Monster of the Week

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Monster of the Week is an urban fantasy-horror tabletop role-playing game created by Michael Sands. It was first published in 2012, and Evil Hat Productions released a revised edition in 2015. The game draws inspiration from monster-hunting TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and The X-Files, and it uses a simplified Powered by the Apocalypse system.

In MOTW, one player acts as the Keeper (the game master who sets up the world and challenges) while the other players control hunters who investigate mysteries. Each hunter uses a playbook, a character class based on archetypes from monster media. Players roll two six-sided dice when prompted by the Keeper to resolve actions using various skills, such as investigating mysteries or using magic. The Keeper does not roll to control the hunters; instead, outcomes come from the dice and the Keeper’s rulings. The game emphasizes storytelling and character play over intricate rules.

A session can be a single game or part of an arc or campaign. Enemies, settings, and puzzles are created by the Keeper in advance. MOTW is known as a "fiction-first" game, with quick pacing and flexible rules.

Publication and expansions: after the 2012 release, a revised edition appeared in 2015. The Tome of Mysteries (2019) added more playbooks and mysteries. A hardcover edition released in 2022 included new art and some rules from The Tome of Mysteries. The Codex of Worlds (2023) added new party mechanics and alternate settings, released as a hardcover.

Reception: reviewers have praised MOTW for its fast pace and ease of use, making it accessible for new players. Cody Pondsmith called its streamlined resolution a strength that helps players focus on character and story, while Robin Valentine of PC Gamer described it as a great introduction to collaborative, improv-driven play. Some criticisms note that the open, flexible rules require the game master to adjudicate many decisions, but this trade-off keeps the game open to creativity. The game has been used in many actual-play podcasts, notably in The Adventure Zone Season 2.

You’ll need two six-sided dice and a pen and paper to play. Monster of the Week supports 2–5 players, with sessions ranging from a single game to longer arcs. It’s a flexible game about hunting monsters in modern, urban settings.