Joining Up
"Evening now folks, you're listening to me, Kara Louise, and it's time for the Witching Hour. Now I know a lot of people don't believe in the strange, the odd or the spooky. But everyone in this neck of the woods has seen something a little odd. Heard a strange story they wouldn't believe from anyone but friends or family, may be seen something you can't quite explain. Maybe you should ring in later, talk about it on air. Share the chills."
"But first, a little news for those of you, maybe a little cookier, maybe a little wiser, who think you know what's really going on. If that sounds like you, there's a little town off the beaten track. Back in the woods away, a few dozen families. Had a little hunting trouble a couple of years back. Know the one I'm talking about? Good. Then maybe you should head out that way when you have a spell, because a little birdie tells me they need a bit of help out that way...and now, for everyone else, a little music."
~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Darkened Thresholds, a Monster of the Week game. You will play a Hunter, someone who protects humanity from the things you only see in the corner of your eye and can only hope are your imagination.
The basic premise of this game is that you are Hunters, defenders of humanity against the things the lurk just beyond seeing, the ones who solve the events others write off as weird quirks of fate or bad luck. It's not an easy job. It'll probably kill you. But there's no one else who can do it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Application
Actually creating a character for Monster of the Week is a relatively simple, easy process that's also partially communal. As a result of this I'm going to start by looking for concepts, rather than characters. The more you can provide and the better idea I can get of the character you'll make and the kind of player you are.
One thing to note is that, at this point, nothing is set in stone. If things change during the creation process that is fine.
With that, let's get to it.
Name: Fairly obvious. Or, perhaps, not. This will likely be the name the character is known by in the game world, but it might be a nom de guerre or a title rather than there birth name. If they had a birth name.
Concept: Just a couple of paragraphs describing the idea behind your character. Perhaps you're a reformed cultist seeking to atone for the wrongs you committed? An assassin who took out something supernatural and dedicated your talents to saving the world? Something called on to this layer of existence with a job in mind?
Possible Playbook: You can find details of the 12 base playbooks Here, and several other possible options are mentioned Here. It should be noted that each character will have a different Playbook, but that a concept can often work with more than one - a succubus could use the Monstrous or the Changeling for example.
Creative Example: Because this is such a different character creation, with so much still in limbo at the end, I decided I wanted to see how you guys handle the creative side of the game. So, what I'm looking for here is your addition to the World of Darkened Threshold. For a character aiming for the Professional Playbook this could be details on your Agency, what it is and how it functions. For others perhaps its a place, an area of weirdness that we'll encounter in the game.
This doesn't have to be related to your character, and beyond the idea that the game is set somewhere in the modern-day US (but filmed in Canada) you're free to do what you want.
~~~~~~~~~~
Frequently Asked Questions (that have never been asked)
OK, so with that, here's a few bits that might also be useful to know.
I've never played Monster of the Week before! I'm out!
Well, I can't stop you. But Monster of the Week is an extremely simple system to play, and I'll be happy to run you through the character creation and the rules. You can read a brief How to Play although it doesn't contain the entire ruleset.
What kind of tone are you expecting?
The game will be semi-serious with elements of tragedy, but pretty much everything I touch has a certain level of humour built in. Not every game will be a race to save people from the monsters, and not everything happy ending with have a grim twist. Think TV shows like Buffy, or books like the Dresden Files.
What do you, as a GM, expect from us as players?
The thing I really want to see in players is good, consistent posting. Posting once a day would be good, warning me about delays when you can, and the like.
More importantly, this game will live and die on story and creativity - and not just mine. This is a world that I expect everyone to actively add to, and your relationships with other players will mean as much as your battles with the monsters. Don't be afraid to engage with characters and NPC's.
Finally, basic literacy skills. I'm talking real basic - anyone who plays with me for five minutes will tell you my crimes against grammar are great and many - but capitalization, paragraphs, full stops and a quick sweep with an in-browser spell check shouldn't be too hard.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for taking the time to read all that, and I look forward to seeing you folks later.
"But first, a little news for those of you, maybe a little cookier, maybe a little wiser, who think you know what's really going on. If that sounds like you, there's a little town off the beaten track. Back in the woods away, a few dozen families. Had a little hunting trouble a couple of years back. Know the one I'm talking about? Good. Then maybe you should head out that way when you have a spell, because a little birdie tells me they need a bit of help out that way...and now, for everyone else, a little music."
~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Darkened Thresholds, a Monster of the Week game. You will play a Hunter, someone who protects humanity from the things you only see in the corner of your eye and can only hope are your imagination.
The basic premise of this game is that you are Hunters, defenders of humanity against the things the lurk just beyond seeing, the ones who solve the events others write off as weird quirks of fate or bad luck. It's not an easy job. It'll probably kill you. But there's no one else who can do it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Application
Actually creating a character for Monster of the Week is a relatively simple, easy process that's also partially communal. As a result of this I'm going to start by looking for concepts, rather than characters. The more you can provide and the better idea I can get of the character you'll make and the kind of player you are.
One thing to note is that, at this point, nothing is set in stone. If things change during the creation process that is fine.
With that, let's get to it.
Name: Fairly obvious. Or, perhaps, not. This will likely be the name the character is known by in the game world, but it might be a nom de guerre or a title rather than there birth name. If they had a birth name.
Concept: Just a couple of paragraphs describing the idea behind your character. Perhaps you're a reformed cultist seeking to atone for the wrongs you committed? An assassin who took out something supernatural and dedicated your talents to saving the world? Something called on to this layer of existence with a job in mind?
Possible Playbook: You can find details of the 12 base playbooks Here, and several other possible options are mentioned Here. It should be noted that each character will have a different Playbook, but that a concept can often work with more than one - a succubus could use the Monstrous or the Changeling for example.
Creative Example: Because this is such a different character creation, with so much still in limbo at the end, I decided I wanted to see how you guys handle the creative side of the game. So, what I'm looking for here is your addition to the World of Darkened Threshold. For a character aiming for the Professional Playbook this could be details on your Agency, what it is and how it functions. For others perhaps its a place, an area of weirdness that we'll encounter in the game.
This doesn't have to be related to your character, and beyond the idea that the game is set somewhere in the modern-day US (but filmed in Canada) you're free to do what you want.
~~~~~~~~~~
Frequently Asked Questions (that have never been asked)
OK, so with that, here's a few bits that might also be useful to know.
I've never played Monster of the Week before! I'm out!
Well, I can't stop you. But Monster of the Week is an extremely simple system to play, and I'll be happy to run you through the character creation and the rules. You can read a brief How to Play although it doesn't contain the entire ruleset.
What kind of tone are you expecting?
The game will be semi-serious with elements of tragedy, but pretty much everything I touch has a certain level of humour built in. Not every game will be a race to save people from the monsters, and not everything happy ending with have a grim twist. Think TV shows like Buffy, or books like the Dresden Files.
What do you, as a GM, expect from us as players?
The thing I really want to see in players is good, consistent posting. Posting once a day would be good, warning me about delays when you can, and the like.
More importantly, this game will live and die on story and creativity - and not just mine. This is a world that I expect everyone to actively add to, and your relationships with other players will mean as much as your battles with the monsters. Don't be afraid to engage with characters and NPC's.
Finally, basic literacy skills. I'm talking real basic - anyone who plays with me for five minutes will tell you my crimes against grammar are great and many - but capitalization, paragraphs, full stops and a quick sweep with an in-browser spell check shouldn't be too hard.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for taking the time to read all that, and I look forward to seeing you folks later.