
  powers. Some might be a simple descriptive note, such as “can fly.” 
  For others you might need more detail: note down as much about the 
  power’s effects and limitations as you can think of (this is a custom 
  move for the power: there’s more about them on page 296).
  For powers, Marie has the ability to appear instantly any-
  where in the house. And telekinesis which allows her to throw 
  knives and stuff around, and hold doors and windows closed.
  As she’s only a ghost, a lot of attacks won’t hurt her. Only 
  attacks using rock salt, cold iron, or magic can harm her at 
  all (I’m drawing inspiration straight from Supernatural 
  here). This is a power that restricts what attacks can affect her. 
  There’s also a special weakness that a monster has that must 
  be used to kill her for good—that’s addressed below.
  Once you know the monster’s powers, it’s time to make a note of its 
  attacks. Think about how it hurts and kills, and define an attack for 
  each method. Attacks are described just like hunter weapons: how 
  much harm is inflicted, the range of the attack, and any descriptive 
  tags for additional effects. Pick something in the range of 2 to 4 harm 
  for each attack.
  Marie’s attack uses her telekinetic powers. I describe this as 2 
  to 4-harm close (the exact harm will depend on what she has 
  to work with: the kitchen will be especially dangerous).
  Now decide how resilient the monster is.
  Decide how many points of harm will kill it. Take seven as your 
  basic minimum (the same as a hunter). Increase it based on how large 
  and robust the monster is. There’s no set maximum, but more than 
  fourteen would be exceptional. Sometimes a monster might be more 
  fragile, too: in those cases, reduce the harm capacity.
  Secondly decide if it has an armour rating, based on its innate 
  toughness or a power that makes it harder to hurt. 1- or 2- armour 
  is normal. Higher values make it difficult for the hunters to hurt the 
  monster, and no armour makes the monster very vulnerable.
  Marie is an averagely resilient ghost. I’ll set her harm capac-
  ity to seven. But I won’t give her any armour: her incorporeal 
  power is enough for the hunters to deal with.
  139
  THE KEEPER
  
  Now think about a weakness. All monsters must have one, and most 
  monsters have two or three. If the monster’s weakness is not used 
  against it, then the hunters cannot kill it. Weaknesses come in three 
  main types:
  • Something that will harm the monster directly, such as using 
  silver against a werewolf.
  • An environment that weakens or harms the monster, such as 
  sunlight against a vampire.
  • A special ritual or action that must be taken, such as an exor-
  cism to drive out an evil spirit.
  Think about your idea about the monster, and decide what it will have 
  as weaknesses.
  For weaknesses, I pick “her mortal remains” (that works well 
  with allowing proper burial to lay her to rest) and “the house” 
  (her association is so great that harming the house can also 
  harm her).
  Marie can be harmed by rock salt, cold iron, or magical 
  attacks but she can’t be killed unless her body is properly 
  buried or destroyed or unless the house is destroyed.
  If you haven’t already worked out what the monster is trying to achieve, 
  give that some thought now. If the initial concept doesn’t suggest a 
  plan, look at the type you have given the monster. Use the motiva-
  tion as a starting point, and work out what is the worst thing that this 
  monster could be planning to do here?
  Marie is obsessed with being laid to rest properly. She can’t 
  communicate with anyone directly, she’s just going to vio-
  lently attack them whenever they don’t seem to be helping 
  her. If people persist in not helping, she’s just going to kill them. 
  Because the family have been here longest without helping her, 
  she’ll target them first.
  140
  THE KEEPER
  
  Minions
  Decide if the monster is working on its own or if it has minions to help 
  it. If it has minions, detail them now. Minions can be weaker individ-
  uals of the same kind of monster, allied creatures of different kinds, 
  human worshippers, or human (perhaps unwitting) servants.
  Minions need the following details:
  • A description.
  • Minion type and motivation.
  • Supernatural powers, if any.
  • Attacks and armour.
  • How much harm will kill it.
  • A weakness (optional).
  • Custom moves for powers (optional).
  There are ten minion types:
  • Assassin (motivation: to kill the hunters)
  • Brute (motivation: to intimidate and attack)
  • Cultist (motivation: to save their own skin at any cost)
  • Guardian (motivation: to bar a way or protect something)
  • Right hand (motivation: to back up the monster)
  • Plague (motivation: to swarm and destroy)
  • Renfield (motivation: to push victims towards the monster)
  • Scout (motivation: to stalk, watch, and report)
  • Thief (motivation: to steal and deliver to the monster)
  • Traitor (motivation: to betray people)
  Minions may have powers and weaknesses like a monster. They are 
  usually weaker, but otherwise you can follow the rules and guidelines 
  for monster powers and weaknesses.
  Define attacks, harm capacity, and armour for all minions. 
  Minion attacks should be in the 1- to 4- harm range. The amount of 
  harm required to kill the minion should range from 5 to 10 (although 
  weaker and stronger minions are both possible).
  A group of minions can be defined the same as an individual. Do 
  this if the minions are a gang or swarm of nameless goons or critters, 
  to keep things simple. Define their attacks, armour, and harm capacity 
  to account for the group as a whole. A group of minions should have 
  their attacks boosted by one to represent their multiple attacks. The 
  group can be given a single harm track for all of the minions: harm 
  taken represents defeat of the group as a whole.
  If minions have armour, they normally have 1-armour, and only 
  rarely 2-armour or higher.
  141
  THE KEEPER
  
  There’s no obvious minions in the situation so far, but I have 
  an idea that Marie has a psychic connection with the rats that 
  live in the house. They’ll make good minions, probably mainly 
  to keep an eye on everyone in the house.
  The possessed rats are Scouts (motivation: to stalk, watch, 
  and report). If they attack, they do 1-harm intimate as a 
  swarm. 10-harm must be inflicted to disperse the group com-
  pletely.
  Bystanders
  Bystanders are the normal people who are involved in the situation. 
  They’re the victims, witnesses, interfering cops, and anyone else.
  Each bystander needs the following details:
  • A name.
  • A description.
  • A bystander type and motivation.
  There are nine types of bystander:
  • Busybody (motivation: to interfere in other people’s plans)
  • Detective (motivation: to rule out explanations)
  • Gossip (motivation: to pass on rumours)
  • Helper (motivation: to join the hunt)
  • Innocent (motivation: to do the right thing)
  • Official (motivation: to be suspicious)
  • Skeptic (motivation: to deny supernatural explanations)
  • Victim (motivation: to put themselves in danger)
  • Witness (motivation: to reveal information)
  Include at least two bystanders: it’s important to have some people for 
  the hunters to save.
  Start by defining the people directly involved in the situation: sur-
  viving victims, witnesses, official investigators. Think about why they 
  are here, why they’re involved in the monster’s plan, and what they 
  want to achieve. Coming up with those details helps develop them as 
  real people, in a real world.
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  THE KEEPER
  
  You generally don’t need to worry about how much harm a 
  bystander can take (it will almost always be seven, the same as a 
  hunter) or what their weapons are. If a bystander has a good chance 
  of getting involved in a fight (helpers in particular might do this), note 
  down what they’re armed with.
  It’s a good idea to include some partially defined bystanders: just 
  a name and type. You can use them in play for unexpected bystander 
  characters: just add any extra details at the time.
  For bystanders, there’s the family who’ve moved into the house. 
  Their names are Mark and Andi Hadley and their kids Sean 
  and Ashley.
  The family moved to the country for Andi to get a rest after 
  quitting a stressful job, and to help with Sean’s asthma. Mark 
  has a job he can do from the country—he’s a web designer. 
  Andi was a lawyer. Sean is 11 and Ashley is 6.
  Now I need to pick which sort of bystander each one is.
  Mark Hadley is a Skeptic (motivation: to deny supernat-
  ural explanations). Having him regard any talk of ghosts or 
  magic as foolishness will give the hunters something they need 
  to deal with: how do they handle Mark and still get the ghost 
  sorted out?
  Andi Hadley is a Witness (motivation: to reveal infor-
  mation). Because I’ve made Mark into someone difficult, I’ll 
  make Andi helpful. At least, that will be her intention at first. 
  Once things get strange and stressful, she won’t handle it well. 
  Helpful bystanders are a whole new sort of problem for the 
  hunters!
  Sean Hadley is a Victim (motivation: to put himself into 
  danger). I’m going for the easy “kids in peril” scares here.
  Ashley Hadley is a Helper (motivation: to join in the hunt). 
  I can see a six year old being totally fascinated by a team of 
  monster hunters. Of course she wants to help out!
  The bystanders could be rounded out with some more 
  people in the town, but I think we have enough.
  143
  THE KEEPER
  
  Locations
  Locations are places that can cause trouble for the hunters. They’re 
  metaphorically hostile, encompassing all the stuff that can go wrong 
  around the hunters (like the phones not working, or a car not starting, 
  or getting lost and ending up alone in the dark).
  Locations need the following details:
  • A name.
  • A description.
  • Location type and motivation.
  • Optionally, a map.
  • Optionally, one or more custom moves.
  There are ten location types:
  • Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, together)
  • Deathtrap (motivation: to harm intruders)
  • Den (motivation: to harbor monsters)
  • Fortress (motivation: to deny entry)
  • Hellgate (motivation: to create evil)
  • Hub (motivation: to reveal information)
  • Lab (motivation: to create weirdness)
  • Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate)
  • Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit)
  • Wilds (motivation: to contain hidden things)
  Define a location for anywhere that you expect significant parts of the 
  mystery will take place. Anywhere that is going to be an important 
  scene of investigation or action, or where the monster is active should 
  be written up as a location threat.
  Good locations to start with are:
  • The general area.
  • The monster’s lair.
  • Places where the monster has been active, or attacked 
  someone.
  • Places that the bystanders will be found.
  Maps can help define the location so that everyone can see how it 
  looks. Even a quick sketch of the area can help the group picture 
  what’s going on and what the place is like. Another good source for 
  town or region maps is to find an appropriate looking place in Google 
  Maps and print it out.
  144
  THE KEEPER
  
  We have the O’Connell house. A location is an obvious fit, but 
  what kind? Maybe it’s a huge, rambling place, making it a 
  perfect Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate). That will 
  give it lots of good moves to force the hunters to explore dark, 
  cluttered rooms... alone. The house has one custom move: 
  Once Marie closes the front door, if you try to leave the house, 
  you can not get out. Only laying Marie to rest, or destroying 
  her, will allow the hunters (and family) to leave.
  There’s also the nearby town. It’s likely the hunters will do 
  a bit of preliminary asking around, making a Hub (motiva-
  tion: to reveal information) a good choice. The town’s small, 
  not much more than a service centre for nearby farms. There’s 
  a run-down motel that the hunters will probably end up 
  staying in, a diner, and a couple of bars.
  More Threats
  As you continue to detail the mystery, you may realise that you need 
  to go back and add another threat of a certain type. Just put them in 
  as you think of them.
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  THE KEEPER
  
  Mystery Countdowns
  Each mystery has a countdown: this is the sequence of terrible things 
  that will happen if the hunters don’t stop the monster. The countdown 
  will be your guide to what will be going on off-screen as the hunters 
  investigate.
  To create the countdown, think about what would happen if the 
  hunters never came to help.
  • Who would be attacked?
  • Who would die?
  • What is the monster’s ultimate plan?
  Once you have an idea, divide it into six events in the order they will 
  occur. Then allocate them to the steps in the countdown. Countdowns 
  always have the following six steps:
  • Day.
  • Shadows.
  • Dusk.
  • Sunset.
  • Nightfall.
  • Midnight.
  The names of each step are intended to give a sense of things 
  getting worse. They are metaphorical: the “sunset” step of a count-
  down doesn’t have to happen at sunset; the steps don’t have to happen 
  on the same day.
  As the countdown is what would happen if the hunters didn’t 
  interfere, it normally won’t play out how you wrote it. But even when 
  the monster’s plan has been derailed, it will still be trying to achieve 
  its goals and the countdown is useful as a guide (or something to 
  adapt) to determine what happens next.
  146
  THE KEEPER
  
  For example:
  Here’s the countdown for our haunted house story.
  • Day: Marie traps the Hadleys in the house.
  • Shadows: Marie begins scaring them, hoping to push 
  them towards the cellar by fear.
  • Dusk: Mark is killed while trying to get a window open.
  • Sunset: Marie tries to get Andi and the kids to dig up her 
  remains, but they don’t understand and she kills them all 
  in a rage.
  • Nightfall: In another year, Marie kills four more people 
  who squat in the house overnight.
  • Midnight: Five years later, another family moves in and 
  Marie kills them.
  This is all the stuff that will happen if the hunters never 
  came. I expect that with the hunters present, they’ll be trapped 
  in the house as well as (or instead of) the Hadleys. After that, 
  I’m not sure how it will go. We’ll find out when we play.
  Summary: First Mystery Creation
  • Come up with a cool but uncomplicated basic concept for the 
  monster and mystery.
  • Create a hook: the clue that caught the hunters’ attention.
  • Create the monster: name, description, type & motivation, 
  then define its powers, weaknesses, attacks, armour, harm 
  capacity, optionally custom moves.
  • Create the minions (if any): name, description, type & moti-
  vation, then define their powers, attacks, armour, harm 
  capacity, optionally weaknesses and custom moves.
  • Create the bystanders (at least two): name, description, type 
  & motivation.
  • Create the locations: name, description, type & motivation, 
  optionally maps and custom moves.
  • Define the mystery countdown: six terrible events that would 
  occur if the hunters never came.
  • Go back over everything and make sure it all hangs together. 
  Fill in gaps where something seems to be missing.
  147
  THE KEEPER
  
  148
  THE KEEPER
  
  Introductory Mystery:  
  Dream Away 
  the Time
  Here’s a first mystery you can use if you don’t have 
  time to prepare your own.
  This mystery, like any mystery, asserts that certain 
  things will be true in your game. When reading it, 
  decide if these things fit your vision. In this case, for 
  the mystery to work it requires the existence of Faerie 
  (along with the inhabitants of Faerie that are causing 
  trouble in Handfast).
  149
  
  Mystery concept
  The village of Handfast has a long-standing contract with Oberon, 
  King of Faerie. In return for Oberon’s blessings of health and pros-
  perity, the town needs to give up a beloved child every forty years at 
  midsummer.
  This pact was upheld for centuries, but the various upheavals 
  of the twentieth century mean no-one’s left in Handfast who knows 
  about it. The last child was given over to Oberon exactly forty years 
  and one day ago. He’s angry and has invoked the penalty clause.
  Hook
  The hunters will be alerted to the mystery by the following events in 
  Handfast and the surrounding farmland.
  • One unusual weather event after another: a summer heat-
  wave, a tornado, flooding.
  • A spate of attacks in which a person alone, at night, has been 
  beaten and suffered a single cut, but can remember nothing 
  about the event or their attacker. This has happened four 
  times over the past week.
  • Accounts from a number of homes in town of food spoiling 
  overnight, knives being blunted, objects being thrown about, 
  and appliances failing.
  Countdown
  Oberon has Violet (a changeling) 
  and Bonecruncher (a redcap) 
  cause trouble in town.
  Day
  Violet finds the most beloved child.
  Shadows
  Violet and Bonecruncher abduct 
  the most beloved child.
  Dusk
  Oberon lets Bonecruncher off the 
  leash. He kills several people.
  Sunset
  Bonecruncher makes his lair in the town 
  hall, killing more people in the process.
  Nightfall
  The other townsfolk must leave or be eaten.
  Midnight
  150
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Notes
  This mystery is unusual in that the most dangerous supernatural 
  being here (Oberon) is not the monster to be defeated (which is Bone-
  cruncher the redcap). Oberon has set certain things in motion, but 
  Bonecruncher is the immediate danger to the town and the hunters. 
  Threat types are defined by their role in the mystery, which is why this 
  one has Oberon as a “minion” even though he’s really in charge.
  Aside from defeating Bonecruncher, the mystery has a few other 
  threads the hunters might want to tie up.
  • Oberon is indulging his desire for revenge due to the town’s 
  betrayal, but for him this is quite a small betrayal. If the hunters 
  propose some kind of reparation, he’ll be happy to leave the 
  town to its own devices. Cunning hunters might even argue 
  that the things he has already done are enough punishment 
  for the town to consider the contract quit. Another angle they 
  can take is that none of the people now suffering were parties 
  to the contract (Oberon will respond that they benefited 
  from his influence over the town, so are bound by the terms 
  for that reason). Hunters could also call upon another major 
  power as a mediator, but they would still need to successfully 
  present their argument against Oberon. Note that it is pos-
  sible the hunters may use manipulate someone on Oberon, 
  but he will demand a high price, such as servitude for one 
  hundred years, or a unique magical treasure.
  • Bonecruncher could be sent away as one of the terms of a 
  deal the hunters cut with Oberon, but otherwise the redcap 
  will be left to roam and kill as he wishes.
  • Violet poses another problem. She is currently happy being a 
  member of Oberon’s court, but her family would love to have 
  her returned. Hunters might think about restoring her mem-
  ories of her mortal life, or breaking the glamours of Faerie. A 
  disenchanted Violet will be unhappy to lose Faerie (and her 
  friends there) but will gradually settle back into a normal life. 
  And, after all, her fairy friends can still come and visit (that 
  could be a starting point for a later mystery). Hunters can use 
  manipulate someone on Violet as with any normal person, 
  although her wants are rather twisted by her time in Faerie.
  In case the hunters go looking for it: beloved children were sent to 
  Faerie on Midsummer Day in 1615, 1655, 1695, 1735, 1775, 1815, 1855, 
  1895, 1935, and 1975. These dates assume a game set in 2015—shift 
  them if your game is set some other time! The most recent disappear-
  ance must be 40 years back, and you can shift the town’s founding date 
  from 1615 if needed to make it fit.
  151
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Threats
  Oberon, King of Faerie
  Minion: Right Hand (motivation: back up the monster)
  Oberon has waited forty years and 
  one day, and no beloved child has 
  been given to him. As the contract 
  is now null and void, he wishes to 
  punish the town for their failure to 
  live up to their end. In order to do 
  so, he has dispatched two vassals 
  with the orders, “Create chaos, 
  scare them, perhaps even kill some 
  of them.” The vassals are Violet, 
  the last beloved child given to him 
  (who has no memory of her life 
  before she was brought to Faerie) 
  and Bonecruncher, a redcap (an 
  ogre who dyes his hat with the 
  blood of his victims).
  Most 
  likely, 
  Oberon 
  will 
  remain in his fortress in Faerie. 
  Extraordinary events might draw 
  him to the mortal world, but oth-
  erwise he will remain offscreen 
  unless the hunters go and find him. 
  Note that actually fighting Oberon 
  is a terrible idea. When physically 
  threatened, Oberon’s first action is 
  to summon his army, which should 
  give the hunters some idea of what 
  they’re dealing with.
  In person, Oberon is patron-
  ising and arrogant. After all, he 
  is an immortal elf-king and these 
  are just a bunch of dirty human 
  monster hunters. Try to give the 
  impression that anything he does 
  for them is an immense favour.
  152
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Powers:
  • Gift Of Power: Oberon may gift mortals with various powers 
  and traits, such as magical knowledge, luck, bountiful harvests, 
  or eternal youth. He will only do so for a very high price.
  • Glamour. Oberon may appear in any guise he wishes, and like-
  wise transform others.
  Oberon has many other powers but those two will be the ones most 
  appropriate for this mystery. If it really seems like he should have 
  another power, feel free to add it for your game.
  Attacks: Sword: 3-harm hand poison; Host of elf-knights plus goblin 
  infantry: 4-harm hand/close/far area.
  Harm capacity: 15 
  bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
  Armour: Faerie mail: 3-armour magic
  Weaknesses:
  • Winter. Note that this weakness is of little use as the mystery 
  takes place a few weeks after midsummer day.
  • His Word. If Oberon lies to or goes back on a promise or con-
  tract, the wronged party has power over him, which counts as a 
  weakness. As Oberon is aware of this, he will go to extraordinary 
  lengths to never put himself in this position.
  Oberon's Fortress
  Location: Crossroads (motivation: bring people and things 
  together)
  This is in Faerie. The hunters may travel here to try and come to an 
  arrangement with Oberon.
  If you want, you can make the journey through Faerie a major 
  task and extend the mystery. Alternatively, you can have the hunters 
  act under pressure to find their way, or have them meet a guide who 
  will take them swiftly to Oberon.
  King Oberon is very powerful and has hosts of fairies under his 
  command, so the hunters should treat this as a negotiation rather than 
  a battle.
  153
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Violet, a changeling
  Minion: Thief (motivation: to steal and deliver to the monster).
  Although 43 years old, her aging has been slow and she appears about 
  15. She wears silken elf-dresses, decorated with flowers and leaves. 
  She is barefoot, but has her dagger and bag of dust on a woven belt.
  This is the last human child given to Oberon. With no memory of 
  her mortal life, she is a willing servant to the King of Faerie. She knows 
  nothing of the mortal world, except that it is dangerous and people are 
  not to be trusted.
  Her current mission is to find the most beloved child in the town, 
  and along the way take whatever revenge she wishes on the town that 
  has betrayed her Lord.
  Violet is curious about mortals, and playful, so the hunters can 
  probably get her talking easily. Play her as unworldly and naïve, but a 
  little wild and dangerous as well.
  Powers:
  • Bane dust. Violet has a large bag of this “pixie dust”. When cast 
  about, it causes misfortune and mishaps (including spoiling food, 
  making people ill, and causing things to fail or break).
  • Glamour. Violet may alter her guise at whim, but may not change 
  her size.
  Attacks: Faerie dagger. 1-harm intimate/hand sleep magic. Anyone 
  harmed by this dagger may also suffer “falls into an enchanted slumber” 
  as a harm move.
  Harm capacity: 7 
  Okay bbbb|bbb Dying
  Armour: None
  Weaknesses: She is a normal human.
  154
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Bonecruncher, a Redcap
  Monster: Beast (motivation: to run wild, destroying and 
  killing)
  A seven foot hulking brute, with red eyes, gray stony skin, and sharp 
  teeth. He wears a woollen cap dyed with blood, and a shapeless tunic 
  that’s spattered with more.
  Bonecruncher is working for Oberon, taking revenge on the town 
  and keeping an eye on Violet.
  Bonecruncher is a simple creature, desiring only to kill mortals 
  to dye his cap and then eat their flesh. Oberon has given him strict 
  orders not to kill anyone yet, but Bonecruncher’s hunger is growing 
  and his will is quickly weakening. He’s taken to following people who 
  are alone at night, concealing himself in a cloak of shadows, brutally 
  beating them and cutting them a single time in order to keep his cap 
  damp with their blood. With so many potential victims around it’s 
  only a matter of time until Bonecruncher snaps and eats someone.
  If the hunters talk to him, Bonecruncher will insult and threaten 
  them, hoping to provoke a fight. If things go badly, he’ll call shadows 
  to conceal his escape.
  Powers:
  • Shadow Glamour. He may cloak himself in shadows, and put 
  shadows in people’s minds (this is why they don’t remember him).
  • Immense Strength. He automatically beats any normal human 
  in contests of strength.
  Attacks: Razor-sharp Poleaxe: 3-harm hand/close; Terrible Talons: 
  1-harm hand; Sharp Teeth: 2-harm intimate ignores-armour.
  Harm capacity: 9.  
  bbbbbbbbb
  Armour: None
  Weaknesses:
  • Fresh Blood: Needs fresh blood to dye his cap frequently. The 
  weakness is activated if the cap is destroyed or stolen, or if the 
  blood dries out.
  155
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  The Old Forest Nature Reserve, near Handfast
  Location: Wilds (motivation: to contain hidden things)
  This is where Violet and Bonecruncher are lurking between attacks.
  In the center of the forest is an overgrown stone circle. This is 
  where Violet and Bonecruncher are camping, and it’s also the place 
  where a portal to Faerie may be found. It’s elusive—difficult for 
  mortals to find unless a fairy guides them or magic is used.
  When a hunter uses magic at the stone circle, they may choose 
  “Open a path to Faerie” as the effect. Any fairy (including Violet) may 
  freely open or close this path.
  156
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Handfast, the Town
  Location: Hub (motivation: to reveal information)
  A remote town, settled in 1615 but far from the main trade routes. It is 
  nestled in a fertile valley, and has a history of being a thriving farming 
  town. More recently, it’s become a tourist haven, as a lovely piece of 
  history that’s off the beaten track.
  The town has a quaint town square surrounded by shops, a few 
  businesses nearby, and the rest is houses (for both locals and tourists).
  Tornado And Flood Wreckage
  Location: Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate)
  Parts of Handfast have been badly damaged by the recent freak 
  weather events, and the abandoned and damaged homes are difficult 
  to get through. Because the storms were supernaturally driven, the 
  pattern of damage is arbitrary: some destroyed houses have neigh-
  bours that are perfectly fine.
  Violet and Bonecruncher will both take advantage of these areas 
  to hide or shake off pursuit.
  Handfast Children's Park
  Location: Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, 
  together)
  Not far from the center of town is a large play area. Children will be 
  found here after school closes and during the weekends. The play area 
  has an elaborate (and huge) fairy-tale fort for the kids to climb on.
  The fort is also a hangout of the village’s teenagers after dark on 
  Fridays and Saturdays.
  Violet can often be found here, watching the children play, and 
  deciding which family she will target next.
  157
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Max Tilley, a beloved child
  Bystander: Innocent (motivation: to do the right thing)
  Max is the most beloved child in Handfast. He’s a cherubic four year 
  old, charming and full of laughter.
  Mary and Samuel Tilley, Max's parents
  Mary—Bystander: Official (motivation: to be suspicious)
  Mary works at an artisanal bakery in the center of town. She’s tall, 
  with short hair and doesn’t have any patience for messing about. She’s 
  forthright, sometimes verging on rude, when dealing with people.
  Samuel—Bystander: Skeptic (motivation: to deny supernatu-
  ral explanations)
  Samuel looks after Max and the family home (he’s also an aspiring 
  writer). He’s a messy dresser, perpetually worried about something he 
  might have forgotten to do.
  John and Alice Chilton, Violet's parents
  John: Bystander: Official (motivation: to be suspicious)
  As a traditional breadwinner in his youth, John never quite recovered 
  from the loss of his child, and threw himself into his career (he was 
  a workshop foreman) to cope. Now that he’s approaching retirement, 
  he’s feeling a little lost.
  Alice: Bystander: Helper (motivation: to join in the hunt)
  Alice had a different reaction to her loss—as the worst has now hap-
  pened, the world holds nothing that can harm her any more. If she 
  learns that her daughter is involved in the events in Handfast, she will 
  do anything necessary to get her back.
  If the hunters come to the Chiltons with news of Violet, they will 
  initially view the hunters as crazies and disregard them. If the hunters 
  can provide proof—most likely a photo, or leading Violet to her 
  parents—then they will be eager to “get her back” and will accept and 
  help with anything the hunters suggest—up to and including taking 
  part in a magic ritual.
  158
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  Officer Edward Turner
  Bystander: Gossip (motivation: to pass on rumours)
  Officer Turner is the whole of the village police 
  force, which is run from an office in the 
  front room of his cottage. Optimistic by 
  nature, he thinks that most likely this 
  is pranks getting out of hand. In his 
  experience, bad things don’t really 
  happen in Handfast. Play up his 
  geniality, and inability to really recog-
  nise the possibility of something terrible.
  The four victims of the assaults all report 
  the same thing:
  • They were out at night on a routine 
  chore or walk.
  • It was very dark.
  • They woke up, or were found 
  and woken, to find they had been 
  beaten and left with a big bleeding 
  cut on their forearm. Some victims 
  were cut on the left arm, some the 
  right.
  • An assault has taken place every 
  second night. The next is due tonight.
  The strange phenomena in peoples’ 
  homes are even weirder. Things are messed 
  up, gadgets and tools broken, and food gone 
  bad. The victims are either families with 
  young children or homes where everyone is 
  over forty, but the Sheriff hasn’t picked up on 
  that yet—a hunter might spot it if they get all 
  the household details from the police.
  Sheriff Turner has no idea what the heck 
  is going on here. Maybe college students up to pranks? Who knows?
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  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  The Assault Victims
  These are the four people attacked by Bonecruncher:
  Name
  Bystander type
  Trait
  Alice Rigsdale
  Gossip (motivation: 
  to pass on rumours)
  Boisterous
  Christopher Prower
  Gossip (motivation: 
  to pass on rumours)
  Lazy
  Constance Hopkins
  Gossip (motivation: 
  to pass on rumours)
  Sarcastic
  Frank Gardiner
  Gossip (motivation: 
  to pass on rumours)
  Elegant
  Unfortunately, they only provide useful information by omission. 
  Each knows only the following:
  • They were out at night on a routine chore or walk.
  • It was very dark.
  • They woke up, or were found and woken, to find they had 
  been beaten and left with a big bleeding cut on their forearm. 
  Some victims were cut on the left arm, some the right.
  Magic (“observe another time or place”) can allow the hunters to 
  see what really happened. CCTV footage is of limited use as Bone-
  cruncher cloaks himself in shadow when attacking, although the result 
  will definitely be suspicious, as a blob of shadow engulfs each victim.
  Jane Howland, Editor of the Handfast Herald
  Bystander: Witness (motivation: to pass on information)
  Aged 48, Jane is old enough to have heard hints of the contract, and 
  remembers Violet’s “death”, but has no reason to connect these or 
  suspect a conspiracy.
  She does, however, have a willingness to chat to visitors and a 
  huge archive of Handfast Herald issues, all the way back to April 1830.
  Investigating the archive looking for missing or dead children, or 
  at mid-summer, reveals a pattern of “dead” children. Every forty years 
  (in 1855, 1895, 1935, and—for Violet—1975), on midsummer day, a 
  loving obituary is presented for a child between two and five years old.
  160
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  The Crowne Tavern
  Location: Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, 
  together).
  This centuries-old tavern is the main bar, diner, and restaurant for 
  Handfast. Most anyone can be found here sometime, having coffee, a 
  meal, or drinking in the evening.
  Ely Holbeck is the owner.
  Ely Holbeck, Bartender
  Bystander: Gossip (motivation: to pass on rumours)
  Well-used to dealing with tourists, Ely will happily “play along” with 
  the hunters questions as long as they buy some food or drink. A young 
  man, he’s got no knowledge at all of the contract, but if prompted for 
  weird stuff, he’ll mention that as a kid he used to go into the “haunted” 
  spot in the centre of the Forest Reserve. He can describe how to get 
  there (or show them himself, if given a good reason). Like all mortals, 
  Ely will be unable to see the stone circle where Violet and Bone-
  cruncher are staying without some help from the hunters.
  Other Bystanders
  Use these templates as starting points for any other people the hunters 
  talk to.
  Name
  Bystander type
  Trait
  Richard Story
  Detective (rule out 
  explanations)
  Tough
  Eleanor Browne
  Victim (put herself 
  in danger)
  Geeky
  Joseph Latham
  Witness (reveal 
  information)
  Bookish
  John More
  Victim (put himself 
  in danger)
  Mean
  Elizabeth 
  Thompson
  Gossip (pass 
  on rumours)
  Honest
  Susanna White
  Witness (reveal 
  information)
  Morose
  161
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  162
  INTRODUCTORY MYSTERY: DREAM AWAY THE TIME 
  
  The First SesSion
  Getting everyone into a room to play is the next step.
  I’m going to assume that you get all the saying, “Hi,” 
  and getting snacks and drinks and catching up out 
  of the way first. I’ll tell you about the game stuff you 
  need to do.
  163
  
  Hunter Creation
  Your first task is to guide the other players through the process of cre-
  ating their hunters.
  Introduce the idea of team concepts (page 22). Help the group 
  come up with a concept that gets them all excited. If nobody thinks of 
  an exciting concept now, you can wait until later to work that out (wait 
  until after they’ve decided on their hunters’ histories with each other).
  Next, allocate hunter playbooks. It’s perfectly reasonable to limit 
  the hunter types available if you have a particular style in mind for 
  your game. This can also speed up hunter creation, as there are fewer 
  decisions to make.
  If the team has a concept that requires certain playbooks, have 
  people choose from those first. Otherwise, just let everyone have a 
  quick look at each and grab the one they like the look of. If anyone is 
  having trouble, ask them what sort of hunter they would like and you 
  can suggest which playbooks suit that idea.
  Then get everyone to follow the instructions in their playbook up 
  to “Introductions.” Be ready to answer any questions, and watch for 
  anyone who seems to be having trouble. You can help them work out 
  what moves or options will best fit their idea of the hunter. Put some 
  questions to the whole group, too, and get everyone’s input. If people 
  seem to be getting bogged down, tell them to just choose what seems 
  coolest now as they’ll have a chance to revise things after you play 
  your first session out.
  As everyone gets close to done, go around those who’ve finished, 
  find out what they’ve picked, and point out any implications you 
  can see from their choices. For example, there might be a mismatch 
  between the ratings they picked and what they need to roll for their 
  moves, or a possible duplication of abilities with the other hunters. 
  That sort of thing isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s worth thinking about 
  whether they really want to do it.
  164
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Introductions
  Once everyone’s ready to introduce themselves, facilitate taking turns 
  to introduce hunters. The most important things each player should 
  describe are their hunter’s name, playbook and looks, though they can 
  add more if they want.
  You should ask a few questions of each player to tease out more 
  details that you and the others might need to know, especially about 
  things that will have a big impact on the game (the Chosen’s destiny, 
  the Professional’s agency, the Wronged’s loss, etc). This is also a good 
  time to ask what each hunter can do, so that everyone can see how the 
  team works together.
  History
  Then go around the group again and have each player pick their hunt-
  er’s history with the other hunters. They do this by picking one of the 
  shared events or relationships from the list in their playbook.
  Some picks require extra details: follow the instructions listed. If 
  it doesn’t say who decides, the player concerned gets the final word. 
  Help with suggestions if anyone has a mind-blank when the time 
  comes to think of something, and make sure everyone’s cool with the 
  answer.
  At the end, each hunter should have two facts about their history 
  with every other member of the team (one they picked themselves, 
  and one picked by the other hunter about them).
  Now you can work out the team’s story, based on all those bits 
  of history. You don’t need to go into detail, but work out the basics of 
  how the hunters got to know each other and started hunting monsters 
  together, and maybe a rough chronology of what happened when.
  Mention How Things Work
  This is a good time to explain the player agenda (page  96), basic 
  moves (page  101), what to roll and add (page  99), using Luck 
  (page 113), when to mark experience (page  118), and how to level 
  up (page  118). Give just enough detail to get started, rather than 
  trying to explain everything right now. You can fill in more details 
  when they are needed.
  165
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Running The 
  First Mystery
  I’m going to start by talking a bit about the way to play the game, then 
  remind you of the Keeper agenda and principles, then discuss how to 
  use them. I will then introduce two more concepts you need: what you 
  should always say and the Keeper moves. That will give you all the 
  rules you need to run the game. I’ll pull all of this together to explain 
  how to run your mystery on page 201.
  The Game Is A Conversation
  This is an improvisational game in which you create a story together.
  The story emerges from a conversation between the players. 
  You’ll describe an initial situation and the other players will describe 
  how their hunters respond. This leads into an ongoing back-and-forth 
  between you and the hunters, as each decision the hunters make leads 
  to a new situation, requiring new decisions about what happens next.
  To help you make your decisions about what happens next when-
  ever the outcome is uncertain, the rules restrict you to certain options. 
  These parts of the conversation are called “moves.” Keeper moves work 
  differently to hunter moves: your moves are more general, to allow 
  you to build the game’s world in accordance with your responsibilities. 
  The moves flow from your Keeper agenda, Keeper principles, and the 
  things you should always say, so I’ll explain more about those, first.
  Keeper Agenda
  Remember that your agenda is to:
  • Make the world seem real.
  • Play to see what happens.
  • Make the hunters’ lives dangerous and scary.
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  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  How To Use the Keeper Agenda
  Making the world seem real means that you describe the world in a 
  way that makes sense. Most things are going to be the same as they 
  are in our world. Normal people will act like normal people, for 
  instance. As part of making the world seem real, the rules you estab-
  lish for magic and monsters should be consistent (unless you decide 
  to undermine that in order to make the hunters’ lives dangerous and 
  scary—see below).
  Play to see what happens means you let the story develop natu-
  rally. When you prepare a mystery, you decide what will happen if the 
  hunters don’t get involved. When the hunters start interfering in the 
  monster’s plans, let the results from that happen organically, based on 
  what the hunters do and the moves you decide to make.
  Make the hunters’ lives dangerous and scary. Well, that’s just what 
  it says. The hunters are cool action heroes and for that to matter they 
  need to be dealing with horrific and overwhelming stuff. The harder 
  it is to save the bystanders they meet, the more rewarding it will be 
  when they manage.
  The sections that follow (about your principles, the things you 
  should always say, and your moves) are all designed to support you in 
  sticking to your agenda.
  The Keeper Principles
  Remember that your principles are:
  • Put horror in everyday situations.
  • Address yourself to the hunters, not the players.
  • Use the Keeper moves, but never use their names.
  • Be a fan of the hunters.
  • Build up a coherent mythology of the world as you play.
  • Nothing is safe. Kill bystanders and minions, burn down 
  buildings, let monsters be slain.
  • Name everyone they meet, make them seem like normal 
  folks.
  • Ask questions and build on the answers.
  • Sometimes give the hunters exactly what they earned, rather 
  than everything they wanted.
  • Think about what’s happening off-screen.
  • You don’t always have to decide what happens.
  • Everything is a threat.
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  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Using the Keeper Principles
  The Keeper principles keep your agenda at the front of your mind. 
  Here’s more detail on each of the principles:
  Put horror in everyday situations because that’s a way to make it 
  hit home. If the victims are regular people, just like us, then that gives 
  the horror emotional bite. Plus we’re creating a world almost like the 
  real one.
  Address the hunters, not the players to keep things immediate. 
  If you talk to Diana the hunter instead of Stefan the player, you’re 
  putting him into that zone, where he needs to deal with what Diana 
  has in front of her right now.
  Make your move but never use its name. You have a list of moves 
  you are allowed to make (see page 172). You should not, however, tell 
  the hunters that you are picking a particular move from the list. Tell 
  them what happens in the story, the actions that comprise your move. 
  “The swamp gargoyle grabs you and leaps up onto the roof, leaving 
  everyone else in the alley” is a lot more interesting than “I separate you! 
  Francis, you’re grabbed and on the roof now.” Grounding your moves 
  in the events of the game keeps the sense that things are happening 
  because they make sense, rather than that you picked an option from 
  a list.
  Be a fan of the hunters because that’s the whole point of the game. 
  We’re here to see how awesome these hunters can be. Your job is to 
  make life hard for them, but only so you can see how the hell they get 
  out of their next predicament!
  Build up a coherent mythology of the world as you play is another 
  way to make the world seem real. When the hunters fight a vampire, 
  it should have the same instincts, powers and weaknesses as the 
  vampire they fought a month ago (unless you already know that there 
  are several kinds of vampire, of course.) Keep track of what’s hap-
  pened, and how it fits together. Then you can start working out the 
  deeper truths that underlie it all.
  Nothing is safe because this is a horror game. The monsters are 
  going to kill people (or worse) unless the hunters stop them. And the 
  same goes for your monsters and minions: when the hunters track 
  them down, let them die. Let stuff burn, explode, or fall into a magical 
  rift forever.
  Name everyone they meet, make them seem like normal folks is 
  there to make the hunters want to save these people. But normal folks 
  could be jerks, or dumb, or annoying, and they still need to be saved. If 
  the hunters meet a bystander a second time, make sure that bystander 
  remembers what happened last time and acts based on what the 
  hunters did then.
  168
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Ask questions and build on the answers helps you populate the 
  world. At the beginning, none of you know what the story is here. 
  You’re going to invent details as you fill the world, but some of this 
  is up to the other players. When a hunter does something, ask how 
  they do it. What did it seem like to everyone else? Why do they do it 
  that way? Have you fought one of these creatures before? What did 
  you learn then? Use the answer they give you and expand on it: build 
  it into the game’s mythology and into the mysteries and recurring 
  threats you create.
  Sometimes give them exactly what they earned, rather than what 
  they wanted keeps things interesting. Usually it’s pretty obvious what 
  the hunters want when they make a move, but you don’t have to give 
  them more than the rules say. For example, say someone chooses 
  “Who’s most vulnerable?” Your answer could be “Well, you can see 
  where another ghoul is hiding, you could get behind it” but sometimes 
  the answer is “the one that’s half dead on the floor in front of you.” 
  Don’t always do this—remember to do what your preparation and 
  honesty demand (see the always say section, below). But, sometimes, 
  just do what the rules demand.
  Think about what’s happening off-screen is a reminder that what 
  you’re focused on right here and now isn’t the only thing that’s going 
  on. What is the monster doing at the moment? What about the people 
  the hunters talked to before? Who is in danger and who is up to some-
  thing? If the hunters have split up, what are the others doing?
  You don’t always have to decide what happens. Sometimes there 
  are places where you have a choice—for instance, would the monster 
  kill this victim right now?—and you don’t have a clear idea how it 
  should play out. Maybe you can give the hunters a chance to inter-
  vene. Or you could think about what’s going through this monster, 
  minion or bystander’s head, and let them decide. Does the monster 
  really want to kill that person, or would it maybe take them captive, 
  or maybe scare them and leave? Or maybe the victim has a plan? You 
  don’t need to make every single judgment based on some unattainable 
  perfect first impulse. There are other ways to work it out.
  Everything is a threat. Obviously the monsters and minions are 
  threats, but so is everything else. “Threat” here is meant very broad-
  ly—a threat is anything that’s going to make trouble for the hunters. 
  So even the people the hunters are trying to help are going to be 
  threats. They’ll get in the way, or panic, or do something really stupid. 
  That applies to everything else that turns up in the game, too. Places, 
  objects, cults, police departments. Everything is a threat.
  169
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Always Say
  When it’s time for you to say something, what you say is one of these:
  • What the principles demand.
  • What the rules demand.
  • What your prepared mystery and arcs demand.
  • What honesty demands.
  Using What You Always Say
  The “Always say” rules ensure you stick to your job.
  Say something that the principles demand. The principles keep 
  the style of the game grounded in action-horror, and help you decide 
  what will come next.
  Say what the rules demand. When someone makes a move, follow 
  the rules for that move. Don’t apply them inconsistently.
  Say what your prepared mysteries and arcs demand. That’s what 
  you prepared them for, after all. If the mystery countdown says the 
  rakshasa is going after the mayor next, that’s what you say (unless 
  other events have changed its plan, of course). Arcs are ongoing or 
  recurring threats, like season-long stories or big bad monsters (I talk 
  more about them on page 227), but are treated here the same as mys-
  teries.
  Say what honesty demands means you should let the hunters 
  know anything they would be aware of. For example, there’s a monster 
  waiting to ambush them and they’re walking right into it. But an expe-
  rienced, bad-ass hunter would know to be careful here. It makes sense 
  to say to them, “This would be a good ambush spot—maybe you want 
  to read a bad situation?” Or, if they’re talking about the werewolf 
  they’re hunting and they say, “Silver kills werewolves” but that isn’t 
  true for your werewolves, then let them know, “Actually silver is a 
  myth, but wolfsbane works.” Or if they’re going to make a move like 
  protect someone and they’ll need to throw themselves in front of a 
  flesh-stitcher, let them know that they’re going to suffer a lot of harm 
  if they do it.
  More generally: You should be a fan of the hunters, so don’t let 
  dumb, unsaid stuff trip them up.
  Extending that, you can always give a player a do-over if a situa-
  tion wasn’t what they thought it was. For example, if someone chooses 
  to suffer harm as a move result, thinking it will only be a minor injury 
  but in fact it’s enough to kill them. In that case, let them go back and 
  choose the option that keeps them alive instead.
  170
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Moves
  Moves cover situations when the game rules step in to help determine 
  what happens.
  Just as the hunters have basic moves and playbook moves, you 
  have a set of basic Keeper moves. You also get moves that go with each 
  type of threat, and harm moves for when someone (or something) 
  gets hurt.
  For the hunters, their moves cover specific cases. Hunter moves 
  say that when a hunter does this, it is resolved like so. Your Keeper 
  moves are more general, giving you broad but definite options.
  To Do It, You Have To Do It
  This is important: when you (or the hunters) make any move, you 
  must describe how it happens.
  Always say what is happening in the game, not just the rules side 
  of things. Don’t tell someone “roll act under pressure!” tell them “the 
  warlock’s gaze insinuates itself into your mind and as it hisses, ‘Kill 
  your comrades,’ you feel an overwhelming urge to comply. What do 
  you do?”
  There’s a flip-side to this as well. When one of the hunters is doing 
  something that is a move, make sure they follow the rules for that 
  move. For example, if someone says “I go up to the park ranger and 
  ask her ‘Did you see anything weird last Sunday night?’” then you 
  should ask them to roll the investigate move before you decide how 
  the ranger answers.
  171
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  The Basic Keeper Moves
  Every time it’s your turn in the conversation to tell the hunters what 
  happens, or when they look at you expecting you to say something, 
  use one of these moves:
  • Separate them.
  • Reveal future badness.
  • Reveal off-screen badness.
  • Inflict harm, as established.
  • Make them investigate.
  • Make them acquire stuff.
  • Tell them the possible consequences and ask if they want to 
  go ahead.
  • Turn their move back on them.
  • Offer an opportunity, maybe with a cost.
  • Take away some of the hunters’ stuff.
  • Put someone in trouble.
  • Make a threat move, from one of your mystery or arc threats.
  • After every move, ask what they do next.
  Using The Keeper Moves
  These moves are your main tool in play. Most of the time, when you’re 
  saying something, it will be one of these Keeper moves. Here are the 
  detailed explanations of them all:
  Separate them is just that. You can arrange a separation lots of 
  different ways. Maybe a monster grabs someone, maybe someone falls 
  behind, or maybe you can just say, “While Francis is checking out the 
  kitchen, you’re upstairs searching the bedrooms.” Anything to get the 
  hunters away from each other and from the people they’re trying to 
  help. Separating people can be used to make them vulnerable, or you 
  can use it to put certain people together, away from the others, if you 
  think that will lead to something interesting.
  Reveal future badness allows you to hint at something that the 
  hunters will need to deal with later. It can be obvious, for example 
  when they see a person with a snake-like face approaching, or when 
  they ask about what’s likely to happen as part of an investigate move. 
  It can be subtle, such as you mention the sun is setting (and, by impli-
  cation, that the monsters are coming), or they hear an indistinct noise 
  ahead of them while they explore a haunted house. It could be some-
  thing from your mystery countdown that will be happening soon. It 
  could be something from one of your arcs that might not matter right 
  now, but which creates awareness of bigger problems for the hunters.
  172
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Reveal off-screen badness is similar, but it’s something happening 
  right now, somewhere else. It could be things seen or heard in the dis-
  tance (screams, sirens, a fire, etc). Or it could be what’s going on from 
  someone else’s point of view, such as a potential victim seeing the 
  monster coming for them. You can even cut away from the hunters, 
  just like in a TV show, and show the players who is in danger, or who 
  is up to something.
  Inflict harm, as established is used when a person or other thing 
  in the world was being threatened with damage and nothing pre-
  vented it. The “as established” part is important—you can only inflict 
  harm that is plausible and already present in the story. For example, if 
  a hunter is pushed down a flight of stairs you immediately have a good 
  idea of the potential harm. It is likely they’ll be shaken and bruised, 
  possible that they broke a bone or got a concussion, but they can’t 
  suffer severe burns.
  Make them investigate keeps the game moving. In each mystery 
  the hunters need to find clues until they know enough to face the 
  monster behind it all. If the hunters get stumped, ask them what they 
  look for next. If they ask you for information, ask them how they find 
  it out, then get them to make the investigate a mystery move. The 
  answers from investigating depend on what the hunter did: by asking 
  a witness questions they will learn different things than when they 
  analyse samples in a lab. If the hunters ask a question and you can’t see 
  how they could discover that, ask them to explain how.
  Make them acquire stuff. Use this move when the hunters need 
  something special, like they want to build a spirit detector, or cast a 
  spell, or find an old book, or get a new weapon. Ask them how they 
  pay for it, steal it, or find it.
  Tell them the possible consequences and ask. Often, the hunters 
  will want to do something but it isn’t a move. Let them know they can 
  do it, but only if they pay a certain price or suffer certain effects. For 
  example, you can get away through that vent, but you’ll have to leave 
  your shotgun behind. Or you can grab that bag, but only by putting 
  yourself in the firing line. The consequences could be a move, too: 
  “you can do it, but you’ll need to act under pressure.”
  Turn their move back on them is for when a hunter misses a move 
  roll. Whatever they were trying to do happens to them instead. If 
  they were trying to protect someone, they made the danger worse. 
  If they were investigating a mystery, they revealed something to the 
  monster. If they were using magic, it has the opposite of its intended 
  effect.
  173
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Offer an opportunity, maybe with a cost. If they need something, 
  offer what they need and tell them what they need to pay for it. For 
  example, maybe the sheriff will let them continue investigating in his 
  town, but only if they guarantee his children’s safety.
  Take away some of the hunters’ stuff. Things break. Weapons can 
  be dropped. Vital equipment can be thrown across the room by a 
  monster, or smashed to pieces. The “taking away” doesn’t have to be 
  permanent, either: cellphones can lose the signal, the car could be out 
  of gas, or a gas leak might make it too dangerous to fire a gun right 
  now.
  Put someone in trouble. Hunters are out to save people, so you 
  need to provide people for them to save. Threaten bystanders, endan-
  ger other members of the team, and send monsters after a hunter’s 
  family. Plus there are other kinds of trouble as well, such as suspicious 
  cops or neighbours who don’t like the hunters snooping around.
  Make a threat move, from one of the current mystery’s threats or 
  one of your arc threats. This list of Keeper moves is not the whole story. 
  Each type of threat has its own list of special moves it can make: see 
  pages 176 to 179. Use these when the threats are present and active.
  After every move, ask what they do next. Just as it says, every time 
  you make a move, immediately ask what the hunters do next. Let them 
  drive the action, by asking what they do next at every chance you get.
  Which Keeper Move To Use
  Mostly it will be obvious what should happen next, and picking your 
  move is easy. Other times it’s not so obvious, and you might need to 
  think a little about what you will do. That’s fine, take a moment if you 
  need to. Or you can just ask the hunters what they do—that’s a good 
  default move when you can’t think of anything right now.
  If you can’t decide, you can always fall back on your Keeper prin-
  ciples or your agenda, and describe something consistent with them.
  Soft Moves And Hard Moves
  You can use each Keeper move in one of two ways: as a “soft” move or 
  as a “hard” move.
  A soft move is one that threatens danger, or pushes the hunters in 
  a certain direction, but there’s a way to a stop the danger, or divert it.
  For example: “The ice weasel races down the hall, teeth bared 
  to rend!”
  This is a reveal future badness move, and gives the hunters 
  something to react to—they can do something to prevent the danger, 
  or ignore it and do something else instead.
  174
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  A hard move doesn’t give the hunters a chance to react.
  For example: “The ice weasel shoulders your arm out the way, 
  and its teeth bite deep into your shoulder, ripping through 
  clothes, skin, and muscle. Take four harm.”
  This time it’s inflict harm as established, but because it’s used as 
  a hard move, the hunter doesn’t have any chance to respond (or avoid 
  suffering the harm).
  Soft Moves Set Up Hard Moves
  Use soft moves to set up situations that will lead to a hard move. A 
  soft move gives the hunters something to deal with. If they solve that 
  problem, great. If not, then a follow-up hard move is the consequence 
  of failure.
  When To Make A Hard Move Without Setting It Up
  As well as a failed attempt to deal with a soft move, events in play can 
  turn out so that a hard move is appropriate. Specifically:
  • When the hunters hand you a golden opportunity
  • When a hunter misses a roll (that is, rolls a 6 or less)
  • When a hunter has used up all their Luck.
  Handing you a golden opportunity is a situation where, for example, 
  the hunter says, “I leap down into the horde of zombies!” If you inflict 
  4-harm on them from zombie bites and clawing, that’s too bad: they 
  knew what they were getting into.
  Missing a roll (with a total of six or less) is always a time when 
  you can make a hard move. The hunter’s screwed something up badly, 
  so do whatever you need to. For example, if a hunter tries to protect 
  someone and blows it, then you can inflict harm on the victim, maybe 
  even kill them: make whatever was threatened come to pass.
  The last one’s a different case. When someone has used all their 
  Luck, they become ‘doomed’. This means you are allowed to make hard 
  moves against them any time. For example, let’s say a hunter says “I’ll 
  go check out the camp site” and you know the yeti have set up an 
  ambush there. Normally it would make sense to give them a chance to 
  spot this, for instance by asking if they want to read a bad situation as 
  they approach. But if the hunter is doomed (and doesn’t make a point 
  of checking for danger), then you can choose to make a hard move, 
  which means they only find out when two yeti grab them.
  These situations are times when you are justified making as hard a 
  move as you like. You don’t have to, but you can. Always refer back to 
  your agenda and principles when you make these choices.
  175
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Threat Moves
  Each type of threat has its own set of special moves it can make. Use 
  these as well as the basic Keeper moves when you’re describing what 
  a threat is doing.
  Threat moves are used in the same way as the basic Keeper moves, 
  except that a particular threat has to be the source of the move.
  Monster Threat Moves
  Monsters get fourteen moves:
  • Hint at its presence
  • Display its full might
  • Appear suddenly
  • Attack with great force and fury
  • Seize someone or something
  • Attack with stealth and calculation
  • Order underlings to do terrible acts
  • Destroy something
  • Escape, no matter how well contained it is
  • Give chase
  • Return to home ground
  • Boast and gloat, maybe revealing a secret
  • Return from seeming destruction
  • Use an unnatural power
  Using Monsters
  Monsters are the key threat type, always there in the shadows, behind 
  everything bad that is happening. They should be dangerous and 
  scary, but also remote at first. Let the monster be revealed slowly, as 
  the hunters close in. This will be matched by the hunters gradually 
  learning about the monster’s powers and weaknesses.
  Don’t be afraid to use the monster threat moves to get it out of 
  trouble, either. Especially in cases where the hunters track it down 
  early in the mystery, you can let it escape for the time being, allowing 
  it (and the hunters) a chance to rest and regroup.
  Finally, it will likely come down to a fight between the hunters and 
  the monster. This is the chance to throw everything at them: use all its 
  unnatural powers, gloat, and generally make the final fight as tough 
  and exciting as possible.
  176
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Minion Threat Moves
  Minions get eleven moves:
  • A burst of sudden, uncontrolled violence
  • Make a coordinated attack
  • Capture someone, or steal something
  • Reveal a secret
  • Deliver someone or something to the master
  • Give chase
  • Make a threat or demand on behalf of the master
  • Run away
  • Use an unnatural power
  • Display a hint of conscience or humanity
  • Disobey the master, in some petty way
  Using Minions
  Minions are there to support and guard the monster. While monsters 
  should be kept at a distance to start with, it’s fine for minions to be 
  noticed and fought early in the mystery.
  Minions can also be used to build up tension, giving the hunters a 
  feeling of being surrounded by danger, or of constantly being watched.
  Don’t have minions always fight to the death: they can flee, sur-
  render, or offer a deal to be left alive or betray their master. This is 
  especially true for human minions.
  177
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Bystander Threat Moves
  Bystanders get ten moves:
  • Go off alone
  • Argue with the hunters
  • Get in the way
  • Reveal something
  • Confess their fears
  • Freak out in terror
  • Try to help the hunters
  • Try to protect people
  • Display inability or incompetence
  • Seek help or comfort
  Using Bystanders
  Bystanders don’t normally intend to cause trouble for the hunters, but 
  they do so anyway. Think of each bystander as a person who wants 
  one simple thing (which is represented by their motivation). A victim 
  might want to just stay in his apartment, whatever the hunters say is 
  coming. An official might just want to finish the paperwork and be 
  done with this case, without dealing with any crazy hunters.
  When thinking about bystander moves, consider the bystand-
  er’s motivation, and what dumb thing they could do that will lead to 
  trouble for the hunters. What can the bystander complicate for the 
  hunters? How can they get in the way? This applies even when the 
  bystander helps the hunters: this will give the hunters extra problems, 
  starting with keeping the helper alive.
  Bystander motivations are not always things that immediately 
  lead to trouble. For example:
  A witness is motivated to reveal information. Although when you 
  reveal information to a hunter, that does tend to lead to trouble: telling 
  the hunters where to find a monster usually leads to them going to 
  fight it! Witnesses might also give the hunters too much information, 
  or tell them something incomplete or just plain wrong.
  A helper can easily create trouble despite wanting to help the 
  hunters, just by giving the hunter someone to look after. Or consider a 
  helper who tries to lure the monster towards the hunters.
  An innocent, wanting to do the right thing, can cause trouble 
  by insisting that the authorities get involved, or by telling people the 
  whole truth at an inopportune time.
  Any normal person the hunters talk to should be given a name 
  and threat type, almost always a bystander type. If you have no partic-
  ular idea what their role in the story is going to be, default to witness 
  if they might have some clues for the hunters, or victim otherwise.
  178
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  Location Threat Moves
  Locations get eleven moves:
  • Present a hazard
  • Reveal something
  • Hide something
  • Close a way
  • Open a way
  • Reshape itself
  • Trap someone
  • Offer a guide
  • Present a guardian
  • Something doesn’t work properly
  • Create a particular feeling
  Using Location Threats
  Locations normally don’t have intentions in the way that monsters, 
  minions and bystanders do. Instead they stand in for things that go 
  wrong around the hunters, due to hazards in the environment. For 
  example, in a maze, an exit door could get jammed, or the GPS in the 
  hunters’ car might start glitching out.
  Location threat moves give you ways to move the mystery along, 
  or put obstacles in the way of the hunters. They’re useful to pace the 
  mystery as it plays out—to slow the progress down, or speed it up. The 
  moves also work well when there’s action, to keep things exciting.
  179
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  180
  THE FIRST SESSION
  
  The Basic 
  Hunter Moves
  The earlier description of the basic hunter moves (on 
  page 101) is written from the hunters’ point of view. 
  Here’s some extra information about the moves from 
  the Keeper’s point of view.
  181
  
  Act Under Pressure
  Here’s the move:
  This covers trying to do something under conditions of partic-
  ular stress or danger. Examples of acting under pressure are: 
  staying on task while a banshee screams at you; barricading a 
  door before the giant rats catch up; resisting the mental domi-
  nation of a brain-worm; fighting on when you’re badly injured.
  When you act under pressure, roll +Cool.
  • On a 10+ you do what you set out to.
  • On a 7-9 the Keeper is going to give you a worse 
  outcome, hard choice, or price to pay.
  • On a miss, things go to hell.
  This is a general purpose move, for any time a hunter tries something 
  that is dangerous or liable to fail, and isn’t covered by any other moves 
  (either a basic move, or one from a playbook).
  The pressure can be anything from being detected when they’re 
  hiding to resisting death as they try and escape a blazing building.
  Make sure you establish what the pressure is at the start, so the 
  hunters know what they’re in for if they mess up. You need to know 
  what they’re trying to do, and to let them know what’s making it hard.
  A result of 7-9 tells you to give them a worse outcome, hard 
  choice, or price to pay—they can do what they wanted, if they accept 
  what you pick. It is still a success, so they should be able to do what 
  they wanted, although the cost might be high enough that they decide 
  not to. Use your agenda and principles to help decide.
  For our hiding example, maybe they can stay hidden, but only if 
  they let the monster trap them in a dead end. Or they have to go so far 
  back that they can no longer see what’s happening. In both of these 
  cases, the hard choice is about where they’re positioned in the story. 
  They could stay hidden, but have to pay the price.
  For the burning building, maybe they can escape if they jump out 
  a second floor window. Or they can run through flames to escape or 
  stay somewhere that is safe for now. In these cases, the price is some 
  harm from the fall or the fire.
  On a miss, then whatever the pressure has overwhelmed the 
  hunter.
  182
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Help Out
  Here’s the move:
  When you help another hunter with a move they are making, 
  roll +Cool.
  • On a 10+ your help grants them +1 to their roll.
  • On a 7-9 your help grants them +1 to their roll, but you 
  also expose yourself to trouble or danger.
  • On a failure, you expose yourself to trouble or danger 
  without helping.
  This is used when a hunter wants to help another hunter make a move. 
  Helping will give the other hunter +1 on a single roll. It’s okay to see 
  what the result is before deciding to help out, as long as it still makes 
  sense that the hunter could do something to help improve the results.
  Make sure they tell you what concrete action they are taking to 
  help out. If they can’t think of how they help, then they don’t get to 
  do it. You should also make sure their actions actually do help in the 
  game, too. For example, helping with an attack might allow the helper 
  to add their weapon’s harm to the injury the first hunter inflicts on the 
  monster.
  A result of 7-9 means that the hunter succeeds in helping, but 
  exposes themselves to trouble. A lot of the time this trouble will be 
  obvious, as when they are helping someone kick some ass. Here you 
  could inflict harm on both of the hunters. In other cases the trouble 
  will be less obvious, such as a when trying to help investigate a 
  mystery by interviewing witnesses: this might lead to hostile rumours 
  circulating about the hunter later on, or make an enemy of a witness.
  On a miss, the help does no good and the helper exposes them-
  selves to trouble or danger. This could be the same as the danger of the 
  move being helped, or something else entirely.
  183
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  184
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  Investigate A Mystery
  Here’s the move:
  Investigating can be done any number of ways: following 
  tracks, interviewing witnesses, forensic analysis, looking up 
  old folklore in a library, typing the monster’s name into Google, 
  capturing the monster and conducting tests on it, and so on. 
  Anything that might give you more information about what’s 
  going on is fair game for an investigate move.
  When you investigate a mystery, roll +Sharp.
  On a 10+ hold 2, and on a 7-9 hold 1.
  One hold can be spent to ask the Keeper one of the follow-
  ing questions:
  • What happened here?
  • What sort of creature is it?
  • What can it do?
  • What can hurt it?
  • Where did it go?
  • What was it going to do?
  • What is being concealed here?
  On a miss, you reveal some information to the monster 
  or whoever you are talking to. The Keeper might ask you some 
  questions, which you have to answer.
  It’s important that your attempts to investigate (and the 
  results you get from them) are plausible and consistent with 
  what’s happening. For example, if you’re using laboratory 
  equipment to investigate evidence, you probably won’t be able 
  to learn anything about the monster’s magical origins.
  
  The investigate a mystery move will be used frequently. When the 
  hunters begin each new mystery, they will have (at best) a vague idea 
  of what they’re hunting. Investigation is the main way to find out 
  what’s going on, where the monster is, who they need to protect, and 
  anything else they need to know.
  The move covers any investigation technique the hunters can 
  think of: interviewing witnesses, sending monster DNA to the lab, 
  tracking it through the alleys, looking at a dead body and reconstruct-
  ing what happened, looking through ancient tomes of monster lore, 
  and hacking into police databases. These are all legitimate ways to 
  investigate.
  Ask yourself, “Could they conceivably find anything useful that 
  way?” If the answer is “Yes,” tell them to go ahead. If the answer is “No” 
  then ask, “How would you find that out?” If they have a good reply, let 
  them know the answer. If there still isn’t a way to find out, you can ask 
  them to pick a different question instead.
  It’s important that you give the hunters as many clues as you can. 
  It’s easy to make the hunters work hard to discover the details of the 
  mystery. But that isn’t part of your agenda. Every success on an inves-
  tigate move should give the hunters something solid. You should also 
  be generous with obvious details, even on a miss. We play to find out 
  what the hunters do once they’ve uncovered the mysteries, not how 
  they do it. The investigate move is a way for you give them the infor-
  mation they need to decide.
  For example, if a hunter is investigating by looking at the body 
  of a monster victim, you should describe the state of the body first. 
  “It’s been ripped apart, looks like it went for the heart. The heart is 
  missing.” Those details don’t require a move, because they’re obvious 
  and don’t address the investigate questions directly. If the hunter 
  then gets a success on the roll, they may ask you to tell them about the 
  creature’s powers—that’s something that requires careful analysis of 
  the scene and injuries.
  Sometimes the answer to one of the questions will be a negative, 
  such as when you are asked for more about the creature’s weaknesses 
  when the hunters have already discovered them all. In these cases, 
  make it clear that they know this. “Your hours poring over the books 
  tell you that the creature has no more weaknesses.”
  Misses for this move lend themselves to trouble with normal 
  people (e.g. annoying the witness; being caught stealing evidence, 
  etc) or giving away information to their enemies (e.g. the monster or 
  minions hear about questions being asked; the hunters are observed 
  in their evidence collection; etc).
  185
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  An Example Investigation
  Here’s an example showing how an investigation scene might play out.
  Our cast is:
  • Mary, playing Mark (a Wronged hunter).
  • Chris, playing Cray (a Spooky hunter).
  • Alan, the Keeper (who is also playing Officer Hannah Tarlton, 
  a bystander, whose motivation is to join the hunt).
  The investigation:
  Hannah has brought the hunters to the place she saw an attack 
  take place. The hunters are posing as FBI agents.
  Alan (speaking as Hannah): “Right, here’s where it happened,” 
  says Hannah, “You can see the blood on the wall there. 
  Our witness said the attacker ran off down that alley and 
  over a fence.”
  Chris (speaking as Cray): “You mind if I take some samples?” 
  Then I just start, without waiting for permission.
  Alan (speaking as Hannah): “Uh, sure. Forensics are already 
  taking a look at it.”
  Mary (speaking as Mark): “So, what did the witness have to 
  say about the attacker? I’m interested in anything, even if 
  it’s kinda weird.”
  Alan: Okay, roll investigate a mystery for me.
  Mary rolls the dice and adds Mark’s Sharp.
  Mary: I got a nine. One question?
  Alan: Well, you already asked about the witness seeing any-
  thing weird, so I figure you’re interested in its powers?
  Mary: Definitely.
  Alan: Okay, Hannah says “Well, the guy claimed that the 
  attacker just vaulted over that fence down there. But he’d 
  been drinking.”
  Mary (speaking as Mark): “Right. Witnesses, huh?”
  Chris: While they are chatting I want to test the bloodstains 
  to work out what it is.
  Alan: Um, how do you test a bloodstain for what kind of 
  monster attacked?
  186
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Chris: I’m going to get out my chemistry test kit and try the 
  samples with, like, silver to see if there’s a reaction that 
  you might see from werewolf blood, or if there’s sulphur 
  present that might mean it was a demon, or if it reacts to 
  holy water, that could be a vampire or demon blood. That 
  sort of thing.
  Alan: I guess that might work. But only for things you could 
  learn from the bloodstains—and it seems to be mainly 
  human blood, maybe all human. Roll it.
  Chris rolls the dice and adds Cray’s Sharp.
  Chris: Yeah, a twelve. First question: what is it?
  Alan: Okay, you find a couple of splashes of blood that are 
  a slightly different colour—more richly red, and slower 
  drying. They react to the holy water test, and let’s say you 
  had garlic in there too. The blood starts smoldering in 
  contact with both. So a vampire, most likely.
  Chris: Vampire. Got it. In that case, next question is “what 
  can it do?”
  Alan: How are you going to find that out from bloodstains?
  Chris: Remember how I spent all that time researching vam-
  pires for the case last month? I know that turned out to be 
  a chupacabra, but I still read all those books.
  Alan: Okay, so we flash back to you going over all those old 
  books, and you’re making a list of vampire powers on a 
  pad: super strength, fast, mesmerism, rapid healing are 
  the things you wrote on the list. Hannah says “So, you fin-
  ished your tests and everything? I have a job to do here.”
  Chris (speaking as Cray): “Yes, that’s everything for now. 
  Thanks for your help.”
  Alan: Cool, she gets back to her own work. What do you do 
  now?
  187
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Kick Some Ass
  Here’s the move:
  When you get into a fight and kick some ass, roll +Tough.
  On any success (i.e., total 7 or more) you inflict harm on 
  (and suffer harm from) whatever you’re fighting. The amount 
  of harm is based on the established dangers in the game. That 
  usually means you inflict the harm rating of your weapon and 
  your enemies inflict their attack’s harm rating on you.
  If you roll a 10+, choose one extra effect:
  • You gain the advantage: take +1 forward, or give +1 
  forward to another hunter.
  • You inflict terrible harm (+1 harm).
  • You suffer less harm (-1 harm).
  • You force them where you want them.
  On a miss, you get your ass kicked instead. You suffer 
  harm or get captured, but don’t inflict any harm back.
  This is the basic fighting move, covering the back and forth of a short 
  burst of fighting, rather than a single attack.
  By default when a hunter kicks ass both sides inflict harm as 
  established—the hunter with their weapon and the enemy theirs. The 
  precise amount of harm that’s traded will depend on what’s happening 
  at that moment in the fight.
  For example, Hoss the hunter is going to shoot a zombie 
  with his shotgun (harm-3 close load messy reload), while the 
  zombie is trying to bite Hoss (the zombie’s bite attack is rated 
  “2-harm hand”). If the zombie is still out of reach (i.e. out of 
  hand range), Hoss will inflict 3-harm on it but be safe from the 
  zombie’s bite. Once the zombie is right up in Hoss’s face, then 
  Hoss can still blast it for 3-harm and this time the zombie can 
  bite him back for 2-harm.
  Don’t automatically call for this move any time a hunter attacks some-
  thing. If a hunter attacks a foe that cannot (or will not) fight back, 
  then it is appropriate to just use the Keeper move inflict harm as 
  established instead. What the hunter’s doing could also be a move 
  like protect someone or act under pressure (or another move alto-
  gether): use what the player has stated the hunter’s intentions are and 
  the actions they’ve described the hunter taking to determine what 
  makes sense.
  188
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  On a success of 10+, the hunter gets to pick an extra effect. Always 
  ask them what happened.
  If the hunter takes +1 forward, or gives another hunter +1 forward, 
  then make sure to ask them what they did to set up an advantage. This 
  might include things like tactical maneuvering, grappling with the 
  enemy, pushing the enemy back, or knocking the enemy off balance.
  If the hunter inflicts terrible harm, then they inflict one more 
  point of harm. That means they did something extra-nasty with their 
  attack, so be sure to ask them what that was.
  If the hunter suffers less harm, then reduce the harm the enemy 
  inflicts by one. Ask them what they did to reduce the harm.
  If the hunter forces the enemy where they want them, this will 
  allow them to push the bad guys wherever they want. Be generous 
  with this, as long as it’s consistent with what is happening in the game: 
  you can’t drive the monsters out if they’re in a dead end, for instance.
  When a hunter misses on kick some ass, they’re usually going 
  to be in a lot of trouble. Your move doesn’t always have to be inflict 
  harm as established. Sometimes your other moves can apply too: 
  maybe the hunter gets captured, or the monster gets a chance to flee 
  the fight.
  189
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Manipulate Someone
  Here’s the move:
  This move is used when you want someone to do something 
  for you. You’ll need a good reason for them to do it, and what 
  counts as a good reason depends on what you are asking for 
  and your relationship with them.
  For friends and allies, you might just need to ask. For wit-
  nesses to a monster attack, you could tell them you are with 
  the police, or just offer them some cash for answering your 
  questions.
  Once you have given them a reason, tell them what you 
  want them to do and roll +Charm.
  For a normal person:
  • If you get 10+, then they’ll do it for the reason you gave 
  them. If you asked too much, they’ll tell you the minimum 
  it would take for them to do it (or if there’s no way they’d 
  do it).
  • On a 7-9, they’ll do it, but only if you do something for 
  them right now to show that you mean it. If you asked too 
  much, they’ll tell you what, if anything, it would take for 
  them to do it.
  • On a miss, your approach is completely wrong: you offend 
  or anger the target.
  For another hunter:
  • On a 10+ they mark experience and get +1 forward if they 
  do what you ask.
  • On a 7-9, they mark experience if they do what you ask.
  • On a miss, it’s up to that hunter to decide how badly you 
  offend or annoy them. They mark experience if they do not 
  do what you asked.
  190
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Here’s the most important thing to remember about the manipulate 
  someone move: the hunter needs to offer something that makes the 
  target willing to do what the hunter asks.
  This doesn’t mean it should be hard. It can be enough for a hunter 
  to pretend to be a police officer, or say “I’ll look after you,” or promise 
  to help out later.
  But don’t let it be too easy either. If a hunter is asking a bystander 
  to be bait in a monster trap, there may be nothing the hunter can 
  offer that will convince them to do it. Use the target’s motivation to 
  help determine what might be enough for them. Use your agenda of 
  making the world seem real and the rule to always say what honesty 
  demands to assess whether the target would be willing to do what the 
  hunter is asking for.
  When a hunter tries to manipulate another hunter, things work 
  differently. In this case, the incentive is the experience check and 
  bonus that will be available to the target if the move succeeds. The 
  target hunter gets to choose whether that incentive, along with what-
  ever they were offered in the game, is enough to convince them do 
  what is asked.
  Misses on this move naturally lead to offending the target, or 
  the hunter coming across as obtuse or annoying. When the move is 
  used on the other hunters, one of these results will probably happen 
  naturally. For misses with bystanders, the target could see through a 
  disguise, or refuse to believe a critical lie (or truth!). Look at the threat 
  type for the character (or pick one for them right now) and their moti-
  vation will give you an idea how they are going to react.
  If the hunter promises something as part of manipulating 
  someone, but then fails to do what they promised, you can use that 
  in the game. If they ever meet that person again, this failure is not 
  going to be forgotten! That means that you can set a new mystery in 
  the same place, and the hunters will need to deal with bystanders who 
  have no reason to trust them, or who may even want revenge.
  191
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Manipulating Monsters
  By default the hunters can’t manipulate monsters. Even if a monster 
  can talk and reason, it cannot be trusted to keep its word. You should 
  certainly allow the hunters to make a deal with a monster, if they try 
  to, but they do not get to roll manipulate someone and they certainly 
  will not get a guarantee that the monster will hold up its end of the 
  bargain. From the monster’s point of view, hunters wanting to make 
  a deal are probably in a weak position so this is a great opportunity to 
  take advantage of them.
  The only exception is when a hunter move explicitly allows it 
  (such as the Monstrous move dark negotiator). If a hunter has a 
  move allowing this, then manipulate works as normal (although what 
  a monster wants in return could be quite unpleasant).
  Minions may or may not be vulnerable to manipulation. If the 
  minion is a normal human working for a monster, then hunters can 
  manipulate them fine. The other extreme are minions who can’t 
  understand speech and may not be capable of making deals, such as 
  brain-eating zombies or a malevolent fungus. Make decisions for the 
  in-between cases as they come up, and remember that the minion 
  might want something nasty in return for doing what the hunter asks.
  192
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Protect Someone
  Here’s the move:
  When you prevent harm to another character, roll +Tough.
  On any success (i.e., 7 or more), you protect them okay, 
  but you’ll suffer some or all of the harm they were going to get.
  If you got a 10+ choose an extra:
  • You suffer little harm (-1 harm).
  • All impending danger is now focused on you.
  • You inflict harm on the enemy.
  • You hold the enemy back.
  On a miss, then you end up making things worse.
  This can be used any time someone is about to suffer harm, including 
  as the result of another move (i.e. a kick some ass move that means a 
  hunter is going to suffer harm).
  As with help out, always ask the hunter how they are going to 
  protect this person in this situation.
  By default, any success means that the hunter has successfully 
  protected the target (so the target is not harmed at all) but the hunter 
  will suffer harm instead (usually, but not always, the same harm).
  On a 10+ the hunter gets to pick an extra effect. Ask the hunter 
  what happened.
  They can choose to suffer little harm, taking one less harm. Ask 
  what they do to reduce the harm.
  If they choose “All impending danger is now focused on the 
  hunter,” they’ve put themselves right in harm’s way. Ask them what 
  they do to get all the danger. Don’t be shy when this is picked: the 
  hunter has chosen to have the entire enemy force have a go at them.
  If they choose to “inflict harm on the enemy,” they get to harm an 
  enemy as well as protecting the target. Ask how they did that. As usual, 
  the amount of harm done depends on the hunter’s weapon.
  If they choose “Hold the enemy back” then the bad guys can’t get 
  past the hunter. Other hunters, or even bystanders, may help fight 
  from this position if it makes sense. This works best when defending a 
  small space like a doorway. If the hunters are in the open, the bad guys 
  will be able to work their way around them eventually.
  Missing a protect someone roll is very bad. In general, harm to 
  both the original victim and the hunter is a good choice. Things could 
  be even worse, e.g. the target might be captured as well. As with kick 
  some ass, when things go bad here, they go really bad. Feel free to 
  inflict harm as established and follow up with a hard move.
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  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Read A Bad Situation
  Here’s the move:
  When you look around and read a bad situation, roll +Sharp.
  On a 10+ hold 3, and on a 7-9 hold 1.
  One hold can be spent to ask the Keeper one of the follow-
  ing questions:
  • What’s my best way in?
  • What’s my best way out?
  • Are there any dangers we haven’t noticed?
  • What’s the biggest threat?
  • What’s most vulnerable to me?
  • What’s the best way to protect the victims?
  If you act on the answers, you get +1 ongoing while the 
  information is relevant. For example, if you ask for the best 
  way in to the monster’s lair then you’ll get +1 while you are 
  infiltrating it. But once you’re in, the information doesn’t help 
  you any more.
  On a miss, you might mis-read the situation (e.g. “Every-
  thing is fine here! It will be totally safe to go investigate alone!”), 
  or you might reveal tactical details to your enemies (which 
  means the Keeper can ask the questions above of you).
  This move is for when a hunter goes into a situation they know is hos-
  tile—e.g. when they know the monster’s in this house somewhere. It 
  can also be used in the middle of a dangerous situation, if the hunter 
  needs some more tactical information.
  Misses on reading a bad situation lend themselves to you turning 
  the move back on the hunter—ask them some of the questions on 
  behalf of whatever enemies are present, and then have the enemies 
  act on those answers.
  Misses can also give you a chance to put the hunters into danger—
  for example, they just failed to notice the ambush they’re walking into.
  194
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Use Magic
  Here’s the move:
  When you use magic, say what you’re trying to achieve and how 
  you do the spell, then roll +Weird.
  • If you get a 10+, the magic works without issues: choose 
  your effect.
  • On a 7-9, it works imperfectly: choose your effect and a 
  glitch. The Keeper will decide what effect the glitch has.
  • On a miss, you lose control of the magic. This never ends well.
  By default the magic has one of the effects listed below, lasts for 
  around thirty minutes, and does not expose you to danger, unwanted 
  attention, or side-effects. If there’s a glitch this might change.
  Effects:
  • Inflict harm (1-harm ignore-armour magic obvious).
  • Enchant a weapon. It gets +1 harm and +magic.
  • Do one thing that is beyond human limitations.
  • Bar a place or portal to a specific person or a type of creature.
  • Trap a specific person, minion, or monster.
  • Banish a spirit or curse from the person, object, or place it 
  inhabits.
  • Summon a monster into the world.
  • Communicate with something that you do not share a lan-
  guage with.
  • Observe another place or time.
  • Heal 1-harm from an injury, or cure a disease, or neutralize 
  a poison.
  Glitches:
  • The effect is weakened.
  • The effect is of short duration.
  • You take 1-harm ignore-armour magic.
  • The magic draws immediate, unwelcome attention.
  • It has a problematic side effect.
  The Keeper may require one or more of the following:
  • The spell requires weird materials.
  • The spell will take 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute to cast.
  • The spell requires ritual chanting and gestures.
  • The spell requires you to draw arcane symbols.
  • You need one or two people to help cast the spell.
  • You need to refer to a tome of magic for the details.
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  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Magic, by its nature, breaks the rules. The use magic move lists the 
  possible effects for magic spells. Magic that goes beyond these effects 
  counts as big magic (see below).
  When a hunter uses magic, it’s important to ask them what 
  they’re trying to do (and work out which of the effects they are trying 
  for). Ask the hunter how they cast the spell, and what it looks like too.
  Then consider the scope of what they’re doing, how they said the 
  spell is cast, and decide if you will require anything extra from the list.
  Pick extra requirements based on the size of magical effect. Magic 
  that has a big effect should need a bigger effort. Usually pick one or 
  two things including anything the hunter included in their description 
  of casting the spell. You can offer alternatives, too, so that the hunter 
  either takes one minute or needs arcane symbols, say.
  Partial successes when using magic mean that the hunter has to 
  pick a glitch. Glitches are bad news, but it’s up to the hunter to decide 
  which one happens. Magic should always be dangerous and unpredict-
  able, so hammer that home when you decide how the glitches take effect.
  On a miss using magic, make as hard a move as you like: anything 
  can happen when magic goes wrong. Reversing the intended effect of 
  the spell is an option, so that the exact opposite of what the hunter 
  wanted happens. You can also go for off-the-wall weirdness: portals to 
  other dimensions; angry spirits converging on the hunter; or changes 
  to the laws of physics around the hunter—that sort of thing.
  One Thing Beyond Human Limitations
  This particular effect is an important one because what you allow here 
  will define how powerful magic is in your game.
  For a gritty game, going ‘beyond human limitations’ might include:
  • lifting a car just enough to free someone trapped underneath
  • carrying on despite a nasty injury
  • resisting a mental attack from a monster.
  For a more super-heroic game, going ‘beyond human limitations’ 
  might include:
  • flying up to a rooftop.
  • surviving a deadly injury.
  • reading the thoughts of everyone around you.
  So, when a hunter wants to exceed human limitations, think care-
  fully about what allowing their desired effect in this case implies for 
  your entire game. You can think of your decisions about this as a dial 
  that determines how much power the hunters can get from everyday 
  magic spells.
  If you think the desired effect is too powerful, tell them they 
  would have to do it with by using a big magic ritual instead).
  196
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Big Magic
  The rules for the use magic move are constrained, but big magic is 
  not. Big magic is for everything else, from curing someone of vampir-
  ism to opening a gate to another dimension.
  The only limits on big magic are those that have been established 
  in your game. For example, it may be that you decided magic never 
  allows anyone to travel into the past.
  Even these established rules might be broken if there is a strong 
  enough reason in the story. For example, the hunters might realise 
  that the only way to defeat a monster is to go back in time to when 
  it was weaker. If you reveal that a limit can be broken in certain cir-
  cumstances, think about what this reveals about the world. This sort 
  of event should always be a big deal, with big repercussions in your 
  story. In our time travel example, maybe travel into the past changes 
  the timeline irrevocably; or maybe the rule being broken unleashes an 
  angry time god on the hunters.
  197
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  When the hunters want to do big magic, you decide what it 
  requires, the same as when someone uses magic normally. Once 
  the hunters meet the requirements, the spell happens successfully, 
  without a roll. Here are the options for requirements that you can 
  choose from:
  • Spend a lot of time (days or weeks) researching the magic 
  ritual.
  • Experiment with the spell—there will be lots of failures 
  before you get it right.
  • The hunter needs some rare and weird ingredients and sup-
  plies.
  • It will take a long time (hours or days) to cast.
  • The hunter needs a lot of people (2, 3, 7, 13, or more) to help.
  • It needs to be done at a particular place and/or time.
  • You need to use magic as part of the ritual, perhaps to 
  summon a monster, communicate with something, or bar 
  the portal you opened.
  • It will have a specific side effect or danger.
  You can pick multiple requirements, that all need to be satisfied:
  For example, you can tell the hunters “You need to spend a 
  few days doing research and then get a lava snake fang to cast 
  this spell. And then you’ll need three people to help you cast it.”
  You can also give the hunters alternatives:
  For example, you can tell the hunters “You need to spend a few 
  days doing research for a simple version, or if you get a lava 
  snake fang then you can cast it right now. Either way you need 
  three people to help out.”
  Make the requirements consistent with how big a deal this spell is 
  going to be. Also, because the big magic does not require a roll for any 
  move (except, incidentally, as part of meeting the requirements), you 
  need to consider the perils and side effects of the spell and bring them 
  into play as Keeper moves.
  198
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  Playbook Moves
  I’ve gone into detail about how to handle the basic moves, but there 
  isn’t room to cover all the playbook moves in the same depth.
  The overarching rule is to interpret results using the Keeper’s 
  agenda, principles, things to always say, and all your moves. If you 
  stick to those, you won’t go wrong.
  Actions Not Covered By A Move
  Sometimes the hunters will come up with something they want to try 
  that isn’t covered by existing moves. Depending on exactly what it is, 
  there are several ways to deal with this.
  If the action is something a normal person could do, then you can 
  just accept it. Look at your list of Keeper moves and see if any of them 
  apply to the action: if they do, then use that move. Quite often, I find 
  that the Keeper move that applies is “Ask them what they do next.” Let 
  them do what they want and see what comes of it.
  If it’s something that moves the mystery along, and you can’t think 
  of how rolling dice for it will be more interesting than just accepting it, 
  that’s another case where it’s best for them to just do it.
  If it’s something that a normal person could do, but it’s really hard 
  and/or dangerous, ask them to act under pressure.
  If it’s something that a normal person couldn’t do at all, then you 
  can ask them to use magic, or big magic.
  In fact, act under pressure and use magic are intended to be 
  catch-alls. If you can’t work out which move to use, one of these two 
  will usually work.
  Another alternative is to quickly make up a custom move for this 
  particular situation. Only do this if you think it will come up again, 
  and only once you are comfortable enough with the moves that you 
  can do this quickly. There’s a section on making custom moves on 
  page 296.
  199
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  200
  THE BASIC HUNTER MOVES
  
  On 
  With
   The Mystery!
  That covers the basic rules that you need to keep 
  in mind—it’s time to get on with the mystery. The 
  previous section was a long digression: but if you 
  cast your mind back to “Running the First Mystery” 
  (on page  166), the group had just finished creat-
  ing hunters and were ready to start playing out the 
  mystery. You should have your prepared mystery in 
  front of you.
  201
  
  Start-Of-Mystery Moves
  First, check if anyone has a move to roll at the beginning of the 
  mystery. The Chosen always does, and an Expert, Flake, Initiate, or 
  Spooky might have one. Ask them how they do the move. Then have 
  them roll and see what the effect is. Make sure that anyone who rolled 
  six or less marks experience.
  The Teaser
  Begin the game with a scene to introduce the hook.
  The way you introduce the hook allows you to select a certain 
  atmosphere and pace for the mystery. For example:
  • Dramatize the most recent monster attack, showing the 
  victim from the monster’s point of view.
  • Ask the hunters what they are doing when they find out about 
  the hook.
  • Describe the hunters at a diner near the scene of the latest 
  attack, discussing the hook.
  • Describe the hunters at the scene of the latest attack, check-
  ing out the environment for clues and talking to witnesses.
  The default is to start the hunters at the scene. Other options will 
  increase the time it takes to complete the mystery and allow more 
  time for the hunters to develop their characters and relationships. If 
  you dramatise the monster attack, you may find it gives players who 
  are new to the game a nice sense of competence when their hunters 
  start investigating the mystery and ask the right questions.
  Introduce the teaser and then ask the hunters what they’re doing. 
  For example, are they undercover? What do they want to check out 
  first?
  202
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Beginning the Investigation
  Tell them about the location and sketch a quick map of the area (or 
  show them one you already prepared). Include important features, 
  especially anything that was mentioned in the hook—where bodies 
  were found, which house appears to be haunted, the location of the 
  police station that filed the report, and so on. Then ask them “So, 
  where are you going first? Are you all going or are you going to split 
  up and cover more ground?” After this, let the hunters drive the inves-
  tigation.
  Play out the hunters’ interviews with normal folks, and their 
  examination of places. If they meet bystanders you prepared with the 
  mystery, use the details you wrote down. If they talk to someone new, 
  give that bystander a name, and a bystander type (pages 142 and 178).
  Draw a map of everywhere they search, and everywhere there’s some 
  action. Give each place a location threat type (pages 144 and 179).
  Ask Questions
  All the way through this first mystery, you need to ask questions all the 
  time. That’s how to get a handle on the hunters: how each approaches 
  things, how the team works together, and how each hunter’s back-
  story is going to factor into the game. When they do something, ask 
  them how they do it. If they want to know if they have a torch (or 
  whatever), ask them “Do you normally carry one?” When they find 
  out about an important location, ask them if they’ve been there before. 
  If they have, ask them what it was like. Let everyone contribute to the 
  world you are creating in your game, and, as Keeper, build on their 
  answers to your questions.
  Make notes of all the answers you get, in case you need them later.
  Give them Tough Choices
  The heart of the game is seeing what the hunters decide when they’ve 
  only got an array of crappy options to choose from. Make sure they 
  have difficult choices, and push at them to go one way or another.
  There are any number of ways you can do this. Here are some of 
  my favourites:
  • a monster’s weakness that is terrible to take advantage of.
  • a big magic ritual that has nasty stuff for its requirements.
  • a monster that is, in its way, a victim.
  • a simple but awful solution to the mystery’s central problem.
  203
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Call For Moves
  Call for investigate and manipulate moves when the hunters look for 
  clues. And if they go somewhere dangerous, suggest that they might 
  want to read a bad situation.
  If a hunter wants to do some crazy, impossible stuff then remind 
  them they can use magic for that sort of thing.
  Use Your Keeper Moves
  Keep in mind your agenda and principles (page  166), and moves 
  (page 172).
  Respond to the hunters’ actions with your Keeper and threat 
  moves. Make soft moves that the hunters must deal with, and then 
  make a hard move if they don’t deal with it (see page 174).
  Recall that when a hunter misses a move roll (that is, their total 
  is six or less), you get to respond with a move of your own (and it can 
  be a hard move):
  • For act under pressure, things go to hell for the hunter.
  • For help out, the hunter exposes themselves to trouble or 
  danger.
  • For kick some ass, the hunter gets their ass kicked.
  • For protect someone, the hunter makes things worse.
  • For manipulate someone, the hunter angers or offends the 
  target.
  • For investigate a mystery, the hunter reveals something to 
  the monster or whoever they are talking to.
  • For read a bad situation, the hunter reads the situation all 
  wrong or reveals tactical details to their enemies.
  • For use magic, the hunter loses control of the magic and any-
  thing can happen.
  Remind the hunters that they can help each other, too, especially if 
  someone just missed a roll by one (help can be given after a roll has 
  been made). However help bonuses do not stack (e.g if three hunters 
  successfully help, they don’t give a +3 bonus).
  204
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Use The Countdown
  Mark off the steps on the countdown if the corresponding event 
  happens in play, or when you decide it has now happened off-screen.
  Advancing the countdown isn’t one of your moves by itself, but it 
  represents a move that was just made or is about to be made. Good 
  times to advance the countdown are:
  • you announce off-screen badness that warns about the 
  event about to happen, or shows that it is happening now.
  • a hunter blows an investigate move that could have led to 
  finding out about the next event.
  • you make a move for a threat that completes the next event.
  • a hunter misses a move roll attempting to stop the next event.
  As the countdown is what would happen if the hunters didn’t interfere, 
  you will usually need to revise the plan based on what happens in play. 
  The hunters might prevent something directly, or the monster might 
  change its plans in response to what the hunters do. Maybe some of 
  the events will be changed, or maybe some will be skipped, or they 
  could all become irrelevant. That’s fine. The important thing is that 
  the countdown provides you with a guide to what the bad guys are 
  trying to do.
  I'm Not Prepared For This
  The hunters will do things you didn’t expect. They might check out 
  somewhere you didn’t define, or talk to someone you hadn’t thought 
  about.
  If this happens, just make a note of the person or place, give them 
  a name, and quickly pick a threat type for them. That’s all you need to 
  do, after which you can treat that person or place the same as any of 
  your prepared threats.
  You can even do this with monster and minion threats, if it makes 
  sense, although then you also need to pick powers, weaknesses, attacks, 
  armour, and harm capacity. It’s less common for an unexpected 
  monster to be called for, but you can never be sure. The hunters might 
  summon a creature to help them, or something like that.
  In general, just note down the minimum that you need to get on 
  with the game, and then get on with it. Fill in more details if and when 
  you need them.
  205
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  It Always Comes To A Fight
  Once the hunters get a handle on what they’re hunting, they’ll want 
  to take it out. The following sections have a lot of advice for running 
  fights, but this is the overview.
  Start fights somewhere interesting, with lots of stuff that can be 
  used in move descriptions, by you and the hunters. Every fight scene 
  should have a location threat type, too, so remember to use those 
  location threat moves when appropriate.
  Aim to have a couple of set-piece fight scenes: it’s really the hunters 
  who determine how fast they catch the monster, but you still have a bit 
  of control over the pacing via your moves. For example, if the hunters 
  track down the monster early on and it feels anticlimactic, have the 
  monster disengage or run away (perhaps using the monster threat 
  move escape, no matter how well contained it is). Conversely, if the 
  hunters are moving slowly, the monster might decide to attack them 
  first (the monster threat move could be show its full power, attack 
  with great force and fury, or attack with stealth and cunning), or 
  it could send minions after them (monster: order underlings to do 
  terrible acts, minions: a burst of sudden uncontrolled violence, a 
  coordinated attack, give chase) 
  Try to hurt the hunters: they have plenty of Luck at the beginning 
  so they are not any real danger. A hard fight in the first mystery sets 
  an expectation of danger and risk for the game, which helps create a 
  sense of horror.
  206
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Keeping Fights Interesting
  There are going to be a lot of fights, and you need to keep them novel. 
  It’s easy to fall into giving everyone a turn, the hunters each rolling 
  kick some ass one at a time, but that’s dull.
  I’m going to present a variety of techniques to keep fight scenes 
  exciting. Use them in your game (with your Keeper moves) whenever 
  you can. The techniques are:
  • Think about what’s at stake.
  • Decide who has the initative.
  • Use the environment.
  • Make maps.
  • Apply weapon tags.
  • Be creative with moves.
  • Most times, do the obvious thing.
  • Balance spotlight time.
  • Don’t drag things out
  • Use soft moves to set up hard moves.
  Think About What’s At Stake
  There are a lot of reasons for the hunters to get into a fight. Think 
  about what their enemies want. If a monster is fighting to destroy the 
  hunters before they kill it, then it has more at stake than if they caught 
  it sneaking around. In the first case, it might fight to the death. In the 
  second, maybe it just wants to run away.
  Take a moment to work out what the combatants want to achieve, 
  and that will help you pick their tactics.
  Decide who has the initiative
  When a fight starts, pick who gets the first move, and base your deci-
  sion both on what’s happening and in accordance with your agenda 
  and principles.
  If a hunter just missed a read a bad situation roll, maybe the first 
  she knows about the troll is when it attacks. Conversely, if the hunters 
  have made a concerted effort to infiltrate a lair undetected, they’ll be 
  the ones attacking without warning.
  Other times, both sides are aware of each other. Use your common 
  sense here, and base the decision on what’s happening, as always in 
  accordance with your agenda and principles.
  If a hunter or a monster is using a weapon that has the ‘quick’ tag 
  they will normally go first, and anything tagged ‘slow’ will normally 
  go last.
  207
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Use The Environment
  To keep fights fresh, make sure the action, your moves and questions 
  all take advantage of where it’s happening. Whether it’s in a house, 
  sewer, street, or cave, think about what makes this particular location 
  unusual for this sort of place (and always include something unusual, 
  something that sets it apart from average).
  For example:
  This house looks rundown but normal, except there’s a 
  dusty smell from the piles and piles of magazines everywhere. 
  Looks like the owner really loves National Geographic.
  The leshy disappears into the forest and as you reach the 
  edges you see the whole place is damp and marshy, with mud 
  and moss that your feet start sinking into.
  The extra details in both those examples might not directly affect what 
  happens in the game (although they might). They create a much more 
  evocative picture in the imagination than “It’s a rundown house” or 
  “The leshy disappears into the forest” would have done, which can help 
  inspire the hunters when they’re deciding what to do
  You should also decide on a location threat type every time a fight 
  takes place. This provides you with hints about how to describe the 
  place (based on its motivation), and gives you access to the location 
  threat moves.
  Make Maps
  Drawing a map is a good idea, and will give everyone an agreed picture 
  of the space and who is where. Make sure you include details that the 
  hunters (and their enemies) can use to their advantage. Use details 
  like what furniture is present, where the slimy puddles are, the iron 
  candlesticks around the temple altar, where the traffic is rushing past. 
  Even if the hunters don’t use these things, you can. When someone is 
  hurt don’t just say that they take harm. Say that they get thrown at the 
  altar, knocking candlesticks everywhere.
  208
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  APPLY WEAPON TAGS
  Pay attention to the tags of the weapons used in the fight, so you can 
  work them into your descriptions of what’s going on. Many of the 
  weapon tags can influence the direction of the fight and the story in 
  unpredictable directions. As well as the hunters’ weapon tags, use the 
  monster’s and minions’ attack tags.
  Make sure that you take weapon range tags into account, too. If a 
  weapon is being used out of its normal range, that will be a disadvan-
  tage to the wielder. That might prevent it from being used at all, or it 
  might be less effective (e.g. causing less harm than usual, or requiring 
  an act under pressure to use it properly).
  Be Creative With Moves
  Vary the Keeper moves you use. If you find yourself repeating the 
  same sort of thing, take a moment to check the Keeper moves list and 
  think about what else could happen right now.
  Call for the hunters to use act under pressure, help out, protect 
  someone, and read a bad situation whenever an opportunity comes 
  up, so the hunters do not just use kick some ass all the time.
  Remember that you can also use the move inflict harm as estab-
  lished. If an attack doesn’t require the hunter to expose themselves 
  to danger, just let them inflict harm instead of asking them to kick 
  some ass.
  Make sure the hunters always describe what they are doing in 
  detail. If they’ve used enough detail, you’ll find it easy to work out 
  how to react.
  When a hunter misses a move roll, think a little about what could 
  go wrong, given what they tried and what else is happening.
  For example:
  Terry (playing the hunter Isis) says “I shoot the cyclops 
  slug.” You can ask “Okay, where do you shoot it?” or “Are you 
  leaning around the doorframe or coming into the passage to 
  get a clear shot?” or “Is it a carefully aimed shot or quick shot?”
  If Isis misses her kick some ass roll, then you can react 
  based on the answer:
  • If she shot it in the face, it could blind the single eye.
  • If she shot it in the body, it can’t come at her so fast.
  • If she went into the passage, it can slime her.
  • If she stayed in the doorway, it can smash through the wall.
  • If she tried to get a careful shot, maybe the cyclops slug 
  rushed her before she could fire.
  • If she tried a quick shot, maybe it hits something else 
  important (a victim, or a gas pipe maybe?)
  209
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Most times, Do The Obvious Thing
  Don’t get hung up on trying to always think up the most innovative, 
  creative thing to do. Usually, if you think about what exactly is hap-
  pening, it will be obvious what should happen next (whether you are 
  deciding how a monster reacts, or what move you should make in 
  response to what a hunter just did). In those cases when there is a 
  single, obvious thing to do next, trust your instincts and do it.
  Balance Spotlight Time
  You need to strike a balance between spotlight time (giving each 
  hunter a turn) and doing what is obviously next. E.g. if one hunter 
  keeps attacking the monsters, take a break from them to check what 
  everyone else is up to (even if the fight is the main thing that is going 
  on).
  If some of the hunters don’t join the fighting, ask them what 
  they’re doing while it goes on. Give these activities just as much 
  emphasis as the combat: those hunters might be able to help save the 
  day with magic, or a non-combat use of a monster weakness, or some 
  other cunning plan.
  Don’t Drag Things out
  Don’t be afraid to resolve fights quickly, especially if the hunters are 
  fighting outclassed minions, or a difficult bystander. One successful 
  kick some ass can be enough to win an easy fight. Remember that 
  many minions and most bystanders won’t just fight to the death: they 
  might surrender or flee after a single hit.
  Use Soft Moves
  Don’t just use hard moves on the hunters (or anyone else). Use soft 
  moves that prepare for a follow-up hard move, giving the hunters a 
  chance to do something about whatever is coming.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Summary: Running Fights
  • Think about what’s at stake.
  • Work out how the fight starts based on what’s happening in 
  the game.
  • Describe the location and pick a type for it, then use those 
  details and threat moves. Consider what makes this place 
  unusual.
  • Make maps.
  • Use the combatants’ weapon and attack tags.
  • Use moves creatively.
  • Most times, do the obvious thing. Usually the first thing you 
  think of is perfectly appropriate.
  • Balance spotlight time between the hunters.
  • Don’t drag things out. You can zoom out on the action when 
  it’s not so important, or not so interesting.
  • Use soft moves and give the hunters a chance to react.
  • Try to hurt the hunters: they can handle it.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Harm
  Whenever a character (hunter, monster, minion, or bystander) gets 
  harmed, note down the wound and how much harm was caused. For 
  example, “clawed left arm, 3-harm” or “shot in the head, 2-harm.”
  Remember that if the victim has armour, that reduces the amount 
  of harm suffered by its rating.
  If it’s a hunter, tell them how many harm boxes to check off. Make 
  sure you know if they’re up to four (after which the injuries become 
  unstable, and will get worse until treated).
  Describe the pain, how bad the wound looks, how much blood is 
  coming out, if a bone is sticking out, if they’re feeling faint, and so on. 
  All the gory detail you can think of. This leads into which harm move 
  affects them.
  The Harm Moves
  Harm moves are used when a hunter, monster, minion, or bystander 
  suffers injury of any kind (physical, magical, psychic, etc.). Pick a 
  harm move based on how many points of harm were suffered and the 
  details of the injury.
  The harm moves are listed below, along with the minimum harm 
  level for each.
  0-harm or more:
  • Momentarily inhibited.
  • Drop something.
  • Take -1 forward.
  1-harm or more:
  • Fall down.
  • Take -1 ongoing.
  • Pass out.
  • Intense pain.
  Unstable wounds:
  • +1 harm.
  8-harm or more:
  • Dead.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  How To Use The Harm Moves
  Injuries must be as serious as they have been described in order to 
  make the world seem real. Use the harm moves to help with that 
  impression. Use a harm move whenever someone is hurt, to represent 
  the immediate effects of the attack.
  Think about each of the harm moves you could use, and whether 
  any of the following might apply:
  • Is the wound bad enough that the victim might be knocked 
  down? Examples of wounds that might cause knockdown: a 
  really strong hit; a hit with lots of inertia; an intensely painful 
  wound; being hit in the legs.
  • Is the wound going to cause ongoing difficulty? Examples of 
  ongoing difficulty: intense pain; something got stuck in the 
  wound; an irritant (dust, sand, gravel) gets in the wound; it’s 
  somewhere distracting (like your hand).
  • Could the wound render the victim unconscious? Examples: 
  a blow to the head; shock from blood loss.
  • Is the wound going to be especially painful? For example: 
  burns; injuries to the hands or face; an existing injury is 
  struck again.
  • Could the injury kill the victim? Examples: blood loss; head 
  trauma; chest or abdomen hits (which could rupture a major 
  organ).
  Unstable Wounds
  Once a hunter has suffered 4-harm, their injuries become unstable. 
  That means that it will get worse, until it’s properly treated.
  While the injuries are unstable, you may tell the hunter they take 
  another point of harm at any time. Use the same process as deciding 
  which harm move to use: given the type and severity of the injuries, 
  would it be likely to have gotten worse yet?
  If an unstable wound has been left for a day and you haven’t added 
  any more harm yet, do it then.
  Minions, Bystanders and Harm
  For minions and bystanders, you don’t have to track wounds in detail. 
  You can just make a call based on each injury: is this enough to take 
  them out of the fight? Is this enough to kill them? Make the decision 
  about the injury’s severity based on your usual Keeper’s agenda and 
  principles, and (for minions) based on the harm capacity you picked 
  for them.
  Bystanders, and some minions, will be inclined to flee or surren-
  der when injured rather than fight to the death.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Killing Monsters
  When you defined the monster, you picked the harm capacity it has. 
  That’s how many points of harm it can take before it’s dying. You 
  should inflict harm moves on monsters as normal whenever they are 
  injured.
  Monster injuries do not become unstable when they have taken 
  four harm or more. The hunters will have to inflict all the harm them-
  selves.
  Additionally, recall that the monster is only really dead if the 
  hunters used a weakness against it.
  When A Monster Isn’t Really Dead
  If the hunters deal enough damage to a monster to kill it (or enough 
  to kill it several times over), but haven’t used a weakness, then that 
  monster is not dead. One way or another, it will come back.
  Here’s some ideas for ways a seemingly-dead monster can come 
  back:
  • The monster just keeps going, regardless of the terrible inju-
  ries it has sustained.
  • The monster’s apparently dying body turns to dust, or mist, 
  or shadow, and escapes.
  • The monster returns in a new form (maybe as an even more 
  dangerous spirit?).
  • Fire (or acid, or whatever) simply has no effect on the injured 
  monster.
  • The monster reveals a new power, healing itself suddenly or 
  overwhelming the hunters.
  • Minions hold the hunters back, while others grab and run off 
  with the crippled monster.
  • No matter what the hunters did to it, slowly the pieces of the 
  monster make their way back together and rebuild them-
  selves.
  • Far away, minions begin a magical ritual to return the 
  monster to life.
  • The monster has tricked them: the thing that died was a fake 
  (A magical illusion? A transformed minion?).
  • The monster was just pretending to be almost defeated: as 
  soon as the hunters drop their guard, it goes back on the 
  offensive.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Knowing The Monster is Dead
  When the hunters finally take down a monster, it needs to be really 
  obvious.
  Lots of monsters can disappear, turn invisible, and so on. That 
  means that you should ensure a dying monster gets a good description 
  of how it dies.
  If a monster just falls over when the hunters inflict the final blow, 
  that’s an anticlimax. But if it bursts in a huge spray of blood and gore, 
  or explodes and takes down the building, or gets pulled screaming 
  into another dimension?
  Then everyone knows they properly killed it.
  Healing
  The rules for healing (from the hunters’ perspective) are on page 111. 
  In brief, they are:
  • 0-harm wounds only apply at the moment they happen: no 
  healing time is required to get over them.
  • Stable wounds get better by 1 point for each day of rest, or 
  when medical attention is given.
  • 4+ harm wounds need stabilization and long term treatment. 
  It’s your call how long that takes. As a general rule, any proper 
  treatment (a visit to a doctor or emergency room, or time in 
  a haven infirmary) will stabilise the injury and heal 1 harm.
  • 8-harm or more means the victim is dead.
  • Routine first aid heals 1 point of harm for a single injury or 
  condition and takes a few minutes. Additional first aid will 
  only help someone if there’s a new injury or condition to treat.
  • Healing moves will say how much they heal.
  Additionally, at the end of a mystery all the hunters get healed to 
  account for the time passed.
  If there’s downtime before the next mystery, have everyone erase 
  all harm: there’s time for them to have had all the treatment they need.
  If the next mystery follows right on the last, everyone gets 1-harm 
  healed. That represents that they’ve had time for some recovery, but 
  not much.
  For monsters and minions, it’s up to you to decide if (and how 
  much) they might have healed between encounters. Some creatures 
  might have the power to heal easily and be completely fine the next 
  time the hunters meet them; others might heal the same as a normal 
  human does, or not at all.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  An Example Fight
  This illustrates some of the techniques I’ve outlined above, demon-
  strating how it works in play.
  Our cast is:
  • Alan, the Keeper, playing (variously): Jerry Parsons, a 
  bystander, and Lucius, a vampire (already on 3-harm from an 
  earlier encounter).
  • Mary, playing Mark (a Wronged hunter)
  • Chris, playing Cray (a Spooky hunter)
  • The house is a location: deathtrap (motivation: to harm 
  intruders).
  Mark and Cray are pursuing a vampire. They’ve tracked it to 
  a disused house, and manipulated the caretaker, Jerry, to let 
  them in.
  Alan: Jerry leads you into the house, shining a flashlight 
  around. The place is full of furniture covered in sheets to 
  keep the dust off.
  Alan (speaking as Jerry): “The place seems like I left it—um, I 
  don’t think anyone’s been in here.”
  Mary (speaking as Mark): “We’re sure it... ah, he came this 
  way. Probably best you leave us to it now.”
  Alan: The door swings shut with a slam.
  Alan used the location move close a path.
  Alan: At the same moment you notice a trail in the dust—
  someone has been coming and going here recently. Cray, 
  there are three ways out of the hallway—into the house, 
  left into a family room or lounge, and right into what 
  was maybe a study. There’s a flicker of movement in the 
  study. Jerry is walking down the hall shining his flashlight 
  around.
  Alan used the Keeper move announce future badness. He 
  then sketches a map of the hallway and adjoining rooms.
  Alan (speaking as Jerry): “Did you hear that?”
  Chris: Cray’s going to check out the study.
  Chris (speaking as Cray): “Hey Mark, watch my back!”
  Alan: Are you reading a bad situation?
  Chris: I sure am.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Chris rolls the dice and adds Cray’s Sharp.
  Chris: I got... eight. Let me see... any dangers we haven’t 
  noticed?
  Alan: The only things moving in here are you guys and what-
  ever’s in the study.
  Chris: Okay, it clearly knows we’re here.
  Chris (speaking as Cray): “Show yourself you unholy bastard!”
  Alan: Are you stepping into the room?
  Chris: Yes, but slowly.
  Mary: Mark’s covering him with the rifle.
  Alan: There’s a swirl of shadow and the vampire takes form 
  directly in front of you.
  Alan used the monster move appear suddenly.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Chris: I already have my magnum out, okay?
  Alan: Sure.
  Although Chris didn’t say Cray got his gun ready, there’s no 
  reason to think that he wouldn’t have done so in this situation.
  Chris: I shoot it in the face!
  Alan: The vampire’s trying to grab you by both shoulders, and 
  opening its mouth ready to sink fangs in your neck. But 
  you can shoot it in the face as it comes for you. Mark, you 
  don’t have a clear shot here. Jerry jumps and screams 
  when the shots are fired. Roll me kick ass.
  Alan used the monster move attack with great force and 
  fury.
  Chris rolls the dice and adds Cray’s Tough 
  Chris: Right, that’s a... five. Crap.
  Alan: Did you remember +1 for reading the situation just 
  then? You’re acting on what you saw.
  Chris: Yeah, five is with the bonus.
  Alan: Yeah, so you shoot it in the face a couple of times and 
  it doesn’t even slow down. It grabs your shoulders and 
  comes in to bite.
  Because Cray’s kick some ass move failed, Alan is responding 
  with inflict harm, as established.
  Mary: Can Mark get a shot now? Before it bites him?
  Alan: Um... I guess, it’s close but Cray’s still in the way. You 
  could maybe club it.
  Mary: Can I knock its face away?
  Alan: With the rifle butt? Yes, that might work. Roll... This 
  seems like it will interrupt the attack, so roll protect 
  someone.
  Mary: Sweet, I use Never again to make it like I rolled a 10. 
  As usual, all impending danger on me.
  The vampire’s bite was interrupted by Mark’s protect 
  someone move, so Cray doesn’t suffer harm.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Mary (speaking as Mark): “Bring it!”
  Alan: Okay, so you smash its face, and it spins Cray out the 
  way and comes for you. It smashes you up against the wall 
  on the far side of the hallway, and you notice you go a 
  ways into the plaster. Now what?
  This is the Keeper move inflict harm, as established and the 
  effects of the successful protect someone move.
  Mary notes down that Mark took 2-harm.
  Mary (screaming as Mark): “ARRRRGH!”
  Alan: Okay, you drop your rifle too.
  Alan uses the harm move drop something.
  Mary: Sure, I drop the rifle as I fly back and scramble for my 
  sawn-off. BLAM! Both barrels, sucker!
  Alan: Okay, roll kick some ass. It’s trying to get with the biting 
  on you, but it’s going for inside your elbow rather than 
  your neck, grabbing for your arm as you shoot.
  Mary rolls and adds Mark’s Tough.
  Mary: Ha ha! Eleven! I shoot it in the gut, so it goes flying 
  back! Four harm!
  Alan notes down 3-harm from shotgun blast for the vampire: 
  it has 1-armour. Again, this is inflict harm, as established.
  Alan: Yep, the vampire is blasted back, catches itself on a 
  covered table, then gets back up. It caught your arm with 
  its talons before you fired, so you take two harm as well, 
  and there’s blood everywhere
  Mary: I’m reloading!
  Alan: Your hands are covered in your own blood, so it’s going 
  to take a few moments to finish that. Cray? What are you 
  doing?
  Alan used the harm move momentarily inhibited to reflect 
  Mark’s injury.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Chris: I’m going back into the hallway to check Jerry isn’t 
  doing anything stupid.
  Alan: Okay. He’s not—just standing there, mouth open, watch-
  ing what you’re all doing. The vamp grabs the dust sheet 
  and swirls it up in the way. When it comes down you can’t 
  see where it’s gone, although the only options are out the 
  front door or into the other room. Unless it can turn invis-
  ible or something.
  Alan used the bystander move display inability or incompe-
  tence for Jerry, and the monster move escape no matter how 
  well contained it is for Lucius.
  Chris: Okay, I want to make sure it can’t escape. I’m casting a 
  spell to keep it in here.
  Alan: Sure, you can use magic to bar a place or portal to a 
  monster. I think keeping it from leaving counts. How do 
  you cast this spell? I think you’re going to need at least 
  some weird ingredients.
  Chris: It’s undead, so I’ll use some goofer dust. I sprinkle it 
  on the door and write mystic symbols in it with my finger.
  Alan: Okay, roll it. Mark, what are you doing while this hoo-
  doo’s happening?
  Mary: Just keeping an eye on things. I get the mallet and stakes 
  we brought out of my pack, too.
  Alan: Keeping an eye where exactly?
  Mary: On the lounge room or whatever, and on Cray.
  Mary (speaking as Mark) “Hurry that creepy shit up! There’s 
  a disappearing vampire in here!”
  Alan: Okay. Jerry screams. You both look back and the vampire 
  has him, neck chomped and blood all over the place.
  Alan used the monster move attack with stealth and calcu-
  lation.
  Alan notes down that Jerry took 5-harm from a vampire 
  bite.
  Alan: Jerry’s gone all limp in the vampire’s grasp.
  Alan used the harm move pass out.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Mary (as Mark): “Dammit!” Can I get there in time to save 
  him?
  Alan: Ah... maybe, if you act under pressure?
  Mary: Is there like a light hanging above him I can shoot 
  down?
  Alan: Sure! So, you want it to fall on the vampire? Protecting 
  Jerry?
  Mary: Yes! And I’ll use never again for a ten. I guess all its 
  attention is focused on me now?
  Alan: Yeah, when the light fitting comes down, it smashes on 
  top of it, and the vampire drops Jerry and just looks at you, 
  then starts walking towards you like a gunfighter heading 
  for a showdown.
  This is the result of the protect someone move.
  Alan (speaking as Lucius): “Very well! I will take you first.”
  Mary (speaking as Mark): “Cray! Forget your stupid spell! 
  Grab the vamp so I can stake it!”
  Chris (speaking as Cray): “What? Grab it? No way!”
  Chris: I’ll cast a spell to make the cable from the light shade 
  snake down and tie it up!
  Alan: That’s the ‘trap a monster’ effect. How do you cast the 
  spell?
  Chris: I just look hard at it and focus my mind, and then pull 
  it down like I’m using the Force.
  Alan: Cool.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Chris rolls and adds Cray’s Weird.
  Chris: Yeah, it’s a nine. Glitch is short duration “Make it fast, 
  Mark!”
  Alan: Okay, so the vampire’s all tangled but the cable’s already 
  starting to come loose.
  Alan (speaking as Lucius): “What? What’s happening? Gah, 
  stupid plastic rope!”
  Mary: I stake it!
  Alan: Sure, roll kick ass—it might be able to scratch you a bit 
  even tangled up.
  Mary rolls the dice and adds Mark’s Tough.
  Mary: Nine! I guess it gets me then. I do 3-harm with the stake.
  Alan notes down harm to Lucius, and that Lucius has been hit 
  with a weakness: a wooden stake to the heart.
  Alan: Mark, take one harm. You hammer the stake in but it 
  doesn’t look like it went in far enough to get the heart yet. 
  It gets one nasty scratch across your face that momentar-
  ily blinds you: take -1 forward.
  Alan has given Mark -1 forward as a harm move. Mary notes 
  down the harm to Mark.
  Mary: I stake it again!
  Mary rolls the dice and adds Mark’s Tough.
  Mary: Thirteen, even with that -1! I inflict terrible harm!
  Alan notes down that harm, sees that this puts Lucius at 
  12-harm total: he has harm capacity of 10, so this is enough 
  to kill him (and permanently, as a weakness has been used). 
  Alan chooses to not to inflict harm on Mark again, reasoning 
  that between being trapped and staked through the heart, the 
  vampire is no longer actively fighting back.
  Alan: Okay, that sure got the heart. There’s a burst of dust as 
  the vampire’s flesh disintegrates, leaving just the bones 
  and shriveled heart, complete with stake.
  The details of what happens when a vampire gets staked are 
  part of the game’s mythology.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  End of the First Session
  Once the mystery has been solved, take some time to go around the 
  table and check that everyone’s happy with how it played out. If the 
  hunters didn’t finish up this mystery, that’s okay too. Just finish when 
  you or the group thinks it’s a cool time to put “To be continued...” up 
  on the screen. You can find out what happens next time.
  Then ask the end-of-session experience questions:
  • Did we conclude the current mystery?
  • Did we save someone from certain death (or worse)?
  • Did we learn something new and important about the world?
  • Did we learn something new and important about one of the 
  hunters?
  If you get one or two “yes” answers, have the hunters mark one expe-
  rience. If you get three or four, they mark two.
  It’s a good idea to let everyone revise aspects of their hunter now 
  that they’ve played: they might want to change something now they’ve 
  seen how the game works. Ask them if they have any more ideas about 
  their hunter’s backstory, what their hunter’s planning to do next, what 
  they thought of the mystery, and anything else they liked or didn’t like. 
  Make a note of all the answers, for ideas you can use later.
  Then you can let everyone go home, or go home yourself.
  Getting Ready For Next Time
  Make notes of all the stuff you might need to remember later:
  • Elements from a hunter’s past.
  • Friction in the hunter team.
  • Themes with emotional resonance for the hunters or players.
  • Ideas for monsters that might be particularly unsettling.
  • Bystanders they might meet again.
  • Any monsters that got away.
  • Facts about how the world works in your game.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Looking Ahead
  Now think about events from the story that suggest there’s something 
  bigger going on in the shadows.
  The sort of things that might have come up include:
  • Hunters’ history choices that indicated a pattern of events or 
  a significant incident.
  • Events during the mystery that hinted at bigger troubles hap-
  pening somewhere else.
  • Unfinished business from the mystery.
  • Hunter choices that have a wide reach, such as the Chosen’s 
  fate, the Professional’s Agency, and the Initiate’s Sect.
  • Anything that came up in play that suggested something 
  more is going on, or that a secret is waiting to be uncov-
  ered. Examples include the results of the Expert’s dark past 
  move, or someone saying something interesting about their 
  past (e.g. Keeper: “Have you ever dealt with a snake demon 
  before?” Hunter: “Oh, sure, we got a lot of them back on the 
  farm.”)
  If something like that came up, make a note.
  You’ll use these notes to build subsequent mysteries and your arcs 
  (arcs are long-term problems). If you’re already thinking about long-
  term problems and plots, go and read about building arcs (page 227) 
  and start your first one. It may not be totally defined yet: it could 
  just be one or two threats and a couple of notes. That’s fine. You can 
  develop and polish it as you go on.
  If nothing springs to mind yet, wait until events in later mysteries 
  give you some ideas.
  224
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  Summary: Keeper's 
  First Session
  • Discuss team concepts, and maybe pick one for the game.
  • Guide the others through picking playbooks and creating 
  their hunters.
  • Do introductions and history for the hunters.
  • Have any hunters with start-of-mystery moves do them now.
  • Start the mystery with a teaser scene.
  • Let them begin investigating. Ask lots of questions to work 
  out how each hunter does things, and to find out about their 
  pasts.
  • Put lots of horror into the stuff they find. Give them prob-
  lems so they can show how cool they are as they solve them.
  • Make sure that if a hunter rolls and gets a miss, they mark 
  experience.
  • When any character suffers harm, use a harm move on them.
  • Make a note of everything you can.
  • Have some fights and action scenes as they get close to the 
  monster.
  • They confront the monster. Hopefully, the hunters win.
  • Go through the end-of-session experience questions and 
  have the hunters mark experience based on the answers.
  • Discuss how it went. Let them change their hunters around 
  a bit if required.
  • Look at your notes, and think ahead. Think about possible 
  future mysteries and monsters.
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  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  226
  ON WITH THE MYSTERY!
  
  There’s a few things you need to do after each game 
  session, and before the next. I’ll take you through 
  those here.
  In fact, you already started when you thought 
  about what came up in the previous session that you 
  could use later on. Going over the events of the last 
  mystery provides you with ideas to use for the next 
  mystery, or for new or existing arcs.
  Most importantly, before the next game you will 
  need to create a new mystery for the hunters to deal 
  with. That works pretty much the same as the first one 
  did.
  I’ll discuss arcs here, and then how to create your 
  later mysteries in the next chapter.
  Between Game Sessions: 
  Arcs
  227
  
  228
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: ARCS 
  Arcs
  Arcs are like mysteries that play out slowly in the background. They 
  describe things that are causing trouble for the hunters over the long 
  term. Think of them like the season-long plots used in Buffy and 
  Supernatural: a big bad monster and its ongoing plan is a perfect basis 
  for an arc.
  Building Arcs
  An arc is made up of four basic elements, 
  similar to a mystery. You can create them in 
  any order you want, but I’ll go through them 
  in the order I usually use:
  • Basic concept.
  • The threats.
  • One or more countdowns.
  • Optionally, some custom 
  moves.
  Arcs work fine without being fully 
  detailed at first. Sometimes you’ll 
  have only a few ideas about 
  what’s going on. That’s fine: 
  just note the details you have 
  now, and fill in others as you 
  think of them. Events in play 
  will suggest further elements 
  to be added in later.
  
  The Basic Concept
  Decide on a starting concept for your arc. Mysteries usually start with 
  a monster, but arcs can come from a wide variety of places: a hunter’s 
  history, unfinished business from a mystery, or a neat idea you have 
  for an evil plan.
  You may get some ideas for arcs right at the beginning of a new 
  game when the hunters are created. Perhaps the team concept and 
  backstory of the team suggests something. Some playbooks also have 
  built-in arc seeds, specifically:
  • The Chosen’s fate. Use the details that you work out with the 
  player about what is in store for the Chosen.
  • The Divine’s mission may require an arc, depending on the 
  details you worked out with the player.
  • The Initiate’s Sect and Professional’s Agency both deserve 
  an arc. Use the choices the player made to decide what the 
  organisation’s motivations are, and how these will affect the 
  hunters. The organisation may mean well, but still cause 
  trouble by accident. On the other hand, some organisations 
  might have a sinister purpose for hunting monsters.
  • The Wronged’s loss: every Wronged should have an arc 
  involving the creature(s) that caused their loss.
  • Any player might make a decision during hunter creation that 
  gives you an idea for an arc.
  In all these cases, ask the player questions about their hunter and their 
  history, in order to tease out ideas you can use for an arc.
  Another way to get arc ideas is to take unfinished business from 
  the mysteries you play. For example:
  • If the hunters failed to defeat a monster, it might decide to 
  track them and get revenge. Alternatively, it might restart its 
  evil plan somewhere else.
  • If the hunters failed to notice and stop an evil plot, the plot-
  ters can move on to the next step in their terrible plan.
  • If the hunters miss an important detail, it might start a new 
  problem (for instance, a roach-person’s eggs are left in place 
  to hatch a new generation).
  Lastly, as the game goes on you might notice that previously uncon-
  nected facts or events make more sense if they were really connected 
  all along. That is the seed of an arc. Maybe you’ve had two mysteries 
  that both had a naga as the monster. Could there be a naga conspir-
  acy that led to both situations? Think about what the nagas might be 
  trying to achieve, and use that as your arc concept.
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  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: ARCS 
  
  An example arc:
  Let’s say that there was a particularly annoying werewolf 
  pack leader who eluded the hunters. She seems like a good 
  choice to start an arc around (especially as the team has a 
  Wronged who is hunting werewolves).
  The hunters killed most of the werewolf pack, so the leader 
  will definitely hold a grudge, and she was pretty smart in 
  her tactics, so the idea of her starting a crusade against the 
  hunters makes perfect sense.
  Arc Threats
  Arc threats are created (and work) in exactly the same way as mystery 
  threats, except there doesn’t need to be a monster. Arcs dealing with 
  human organisations (an Agency or Sect, for example) might be made 
  up of only bystanders and locations.
  For example:
  Our werewolf leader was already written up as a threat in 
  that original mystery, so we’ll add her first.
  Nina Keenan. Monster: Queen (motivation: to possess and 
  control). I’ll omit her werewolf powers and weaknesses here, 
  but they will be the same as when she appeared previously 
  (and in keeping with the established rules for werewolves).
  The Wronged is hunting a werewolf too. His name is 
  George Tovey, but the Wronged just calls him “the black were-
  wolf.” Let’s put that one here too. This threat was established 
  by the player when she made the Wronged, but it is currently 
  unallocated to any mystery or arc. I’ll add him to this arc now.
  “The Black Werewolf” aka George Tovey. Monster: Tor-
  turer (motivation: to hurt and terrify).
  My idea is that Nina is in charge of this new pack, and 
  she’s brought in George to be her top enforcer.
  That’s enough key werewolves for this pack, but we’ll add 
  two minion threats for the rest of the pack. The first I’m calling 
  “werewolf brutes.” They’re my generic werewolves to throw in at 
  will. I’ll also have a few who are going to be tougher, and sent 
  after the hunters. They’ll be “werewolf assassins.” Both groups 
  are named after their minion type.
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  Werewolf brutes (there are a dozen or so). Minion: Brute 
  (motivation: to intimidate and attack).
  Three werewolf assassins. Minion: Assassin (motivation: 
  to kill the hunters).
  Nina’s new werewolf pack will have taken a town (let’s call 
  it “New Hampstead”) as their new territory, and will be begin-
  ning to take over the whole area. I’ll define that as a location, 
  because sooner or later the hunters will go there.
  New Hampstead and surrounds. Location: Den (motiva-
  tion: to harbour monsters).
  Given that the most likely thing that will happen to the 
  hunters when they visit is a succession of werewolf attacks, 
  that type seems very appropriate.
  I don’t think the arc needs any more threats at this stage. 
  Maybe some of the people in New Hampstead will be bystand-
  ers in this arc later on, but this is enough to start with. The 
  initial ideas have given me plenty to use when writing up 
  mysteries: werewolf attacks, people asking around about the 
  hunters, rumours of werewolf activity, and so on.
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  Arc Countdowns
  Arc countdowns are like mystery countdowns, except they are on a 
  bigger scale.
  Aim for each step of the countdown to have the potential to be 
  a whole mystery (either with the hunters attempting to stop it, or 
  dealing with the aftermath).
  For example:
  The arc countdown for our werewolf revenge arc is going 
  to center on Nina and George getting ready to take out the 
  hunters.
  • Day: Nina consolidates her hold over New Hampstead 
  and creates a bunch of new werewolves.
  • Shadows: The pack begins sending out spies to find the 
  hunters and assassins to kill the hunters’ loved ones and 
  support network.
  • Dusk: George decides to target the Wronged, by hunting 
  down her family (aiming to turn them into werewolves, 
  rather than “just” kill them).
  • Sunset: The pack makes a concerted assault on the 
  hunters and takes them out.
  • Nightfall: The pack kills any other monster hunters who 
  are active in the region, and begins turning people in posi-
  tions of authority.
  • Midnight: Nina rules the whole region through the pack.
  Note that this countdown needs to be created a little differently 
  than usual. Because the arc was triggered by the hunters’ actions, it’s 
  not what would happen if they never got involved. They’re already 
  involved! So this one is what will happen if the hunters don’t find out 
  about Nina and the werewolves, or if the hunters do not stop Nina’s 
  plan in time.
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  Arc Templates
  Here are some simple skeletons for arcs that allow you to slot in some 
  threats and build up the rest of the arc quickly.
  Use them as-is, or as inspiration for your own arcs.
  I’ve included a starting point in each. These are events that might 
  happen in your game that provide a perfect opportunity to put that 
  arc into play.
  Ancient Evil Rising
  This centers on a dormant, dead, or imprisoned monster and the allies 
  or servants working to bring it back.
  Starting point: the hunters stumble upon early preparations for the 
  awakening.
  Threats:
  • The monster that’s awakening.
  • Minions and allied monsters.
  • The location where the monster is waiting.
  Countdown:
  Minions are collecting potential sacrifices 
  to prepare for the awakening.
  Day
  Minions conduct a dark ritual to prepare 
  the way, killing the sacrifices.
  Shadows
  Minions conduct the dark ritual 
  that awakens the monster.
  Dusk
  The monster awakens and wreaks havoc.
  Sunset
  The monster builds up its armies of minions.
  Nightfall
  The monster converts the area into a hellish 
  kingdom where all humans are enslaved or killed.
  Midnight
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  The Nemesis
  This works for any hunter(s) with a nemesis—possibly a monster that 
  escaped, or the one the Wronged is hunting down, or something from 
  a destiny or dark past. The nemesis might be after an individual hunter, 
  or the whole team.
  Note that my werewolf example arc, above, is a version of this 
  template (although with a few changes, to reflect the details of that 
  particular game).
  Starting point: A monster gets away, or there is a Wronged in the team.
  Threats:
  • A monster (the nemesis).
  • Minions and allied monsters.
  • Bystanders (people the hunter cares about).
  Countdown:
  The nemesis recruits allies and minions.
  Day
  The nemesis starts investigating the hunters, 
  to find out where they are vulnerable.
  Shadows
  The minions attempt to abduct, torture 
  and kill people the hunters care about.
  Dusk
  The nemesis sends minions out to interfere 
  with the hunters during other mysteries.
  Sunset
  The nemesis and minions set a trap for the hunters.
  Nightfall
  The nemesis kills the hunters.
  Midnight
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  The End of Days
  This is about the Apocalypse. The world is going to end.
  Starting point: The End of the World is prophesied, or the hunters are 
  told of what is being planned by a monster or conspirator, or there is 
  a Chosen in the team.
  Threats:
  • Several monsters, including at least one destroyer.
  • Hordes of minions.
  • A location (the place it begins).
  Countdown:
  A monster starts looking for a special artifact 
  that is needed to bring about the end.
  Day
  There are prophecies, clues in mysteries, and 
  other signs that bad things are coming.
  Shadows
  The monster finds the artifact.
  Dusk
  The monster and minions go to the place it will 
  begin, and conduct an evil magic ritual.
  Sunset
  The Apocalypse begins.
  Nightfall
  The world is destroyed (or irrevocably 
  changed for the worse).
  Midnight
   
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  Corruption
  This is for games with a critical organisation that the hunters have to 
  trust. Unfortunately it has been infiltrated by evil, or perhaps always 
  has been evil. A Professional’s Agency or Initiate’s Sect might qualify, 
  or it could be an organisation that the hunters come across, or ally 
  with, in play.
  Starting point: The hunters come across something that shows that 
  they are being lied to, or that people they trust are up to something 
  sinister.
  Threats:
  • Minions (the traitors).
  • Bystanders (the people who bought the cover story).
  • Monsters behind the scenes.
  • Locations for organisation sites.
  Countdown:
  The organisation sends the hunters on a 
  mystery with incomplete intelligence.
  Day
  The organisation sends a second 
  team to do something at odds with 
  the hunters’ goal on a mystery.
  Shadows
  The organization recruits monsters 
  and minions directly.
  Dusk
  The traitors start liquidating good agents.
  Sunset
  The traitors start openly doing out-and-out evil deeds.
  Nightfall
  The evil plan is complete (e.g. immortality 
  for the traitors, “We’ll be eaten last,” etc.).
  Midnight
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  Arc Custom Moves
  Arcs and arc threats may have custom moves, the same as mysteries 
  and mystery threats (the rules for custom moves are on page 296). 
  Think about creating custom moves for threats that the hunters will 
  deal with directly, or to highlight special features of the arc.
  For example:
  This arc relies on the werewolves “recruiting,” so let’s think 
  about how that happens. I don’t want it to be every time you 
  get hurt by a werewolf, maybe it has to be a serious injury?
  When a werewolf attack causes 4-harm, you start 
  becoming a werewolf. You’ll be feverish all the time, and 
  suffer random pains. As the full moon approaches, you’ll have 
  sharper senses (especially smell, hearing, and night vision) and 
  crave raw, bloody meat. The transformation may be stopped 
  by a big magic ritual, or treatment with silver (anything that 
  will affect the whole body, such as colloidal silver capsules, 
  will do). If not cured by the next full moon, you’ll transform 
  and it will be too late to save you: change your playbook to 
  Monstrous. Note that almost no bystanders who suffer such a 
  werewolf attack will be able to cure it, so they will almost all 
  be turned.
  Summary: Arc Creation
  • Come up with a basic concept: a long-term evil plot that 
  threatens the hunters or the world.
  • Create the threats for the arc, using the rules for mystery 
  threats.
  • Create a countdown for the arc.
  • As you play, add more details to the arc based on what 
  happens in each related mystery.
  • Advance the arc countdown when the hunters do not stop 
  the evil plan.
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  238
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: ARCS 
  
  Between Game Sessions: 
  Subsequent 
  Mysteries
  The process for creating subsequent mysteries is 
  much the same as when you create the first one. I’ll 
  summarize the process again here, and then explain 
  what you need to do differently.
  239
  
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  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  Summary:  
  Mystery Creation
  • Come up with a basic concept: a cool monster, mystery idea, or 
  something inspired by a previous mystery or by your arcs.
  • Create a hook: the clue that caught the hunters’ attention.
  • Create the monster(s): name, description, type and motivation, 
  define powers, weaknesses, attacks, armour, harm capacity.
  • Create the minions (if any): name, description, type and motiva-
  tion, define powers, weaknesses, attacks, armour, harm capacity.
  • Create the bystanders: name, description, type and motivation.
  • Create the locations: name, description, type and motivation.
  • Define the mystery countdown: six terrible events that would 
  occur if the hunters never came.
  • Create any custom moves required for these threats, or the 
  mystery as a whole.
  
  Basic Concept
  Start by coming up with a concept. Think about:
  • Favourite monsters from myth, folklore, urban legend or 
  popular culture.
  • Loose ends from previous mysteries.
  • The next problem from one of your arcs (see page 227).
  • Steal a plot from somewhere else and file off the serial 
  numbers (by changing the location and/or type of monster).
  • A place you’ve been, or know about, that has potential as 
  somewhere a monster could be lurking.
  • Any secrets the hunters found out and want to explore.
  • Bystanders from old mysteries call the hunters for help.
  • A monster the hunters failed to kill returns.
  • Ambush the hunters with monsters of a type they’ve fought 
  before.
  • Return to the place a previous mystery happened.
  • Create a different variety of monsters they have previously 
  encountered.
  Pick something that inspires you, then work out what’s going to 
  be happening.
  If your concept has a monster, what does it want to achieve?
  If the concept has come from somewhere else, work out which 
  monster(s) fit into it.
  Using Your Arcs
  You can use arcs in a few different ways to inspire your mysteries:
  • Use aspects of the arc. Most obviously, the next event in the 
  arc countdown could be the basis of a mystery. A mystery 
  might also be connected tangentially to the arc, for instance 
  if the arc threats have indirectly caused it.
  • The hunters might investigate elements of an arc on their own 
  initiative, so they might pre-empt the next countdown event.
  • The threats from an arc might turn up as minor (or major) 
  elements in a mystery. For instance, maybe a minion from the 
  arc is an ally of the monster in your mystery?
  • Clues referring to an arc can be found while investigating 
  something else.
  • While investigating a mystery, the hunters could be tar-
  geted by monsters or minions from an arc. Possibly this is a 
  pre-emptive attack, or possibly the hunters are just in the way 
  of something the creatures need to do.
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  The Hook
  The hook is the clue that brought the hunters to this situation, such as 
  something weird in the news that says “monster” to hunters but seems 
  normal to those who aren’t in the know. For subsequent mysteries you 
  can consider other sorts of hooks:
  • If any of the hunters have a particular interest in a specific 
  sort of monster or phenomenon, their research could find 
  signs of suspicious activity.
  • A bystander that the hunters have helped before might 
  contact them if they encounter another monster.
  • A monster that has reason to hate the hunters can come 
  looking for them. The hook here might be the first attack on 
  the hunters.
  • A clue that is similar to something the hunters have seen 
  before, but with an important difference.
  • Something the hunters have done might have drawn super-
  natural attention, so that the next mystery comes to them. 
  The hook will be when things start getting weird.
  • One of the hunters is told a prophecy or has a vision of what 
  is going to happen (or is already happening).
  • If the hunters are associated with an organisation (e.g., a Pro-
  fessional’s Agency or Initiate’s Sect) then they may be given 
  the mission by their superiors.
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  The Threats
  Just like the first mystery, your threats are monsters, minions, bystand-
  ers, and locations.
  Monsters
  For your monster, it’s best to start with something from folklore or 
  urban legend (there’s plenty of online sources for this: I use Wikipe-
  dia as my starting point). Working from established folklore means 
  everyone will have a general idea about what the monster is capable of 
  (once they work out what it is).
  If you don’t want to take a creature from folklore or urban legend 
  as the basis of your mystery, here are some other good sources:
  • Use a monster from another source (perhaps a film, novel, 
  TV show, or comic). I recommend changing things around 
  a little, so that any of your players familiar with the source 
  won’t recognise it immediately.
  • Use a basic idea from folklore or urban legend, but change it 
  in major ways.
  • Come up with a cosmological reason for the monsters in your 
  game, and use that to decide how they consistently appear 
  and act. A game in which monsters are dangerous manifes-
  tations of features in the natural world (cities, forests, oceans, 
  etc) will have a very different style to one where every monster 
  is an inscrutable intrusion from outside our universe.
  • Create your own creature, perhaps based on your game’s 
  existing mythology.
  • Use a monster breed the hunters have encountered before, 
  but vary its abilities or motivation.
  • Use a monster breed the hunters have encountered before, 
  but showing a different aspect of it (e.g. maybe the sewer troll 
  they met before was a hermit, and most sewer trolls live in 
  family groups).
  Pick a type based on the creature’s motivation rather than its abilities. 
  Not every blood-drinking vampire is a devourer, for example; it might 
  be a breeder, because its real goal is to create an army of vampire 
  minions.
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  Here are the twelve monster types again:
  • Beast (motivation: to run wild, destroying and killing)
  • Breeder (motivation: to give birth to, bring forth, or create 
  evil)
  • Collector (motivation: to steal specific sorts of things)
  • Destroyer (motivation: to bring about the end of the world)
  • Devourer (motivation: to consume people)
  • Executioner (motivation: to punish the guilty)
  • Parasite (motivation: to infest, control and devour)
  • Queen (motivation: to possess and control)
  • Sorcerer (motivation: to usurp unnatural power)
  • Tempter (motivation: to tempt people into evil deeds)
  • Torturer (motivation: to hurt and terrify)
  • Trickster (motivation: to create chaos)
  Decide on all the remaining elements that you’ll need: its powers, 
  attacks, armour, harm capacity, and weakness(es):
  • Pick the type for the motivation this monster needs.
  • Note down all the supernatural powers that it has.
  • Define weaknesses.
  • Define its attacks: how much harm does it do (usually 3-5)? 
  What range? Are any other tags required?
  • How much armour does it have?
  • How much harm can it suffer before it dies (usually 8-12)?
  • Optionally, custom moves for the monster’s powers.
  When your hunters are experienced and capable, you can make the 
  monsters tougher than those guidelines. For attacks, the normal 
  range is 3- to 5-harm, but go higher if a monster especially dangerous. 
  An attack doing 8-harm or more is instant death (hunters have ways 
  to survive such nasty attacks, of course: spending Luck, or another 
  hunter protecting them).
  If you haven’t already worked out what it’s trying to achieve, give 
  that some thought now. You need to know what its plan is, even if that 
  plan is just “eat a lot of people.” If your initial idea doesn’t suggest a 
  plan, look at the type you have given it. The motivation should suggest 
  a certain sort of goal. Think about that, and then work out (given what 
  you’ve already thought of) what is the worst thing that monster could 
  be planning here? The plan could also fulfill the next stage in one of 
  your arcs, or be a new twist on something that happened in a previous 
  mystery.
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  Example Monsters
  Here are some examples to illustrate a variety of different monsters. 
  Note that I’ve given each one a monster type that fits the basic concept 
  of the creature, but if you use it in a mystery you should consider 
  whether it fits the monster’s role for that adventure, and change the 
  type if you find a better match.
  A Classic Vampire
  A vampire based on the novel Dracula.
  Monster: Queen (motivation: to possess and control).
  Powers:
  • Immortal.
  • Mesmerism: When it commands you, roll +Cool. On a 10+, you 
  can choose whether to do it or not. If you do, mark experience 
  and take +1 forward. On a 7-9, you can choose whether you do it 
  or not. If you do, mark experience. If you don’t, take +1 the next 
  time he tries to mesmerise you. On a miss, you do what it asks.
  • Transform into wolf, bat, or shadow.
  • Extremely strong.
  • Can climb any wall.
  • Incredibly stealthy.
  • Vampiric bite: victims bitten three 
  times become vampires themselves.
  • Master vampire: he controls all the 
  vampires he has created.
  • Plague bringer: Disease and vermin 
  thrive when a vampire is nearby.
  Attacks: Punch/throw: 4-harm hand; 
  Bite: 3-harm intimate vampiric.
  Armour: Physical toughness: 
  1-armour.
  Weaknesses: 
  Must 
  subsist 
  on human blood. Must sleep in the soil of his 
  homeland. A wooden stake through the heart. 
  Decapitation.
  Harm capacity: 9 harm.
  
  A Monstrosity From Beyond
  This is an alien being. It has no name. It looks like a collection of 
  moving shapes or roiling bubbles and is an oily black shimmery colour.
  Monster: Collector (motivation: to steal specific sorts of things).
  Powers:
  • Devour Memory: If the creature succeeds with a “devour 
  memory” attack (see below) it extrudes a tentacle into the vic-
  tim’s head. The victim takes 3-harm ignore-armour and loses one 
  memory of the Keeper’s choice. It doesn’t much care if the victim 
  is human or not, so it will be happy eating memories from any-
  thing that has them.
  • Phasing: The creature is not exactly in our dimension, so it can 
  squeeze itself through solid objects. Note that when it lashes 
  people with its tendrils in defense, they will in fact lash through 
  the target (that’s why it has ignore-armour).
  Attacks: Devour memory: 3-harm ignore armour 1-memory; Tendril 
  lash: 4-harm close ignore-armour phasing.
  Armour: Its semi-physical body counts as 2-armour.
  Weaknesses: Its form can be disrupted by high energy (e.g. intense 
  heat, industrial-voltage electricity, high powered laser, etc.).
  Harm capacity: 12 harm.
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  Uhul, Demon Prince
  Uhul is immensely powerful, and hard to call to Earth. It’s even harder 
  to banish. It may appear in many forms, but prefers to pass as human 
  (with a few clues, e.g. small horns at its temples) or as a towering 
  archetypal demon (reptilian, red, fangs, cloven hooves, wings, and 
  tail).
  Monster: Tempter (motivation: to tempt people into evil deeds).
  Powers:
  • Grant Magical Power: Uhul may gift a 
  human with a magical ability. It only does 
  this in exchange for something of great 
  value, such as a soul. Hunters making this 
  deal can take a magical move from any 
  playbook, or something similar.
  • Change Form: Uhul may take any human-
  like form it wants, but retains at least one 
  demonic feature.
  • Summon spear: The spear appears in 
  Uhul’s hand at will.
  Attacks: Fisticuffs: 2-harm hand; Demonic 
  talons: 4-harm hand; Barbed iron spear: 
  5-harm hand close heavy.
  Armour: 1-armour (just generally 
  hard to hurt).
  Weaknesses: A specific big magic 
  banishing ritual (requires 7 people, 
  some rare crystals, requires use 
  magic to banish Uhul, and takes 4 
  hours to cast).
  Harm capacity: 12 harm.
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  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  A Vrykolakas, a Balkan vampire
  A vrykolakas rises each night to visit the 
  houses of people it knew. At each 
  house, it knocks once and 
  calls for its friends and family. 
  Anyone who answers the knock 
  begins to suffer from a wasting 
  disease, and when dead they 
  will also rise as a vrykolakas.
  These 
  creatures 
  have 
  bloated bodies which their 
  skin stretches and strains to 
  fully cover, resulting in some 
  areas that are flushed and others 
  that are near-transparent. They 
  wear the remains of whatever 
  they were buried in, although 
  it is partly chewed if you look 
  closely (a consequence of their 
  hunger before they got out of the coffin).  
  A vrykolakas sleeps in its den (any place that won’t be disturbed) 
  during the day (except for Saturdays, when it must lie in its grave).
  Monster: Breeder (motivation: to give birth to, or bring forth, evil).
  Powers:
  • Wasting Call: If the vrykolakas knocks (once) on your door and 
  calls your name, and you answer, you will contract a wasting 
  disease. You suffer 1-harm from the wasting disease every day, 
  and you will die and rise again as a vrykolakas once it gets to 
  7-harm. Killing the original vrykolakas will stop the disease’s pro-
  gression.
  • Night Terrors: If the monster comes into your bedroom, it can 
  suffocate you. If you have the vrykolakas’ wasting illness, add +2 
  to the harm total from the disease. If not, take 3-harm from the 
  suffocation and life drain before you wake up.
  Attacks: Claws: 1-harm hand messy; Teeth: 1-harm intimate conta-
  gious (‘contagious’ gives the victim the wasting illness).
  Armour: 2-armour
  Weaknesses: Sleeps in its grave on Saturday; Fire; Decapitation.
  Harm capacity: 10 harm.
  
  Spore Troll
  Spore trolls are fungal creatures that grow when an animal is infected 
  with special spores. The infected animals grow supplementary fungal 
  masses and keep getting bigger and bigger. Although strong, spore 
  trolls aren’t very smart. They exist to defend the queen-mass, and to 
  (eventually) explode, releasing more spores and infesting a new area. 
  Each nest centers on a queen-mass, a horrible growth that is the nexus 
  of all the offspring spore-trolls and other fungal workers and drones.
  Monster: Parasite (motivation: to infest, control, and devour)
  Powers:
  • Spore Explosion: may infect victim: within a few days, they begin 
  turning into another spore troll.
  • Regrowth: if dismembered, they will regrow lost body parts in a 
  few hours.
  Attacks: SMASH!: 3-harm hand messy; Cutting lash: 2-harm close.
  Armour: 2 armour.
  Weaknesses: Link to the fungus-queen-mass: destroying the queen-
  mass or severing the mental link allows the spore troll to be destroyed.
  Harm capacity: 12 harm.
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  A Classic Werewolf
  A person can become a werewolf in two ways. They may be cursed (by 
  a big magic ritual) or injured by a werewolf but not killed.
  Werewolves transform into wolves on the night of the full moon 
  each month, and run wild, attacking any human or animal prey they 
  find.
  Although a werewolf is very tough in wolf form, it doesn’t heal any 
  faster than normal. This means that werewolves can be identified—if 
  wounded in wolf form—by looking for a corresponding injury in the 
  daytime.
  Monster: Beast (motivation: to run wild, destroying and killing).
  Powers:
  • Transform into a wolf: automatically, every night of the full 
  moon.
  • Supernatural toughness: gains extra harm capacity and armour 
  in wolf form.
  Attacks: Human—as normal; Wolf—Bite: 2-harm hand; Wolf—Rend: 
  3-harm hand messy.
  Armour: Human—none; Wolf—1-armour.
  Weaknesses: Silver; Wolfsbane.
  Harm capacity: Human: 7 harm; Wolf: 18 harm.
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  The De-Identifier
  An entity from another dimension that feeds on what makes any thing 
  distinguishable from other things. The creature appears as a hovering 
  scaled creature with a catlike form. It moves via gentle flight, unaf-
  fected by gravity. When it takes away something’s individuality, it 
  must touch the target and concentrate for a few seconds.
  The hunters may hear about cases of people and things disappear-
  ing without a trace—in fact, they are still there, just nobody can tell 
  them apart to recognise them. During the investigation, mention the 
  presence of some generic people and objects—these are the current 
  victims! If the hunters try to find out such a person’s name, or what 
  they look like, they will not be able to (which should be a big clue 
  about what is going on).
  Monster: Devourer (motivation: to consume people).
  Powers:
  • Unaffected by gravity: It moves wherever it wishes, drifting at 
  walking speed.
  Attacks: Take away individuality 0-harm concentration hand (see 
  below).
  Armour: None.
  Weaknesses: Identity (if the hunters somehow name it, they may kill 
  it; this will require big magic or a very creative plan); Banishment (it 
  may be sent back to its own dimension permanently).
  Harm capacity: 7-harm.
  Custom moves:
  Take Away Individuality: when it touches something, the 
  De-Identifier takes away aspects of the entity that may be used to tell 
  it apart from others of its kind. Entities with their individuality taken 
  away are still whole, so the hunters can interact with such objects or 
  talk to such people, etc. However, it will be impossible recall anything 
  to help find that object or person again (only use magic or big magic 
  will supersede this effect). If any hunter is successfully targetted by 
  this custom move, take away a single thing that distinguishes them 
  each time—their name, or an aspect of their look. When a hunter’s 
  name and all look choices are gone, they are completely de-individu-
  alised. Recovery of these things will require big magic.
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  Chupacabras
  Historically, chupacabras are a fairly new urban legend originating in 
  Puerto Rico in the 1990s. Perhaps that is just when they began visiting 
  us?
  The chupacabras is a thin, doglike, spiny creature that drinks 
  blood. It is most known for attacking farm animals, but will happily 
  feast on human blood if given the chance.
  Individually, chupacabras are not very dangerous to a hunter 
  team. However, they often appear en masse: a plague of the creatures 
  afflicting a region.
  Monster: Devourer (motivation: to consume people).
  Powers:
  • Night Walker: A chupacabras can disappear into the darkness, 
  reappearing in its den. It cannot be tracked home, as it did not 
  walk through the intervening space.
  Attacks: Bite: 1-harm hand; Blood-suck: 2-harm intimate, must bite 
  first.
  Armour: None.
  Weaknesses: Sunlight; Enclosure (if you can trap it within a given 
  area, it may not night-walk away and may be killed).
  Harm capacity: 5-harm.
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  Ghoul
  Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, these ghouls are once-human cannibal 
  gibberers-in-darkness. They have pronounced snouts, a hunched and 
  scrambling gait, and rubbery skin. Their teeth are long and sharp, and 
  their dirty claws grab and tear.
  Ghouls are created when a person repeatedly engages in cannibal-
  ism, or simply spends too long in morbid contemplation of graveyards 
  and sites of death. These proclivities may lead to a gradual transforma-
  tion into a ghoul, especially when a nest exists nearby.
  Ghouls usually seem to have a low intelligence: only interested in 
  eating and horrifying humans around them. However, some maintain 
  their memories and rationality (to a greater or lesser extent). These 
  may learn many secrets of the world while traversing the ghoul tunnel 
  networks, as well as through their dealings with the undead and other 
  unnatural beings.
  Monster: Torturer (motivation: to hurt and terrify)
  Powers:
  • Immortal: Ghouls do not age.
  • Tunnels Beneath: Ghouls delve systems of tunnels beneath 
  graveyards, first to access the flesh of the dead, but they may also 
  travel great distances (sometimes even through time) via these 
  passages.
  • Rubbery Flesh: The sinews and body of a ghoul is strong and 
  tough. Hunters who attempt to contest with a ghoul in brute 
  strength take -1 ongoing.
  • Creature 
  of 
  the 
  Night: 
  Ghouls can see perfectly well 
  in the dark, but bright light 
  dazzles them.
  Attacks: Grabbing claws (1-harm 
  hand), Rending teeth (1-harm inti-
  mate).
  Armour: The rubbery flesh of a 
  ghoul counts as 1-armour.
  Weaknesses: Sunlight.
  Harm capacity: 8 harm.
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  Minions
  Minions can be supernatural creatures (maybe weaker versions of a 
  monster breed), or normal people (who could be voluntarily or invol-
  untarily helping the monster). They can also be a group that work 
  together.
  Minions help the monster and work against the hunters.
  There are ten minion types:
  • Assassin (motivation: to kill the hunters)
  • Brute (motivation: to intimidate and attack)
  • Cultist (motivation: to save their own skin at any cost)
  • Guardian (motivation: to bar a way or protect something)
  • Right hand (motivation: to back up the monster)
  • Plague (motivation: to swarm and destroy)
  • Renfield (motivation: to push victims towards the monster)
  • Scout (motivation: to stalk, watch, and report)
  • Thief (motivation: to steal and deliver to the monster)
  • Traitor (motivation: to betray people)
  Decide on all the elements that you’ll need:
  • Description.
  • Pick the type (and associated motivation) for the minion.
  • Note down all the supernatural powers it has, if any.
  • Weaknesses, if any.
  • Define its attacks: how much harm does the minion do 
  (usually 2-4)? What range? Are any other tags required?
  • How much armour does it have, if any?
  • How much harm can it suffer before it dies (usually 5-10)?
  • Optionally, custom moves for the minion’s powers.
  As with monsters, when your hunters are experienced and capable, 
  you can make the minions tougher than these guidelines.
  Remember minions may be a group of undistinguished foes as 
  well as individuals. If you create a group minion, the harm capacity is 
  how much is required to kill or disperse the whole group.
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  Example Minions
  Here are two example minions, illustrating a couple of ways to create 
  a minion that isn’t just a weaker version of a monster.
  Homunculus Swarm
  The homunculus swarm is a number of small critters. A golemancer 
  has been building them from parts of dead people. They act as scouts 
  and guards for the golemancer while she builds bigger and better ver-
  sions.
  They look nasty: strips of muscle, bits of bone, pieces of organs, an 
  eye or three; all just kinda put together into a vaguely sensible shape, 
  with varying numbers of legs, claws, and teeth. They’re not smart or, 
  individually, very tough.
  Minion: Brute (motivation: to intimidate and attack).
  Attacks: Individuals have an attack of 1-harm (if rat-sized) or 2-harm, 
  (if cat-sized). There aren’t any bigger ones (yet). If they attack as a 
  group, then they have a 3-harm area attack. Range is hand/intimate.
  Harm capacity: 7-harm will disperse the swarm. Each point of harm 
  kills one or two individuals.
  Chuck The Bartender
  Chuck is the hunters’ good friend at their favorite bar, always happy to 
  give them a couple of free drinks and to listen to them unload about 
  their problems. Unfortunately, Chuck also makes a bit of extra money 
  passing information back to the hunters’ biggest enemies.
  Minion: Traitor (motivation: to betray people)
  Chuck is friendly and a little too generous. He won’t do anything 
  obvious against the hunters, but make him just a little nicer than he 
  needs to be. And make sure that the monster hears about everything 
  that they tell Chuck (assume the monster knows how to fill in any gaps 
  the hunters have left out because they are talking to a civilian).
  Chuck’s just a normal person. He doesn’t have any special powers, 
  attacks, or armour.
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  Bystanders
  These are people who, often inadvertently, make it harder for the 
  hunters to solve the mystery.
  Think about your agenda and principles when you’re creating 
  bystanders. Make sure each has something that they will want from 
  the hunters. It works best if it’s something simple, like “go away and 
  leave me alone,” or “save me.”
  It’s useful to put some partially-defined bystanders into each 
  mystery, with just a name and threat type. That way, when the hunters 
  want to talk to someone you didn’t think of in advance, you can just 
  use the next partial description (and fill in any extra details then and 
  there).
  There are nine bystander types:
  • Busybody (motivation: to interfere in other people’s plans)
  • Detective (motivation: to rule out explanations)
  • Gossip (motivation: to pass on rumours)
  • Helper (motivation: to join the hunt)
  • Innocent (motivation: to do the right thing)
  • Official (motivation: to be suspicious)
  • Skeptic (motivation: to deny supernatural explanations)
  • Victim (motivation: to put themselves in danger)
  • Witness (motivation: to reveal information)
  Decide on the details the bystanders need:
  • A name.
  • A description.
  • Bystander type and motivation. This may suggest what they 
  will want from the hunters.
  • Optionally, a custom move.
  
  Example Bystanders
  Here are a couple of example bystanders. They’re a bit more detailed 
  than you need for a single mystery: this level of description is for 
  someone who is going to be a recurring character.
  Harvey Jones, Monster Investigator
  Harvey is a conspiracy theorist and cryptozoologist, just short 
  of donning a tinfoil hat. If there’s a Flake on the team with the net 
  friends move, maybe they even know Harvey (probably one of his 
  pseudonyms).
  Bystander: Detective (motivation: to rule out explanations).
  If there’s monster activity in Harvey’s town, he’s going to be investi-
  gating it. He’s likely to get in the way of the hunters, both directly and 
  by annoying other people before the hunters get to them. He’ll be sus-
  picious of the hunters (maybe even deciding they are Men in Black).
  He can also be encountered investigating a mystery away from 
  home: he could pick up on the same things that the hunters did and 
  have worked out that a monster is active there.
  Christine Fleming: She Would Like To Help
  Christine is an empathetic type, who will notice any of the hunters 
  who have emotional baggage, and try to draw that out of them. It’s 
  always better to talk things out, right?
  Bystander: Innocent (motivation: to do the right thing).
  Use Christine to give the hunters a whole different thing to worry 
  about: someone trying to give them amateur psychological aid for 
  their perceived emotional damage (chances are that she can find at 
  least two members of the team who seem damaged).
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  Locations
  Locations are significant places in the mystery. Define a location threat 
  for any places that are likely to be important during the mystery. You 
  can also add a location threat type when, during play, a place becomes 
  the scene of action or significant events.
  It’s important to note that the types describe the location in terms 
  of what sort of things happen there, not the actual form of it. A diner 
  could be a crossroads, because people meet there. Another diner 
  could be a hellgate, because creatures from beyond are summoned in 
  the back room. When picking a location threat type, think of what the 
  place is emotionally, symbolically, and functionally, not literally.
  There are ten location types:
  • Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, together)
  • Deathtrap (motivation: to harm intruders)
  • Den (motivation: to harbour monsters)
  • Fortress (motivation: to deny entry)
  • Hellgate (motivation: to create evil)
  • Hub (motivation: to reveal information)
  • Lab (motivation: to create weirdness)
  • Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate)
  • Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit)
  • Wilds (motivation: to contain hidden things)
  Decide on all the details your locations need:
  • A name.
  • A description.
  • Location type and motivation.
  • Optionally, a map.
  • Optionally, one or more custom moves.
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  Example Locations
  Here’s two example locations to illustrate some different ways you can 
  use location threats. As with the example bystanders, this might be a 
  little more detail than required for an average location in a mystery: 
  this is the amount you’d need if it is a central part of a mystery or will 
  be a recurring place.
  The Portal of Darkness
  Here’s a location that could be the center of a mystery (or an arc).
  A huge, ancient gateway made of a circular grassy area surrounded 
  by three enormous stones which are covered in eldritch runes.
  Location: Hub (motivation: to reveal information).
  Although the portal looks scary, it’s not dangerous in itself. 
  Instead, the records of the site and deciphering the runes carved here 
  can give the hunters a lot of clues about what’s going on. If the portal 
  is eventually activated, it might change to be a hellgate or lab instead.
  Home
  This location is someone’s home: maybe a Chosen, Mundane, or 
  Spooky who is still living with their family. It’s safe, but also has their 
  family to cause trouble.
  Location: Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit).
  Custom move: When you make excuses to the family for some-
  thing to do with monster hunting, roll +Charm.
  • On a 10+, you smooth over things but you might need to help 
  out with some chores in the near future.
  • On a 7-9, they know you aren’t telling the whole truth. You 
  smooth over things for now, but you’ll need to make an effort 
  to be seen as the good kid. Also, take -1 the next time you roll 
  this move.
  • On a miss, they catch you out. You’re in big trouble!
  Note that this move doesn’t need to just apply to a hunter who lives 
  here. Sometimes the other hunters might need to make excuses to the 
  family, too!
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  The Countdown
  To create the mystery countdown, work out what will happen if the 
  hunters never come to help. Remember, this is just your plan for what 
  will happen until the hunters interfere, and the step names are meta-
  phorical.
  Then allocate them to the steps in the countdown. Countdowns 
  have the following six steps:
  • Day.
  • Shadows.
  • Dusk.
  • Sunset.
  • Nightfall.
  • Midnight.
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  Mystery Scope
  The countdown gives you a way to define the scope of a mystery.
  A confined, personal mystery has each event about the same 
  person, or their immediate family and surroundings.
  An epic mystery has the effects of each step affecting a wider 
  area. The countdown for an epic mystery might start with a hook that 
  focuses on a home, neighbourhood or town while its final steps affect 
  the whole world (or the whole universe).
  To make the mystery more intense, a good trick is to take your 
  finished countdown, move the “midnight” event to “dusk” or “sunset.” 
  Work out what happens next to fill up the remaining steps again.
  Mystery Templates
  Here are some simple skeletons for mysteries that allow you to slot in 
  a monster and build up the rest of the mystery quickly. Use them as-is 
  if you’re in a hurry, or as inspiration for your own mysteries.
  A Bug Hunt
  A straightforward monster hunt. Bug hunts suit monsters that have 
  simple motivations, such as a devourer, torturer, beast, or executioner.
  Hook: There have been one or more killings which, to those in the 
  know, are obviously the work of an unnatural creature.
  Threats:
  • The monster.
  • A location: the general vicinity.
  • A location: the monster’s lair.
  • At least two bystanders to be potential witnesses and victims 
  (some sympathetic, others annoying).
  Countdown:
  The monster kills again.
  Day
  The monster kills again (a helpful bystander).
  Shadows
  The monster kills again (an annoying bystander).
  Dusk
  The monster abducts some innocent victims.
  Sunset
  The monster devours all the captives.
  Nightfall
  The monster grows in strength and power.
  Midnight
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  An Evil Ritual
  A monster (or an evil human sorcerer) is planning a terrible ritual to 
  unleash horrors upon the world.
  Hook: An ancient prophecy, a vision of the future, or everyday inves-
  tigation and research tells the hunters that the ritual is going to occur.
  Threats:
  • A monster.
  • Some minions (including your sorcerer, if you have one).
  • A location (the ritual ground—most likely a hellgate).
  • At least one bystander (a potential sacrifice).
  Countdown:
  The monster/sorcerer prepares the ritual ground.
  Day
  The monster/sorcerer kills in the process of 
  getting something required in the ritual.
  Shadows
  The monster/sorcerer abducts a sacrificial 
  victim (preferably the bystander or a hunter).
  Dusk
  The ritual begins.
  Sunset
  The victim is sacrificed.
  Nightfall
  The ritual is completed and horrors are unleashed.
  Midnight
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  Not What It Seems
  This template is used for mysteries that start out looking like one sort 
  of monster but which turn out to be something else (maybe just a dif-
  ferent variety of that type, maybe something totally different).
  You’ll need to come up with the monster, and work out why it 
  initially seems to be something else. Is it intentionally trying to throw 
  off the scent? Is it a different variety with different motives and habits?
  Hook: A death that appears, to those in the know, to be a certain sort 
  of monster.
  Threats:
  • A monster.
  • The area where the attacks are happening.
  • Lots of bystanders.
  Countdown:
  The monster attacks someone else 
  in a misleading manner.
  Day
  The monster does something that hints that 
  it is not what the initial clues implied.
  Shadows
  The monster attacks someone in a manner totally 
  out of keeping with what the initial clues implied.
  Dusk
  Someone sees the monster’s true nature and escapes.
  Sunset
  The monster puts its true plan into action.
  Nightfall
  The true plan is enacted.
  Midnight
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  Messing With The Formula
  The instructions above are the formula for a normal Monster of the 
  Week mystery. But if every mystery ends up being built the same way 
  it will get boring. Change things up now and again to prevent that.
  Here are some ideas of how to do this:
  • Give the mystery two monsters, at odds with each other. Maybe 
  the hunters will have a chance to team up with one, in a “my 
  enemy’s enemy...” sort of story? Maybe both monsters need to be 
  stopped?
  • Revisit a person, place, or monster that was especially memora-
  ble. This is a good way to build up your game’s mythology and to 
  advance an arc. Returning to elements that you’ve used before 
  means there will be associations and prejudices built in. Make 
  sure to get your notes from the previous time(s) and update each 
  threat: think about what’s the same and what has changed.
  • There’s no monster at all. This could be due to the situation having 
  a weird but natural explanation. Or it could be that there is super-
  natural weirdness about the place (a location threat) that needs to 
  be dealt with. You could even have a monster with a pseudo-sci-
  entific explanation (like a mind-controlling fungus, or a deadly 
  disease). These options work great for a game inspired by The 
  X-Files or Fringe, where the team is not necessarily hunting mon-
  sters, but instead investigating weird events.
  You can write up a weird phenomenon as if it were a monster, 
  complete with motivation, powers, and attacks. For a weakness, 
  decide what the hunters need to understand to prevent any 
  ongoing danger. When the hunters investigate the mystery, they 
  can learn more about the phenomenon’s origin, effects, and how 
  to stop it.
  • There’s no monster, but instead low-powered minions are the 
  problem. A plague of giant spiders, for example, could work this 
  way.
  • A session where the hunters are off-duty gives an opportunity to 
  explore the relationships in the team, and with their friends and 
  family outside the team as well.
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  • The discussion of one-shot games (page  292) includes some 
  ideas for more intense, self-contained mysteries that you can use 
  in an ongoing game as well.
  • A flashback mystery could explore aspects of the team’s history 
  (such as when they met, or events that intrigued you from the 
  characters’ backstories).
  • There are no bystanders. In this sort of mystery, maybe the hunters 
  are thrown into a remote location with only unnatural horrors for 
  company. There won’t be any time for chatting to normal folks, 
  you’ll be too busy staying alive.
  • A comedy episode. Set things up to be silly, maybe in a way that 
  pokes fun at the hunters and yourself. You can steal one of the 
  comedy episode ideas from Buffy, Angel or Supernatural, and 
  then adjust it to make your own version.
  • A mystery based directly on what’s happening in one of your arcs. 
  This will contribute to the ongoing plot, and can help alert the 
  hunters about the bigger problem.
  • A deadly mystery, where the players all create new hunters with 
  just 1 or 2 Luck. Use the tweaks for a one-shot game (page 292), 
  and aim to kill them all. These events can then become the back-
  ground for a mystery with the normal hunter team, and may 
  illustrate something about an arc they haven’t noticed yet.
  • You can present the hunters with hooks for two (or more) mys-
  teries, and let them decide which one they want to deal with. This 
  is a very high-stakes tough choice, especially if the hunters can 
  see the mysteries relate to different evil plots they need to stop 
  (i.e. your ongoing arcs). Once the first mystery has been dealt 
  with, you’ll need to decide how things have worsened in the other 
  situation(s): the countdowns may have advanced a little, or a lot. 
  Make these decisions based on your Keeper agenda, principles 
  and what you always say.
  In the end though, take any cool idea you have, write it up as a list of 
  threats and you’re good to go.
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  Sessions and Mysteries
  Most mysteries will fill one session of play, so that you can sit down 
  for an afternoon or evening and play through a self-contained mystery. 
  Of course, there’s plenty of ways to vary that if it doesn’t work for your 
  group.
  Some groups have short time slots by necessity, so you might 
  need to break each mystery up over two or three sessions.
  Alternately, if you have a longer block of time to play or just work 
  through a mystery quickly, you might be able to get through two mys-
  teries at a time.
  Multi-Part Mysteries
  You can build two-part mysteries, or even longer connected sequences.
  For a two-part mystery, build it just like two normal ones, except 
  that the end point of the first mystery (monster defeated and/or secret 
  revealed) leads into the next one. That way you can end on a shock-re-
  veal and tell everyone “to be continued...” If events in the game fall into 
  place just right you might be able to end on a cliffhanger, but you can’t 
  count on this.
  The second mystery is probably best just sketched out, for you 
  to complete once the first one is done. That way you will know which 
  threats from part one are still around, and tailor the conclusion of the 
  mystery based on what the hunters did in the first part.
  Sometimes a mystery might just take longer to finish than 
  expected. In these cases, you can stop in the midst of the action and 
  say, “To be continued...” Before the next session, have another look 
  at the remaining sections of the mystery and update them based on 
  what has already happened, then continue the mystery from where 
  you left off.
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  Longer Mystery Sequences
  If you want to build a longer set of connected mysteries, the same 
  process applies. A series of connected mysteries works well for an 
  arc—you can just drop in the next adventure in the series now and 
  again, the way that The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Fringe 
  intersperse one or two episodes about the overarching plot amongst 
  the usual monster-of-the-week episodes.
  The more connected the mysteries, of course, the less you can 
  assume in advance. Not knowing what the hunters will achieve in the 
  coming mysteries, you’ll have to make the ones further in the future 
  more vague. You might have a monster that is supposed to be a key 
  player later on killed early, so bear in mind the need to be flexible and 
  ready to change your plans depending on what happens in play.
  Absences
  I expect play to mainly be the same group of people meeting together 
  to play out a series of mysteries. Real life doesn’t always allow that.
  One of the advantages of the mystery-centered structure is that 
  it allows some of the players to miss a game with minimal disruption. 
  You can just say, “Oh, Owen is off hunting down something on his 
  own this week, and can’t help you with this case.” Next time when the 
  player is back you can ask what they were doing on their own (or write 
  a mystery letter for them to cover it.)
  Mystery Letters
  Mystery letters are a technique to give the hunters information to set 
  up a new mystery and start the game with a roar. They’re especially 
  useful when:
  • You are running a convention game.
  • Someone missed a game, to bring them (and yourself) back 
  up to speed.
  • There’s been a hiatus in your game.
  • There’s some unfinished business from the last game session.
  • You want to give the hunters some clues about the mystery.
  • You want to start with the hunters already in the midst of the 
  action.
  The letter should briefly remind the hunter what happened last time, 
  and where you left off. Include any new information that you want to 
  give the hunter. For example, you can put the hook for this mystery 
  and some background information they have already discovered.
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  Then put in a custom move for the hunter to roll, or pick from a 
  list of options. The moves should either provide some useful informa-
  tion, or put the hunter right into the action, or both.
  Here’s some fragments from letters I used for a convention sce-
  nario. The team are in a haunted house, attempting to exorcise a 
  poltergeist.
  An information-finding move:
  Obviously you checked out the haunting’s background before 
  the job. Roll me +Weird, to see what you’ve found out, or 
  worked out. On a 10+ ask me two of these, on a 7-9 ask me 
  one. On a miss, you can ask me one anyhow but you had to do 
  something dangerous to find out. I’ll let you know what that 
  was. The questions you can ask:
  • What’s the buzz on the cryptozoology and ghost hunter 
  message boards and mailing lists?
  • I found some writing in blood on a mirror. What did it say?
  • What did I notice when I looked at the map?
  A move to get into the action:
  The initial check of the house went okay, but then things turned 
  bad. Roll me +Sharp and see what happened: On a 10+ pick 
  two, on a 7-9 pick one:
  • You have the poltergeist in a ghost trap.
  • You do not have a huge shard of mirror embedded in your leg 
  (that means you do otherwise).
  • You know where some of the other ghosts are.
  On a miss, well. I’ll let you know what’s going wrong (every-
  thing).
  In both moves I have options that will suggest what’s going on beyond 
  the immediate situation. In the first, the fact that the map is important 
  is raised even if they don’t ask me about it. In the second, the “other 
  ghosts” had not been mentioned earlier, so this is the first hint that 
  there’s something extra going on.
  There’s also that negatively phrased option about the mirror shard. 
  The hunter has to pick it to avoid trouble, because otherwise (by impli-
  cation), they’ll have that injury.
  268
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  
  Example Mystery Letter
  Here’s an entire mystery letter to use as a model. This one is for a 
  hunter who was away because the player missed the previous session.
  Dear Carter,
  Remember how you’d taken that sample from the lake 
  creature for tests? You’ve got your results back from your 
  friend in the police forensic lab. Ask me one of these questions 
  to find out what you learned:
  • Is it related to anything we have met before?
  • Did we really kill it?
  • How does it tie in with that old woman... what was her 
  name, Janice? and what she told you?
  You’ve been away from the team for a week now, and I’d 
  like to know what you’ve been up to, and what you achieved. 
  Here are some things I know you wanted to do:
  • Check up on where the Unseeing Ones might have holed 
  up.
  • Research a spell that will cure Theresa.
  • Get hold of some of those “can kill anything” bullets from 
  that creepy dude.
  If there’s anything you want to add to that list, go ahead 
  and ask. I’ll let you know if it’s okay (anything you could do in 
  a week should be fine).
  Roll +Sharp to see how much you got done.
  • On a 10+ you can pick two of them to be done, on a 7-9 
  only one.
  • On a miss you can pick one if you want, but you got into 
  trouble doing it. Getting you out of that trouble is where 
  we’ll kick off today.
  Love and kisses, your Keeper
  Here you can see: a reminder and a chance to learn a little about the 
  bigger picture, a custom move that can tell the hunter some useful 
  facts and add information for the story, and another move to help the 
  hunter work towards one of their goals.
  269
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  
  Running Subsequent 
  Mysteries
  Mostly, this works just like the first one. There’s just a few differences.
  At the Beginning of Each Session
  If it’s a new mystery, have everyone who has a start-of-the-mystery 
  move do it now.
  Update the hunters’ harm to account for healing time:
  • If there’s been some time to get treatment and recover, have 
  everyone erase all harm.
  • If you are following right on the last mystery, everyone gets 
  1-harm healed.
  Playing the Mystery
  This goes just like the first time, except you don’t need to ask so many 
  questions.
  As you go on, there’s room for more interaction with normal folks, 
  for fighting tougher monsters or large groups of minions, and stuff 
  like that.
  It’s also good to put pressure on the things that hold the team 
  together. Say your hunters have a disagreement about how to handle 
  a bystander who’s in the way. That’s interesting: it’s an opportunity to 
  push and see what happens in a more intense situation. Take these 
  tensions and put the hunters into positions where they have to make 
  similar decisions. This is not something you do to mess with them: it’s 
  being a fan. Being a fan means being interested in what happens when 
  the hunters have to make hard decisions.
  And you should play hardball with the hunters. They are awesome, 
  and they have a load of different ways to avoid harm and stay alive. So 
  have your monsters and minions hit the hunters as hard as they can. 
  Do not shy away from making the monsters tough, and giving them 
  attacks that could easily kill a hunter. Hunting monsters is not sup-
  posed to be easy or safe.
  We’re not interested in the hunters having everything go their 
  way. It’s much cooler to put them in bad spots, so we can be amazed 
  by the ways they get out and to give them tough choices so we can find 
  out what they truly believe in and what they’re willing to do.
  270
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  
  At the End of Each Session
  At the end of each session, remember to ask the end-of-session expe-
  rience questions:
  • Did we conclude the current mystery?
  • Did we save someone from certain death (or worse)?
  • Did we learn something new and important about the world?
  • Did we learn something new and important about one of the 
  hunters?
  If you get one or two “Yes” answers, have the hunters mark one expe-
  rience. If you get three or four, they mark two.
  Summary: Keeper's Session
  • Update injured hunters for healing since the last mystery. All 
  harm is healed if there’s been time, or just 1-harm each if 
  you’re following right on from the last mystery.
  • Do start-of-mystery moves for hunters who have them.
  • Tell the hunters the hook.
  • Let them investigate the mystery.
  • Ask questions.
  • Take note of everything you can.
  • Put lots of horror into the stuff they find. Give them prob-
  lems so they can show how cool they are as they solve them.
  • Put pressure on the relationships in the hunter team, or on 
  their relationships with bystanders.
  • When they meet someone you didn’t prepare, give them a 
  name and bystander type (usually a witness or victim).
  • When they visit somewhere you didn’t prepare, describe it 
  and give it a location type.
  • Make the action and fight scenes exciting.
  • When a hunter misses on a roll, have them mark experience.
  • When any character suffers harm, use a harm move on them.
  • Confront the monster! Hopefully the hunters win.
  • Ask the end-of-session experience questions to see whether 
  each hunter gets to mark zero, one or two experience.
  • Think about how events in the mystery will affect your arcs or 
  later mysteries. Tidy up your notes.
  271
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  
  272
  BETWEEN GAME SESSIONS: SUBSEQUENT MYSTERIES 
  
  Mystery:  
  Damn Dirty Apes
  The mystery is set in a small university town. The uni-
  versity needs to have an engineering school, a medical 
  school, and a liberal arts faculty. The villain who set 
  things in motion is an unbalanced professor, forced 
  to resign from the university in shame and now ready 
  to take his revenge. In true evil villain fashion he’ll 
  demonstrate that his theories work—and so what if 
  that proof takes the form of an army of crazed cyborg 
  primates?
  273
  
  Requirements
  Like “Dream Away the Time,” this mystery requires some things to be 
  true about your game. In this case, mad science that works in parallel 
  with magic to bind spirits, and the spirits themselves: entities from 
  another dimension that are hostile to life.
  Hook
  The hunters will hear that a spate of unusual burglaries at a university 
  has now culminated in a murder.
  What makes the burglaries unusual is that they have been tar-
  geted on engineering and electronics workshops. Some artifacts have 
  also been stolen from the Anthropology department. In all the raids, 
  security cameras and alarms have been tampered with.
  Yesterday a security guard called Chris Lamb was torn to pieces 
  (literally) during another theft in the Engineering building.
  Countdown
  Another attack takes place, this time 
  leaving a survivor (Pauline Brooks).
  Day
  Dr Beech enhances himself with bionic 
  experiments, thereby fusing an evil spirit into his 
  mind. This leaves him completely deranged.
  Shadows
  Dr Beech sends his minions after his academic rivals.
  Dusk
  Dr Beech sends his army out to 
  conquer the university.
  Sunset
  The university is captured. Dr Beech announces 
  that he is now “grand chancellor” in an attack on 
  the graduation ceremony. He begins transforming 
  more people and animals into insane bionic soldiers.
  Nightfall
  The army is called in to deal with the primate army, 
  and the town is devastated with great loss of life.
  Midnight
  274
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  
  Notes
  This mystery has a fairly limited scope, with most of the events and 
  investigation likely to take place at the university.
  Many of the bystanders know or suspect the truth, but have 
  reasons to hide their involvement. Be sure to let the hunters know 
  when the bystander they are talking to is being evasive or obviously 
  concealing something, and make the hunters push each character 
  hard to get the information. These secrets are another way to see how 
  much the hunters will do—in this case, how hard will they push these 
  bystanders?
  The strange thefts (in order of occurrence):
  • Medical school labs: 18 living monkeys and 3 chimpanzees. 
  This was initially assumed to be the Animal Freedom Militia, 
  and so far no-one has connected it to the spate of burglaries.
  • Electronics workshop storeroom. Various components stolen, 
  no doors unlocked or unbroken—access probably via a loose 
  ventilation grille.
  • Robotics lab. Several works-in-progress and some parts 
  stolen.
  • Anthropology library. Some books on pagan cults stolen.
  • Another electronics lab (this time in the computer science 
  department). Various parts, including programmable control 
  chips, stolen.
  • Medical school labs: A number of experimental prosthetics 
  and control computers.
  275
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  
  Threats
  Dr Lawrence Beech, Mad Scientist
  Monster: Sorcerer (motivation: to usurp unnatural power)
  The stress of academic life has led to Beech flipping out and deciding to 
  take over the university and rule it as an absolute monarch. He’s only 
  just moved into his hidden lab, where he’s putting the final touches 
  on his army of robo-primates before taking over the university. Beech 
  was not a normal, sane person even before this flipout.
  Beech has no supernatural powers or abilities beyond those he 
  uses to create his supersoldiers. If Beech upgrades himself, he gains 
  the powers and upgrades marked “post-upgrade” below.
  Powers:
  • Etheric-Bionic Binding Spell: Uses intricate mathemagical 
  programming techniques to bind bionics to a living host. An oth-
  er-dimensional consciousnesses is installed into the bionics as 
  a control interface. Has the unfortunate side effect of overwrit-
  ing the host mind with the mind of the other dimensional being 
  (which cannot comprehend this universe).
  • (Post-upgrade) Surgical robot hand (see attacks).
  • (Post-upgrade) Minion radio net. He can sense anything that any 
  of his bionic minions can sense, although he must actively con-
  centrate to do so.
  • (Post-upgrade) Etheric blast (see attacks).
  • (Post-upgrade) Etheric awareness. He is conscious of all living 
  things in his immediate vicinity (within about 50m), regardless 
  of obstacles. “Etherically active” individuals are easier for him to 
  detect—for hunters, that’s anyone with Weird +2 or +3.
  Attacks: (Pre-upgrade) Ineffectual slap: 0-harm hand; (Post-upgrade) 
  Surgical robot hand: 3-harm hand slow; (Post-upgrade) Etheric blast: 
  1-harm close magic ignores-armour
  Armour: (Pre-upgrade) None; (Post-upgrade) 2-armour.
  Harm capacity: 7.    Okay bbbb|bbb Dying      Unstable: b
  Weaknesses: Gloating monologue: Dr Beech cannot be defeated 
  until the hunters have listened to him rant about his evil plans; 
  (Post-upgrade) Etheric-Bionic Control Interface: If the interface 
  is disrupted with magic or electromagnetic energy, Dr Beech will no 
  longer be able to control the bionics and is vulnerable.
  276
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  
  Dr Beech's Research Lab
  Location: Den (motivation: to harbour monsters)
  Dr Beech can currently be found here. He sends monkeys and chimps 
  to do or obtain anything he needs outside his lab.
  Beech has been absent from work for a week. That’s long enough 
  to have been noticed by people who also know about the allegations, 
  but most of them have assumed he’s on “gardening leave” while the 
  whole mess is sorted out.
  If the hunters visit Beech’s apartment they will find it abandoned, 
  with some evidence of packing for a long absence.
  The lab was originally a disused storage basement attached to the 
  university’s steam tunnels. Beech has converted it into a robo-primate 
  conversion factory. There are workbenches, operating tables, surgical 
  robots, and a large number of robo-primates: up to 30 monkeys, and 
  Koko and the chimps (if they are not on a mission elsewhere).
  The surgical robots can be used as a weapon by Beech, but they’re 
  tied to the operating tables, so easily avoided. They are, however, a 
  very dangerous part of the background of any fight. If a hunter ends 
  up on an operating table, the robotization process will begin, starting 
  with removal of limbs.
  The Steam Tunnels
  Location: Deathtrap (motivation: to harm intruders)
  The tunnels are the only way the hunters can get to Dr Beech’s lab, and 
  they have been rigged to repel intruders with ambushes. Beech has set 
  up lots of motion detectors and cameras to ensure he’s warned about 
  intruders, and he will send out monkeys to deal with anyone snooping 
  around. The monkeys are equipped with infrared-vision camera eyes, 
  so they can see heat signatures in the total darkness of the tunnels.
  The tunnels can be confusing to navigate, so you might want 
  to call for an act under pressure move for the hunters to orientate 
  themselves properly after a monkey attack.
  277
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  
  278
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Koko, robo Gorilla (mark 3)
  Minion: Assassin (motivation: to kill the hunters)
  A possessed bionic silverback gorilla, Koko has been kept caged so 
  far as he is too dangerous and unstable to be let out. Once Beech 
  knows about the hunters, or is ready to make his move, Koko will be 
  unleashed.
  Note that Koko was not stolen from the university, but acquired 
  through other means. Most likely, Dr Beech has been in contact with 
  animal smugglers, but this loose end is a good candidate for tying into 
  other parts of your own game.
  Powers:
  • Immense Strength. Koko’s 
  augmented gorilla limbs 
  can overpower any human 
  and deal with almost any 
  barrier or weight.
  • Laser cannon. Koko has a 
  laser cannon mounted over 
  his left shoulder.
  Attacks: Laser: 2-harm hand 
  close far; Tear limb from limb: 
  4-harm hand messy.
  Armour: Bionic Armour Plating: 
  2-armour.
  Harm capacity: 12. 
  bbbbbbbbbbbb
  Weakness: 
  Etheric-Bionic 
  Control 
  Interface: 
  If 
  the 
  interface is disrupted with magic 
  or electromagnetic energy, Koko 
  will no longer be able to control 
  the bionics and is vulnerable.
  
  279
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Clara, Virgil, and Nim: robo chimps (mark 2)
  Minion: Thief (motivation: to steal, and deliver to the master)
  The chimps are crazy, but smart. They like to sneak about and steal 
  things.
  Powers:
  • Electro-grapple. Each chimp has one arm replaced with a 
  mechanical grapple and line. The hand may be fired up to 30 
  meters and winched back in. The chimps can use this to ascend, 
  swing around, attack, and steal things.
  Attacks: Electro-grapple Strike: 2-harm close restraining; Grapple: 
  3-harm intimate hand restraining messy; Bite: 2-harm intimate.
  Armour: Bionic Armour Plating: 1-armour.
  Harm capacity: 7. 
  bbbbbbb Clara
    
  bbbbbbb Virgil
    
  bbbbbbb Vim
  Weakness: Etheric-Bionic Control Interface: If the interface is 
  disrupted with magic or electromagnetic energy, the chimp will no 
  longer be able to control the bionics and is vulnerable.
  
  280
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Robo Monkeys (mark 1)
  Minion: Plague (motivation: to swarm and destroy)
  Beech has around thirty robo-monkeys of various species. The 
  monkeys will tend to attack as in two groups of about 15 each, and the 
  stats below are for one of these groups of 15.
  Powers:
  • Railgun: Each monkey is equipped with a small electromagnetic 
  cannon, which they’ll load with whatever comes to hand—stones, 
  rubbish, poo, etc.
  • Camera Eyes: They can see infrared, so the robo-monkeys have 
  excellent vision in total darkness, especially for spotting people.
  Attacks: Railgun: 0-3-harm (depends on ammunition) close far; Bite: 
  2-harm intimate.
  Armour: Bionic plating: 1-armour
  Harm capacity: Each group: 5.
  Group one: bbbbb  
  Group two: bbbbb
  Each point of harm suffered by the group means 3 monkeys are out 
  of action.
  Weakness: Etheric-Bionic Control Interface: If the interface is dis-
  rupted with magic or electromagnetic energy, the monkey will no 
  longer be able to control the bionics and is vulnerable.
  
  281
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  University Quad
  Location: Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, 
  together)
  There’s a large quad in the center of the university campus. It’s usually 
  filled with students. On the edges of the quad the hunters will find 
  two cafes, the university library, and the main administration building.
  University Departments
  Location: Hub (motivation: to reveal information)
  The various departments the hunters may be interested in are all 
  similar: long hallways, doors with opaque numbering systems (differ-
  ent for each department), and an assortment of offices, classrooms, 
  labs, and storage areas lining any particular corridor.
  University Grand Hall
  Location: Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit)
  The Grand Hall is almost a hundred years old, and built in an ornate 
  gothic style. A cramped balcony looks down on the main stage and 
  seating area. Stained glass windows illustrating academic virtues take 
  pride of place behind the stage.
  This is the hall where the graduation ceremony is held each year, 
  and it’s at that ceremony that Beech plans to attack. He is trying to 
  capture as many of his academic enemies as possible.
  For his attack, Beech will position the monkeys and chimps on the 
  balcony, then take the stage escorted by Koko. He will then announce 
  his takeover in a deranged monologue, declaring that he is now “grand 
  chancellor” of the university. The only reason he will pause will be 
  to order the robo-primates to restrain anyone escaping or to subdue 
  anyone resisting.
  After Beech has finished his speech, the primates will begin 
  escorting groups of staff and students through the steam tunnels to 
  the robo-primate conversion factory.
  
  282
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Pauline Brooks
  Bystander: Victim (motivation: to put themselves in danger)
  A security guard at the university, doomed to be maimed in the events 
  of “day” in the countdown. Before then, Pauline can help the hunters 
  with details of the usual routine for the security team. They’re gener-
  ally more concerned with students causing minor trouble rather than 
  any kind of serious threat.
  Attacks: Nightstick: 1-harm hand
  Armour: Stab-proof vest: 1-armour
  Harm capacity: 7.  
  bbbb|bbb
  Dr Andrew Crouch, Medical School Dean
  Bystander: Victim (motivation: to put themselves in danger)
  Hates Dr Beech intensely, regarding him as unbalanced and dan-
  gerous. It was Dr Crouch who finally revoked Beech’s funding and 
  triggered the current crisis.
  Does not want to reveal anything about Dr Beech because it 
  would reflect badly on the school. He has little idea about the details 
  and extent of Beech’s research except that many other people thought 
  it was crazy, out-beyond-the-fringe stuff.
  Dr Karen Wathey, Prostethics Researcher
  Bystander: Gossip (motivation: to pass on rumours)
  Previous collaborator with Dr Beech, decided he was going too far 
  and stopped helping. Also leaked details of Beech’s ethics violations 
  to the Dean in an effort to get Beech punished.
  Does not want to reveal anything about Beech because it might 
  endanger her own career. She knows that Beech has no qualms at all 
  about breaching ethics rules, and has begun to worry about the possi-
  bility that he has no qualms about breaking other rules either.
  
  283
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Dr Harvey Noble, Roboticist
  Bystander: Victim (motivation: to put themselves in danger)
  Noble has devoted much of his career to criticizing Dr Beech, ever 
  since their first disagreement over who deserved the nicer office in a 
  building that has since been demolished and rebuilt.
  Noble will happily rant about the various shortcomings of Dr 
  Beech, but his perspective is that Beech acts mainly in order to snipe at 
  Noble. Any useful information is likely to be hidden in Noble’s general 
  accusations of misconduct. He is aware that Beech was looking into 
  “crazy” control systems for bionics, verging into parapsychology in 
  some cases.
  Dr Clayton Holt, Ethics Committee Chair
  Bystander: Witness (motivation: to reveal information)
  Holt is in charge of the university research ethics committee and thus 
  has access to a number of Beech’s research proposals. Most of these—
  especially the most recent and disturbing ones—were denied.
  Holt also oversaw the ethics breach complaints against Beech and 
  is aware that Beech was conducting hideous prosthetic experiments 
  on animals.
  The university (specifically Dean Crouch) prevailed upon the 
  committee to keep the details of these sessions confidential due to the 
  danger they posed to the university’s reputation. Holt is not wholly 
  happy with that situation and can be persuaded to reveal what he 
  knows if the hunters provide good reasons (such as clues that Beech is 
  continuing his work illicitly).
  Amy Pritchard, Student
  Bystander: Official (motivation: to be suspicious)
  Former student of Dr Beech. Shocked by the experiments he was con-
  ducting, Pritchard has now joined the Animal Freedom Militia.
  Does not want to tell anyone about Beech and the experiments 
  because she’s ashamed of her own involvement in them. She knows 
  a great deal about Beech’s theories of etheric-bionic synergy, but has 
  no idea that he has managed to get them working in practical applica-
  tions, even imperfectly.
  
  284
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Robin Harding, Animal Freedom Militia Liberationist
  Bystander: Innocent (motivation: to do the right thing)
  Harding is the head of the university’s branch of the AFM. She is a 
  strict vegan, and a zealous protector of animals.
  If questioned, she denies the AFM had anything to do with the 
  stolen primates, but only because they have not been able to free the 
  primates themselves. The activities of other animal liberators are fully 
  supported by the AFM.
  Harding has plenty of contacts with animal shelters and rescue 
  groups, and would be good to have on-side if any of Beech’s primates 
  are rescued alive and need to be rehabilitated.
  Crazy Cats Club
  Location: Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, 
  together)
  A bar and punk/alternative music venue, this is also the de facto head-
  quarters of the Animal Freedom Militia. The bar is cramped and noisy, 
  the walls covered with messy murals and graffiti.
  If the hunters come here undercover as cops or other authority 
  figures, the patrons will tend to be hostile.
  Amy and Robin can be found here most evenings, and if not then 
  someone will know where they are.
  Claire Guimaras, Local police chief
  Bystander: Witness (motivation: to reveal information)
  Concerned mainly with the weirdness of the crime, Guimaras has no 
  particular leads when the hunters first arrive. It’s clearly linked to the 
  other recent thefts at the university, but the extreme violence of the 
  attack on the security guard has left her puzzled.
  Later in the adventure, forensic technicians will report that 
  samples from the scene reveal that at least two chimpanzees were 
  involved. This fact does not help Guimaras in any meaningful way.
  If the hunters can give her some leads or any kind of explanation 
  about what is really going on, she’ll be grateful.
  
  285
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  Other Bystanders
  Use these templates as starting points for any other people the hunters 
  talk to.
  Name
  Bystander type
  Trait
  Lavonyelle Robinson
  Witness (reveal 
  information)
  Stoic
  Yvette Suhre
  Victim (put herself 
  in danger)
  Punctual and 
  organised
  Bernard Warnes
  Gossip (pass 
  on rumours)
  Spiritual
  Louise Farrar
  Victim (put herself 
  in danger)
  Determined 
  and optimistic
  Kris Kiesling
  Busybody (interfere 
  in others’ plans)
  Over-dramatic
  Yukiko Katagiri
  Official (be 
  suspicious)
  Grumpy
  
  286
  MYSTERY: DAMN DIRTY APES 
  
  287
  As the game 
  Goes On
  As you play through mysteries, and elaborate on the 
  team’s history and the world, here are the things you 
  need to keep in mind.
  
  288
  AS THE GAME GOES ON 
  At the End Of 
  Each Mystery
  This works the same as for the first mystery:
  • Tidy up your notes from the mystery.
  • Talk to everyone about how it went and see if they have plans for 
  what to do next, or ideas for later.
  • Think about whether the mystery gave you more ideas for your 
  existing arcs, or suggested a new one.
  
  289
  AS THE GAME GOES ON 
  Checking On Your Arcs
  After each mystery, look at each of your arcs and think about what got 
  revealed in play. If something relevant happened, update the arc with 
  the new, altered, or defeated threats.
  Advance countdowns based on events in play or off-screen. You 
  should do this if events during the last mystery pointed to it (for 
  example, if the hunters failed to foil the evil plot), or if it has been 
  so long that the next event in the arc countdown would have hap-
  pened (for example, isolated reports of zombies over the past couple 
  of months become widespread reports of zombie attacks).
  If you advance an arc due to off-screen events, you should make 
  the next mystery about that arc so the hunters have a chance to stop 
  it progressing further.
  Also, an arc countdown might suggest an idea for the next mystery, 
  even if it’s not directly tied to the countdown advancing.
  Building Mythology
  As the game goes on, over the course of many mysteries, keep building 
  up the mythology of your world: the history, logic, and rules behind 
  why things are the way they are. What are the rules of magic? Why are 
  these monsters out there? Who are the big powers that are conspiring 
  against humanity?
  This should develop naturally. As the world develops, you’ll find 
  yourself thinking “Why did this monster do that?” or “Why does this 
  mad cult leader want that?” The answers to questions like this will 
  form the basis of your mythology.
  To make the process easier, keep track of all the pieces you created 
  with a mystery or added as you played. Keep the mystery sheets too. 
  Track any loose ends, enjoyable threats, significant deaths, and other 
  details that might be worth revisiting.
  Look at the implications of each mystery: do they suggest some-
  thing that should be part of your mythology? Maybe you’ve discovered 
  a rule for magic or how monsters come to be? Or how these creatures 
  operate, or what their ultimate goal is?
  Arcs and mythology work hand in hand. How your mythology 
  accretes will suggest the ways your arcs should play out. And the arcs 
  will point at elements that ought to be part of the mythology.
  
  290
  AS THE GAME GOES ON 
  Endgame
  The game has some built-in measures of progress: things that might 
  tell you that one of the hunter’s stories is coming to a close, or even 
  that the whole team’s story is. I’ll talk here about what to look for and 
  how to deal with these signs when you see them.
  Leveling Up And Improvements
  Most sessions, expect each hunter to level up once or twice, getting 
  one or two improvements. At first, this does not contribute one way 
  or another to how the story is playing out.
  However, when the hunters get to the advanced improvements 
  after five level-ups, they will be getting to peak effectiveness. A 
  hunter who has taken most of their starting improvements and a few 
  advanced improvements will have a wide array of moves to deal with 
  the problems they encounter, and things usually go the way they want.
  Once a hunter reaches this point, try to push arcs relating to that 
  hunter towards closure. Depending on exactly how fast the hunters 
  earn advances in your game, expect them to reach this point after ten 
  to twenty sessions.
  There’s also that advanced improvement “retire your hunter to 
  safety.” If anyone picks that, or is seriously considering it, that’s a clue 
  that that hunter’s story is approaching an end (although it might not 
  be the end of the story for the rest of the team).
  Running Out Of Luck
  Luck scores are another measure of story progress. Luck will gradually 
  get used up as you play.
  If a hunter is getting to the end of their Luck, that’s another sign 
  their story needs to end. If not, they’ll be killed by a monster sooner 
  or later (either because they can no longer reduce the harm they suffer, 
  or because of a hard move you make against them).
  Some hunter types have special effects as they spend Luck, as well:
  • When the Chosen spends Luck, you need to include some-
  thing from their fate in the game.
  • When the Crooked spends Luck, that means someone from 
  their past is going to reappear soon.
  • When the Spooky spends Luck, the demands of their dark 
  side will grow.
  
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  Dealing With Arcs
  The other game element that feeds in to the endgame are your arcs: if 
  the arcs the hunters are most concerned with have concluded (either 
  via the hunters stopping whatever is happening, or failing to stop it), 
  that suggests it’s nearing time to wind up.
  Other Things To Consider
  The rhythms of hunter development and arcs are not the only things 
  that you should use to make decisions about when a game is ending. If 
  a hunter dies and the player creates a fresh replacement, or someone 
  decides to play a second character, then that new hunter starts at the 
  beginning. This will mix up the capabilities between the different 
  characters. And if hunters are retiring and being replaced on the team, 
  that might mean you’re in for a long saga.
  How To End A Game
  If you feel that things are moving towards a climax and resolution, it’s 
  a good idea to talk to the rest of the group and mention that you feel 
  that way. They’ll let you know if they agree, or if they think there’s still 
  unfinished business to deal with.
  If there is general agreement that it’s time to finish the game, make 
  sure you plan the next few mysteries to suit. Have them be bigger in 
  scope, more epic, and ensure the important arcs get resolved.
  If there’s no agreement that it’s time to finish up and there’s enthu-
  siasm to continue, that’s your cue to start thinking up some new arcs 
  to replace the ones that have been dealt with, and maybe for some new 
  hunters to join the team.
  
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  AS THE GAME GOES ON 
  One-Shot Games
  If you want to run a single mystery (maybe as a convention game or 
  for a change from a regular game), here’s what to do.
  One-Shot Hunters
  Use mystery letters to share background information the hunters 
  should know. They can also be used to let them know any custom 
  rules for creating their hunters (see below). If you’re not providing 
  specific hunter playbooks, you can write letters that are aimed at dif-
  ferent specialities: for example one for a brawler, one for a magician, 
  one for an investigator.
  The hunters should start with fewer Luck points: give them 1-3 
  (depending on how tough you want the mystery to be). You may allow 
  them to have a free level-up after creating their hunter, to make up for 
  having fewer Luck points to save them.
  It’s useful to pick a team concept for the game, and just tell every-
  one who the team are and how they operate. You may need to make 
  certain playbooks mandatory, suggest others that fit in, and leave out 
  others completely. For example, if your team concept is centered on 
  the Professional, having an Initiate might not work so well. Don’t offer 
  the Initiate playbook as an option.
  I strongly advise that you let everyone make up their own hunter 
  (even if you restrict the types available). Making all the choices during 
  hunter creation—about their abilities, history and so on—gives the 
  players a stake in the way the game is going to play.
  You may reduce the options available in hunter creation to suit 
  your mystery. You can do this with a mystery letter: include an instruc-
  tion like “By the way, when you are picking your moves, this move will 
  be especially useful for this mystery, that move is not allowed, and 
  other move will probably not be very relevant.”
  
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  One-Shot Mystery Creation
  A twist or two works very well in a one-shot game. For example, give 
  the hunters a hook that appears to be a classic monster (ghost, vampire, 
  werewolf, etc), but which turns out to be something quite different.
  You can make things easy on yourself if you bring a map of pos-
  sible locations, a list of names, and some pre-written bystanders (e.g. 
  you can always find room for a suspicious cop and some naïve victims).
  Without the expectation that the game will continue, you should 
  also feel free to ramp up the danger level of the threats. You can have:
  • more unnatural powers.
  • more minions, or multiple monsters.
  • higher damage attacks for monsters and minions.
  • higher harm capacity for monsters or minions before they 
  are killed.
  • threats target the hunters, or their loved ones, directly.
  Also, think about the scale of events. In a one-shot, the stakes of the 
  mystery can be huge: zombie epidemics, the legions of Hell being 
  unleashed on earth, hideous gods from beyond the stars—any huge 
  threat is fair game.
  If your team includes hunters with central story elements (the 
  Chosen and her fate, the Wronged’s nemesis, the Professional and her 
  Agency, the Initiate and his Sect, etc) then tie those into the mystery 
  as well. Think about these central elements when you decide which 
  hunter books to bring to the table, and then you can leave the right-
  shaped holes in your mystery (e.g. you could leave yourself space to 
  adjust the threats to match the Chosen’s fate). You should have time 
  to do this as the other players make up their hunters: as they go, find 
  out what they picked for their hunters, and you can quickly adjust 
  your notes to fit, or suggest to the players things that work with what 
  you have planned.
  One-Shot Mystery Play
  In general, follow the instructions for a first session.
  Give everyone a quick introduction to the rules before they make 
  their hunters. The idea of moves and what the ratings mean (page 25) 
  is enough. Explain other rules when you need them in the game.
  Go a little easier on the questions, as you don’t need to build so 
  much mythology from the answers.
  You can also go much harder on the hunters in play. Push for 
  more horror, and don’t hold back with the danger.
  
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  AS THE GAME GOES ON 
  Player Numbers
  The ideal number of people to play Monster of the Week is three or 
  four hunter players and a Keeper. Of course you can’t always arrange 
  exactly that many people to play.
  If you only have one or two hunters in a game, it’s going to be 
  more focused on those hunters. Let them talk more, and make an 
  extra effort to draw in elements that the players come up with for their 
  hunter’s stories, weaving them into your mysteries and arcs.
  If you have more than four hunters, you’ll find hunter creation 
  takes longer: if you want, you can save some time by having each player 
  only pick history for some of the group—such as for every second 
  hunter going around the table. Connections with other hunters can 
  develop in play.
  You may also find that spotlight time is harder to juggle with such 
  a large group. You can suggest the team splits up to cover the mystery, 
  allowing you to switch back and forth between the different groups as 
  the mystery unfolds. You can encourage the other players to share the 
  spotlight and to be fans of the other hunters.
  With large groups, you will also find that each hunter makes fewer 
  move rolls (and so will get a little fewer experience marks), and that 
  combat can become either a cake-walk or overly drawn out. Some of 
  the techniques for keeping fights interesting will help in these situa-
  tions (see page 207).
  
  295
  Customising 
  Your Game
  There are are variety of ways you can customise your 
  Monster of the Week game. Here’s my advice, working 
  from modest changes (custom moves) to the most 
  ambitious (hacking it into a whole new game)
  
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  CUSTOMISING YOUR GAME
  Custom Moves
  Custom moves are moves that you create to give your own game a 
  unique feel and identity. If you want to define a monster’s unique 
  powers, special things that another threat can do, or even new moves 
  that the hunters can use, create a custom move using the process 
  below.
  Defining The Move
  Custom moves for threats start with a basic idea. What does the threat 
  need to be capable of? If the threat’s abilities are not covered by the 
  existing Keeper and threat moves, then you need to define a custom 
  move.
  Custom moves for the hunters could be available as an improve-
  ment, or something they can all do when certain conditions are met. 
  It can also codify something that a hunter does already, if you want a 
  consistent rule for how it works.
  
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  Triggering The Custom Move
  Carefully define when the custom move applies: having a specific 
  trigger condition ensures that you know when to use the move. The 
  trigger is there to enforce describing the move properly, so there’s no 
  doubt about when it happens. Something like “when you go down 
  into the sewers,” “when you call on the demon Uhul,” or “when you’re 
  splashed with lamia-bile.”
  Move Types
  Moves come in three main types:
  • A roll, usually adding a rating. Define what happens on a good 
  success (10+), partial success (7-9) and a miss (6-). Note that 
  you could specify a different number to add, not just a rating: 
  harm suffered, number of people sacrificed to cast a spell, etc.
  • A bonus or penalty for some circumstance.
  • A special effect that applies in certain circumstances.
  Use the moves I’ve provided throughout this book as examples and 
  guidelines. All the character moves, the basic moves, and the example 
  moves in the Mysteries and Arcs section have been created to fit this 
  pattern.
  Custom moves might be much more limited than other moves, or 
  they might be vastly more powerful. That’s fine, as long as they are just 
  what is needed for that part of your game.
  Example Custom Moves
  Here are a bunch more examples to show you the sorts of moves you 
  might create. I’ve put the trigger of the move in bold, so you can see 
  when it applies. Then I’ve explained more reasons for creating the 
  move that way, and the effect I intend.
  An Aura Of Terror
  An ancient wraith has an aura of terror. Anyone within 5 
  metres of the wraith takes -1 ongoing, unless they act under 
  pressure to resist the fear.
  This is a penalty move, triggered by being close to the monster. It’s 
  designed to make attacking the ghost up close harder, which may get 
  the hunters thinking of alternative ways to defeat it.
  
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  Knows It Like The Back Of His Hand
  Ed O’Grady (bystander: witness) is a keen walker, and knows 
  the woods and hills nearby like the back of his hand. If you 
  ask his advice on the terrain or how to find somewhere, hold 
  1 that you can spend to get +1 on any roll you make following 
  his directions.
  This is a bonus move, something to mark out this particular bystander 
  as someone worth paying extra attention to.
  The Infernal Hunting Pack
  This hunting pack of thirteen infernal hounds (minions: 
  brutes) serve a demon lord. The hounds may mark someone 
  for death with a bite. The marked person is then allowed to 
  escape, but the pack will know the location of a marked person 
  forever.
  This is a special-effect move, triggered by the hounds biting a person. 
  This move adds a long-term problem that could remain in play even 
  after the current mystery is solved.
  Searching The Marshes
  When you search in the marshes (location: maze) roll +Sharp. 
  On a 10+ things seem to point somewhere in particular: take 
  +1 forward for investigating. On a 7-9, you can investigate, but 
  then you must pick one of the bad things below. On a miss, all 
  three bad things are true.
  Bad things that can happen in the marshes:
  • Something is following you.
  • You are lost, and your phone and GPS are not working prop-
  erly.
  • You stumble upon something abominable.
  Searching the marshes is a roll move. It is designed to make the 
  marshes a bit more exciting than a usual location threat. By making 
  it a roll, you make the player pick what happens. This gives them a bit 
  more of a stake in the situation (plus it can be exciting just knowing 
  there’s a special move to roll).
  
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  Nightmares
  When you go to sleep in this town, count how many times 
  you have slept here and roll +sleeps. On a 10+, you have 
  nightmare visions of what is to come and you know it can’t 
  be stopped: you must act under pressure to break out of your 
  despair and actually do something about the visions. On a 7-9 
  you have nightmare visions of what’s coming, but that’s all. On 
  a miss, you sleep like a baby.
  This move belongs to the location threat that describes the town. It is 
  another roll type move, that tells the hunters that this town is in big 
  trouble, and they need to sort it out before too many nights pass.
  Calling The Flame Spirits
  Here’s a move for a hunter who made the use magic move a lot for a 
  particular effect, so we decided to make a custom move for that spell.
  When you call the flame spirits you need to spill some very 
  strong liquor into a fire and call the spirits by name (as many 
  or as few names as you want). Roll +Weird. On a 10+ all the 
  spirits you named come, and they’ll tell you some specific 
  things and burn anything you want. On a 7-9 one of them 
  comes and tells you some obscure things and then it burns 
  some stuff, mostly what you wanted burned. On a miss, the 
  fire spirits are angered. They might refuse your summons for a 
  long time, or some of them might appear and demand a signif-
  icant sacrifice from you right now, or else.
  This is another roll move, designed to be a slightly different version of 
  use magic that deals with this particular spell. Note that it is safer, but 
  a lot more specific, than the use magic move.
  
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  Inaccurate Memories
  Here’s a move for a mystery that deals with a monster that can domi-
  nate people’s minds.
  When a hunter questions someone who has seen the monster, 
  they get told one of these in addition to any normal questions 
  and answers:
  • They say something that directly contradicts a fact the hunters 
  already know (e.g. “I was at work” when they know she wasn’t).
  • They can’t remember that time at all.
  • They can remember the time, but their memory is an obvious 
  fabrication (e.g. “After I got home I had dinner, watched some 
  TV, then I had dinner”).
  This is a special-effect move. The obvious contradictions here are a 
  way to let the hunters know that the monster they are after can get 
  into people’s minds and change their memories, or make them lie, or 
  something like that.
  Checking Out An Agency Facility
  Here’s a move for an arc. It goes with an arc about a Professional’s 
  Agency.
  When you explore an Agency facility it counts as investigat-
  ing a mystery, but you can also ask these questions:
  • What do I find out about the Agency’s real goals?
  • Who do I find out something suspicious about?
  This is a special-effect move, adding some extra options for investi-
  gation that bear on specific issues that have come up in the hunters’ 
  previous investigation of the Agency (and a similar move in your 
  game would have questions tailored to what’s already happened to 
  your hunters). You add more questions later, if the hunters come up 
  with other things they want to look for.
  
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  Custom Threats
  If there’s a need for a threat type that doesn’t quite fit into the ones 
  that are already defined, just add it. All that’s needed are a name, a 
  motivation, and any custom moves it can make.
  Think about whether it is a monster, minion, bystander, or loca-
  tion. If it doesn’t fit into any of those, you can create a new threat type 
  with its own list of special moves.
  Example Custom Threat: An Evil Cult
  This custom threat represents an evil cult infesting a small town. It’s 
  a minion threat.
  They’re Everywhere! (motivation: make people scared to speak out).
  This threat has this custom move.
  When a hunter asks locals about something weird, roll +Sharp. 
  On a 10+, the hunter works out:
  • if they are talking to a member of the cult, this person is con-
  cealing something important.
  • if they are talking to a normal person, this person is too 
  scared to reveal anything.
  On a 7-9, the hunter knows something isn’t right, but not exactly 
  what.
  On a miss, the cult gets told that this hunter is asking questions 
  about them (regardless of whether that was the subject or not).
  Legacy Experience Rules
  In the first edition of Monster of the Week, the way hunters gained 
  experience points was different. Here is the original system for those 
  who prefer the it, or are interested in what it was.
  Hunters do not mark experience on a missed roll (6 or less), and 
  there’s no end-of-session list of questions that can earn experience.
  Any specific moves that say a hunter marks experience are 
  unchanged.
  At the beginning of each session, each hunter should pick another 
  hunter on the team who they feel they currently have the closest rela-
  tionship with. That hunter’s player picks a rating to highlight. Then 
  the Keeper picks a second rating to highlight for each hunter.
  Whenever a hunter makes a roll with a highlighted rating, they 
  mark experience, regardless of whether the result is a hit or a miss.
  
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  Sharing The Keeper Duties
  If your group wants to swap around the duties (who is the Keeper, 
  and who plays the hunters), the game can handle that without much 
  trouble.
  You’ll need to decide if you have all the game’s arcs open, for 
  people to use how they want when it’s their turn to be Keeper, or 
  secret. If the arcs are secret, then each of you will have to look after 
  your own, and tie them into your own mysteries.
  Then you can take turns as Keeper, each preparing a mystery and 
  running it. I’d suggest that each current Keeper’s hunter take a break 
  from the team (because tracking everything that your hunter and all 
  the mystery threats are doing is too much to handle). You may want to 
  consider a team concept that allows some of the hunters to be absent, 
  whenever convenient, in a believable way. For example, you might all 
  work for an organisation that investigates monsters, with each team 
  built as needed at the time: that way any hunter can be said to be on 
  another case (or on leave) to explain their absence.
  It’s also a good idea to keep a shared journal (or set up a wiki) with 
  all the mysteries, monsters, and other things you have encountered, 
  so that everyone will be on the same page when re-using elements 
  from earlier mysteries.
  Custom Playbooks
  I encourage the creation of custom hunter types for your game, and 
  to share the results with other players and groups over the Internet. 
  Here’s how to go about putting a new playbook together.
  Concept
  To start with, make sure your concept is good enough. If you can only 
  think of a single example of your possible hunter type in fiction, the 
  concept is probably too specific. But if you can think of a type, then it’s 
  a good candidate. Aside from that, just go for something really cool.
  
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  Ratings
  Rating lines should add up to three, and normally each hunter type 
  has one rating that is always +2. If you give a line a second rating at +2, 
  count that second +2 as a +3 instead.
  A normal rating line:
  Charm +2, Cool +1, Sharp -1, Tough +1, Weird=0 (Total 3)
  A rating line with two +2 ratings:
  Charm -1, Cool +2, Sharp -1, Tough +2, Weird=0 (Total 2, 
  but counted as 3 due to the second +2)
  The Monstrous always gets +3 Weird, as a special case: there’s an 
  unstated move that gives the Monstrous +1 Weird.
  The Chosen varies the rule as well: she gets two +2 ratings (each 
  line has a different pair), plus each line adds up to four: the Chosen 
  also has an unstated extra move to give her this advantage.
  Moves
  Each hunter type gets three moves as well. For many, one or two of 
  these moves are mandatory.
  Some of the moves don’t count as one against their count: that’s 
  for moves that aren’t purely an advantage, but that have both a good 
  and bad side. The Initiate’s move when in good standing with the 
  Sect is one of those: the move’s good and bad sides balance out, so the 
  Initiate gets another three choices of purely useful moves.
  Some playbooks have moves that are purely bad (the Monstrous’ 
  curse and the Spooky’s dark side, for example). When a playbook has 
  a purely bad move, give them an extra useful move to make up for it.
  Not all the moves in the playbooks are explicitly called that, either. 
  For example, the Expert’s haven is a move, but not referred to as one. 
  Do this if your move is something special that doesn’t fit into the usual 
  list of things the hunter can do.
  Gear
  Gear and weapon lists are primarily driven by what makes sense for 
  the playbook. Try to include items that push towards your vision of 
  what is cool and exciting about the concept.
  
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  History
  The history choices are another place that gives you a great oppor-
  tunity to drive towards your concept. Each potential relationship 
  with another hunter should reflect an aspect of what makes your new 
  hunter type exciting.
  Improvements
  Improvements usually include:
  • One rating that may be improved to +3.
  • Three ratings that may be improved to +2.
  • Two choices of moves from another playbook.
  • Two choices of extra moves from this playbook.
  • Two special choices. These should be specific to the hunter 
  type and reflect how they will develop and grow.
  • Optionally, add an advanced improvement (or two) specific 
  to this hunter type. Only do so if there is something that 
  really needs to be here, like the final resolution of thematic 
  issues unique to the playbook.
  Balance?
  Don’t worry about balancing your hunter type against the others. If 
  you follow the guidelines above (more or less), the playbook will work 
  fine with the other hunter types.
  Sharing
  Please share your own content with other Monster of the Week fans. 
  See page 15 for some places that you’ll be able to find us.
  
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  A Whole New Game
  Vincent Baker’s Apocalypse World was built with hacking in mind. I 
  don’t have a lot to add to the guidelines in that game, but as you may 
  not own Apocalypse World, I’ll say a little about what to do if you want 
  to take these rules and use them for something else.
  The key things are the Keeper’s agenda and principles, and the 
  basic moves. They are the most important dials that control how the 
  game plays out.
  The setting can be left mainly implicit. Use the playbooks, basic 
  moves, threats, and Keeper moves to provide the game’s setting. That 
  allows each group to fill in the other details to suit themselves and 
  their game.
  If you want to compare and contrast, here are some other hacks 
  of Apocalypse World that might be of interest:
  • Monsterhearts by Avery Mcdaldno draws from a similar place 
  to Monster of the Week, but it’s about the messy supernatu-
  ral romance side of Buffy and True Blood (and Twilight). In 
  particular, check out how the basic moves in Monsterhearts 
  emphasise different ways of resolving conflicts to Monster of 
  the Week.
  • Avery also created Simple World, a framework for building 
  your own game using rules based on Apocalypse World. It’s a 
  really good place to start your hack.
  • Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel is a 
  modern take on classic dungeon crawl roleplaying.
  • Sagas of the Icelanders by Gregor Vuga has moves and play-
  books that reflect expected social roles.
  • World of Dungeons by John Harper is an extremely cut down 
  (but still perfectly playable) version of Dungeon World. It’s a 
  great illustration of how little you can get away with.
  
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  307
  Inspiration
  Here’s a big list of things that inspired me, to a greater 
  or lesser extent.
  The various fiction inspirations below fed into my conception of 
  what monster hunters in the modern world might be like. They cover 
  a range of styles, from straight-up horror through to comedy. Monster 
  of the Week can fit anywhere along that continuum, but by default it’s 
  like the television show Supernatural. That’s my number one inspira-
  tion.
  The game inspirations gave me ideas for the rules, how to arrange 
  the text, or how to use horror in roleplaying.
  Television
  The primary sources are Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  Also relevant are: Fringe; The X-Files; True Blood; Being Human; 
  Doctor Who; Grimm; The Fades; Werewolf; Brimstone; Reaper; Sanc-
  tuary; Sleepy Hollow; Penny Dreadful; The Vampire Diaries; and The 
  Originals.
  Film
  Big Trouble in Little China; Near Dark; Dracula (any version: my 
  favorites are Murnau’s Nosferatu, Herzog’s remake of Nosferatu, and 
  Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula); The Hunger; Bubba Ho-Tep; An 
  American Werewolf in London; Dog Soldiers; The Lost Boys; Fright 
  Night (old or new); Hellboy & Hellboy 2: The Golden Army; Army of 
  Darkness; My Name Is Bruce; Troll Hunter; Attack the Block; Alien; 
  Aliens; Carpenter’s The Thing; Night Watch and Day Watch.
  
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  INSPIRATION
  Novels
  The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher; the Twenty Palaces books by Harry 
  Connolly; the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey; the Monster Hunter 
  International books by Larry Correia; Dracula by Bram Stoker; any-
  thing by H. P. Lovecraft; the Strain trilogy by Guillermo del Toro 
  and Chuck Hogan; Declare, Last Call, Expiration Date, Earthquake 
  Weather, and The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers; Charles Stross’ 
  Laundry series; Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom trilogy; The Rook by Daniel 
  O’Malley.
  Comics
  Hellboy, BPRD, and BPRD: Hell On Earth by Mike Mignola; Hellblazer; 
  Atomic Robo by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener; Nextwave: Agents 
  of H.A.T.E. by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen; S.H.O.O.T. First by 
  Justin Aclin and Nicolas Daniel Selma; Dylan Dog created by Tiziano 
  Sclavi
  Games
  This is a hack of Vincent Baker’s Apocalypse World, which is a great 
  game, and I highly recommend it if you feel like spending some time 
  in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
  Other games that provided inspiration (in no particular order): 
  Unknown Armies; Fiasco; Geiger Counter; Mouse Guard; InSpectres; 
  GURPS: Black Ops; GURPS: Horror; Cold City; Call of Cthulhu; Trail 
  of Cthulhu; Dungeon World; Monsterhearts; and World of Dungeons.
  Graham Walmsley’s Play Unsafe has great advice for improvisa-
  tion in games (and Monster of the Week is largely improvised, so that 
  advice is all directly applicable). His book Stealing Cthulhu has advice 
  about writing Lovecraftian adventures: these ideas can be used to 
  good effect for Monster of the Week mysteries, too.
  
  309
  Index
  Absences, 267
  Act under pressure, 26, 101, 182
  advanced moves and, 122
  as a general purpose move, 
  199
  Cool and, 27
  custom moves and, 297, 299
  Crooked and, 38
  examples of, 97, 171, 182
  Expert and, 47
  fighting and, 209, 221
  during the investigation, 204
  Keeper moves and, 173, 
  Keeper’s notes, 182
  kick some ass and, 199
  Monstrous and, 62
  Mundane and, 67
  Professional and, 72
  Spell-Slinger and, 76, 77, 78
  Action Scientist, 20
  Actions, not covered by moves, 
  199
  Advanced arcane training move, 
  78 
  Advanced improvements, 120-
  21
  basic moves, 121
  erasing used Luck mark, 121
  change Hunter type, 121
  endgame indicator, 290
  improve a rating, 121
  playbook-specific, 123-24
  retire to safety, 121
  second hunter, 121
  Advanced moves, 122
  Agency, 71, 165, 293, 300
  Alien Monstrosity from Beyond, 
  246
  Ally, 56, 119
  chosen and, 34
  creating using advanced 
  Manipulate Someone move, 
  122
  crooked and, 40
  divine and, 45
  types of, 119
  Always the victim move, 67
  Ancient evil rising, 233
  Ancient Fighting Arts move, 56
  Angel, 19
  Angel (character), 19
  Angel wings move, 43
  Annelise (character), 19
  Apocalypse, 235
  Apocalypse Engine system, 9
  
  310
  INDEX
  Apocalypse World, 14, 130, 305, 
  308
  Apprentice move, 56
  Arc(s) 
  basic concept, 229
  building, 228
  checking on, 289 
  countdowns, 232
  custom moves, 237, 300
  endgame indicator, 29
  how to use, 241
  templates, 233-36
  threats, 230-31
  unfinished business and, 229
  Arcane reputation move, 78
  Armory (haven option), 48
  Armour
  for hunters, 116
  for monsters, 139
  Artifact move, 38
  Assassin
  Crooked background, 36  
  example of, 278  
  minion type 141, 254
  Atomic Robo, 20, 308
  Aura of terror, 297
  Baker, Vincent, 130, 305, 308
  Balance (for playbooks), 304
  Balkan vampire, 248
  Basic moves (hunter), 25-26, 
  101, 165, 181-96
  Basic moves (keeper) 172-3
  Battlefield awareness move, 72
  Beast, 138, 244
  examples of, 134, 155, 250
  Beech, Dr. Lawrence, mad sci-
  entist, 276
  Beginning of mystery moves, 95
  Berserk move, 88
  Beyond human limitations, 106, 
  196
  Big Game Hunter, The, 20
  Big magic, 107-8, 197, 203
  examples of, 108, 198
  Keeper’s notes, 197-98
  resurrection, 112
  Big whammy move, 83
  Bishop, Peter (character), 18
  Bonecruncher, a Redcap, 155
  Bonus
  forward, 99
  moves, 297, 298
  ongoing, 100
  Boss from beyond move, 43
  Bottle it up move, 72
  Breed, Monstrous, 61
  Breeder, 138, 244
  example of, 248
  Brute, 141, 254
  example of, 255
  Buffy (character), 18
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 9, 13, 
  18, 19, 265, 305
  Bug hunt, 261
  Building your own game, 305
  Burglar (Crooked background), 
  36
  Busybody, 142, 256
  Bystanders, 142, 256
  examples of, 257
  first mystery and, 135, 137, 
  147
  subsequent mystery creation 
  and, 256
  using, 178
  moves, 178
  wounds and, 213
  Calling the flame spirits move, 
  299
  Cast out evil move, 43
  Changeling, 154
  Character names, 13
  Charlatan (Crooked back-
  ground), 36
  Charm (rating), 27
  Checking out an Agency facility, 
  300
  
  311
  INDEX
  Chosen, 30-34, 18, 95
  advanced improvements and, 
  123
  arcs and, 229
  mystery moves and, 202
  one-shot mystery and, 293
  running out of Luck and, 290
  Chuck the bartender, 255
  Chupacabras, 252
  Claws of the beast move, 63
  Collector, 138, 244
  example of, 246
  Combat magic move
  bases, 76
  effects, 76
  Comics (sources), 308
  Compton, Bill (character), 19
  Connect the dots move, 52
  Connolly, Harry, 9
  Constructed, 20
  Consumables, 78
  Contrary move, 52
  Cool (rating), 27
  Cordelia (character), 19
  Corruption, 236
  Could’ve been worse move, 78
  Countdown, 135, 146, 205, 260 
  arcs and, 232
  in Damn Dirty Apes, 274
  in Dream Away The Time, 
  150
  Crazy eyes move, 52
  Creature of the night, 253
  Crew move, 38
  Crooked, 35-39, 18 
  recover stash of money and, 
  119
  running out of Luck and, 290
  Crossroads, 144, 258
  examples of, 153, 157, 161, 
  281, 284
  Cultist, 141, 254
  Custom move(s), 296, 22, 199
  examples of, 297-98
  triggering, 297
  types of, 297
  Custom playbooks, 302-4
  Custom threats, 301
  Damn Dirty Apes mystery, 273-
  85
  Dark Master curse, 62
  Dark negotiator move, 63, 104, 
  192
  Dark past move, 47
  Dark side, 83
  Day, 146, 147
  Deal with the Agency move, 22, 
  23, 72
  Deal with the devil move, 38
  Deathtrap, 144, 258 
  example of, 277
  De-identifier, 251
  Demon (Monstrous breed), 61
  Den, 144, 258
  example of, 277
  Destiny’s Plaything move, 32
  Destroyer, 138, 244
  Detective, 142, 256
  example of, 161, 257
  Devour memory attack, 246
  Devourer, 138, 244
  examples of, 251, 252
  Dice rolling, 99
  Divine, 41-45, 18, 95
  advanced improvements and, 
  123
  arcs and, 229
  DIY surgery move, 88
  Don’t worry, I’ll check it out 
  move, 67
  Dracula, 245, 308
  Dream Away the Time mystery, 
  149-161
  Dresden, Harry (character), 19
  Dresden Files, The, 18, 19, 308
  Driver move, 38
  Dungeon World, 14, 305, 308
  Dunham, Olivia (character), 19
  Dusk, 146, 147
  
  312
  INDEX
  Flake, 51-54, 18, 95, 202
  Flight move, 63
  Folklore, 243
  Forensic divination move, 78
  Fortress, 144, 258
  Fortunes move, 56
  Frankenstein’s monster, 20
  Friends on the force move, 38
  Fringe, 18, 19, 264, 265, 307
  Game feedback, 14
  Game play, 12, 96-100
  advanced improvements, 120-
  21
  advanced moves, 122
  advanced playbook-specific 
  movements, 123-24
  armour, 116
  basic moves, 101-6
  big magic and, 107-8
  end of session experience, 118
  every game hunters’ summary, 
  125
  fights, 109
  file downloads, 13
  first time hunters’ summary, 
  125
  gear, 114, 117
  harm, 110
  healing, 111
  improvements, 118-20
  improvised weapons, 109
  leveling up, 118
  Luck, 113
  moves, 25-26
  ratings, 25, 27
  recommended number of 
  players, 13, 294
  resurrection, 112
  time allotment, 13
  unarmed attacks, 109
  weapons, 114-16
  Game website, 14
  Games (sources), 308
  Garth (character), 20
  Electro-grapple, 279
  End of days, 235
  Endgame, 290-91
  Equipment, not in playbook, 22, 
  114, 117
  Etheric-bionic control interface 
  and powers, 276, 278, 279, 
  280 
  Evil cult, 301
  Evil ritual, 262
  Executioner, 138, 244
  Exile, 20
  Experience, 118, 165, 202
  end of session and, 118, 223
  rules, legacy, 301
  Expert, 46-50, 18, 95, 202
  haven, 119, 303
  Faerie (Monstrous breed), 61
  Fate, Chosen’s, 31
  Feed curse, 62
  Fervor move, 88
  Fight(s), 109, 206-11
  environment usage in, 208
  example of, 216-22
  initiative in, 207
  Keeper techniques and, 207
  maps and, 208
  resolution of, 210
  soft moves and, 210
  spotlight time and, 210
  weapons in, 209
  what’s at stake, 207
  Fighting arts move, 57
  Film (sources), 307
  First session, 163, 225
  ending, 223-24
  game workings, 96, 165
  history, 165
  Hunter creation, 164
  introductions, 165
  playbook selection, 18
  running, 166
  team concept selection, 18
  Fixer (Crooked background), 36
  Fizzle (use magic option), 78
  
  313
  INDEX
  Gear, 114
  custom moves, 117
  custom playbooks, 303
  new, 114
  other, 117
  tags, 117
  Gestures, 77, 106, 195
  Getting started, 95
  Ghost (Monstrous breed), 61
  Ghostfacers (characters), 20
  Ghoul, 253
  Giles, Rupert (character), 18
  Gloating monologue, 276
  Go big or go home move, 78
  Google Maps, 13, 144
  Gossip, 142, 159, 161, 256, 282
  Greek vampire, 248
  Grifter (Crooked background), 
  36
  Guardian, 141, 254
  Hacks, 305, 308
  Hard Case, 20
  Hard move(s), 175, 204
  Harm, 110, 139, 212 
  monsters and, 110
  moves, 212 
  using, 213
  unstable wounds and, 213
  Harper, John, 305
  Haven, 48, 119 
  Haven options, 48, 119
  Healing, 111, 215
  Heat, 27
  Hellboy, 20, 307, 308
  Hellgate, 144, 258
  examples of, 259, 262
  Help out, 26, 27, 101, 183
  advanced moves and, 122
  during investigation, 204
  fights and, 209
  initiate and, 56
  protect someone and, 193
  Helper, 142, 178, 256
  example of, 158
  Helping hand move, 56
  Hex move, 82
  History, 18, 95, 125, 165, 224, 
  225
  in one shots, 292
  Hold, 99, 100
  Home, 259 
  custom move, 259
  Home ground move, 38
  Homunculus swarm, 255
  Hoodlum (Crooked back-
  ground), 36
  Hook, 134, 136, 147, 150
  in Damn Dirty Apes, 274
  in Dream Away the Time, 150
  in subsequent mystery cre-
  ation, 242
  Hub, 144, 258
  examples of, 157, 259, 281
  Hunches move, 82
  Hunter(s), 12 
  agenda, 96
  creation, 21, 164
  custom moves, 296
  every game summary, 125
  extra types, 20
  first session only summary, 
  125
  making second, 121
  new type, 121
  one-shot, 292
  playbooks 13, 29-91
  reference sheets, 13
  type limitation, 21
  types, 18-19
  what to read, 14
  I know my prey move, 88
  I’m here for a reason move, 32
  I’ve read about this sort of thing 
  move, 47
  Immortal move, 63
  Improvements, 118-20, 290
  advanced, 120-21
  custom playbooks, 304
  increase rating, 118
  take another move, 118-19
  
  314
  INDEX
  Improvisational gaming, 96, 166
  Improvised weapons, 109
  Incantations move, 77
  Incorporeal move, 63
  Infernal hunting pack custom 
  move, 298
  Infirmary (haven option), 48
  Inflict harm as established, 175
  Initiate, 55-59, 19
  advanced improvements, 123
  command your sect improve-
  ment, 120
  custom playbook, 303
  one-shot mystery and, 293
  sect arc, 229
  start-of-mystery move, 95, 
  202
  using the sect as a hook, 242
  Initiative, fights, 207
  Innocent (bystander), 142, 256
  examples of, 158, 257, 284
  moves, 178
  Introductions, 94, 165
  Introductory mystery, 13
  Damn Dirty Apes, 273-85
  Dream Away the Time, 149-
  61
  Mongolian Death Worms, 
  132-35
  The Old O’Connell House, 
  136, 138-40, 142-43, 145, 
  147
  Investigate a mystery, 26, 102, 
  184-86
  advanced moves and, 122
  divine and, 43
  example of, 97, 100, 186-87
  expert and, 48
  initiate and, 56
  Keeper moves and, 183
  monstrous and, 63
  Sharp and, 27
  spell-slinger and, 78
  spooky and, 82 
  Investigation, beginning, 203-11
  It wasn’t as bad as it looked 
  move, 47
  Jinx move, 83
  Jones, Harvey, monster investi-
  gator, 257
  Keeper (of Monsters and Mys-
  teries), 12
  actions not covered by a 
  move, 199
  agenda, 131, 166-67
  always say rules, 170
  arc creation, 228-37
  awarding experience, 223
  before first game, 130-32
  between sessions, 223-24
  bystanders creation, 142-43
  countdown, 146-47, 205
  do the obvious, 210
  fight example, 216-22
  fights, 206-11
  file downloads, 13
  first mystery preparation, 
  135-47
  first session, 163-65, 202-211, 
  223
  hard moves, 175, 204
  harm, 212-13
  harm moves, 212-13
  Hunter creation, 21, 164-65
  Hunter healing, 111, 215
  Hunter moves and, 181-98
  improvisational play, 128-29
  introductory mysteries, 149-
  61, 273-85
  investigation and, 203-05
  killing monsters and, 214-15
  locations creation, 144-45
  materials needed, 13
  minions and, 141-43, 215
  monsters and, 137-40, 215
  keeper moves, 166, 168, 171-
  74, 204, 209
  
  315
  INDEX
  mystery components, 134-35
  playbook moves, 199
  preparing for next time, 223-
  24
  principles, 131, 166-69
  reference sheet, 13
  role of, 14, 96, 98, 128-29
  session length, 13
  setting limits of use magic 
  move, 196
  sharing duties, 302
  soft moves, 174
  spotlight time and, 210
  threats and, 137-145, 176-79
  unexpected player actions, 
  205 
  use magic and, 195-96
  what to read, 14
  Kick some ass, 26, 97-99, 103
  advanced moves, 122
  examples of, 97-98, 218-19, 
  222
  fights and, 207, 209-210
  help out and, 183
  improvised weapons and, 109
  Keeper’s notes, 188-89, 193
  monstrous and, 63
  protect someone and, 193
  spell-slinger and, 76
  spooky and, 83
  Tough and, 27
  wronged and, 88
  Knows it like the back of his 
  hand custom move, 298
  Koebel, Adam, 305
  Koko, robo gorilla, 278
  Lab, 144, 258
  Large groups, 294
  Laser cannon, 278
  LaTorra, Sage, 305
  Lay on hands move, 43
  Leave no one behind move, 72
  Let’s get out of here move, 67
  Leveling up, 118, 165, 290
  options, 22, 24
  Lilly, Ray (character), 20
  Location(s), 137, 144, 258
  examples of, 135, 145, 259
  examples of custom moves, 
  277, 298-99
  threat moves and, 179, 208, 259
  types, 144
  Lone Gunmen (characters), 18
  Longer mystery sequences, 266
  Lore Library (haven option), 48
  Lovecraft, H.P., 253
  Luchador, 20
  Luck
  counter, 113
  running out of, 113, 290
  Mad Scientist, 20
  Made move, 38
  Magical Laboratory (haven 
  option), 48
  Manipulate someone, 26, 104
  advanced moves and, 122
  Charm and, 27
  Crooked and, 36, 38
  Dark Negotiator move, 63
  example of, 98-99
  Flake and, 52
  Keeper’s notes, 190-92
  manipulating monsters, 104, 
  192
  Monstrous and, 63
  Spooky and, 82
  Wronged and, 88
  Maps, 13, 144, 208
  Maze, 144, 258
  examples of, 157, 179
  Mcdaldno, Avery, 305
  Meddling Kid, 20
  Medic move, 72
  Mental dominion move, 63
  Mentor  move, 56
  Midnight, 146, 260-61
  examples of, 147, 150, 232-36, 
  261-63, 274
  
  316
  INDEX
  Minion(s), 137, 141, 147, 254
  example of, 134, 142, 152-54, 
  231, 255, 280
  group of, 141
  healing and, 215
  in fights, 213
  manipulation, 104, 192
  threats and, 177, 301
  types of, 141
  using, 177
  wounds and, 213
  Mobility move, 72
  Mongolian Death Worm Attack 
  mystery, 132-35
  Mongolian Death Worm, 134
  Monster(s), 134, 137, 147 
  armour, 139
  attacks, 139
  examples of, 134, 138-40, 155, 
  230, 245-53, 276
  harm and, 110
  healing and, 215
  killing, 214-15
  manipulation, 104, 192
  powers, 139
  in subsequent mystery cre-
  ation, 243-44
  threat and, 176
  types of, 138, 244
  using, 176
  weakness and, 140
  Monster Hunter International, 
  20
  Monsterhearts, 14, 305
  Monstrous, 60-65, 19
  advanced improvements and, 
  124
  custom playbooks and, 303
  manipulate someone and, 192
  Moves, 25, 97
  advanced, 122
  basic, 26, 101-6
  general purpose moves, 199 
  Keeper, 171-74
  making, 98-99
  in custom playbooks, 303
  in playbook, 26, 199
  triggers for, 25, 297
  types of, 297
  Mulder, Agent (character), 18
  Multi-part mysteries, 265-66
  Mundane, 66-69, 19
  erase a Luck mark, 120
  Mystery
  basic concept of, 134, 136
  bystanders, 135
  changing formula, 264-65 
  countdown, 135, 146-47, 
  260-61
  creation, 240-44, 254, 256, 
  258, 260-61
  creation, one-shot, 293
  Damn Dirty Apes, 273-85 
  Dream Away the Time, 149-
  61
  end, 288
  hook and, 134, 136, 242
  investigation and, 203-11
  locations, 135, 137, 144, 258
  minions and, 134, 141, 254
  Mongolian Death Worm 
  Attack, 132-35 
  monster and, 134, 136, 138-
  40, 243-44
  The Old O’Connell Haunted 
  House, 136, 138-40, 142-43, 
  145, 147 
  scope, 261
  sheet, 13
  templates, 261-63
  threats and, 135, 137
  
  317
  INDEX
  Mystery letters, 267-68 
  examples of, 268-69
  Mystic move, 56
  Mystical Library (haven option), 
  48
  Mythology building, 289
  Net friends move, 52, 257
  NEVER AGAIN move, 88
  Nightfall, 146, 147
  Not my fault move, 78
  Notorious move, 38
  Novels (sources), 308
  Oberon, King of Faerie, 152-53
  Official (bystander), 142, 178, 
  256, 
  examples of, 158, 283
  Often overlooked move, 52
  Often right move, 47
  Old O’Connell Haunted House 
  mystery, 136, 138-40, 142-43, 
  145, 147
  One-shot games, 292-93
  One-shot hunters, 292
  One-shot mystery 
  creation, 293
  play, 293
  Oops! move, 67
  Orc (Monstrous breed), 61
  Order, The (team concept), 24
  Oubliette (haven option), 48
  Panic button move, 67
  Panic Room (haven option), 48
  Parasite, 138, 244
  example of, 249
  Penalty move, 297
  Phasing, 246
  Pickpocket (Crooked back-
  ground), 36
  Pitt, Owen (character), 20
  Plague, 141, 254
  example of, 280
  Playbook, 18-21, 164 -65
  advanced improvements, 123-
  24
  Chosen, 30-34
  Crooked, 35-40
  Divine, 41-45
  Expert, 46-50
  Flake, 51-54
  Initiate, 55-59
  Monstrous, 60-65
  Moves, 26, 199
  Mundane, 66-69
  Professional, 70-74
  selection, 18-19
  Spell-Slinger, 75-80
  Spooky, 81-85
  Wronged, 86-91 
  Player 
  agenda, 96
  numbers, 294
  Power of heart move, 67
  Practitioner move, 78
  Precise strike move, 47 
  Premonitions move, 82
  Preparedness move, 47
  Preternatural speed move, 63
  Prison, 144, 258
  examples of, 259, 281
  
  318
  INDEX
  Professional, 70-74, 19, 21, 165
  add resource tag, change red 
  tape tag, 74, 120
  advanced improvements, 124
  Agency arc, 229
  example custom moves and, 
  300
  one-shot hunter/mystery 
  creation and, 292-93 
  team concepts, 22-23
  using the Agency as a hook, 
  242
  Protect someone move, 26, 105
  advanced moves and, 122
  basic Keeper moves, 173, 175
  examples of, 25, 170
  fights and, 109, 209
  Initiate and, 56
  investigation and, 204
  Keeper’s notes, 188, 193
  Mundane and, 67
  Spell-Slinger and, 78
  Tough and, 27
  Wronged and, 88
  Protection Spells (haven option), 
  48
  Pure Drive curse, 62
  Queen, 138, 244
  example of, 245
  Ratings, 27
  in custom playbooks, 303
  Read a bad situation, 26, 105
  advanced moves and, 122
  hard moves and, 175
  examples of, 100, 170, 207, 
  216-217
  fights and, 207, 209
  investigation and, 204
  Keeper’s notes, 194
  Professional and, 72
  Sharp and, 27
  Spell-slinger and, 78
  Spooky and, 82 
  Renfield, 141, 254
  Resurrection, 112
  Reveal future badness, 172
  Right hand, 141, 254
  example of, 152
  Riley and the Initiative (charac-
  ters), 19
  Road-tripping hunter family 
  (team concept), 24
  Roll move, 297-98
  Sacred oath move, 56
  Safety first move, 88
  Sagas of the Icelanders, 305
  Scooby-doo and Scooby gang 
  (characters), 20
  Scout, 141, 254
  examples of, 142, 255
  Sect, 57, 293
  See, it all fits together move, 52
  Sessions, 266
  Shadows, 146, 260
  Shapeshifter move, 63
  Sharp (rating), 27
  Shield spell move, 78
  Sidekick, 20
  Sight move, 82
  Simple World, 305
  Singer, Bobby (character), 18
  Six-sided dice, 13
  Skeptic, 142, 256
  examples of, 143, 158
  Slayer and entourage (team con-
  cept), 23
  Sleepy Hollow, 9
  Smite move, 43
  Sneaky move, 52
  Snoop, 20
  Soft moves, 174, 175, 204, 210
  Something borrowed move, 63
  Soothe move, 43
  Sorcerer, 138, 244
  example of, 276
  Special-effect move, 297
  examples of, 298, 300
  
  319
  INDEX
  Spell-slinger, 75-80, 9, 19
  advanced improvements, 124
  combat magic pick, 120
  Spooky, 81-85, 19
  advanced improvements, 124
  changing dark side tags, 120
  custom playbook, 303
  endgame indicator, 290
  start-of-mystery moves, 95, 
  202
  Spore troll, 249
  Spotlight time, 210, 294
  Start-of-mystery moves, 202
  Story Games Names Project 
  book, 13
  Subordinate (ally), 56, 119
  Subsequent mysteries
  running, 270-71
  session beginning, 270
  session ending, 271
  Subsequent mystery creation, 
  240-65
  countdown, 260
  scope, 261
  templates, 261-63
  threats, 243-59
  Summoned, 20
  Sunset, 146, 260
  Supernatural, 9, 13, 18-20, 307
  Surgical robot hand, 276
  Suspicious mind move, 52
  Tactical genius move, 72
  Tags
  gear, 117
  weapon, 114-15
  Team concepts, 18, 22, 119, 164
  customisation, 22
  examples, 23-24
  selection, 18
  Team playbook option, 119
  Telepathy move, 82
  Television (sources), 307
  Tempter, 138, 244
  example of, 247
  That Old Black Magic move, 56
  Thief, 141, 254
  example of, 154, 279
  Third eye move, 78
  This is gonna suck (use magic 
  option), 78
  Threats, 135, 137, 176-79
  arc and, 230-31
  custom moves and, 296-300
  in subsequent mystery cre-
  ation, 243-59
  Tools and techniques move, 77
  Tools matter move, 88
  Torturer, 138, 244
  example of, 253
  Tough (rating), 27
  Traitor, 141, 254
  example of, 255
  Trickster, 138, 244
  True Blood, 19, 305, 307
  Trust me move, 67
  Tune in move, 83
  Twenty Palaces, 9, 19, 20
  Twilight, 305
  Uhul, demon prince, 247
  Unarmed attacks, 109
  Underworld, 37
  Unexplained cases team (team 
  concept), 23
  Unfazeable move, 72
  Unholy strength move, 63
  Unnatural appeal move, 63
  Unquenchable vitality move, 63
  Urban legend, 243
  
  320
  INDEX
  Use magic, 26, 106
  advanced moves and, 122
  as a general purpose move, 
  199
  big magic and, 107, 108, 197-
  98
  Crooked and, 38
  custom moves example, 299
  effects, 106
  Expert and, 48
  fight example, 220
  glitches, 106
  initiate and, 56
  investigation and, 204
  Keeper’s notes, 195-96
  Spell-Slinger and, 78
  Spooky and, 82
  threats and, 247, 251
  Weird and, 27
  Valmont, Anna (character), 18
  Vampire (Monstrous breed), 61
  Vampire (example monster), 
  245
  Victim (bystander), 142, 178, 
  256, 282
  examples of, 135, 161
  Violet, a changeling, 154
  Vrykolakas, 248
  Vuga, Gregor, 305
  Vulnerability curse, 62
  Wardens, The (characters), 19
  Weapons, 114
  custom, 116 
  improvised, 109
  tags, 114-15, 207, 209
  Weird (rating), 27
  Werewolf (Monstrous breed), 61
  Werewolf (example monster), 
  230-32, 250
  What could go wrong? move, 67
  What does not kill me move, 88
  What I need, when I need it 
  move, 43
  Wikipedia, 243
  Wilds, 144, 258
  examples of, 135, 156
  Willow (character), 19
  Winchester, Dean (character), 
  19
  Winchester, John (character), 19
  Winchester, Sam (character), 19
  Witness, 142, 178, 256
  examples of, 160-61, 282-84
  Woman (or Man) with the Plan 
  move, 47
  Workshop (haven option), 48
  World of Dungeons, 305
  Wounds, unstable, 213
  Wronged, 86-91, 19, 165, 293
  advanced improvements, 124
  arc, 229
  Xander (character), 19
  X-Files, The, 13, 18, 264, 307
  Zombie (Monstrous breed), 61
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Monster of the Week (PbtA) [multi]/Monster of the Week (revised)/MotW - Corebook - Monster Of The Week Revised.pdf