Monster of the Week (2012)

Overview

Monster of the Week (MOTW) is an urban fantasy-horror tabletop role-playing game developed by Michael Sands. It was first published in 2012, and a revised edition was published by Evil Hat Productions in 2015. The entire theme of the game is heavily inspired by TV shows like Buffy, Supernatural, X-Files, Fringe and many others. The system it directly evolved from is
Apocalypse World (2010)
Description Players in the MOTW system take on the role of monster hunters. Capable of dealing with most creatures that might get in their way. Using skills to solve mysteries, track monsters and eventually defeat them.  System Overview & Key Features
Powered by the Apocalypse Engine (2d6) Players roll two six-sided dice (2d6) when performing actions, adding relevant character modifiers to the result. Rolling a 10 or higher is considered a success. 7-9 is a partial success, which will also carry some added consequences. Getting a 6 or lower means failure - you have not succeeded in whatever you attempted and dire consequences are soon to follow.
Basic and Playbook Moves Game mechanics are categorized into discrete actions called "Moves." Basic Moves are universally available to all characters and cover common actions such as "Investigate a Mystery," "Kick Some Ass," or "Act Under Pressure." Playbook Moves are exclusive, specialized abilities granted by a character's chosen Playbook, allowing them to manipulate the narrative or game mechanics in unique ways.
Finite Luck Points Each character possesses a limited track of Luck points. A player may permanently expend a point of Luck to retroactively alter a dice roll to a 12 (a complete success) or to entirely negate a single instance of sustained damage. Luck is a resource the players have to keep an eye on. Using too much can get you out of trouble, but if you don't have it when you need it most - trouble awaits.
Harm and Exploiting Weaknesses Physical trauma is tracked using a short monitor called "Harm." Player characters and adversaries possess low thresholds for sustaining Harm, making direct combat inherently dangerous. To successfully defeat a primary antagonist, players are mechanically required to investigate and utilize the creature's specific weakness, as standard physical attacks are often insufficient to achieve a permanent victory.
The Mystery Countdown To structure a gameplay session, the Keeper utilizes a tool called the Countdown. This is a chronological timeline detailing the sequence of events that will occur if the player characters fail to intervene. The Countdown is divided into escalating phases, ending with a catastrophic event. It serves to govern the pacing of the investigation and provide a sense of urgency.
Additional links evilhat.com https://evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website genericgames.co.nz https://genericgames.co.nz - Official home of Michael Sands and the original game files

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MotW
Monster of the Week
Online
Campaign
Specimen Unknown
Players
1/4
GM
0/1
Monster of the Week
en English

Specimen Unknown

Eli Boone grew up in a small agricultural town in Ohio. He's a friendly, loyal, hardworking guy with strong small-town values. He believes in helping people, keeping his word, and doing what's right. He wasn't always a believer in the supernatural. That changed during a family trip to Wisconsin. While visiting his uncle, Eli experienced what appeared to be a genuine haunting: cold spots, voices, the sensation of being watched, and other unexplained events. During the same trip, his family's car was chased by what Eli believes was the Beast of Bray Road. On the drive home, the family witnessed two unidentified objects in the sky. Three completely different paranormal experiences in the span of one trip convinced Eli that the world was considerably stranger than he had thought. He posted about the experiences online, expecting people to think he was crazy. Most did. But one organization took his story very seriously. The Aegis Foundation The Aegis Foundation is a recently established international organization that publicly presents itself as a humanitarian and charitable organization dedicated to protecting people and improving lives. Behind the scenes, however, Aegis knows that monsters and other supernatural phenomena exist. The organization has wealthy international benefactors, extensive resources, official connections, rigorous training programs, and a growing network of facilities. It is also extremely bureaucratic and secretive. Aegis wants monster specimens—dead or alive—for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Eli was recruited immediately after high school and became the first paid field Hunter employed by Aegis. He's been extensively trained and equipped, and he's genuinely proud to work for them. Aegis gave him a purpose and took him seriously when everyone else thought he was crazy. The catch? Eli doesn't actually know what Aegis ultimately wants. And neither do I. I'd love to explore that mystery during the campaign. What I'm Looking For I'm hoping to find a Keeper who is interested in taking this premise and running with it. I'm particularly interested in: Monster-hunting and investigation Character-driven stories A little mystery surrounding Aegis The occasional horror, but not necessarily nonstop grimdark Humor and fun between the scary stuff Characters who have reasons to care about each other Collaborative worldbuilding The possibility of the characters gradually discovering what Aegis is really doing I'm new to Monster of the Week, so I'm looking for a group that's welcoming to someone learning the system. I'm not expecting the campaign to revolve around Eli or Aegis—I'd like the other players' characters and stories to be just as important. If you're a Keeper looking for a campaign idea, or a player interested in joining something like this, I'd love to hear from you.

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MotW
Monster of the Week
Online
Campaign
Motw - Night Shift
Players
0/4
GM
1/1
Monster of the Week
en English

Motw - Night Shift

LGBTQ+ friendly
The table is openly welcoming to LGBTQ+ players.
No paid games
On a player profile - you are looking for free games and are not interested in paid ones.
Game system: monster of the week (pbta) tools: discord (voice required), roll20 time zone: 19:30 EST every monday running for about two hours (campaign) date of the game: session zero July 27th player slots: 0/4 pitch/hook: you are workers in the night shift of a megastore often visited by weird people, creatures and God knows what else. A monster hunting game with elements of comedy/dark humor. language: english if interested, please fill this form and I'll contact you: https://forms.gle/WYT2WaDBjUezyv3k6

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DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
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Tokyo
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D
Languages; Русский/English/日本語 Hello everyone!  I'm a somewhat experienced player when it comes to TTRPGs, ran mostly as DM but due to recent time constraints really would like to be a player this time around. Hope to make some friends here!
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CoC
Call of Cthulhu
PbtA
Powered By The Apocalypse
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Online
CSI Arkham
Hi, mein Name ist CSI Arkham – du kannst mich einfach CSI oder Arkham nennen. Ich spiele seit vielen Jahren Call of Cthulhu. Über KULT bin ich schließlich bei PbtA-Systemen wie Dungeon World und Monster of the Week gelandet. Zuletzt lag mein Schwerpunkt bei The One Ring, aber nun möchte ich meinen Horizont wieder erweitern und mich in Pathfinder Zweite Edition sowie Starfinder Zweite Edition einarbeiten. Mein SL Profiel aus WE20: https://wyrm.li/csi Hi, my name is CSI Arkham — you can just call me CSI or Arkham. I’ve been playing Call of Cthulhu for many years. Through KULT, I eventually found my way into PbtA systems like Dungeon World and Monster of the Week. Most recently, The One Ring has been my main focus, but now I’m looking to broaden my horizons again and dive into Pathfinder Second Edition and Starfinder Second Edition.
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Denver
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Jillian
Hi! My name is Jillian. I just moved to Denver from the Midwest and am hoping to link up with a group to play some games and make some friends :) I am still very much a beginner, but I have dabbled in DnD, CoC, and Delta Green. I've also some brief experience with Coriolis, Old Gods of Appalachia, and Vaesen. I tend to favor horror-oriented stories but this is not a must!  Im hoping to find a group that likes to have a good time and is welcoming to someone who is still learning. As far as playstyle goes, I'm just gonna try my best and take feedback as it comes :)
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DND5E
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DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
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Vulture
Hello my name is Vulture and I'm a 29 year old nonbinary person with autism who uses he/him pronouns. I have over 10 years of ttrpg experience ranging from mainstream games like call of Cthulhu, vampire the masquerade, and dungeons and dragons all the way to smaller names like monster of the week and Wanderhome. I love playing roleplay heavy games and try my best to bring fun and excitement to the table. My schedule is decently open since I make my own hours.
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