A downloadable game

Buy Now$8.60 USD or more

~ The printed version of Against the Monster is available at plotbunnygames.com ~ Es gibt auch eine deutschsprachige Version des Spiels. ~


The Game

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it’s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely—you’ll decide in which setting you’ll hunt what kind of monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?


The Rules

Against the Monster is a GM-less Descended from the Queen story game (you may know the mechanics from For the Queen or from our previous project Viva la QueerBar) for 2-6 players and a flexible play time of about 1-4 hours (one-shot).

All you need to play is this zine and a regular deck of playing cards (52 cards). No preparation or previous game experience necessary – just start playing!

The rules of Against the Monster are very simple: At first you read the short instructions out loud together. The text has our recommended consent and safety tools already built-in. During that introduction, you also choose the rough setting of your monster hunt.

Then the core game starts: You take turns drawing a playing card and looking up the question associated with it in the random tables. Over the course of the game, your monster, your characters , and further details about the context of the monster hunt develop through your answers to the questions.

In the end, all main characters answer: When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

Due to the random selection and order of the questions (you'll typically use around half of them during a 2-hour game) and the huge variability of possible settings, you can play Against the Monster again and again and have a different experience each time.


The PDF

Format:

  • 24 pages in A5 format (148 x 210 mm / 5.8 x 8.3 inches)
  • Full-color cover, black-and-white interior
  • Screenreader-ready with image descriptions, PDF tags, internal references, and external links

Contents:

  • Complete instructions for play (consent and safety tools included)
  • 4 random tables with questions (13 options for each of the 4 suits = 52 different questions)
  • Table with 18 monster ideas
  • Evocative illustrations on every page (100% human-made)

A printed version of the game is available at plotbunnygames.com.

Additionally needed:

  • A regular deck of playing cards (52 cards without Jokers), such as for poker


Credits


Media (in English)

Actual Play with some folks from the Open Hearth Gaming Community (YouTube), wherein we hunt a ghost in the American desert:

Actual Play on PlusOneExp (YouTube) wherein we hunt a cryptid in the Black Forest:

You can find further media in German here.


Purchase

Buy Now$8.60 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $8.60 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Against the Monster_v1.1.pdf 9.6 MB

Community Copy

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Community Copy

These community copies were donated by other supporters during the crowdfunding campaign.

They are meant for those who generally have very little money and can't afford the game at its regular price.

Comments

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Against the Monster is awesome . It's a great collaborative monster making game.