What is vs. Monsters?

One day back in 2003 I did something a little stupid: I crafted a roleplaying game in 24 hours and helped launch the 24 Hour RPG concept. Inspired by 24 hour comics, this was a chance for me to sit down and see if I could create a complete and playable roleplaying game in one day. And, surprisingly, it worked. It actually worked well . . . and eventually turned into something a lot larger than I expected. And since I’ve been getting a few e-mails asking “what is vs. Monsters?” after it was mentioned here months ago I thought I’d take a moment to give a rough overview and a few links.

vs. Monsters

A 20-page rules light roleplaying game, vs. Monsters (download the free PDF) was my chance to put together an engine and partial setting and show the world that I had some ideas inside me. At the time I had been doing a lot of people and project management, and not much in the way of creative work (kinda like today), and I needed to burn some energy and create something. So I did, and the simple game actually got enough favorable responses that I went on to do something more.

And as proof that I am rusty on the creativity side I present this short bit from the intro. I wish I still wrote like this . . . but I am very much out of practice.

vs. Monsters is a roleplaying game in which the players take the roles of 19th century monster hunters living in the America of the time. This is the America of Edgar Allan Poe. This is America seen though the goggles of distortion that are used by such greats as Lewis Carrol, Tim Burton, and Mike Mignola. This is America as it never really was.

vs. Monsters Deluxe Edition

In 2004, just over a year after the release of the free PDF, I published vs. Monsters Deluxe Edition, a small volume that dramatically expanded the game and turned it into a lot more than it was as a free one-day project. And the game did fantastic for me, giving me a chance to expand the ideas in the free version and build a setting . . . actually, sketch a setting for others to build.

But rather than go on and on about what I did almost a decade ago I thought it might be better if I link to a few reviews:

• Peter Schaefer’s review says: “If you like simple games, whether for one-shots or long-term games, this is for you. If you like horror and monster-mysteries and aren’t dead-set on a game that has a different skill for everything, this is for you. If you like killing monsters, friend, this game is for you.”
  
• Jimmie Bise, Jr. closes his review with: “In the end, I think Reed has written himself a real winner. vs. Monster Deluxe is sufficient to tell the fun “run around and whack the zombies” kind of stories or the atmospheric spine-tinglers of Shirley Jackson and Washington Irving. The game is full of good writing, great illustrations, a simple but effective rule set, and enough monsters to keep your players jumping for many games to come. “
  
• Tommy Brownell writes in his review: “Stylistically, I love the approach of “the America That Never Was”, filled with set-pieces instead of nailed-down locations. After reading, and now reviewing, VS Monsters I think I may have figured out why I can’t nail down the tone of the writing. It is a decidedly serious game about hunting and fighting monsters, its just a horror game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, something I’m just not used to. Meant for fast and loose gameplay, embracing the legacy of horror while not turning a blind eye to its camp, VS Monsters is an elegant little game that’s well deserving of its cult following.”

And Still Available

And thanks to the power of PDF publishing the game continues to be available, selling a few copies every month as someone new runs across it and shares it with his friends. The Deluxe Edition sells in both PDF and in print, and it makes me happy each time I get an e-mail from someone telling me how much they enjoyed the game.

More Games?

About six years ago a lot of time was put into a vs. Pirates game, but nothing ever came of that. I still have all of the files, but the game just didn’t happen. What did happen, though, was a very small roleplaying game titled vs. Outlaws that was TINY . . . see this rpg.net review for an idea of just how tiny the game was. I really want to try my hand at another small roleplaying game one of these days.

Thanks

I know that this isn’t toys or art. but I hope that those of you who saw the mentions on the site earlier now have a better understanding of what vs. Monsters is. It’s a game. I know this post doesn’t really go into the details of how the game works, but the benefit of a free PDF is that if you have any interest in roleplaying games at all it’s easy to get a look at what I wrote . . . several years ago.