I'm Published!

I got published, but not in the way you'd expect.

For a couple years, I had a little something on the backburner, and now it's my first completed self-publishing project. This project was a test to see if I could get something published, and I did. This project is a playbook for the Monster of the Week RPG, simply called "The Masked".

Art by Adrian Acevedo-Flores

The Masked is a playbook designed to emulate the tokusatsu-style superheroes like Kamen Rider and Garo in the Monster of the Week RPG. Monster of the Week is typically designed for dark urban fantasy like Supernatural. However, after seeing supplementary playbooks like the Meddling Kid and the Magical broaden my perception of genre, I realized that Kamen Rider is definitely a Monster of the Week show. Granted, a default MOTW setting would lean more towards Showa or early Heisei era shows, where deadly monsters and a more down-to-earth tone allow non-Masked characters to get equal focus, but Garo has shown that a Supernatural-esque tone can fit tokusatsu like a glove.

I have heard skepticism towards the idea. One of the early readers compared my book to putting Sailor Moon in an episode of Supernatural. I would argue that that comes down to the table preference - what kind of setting and tone are you trying to run? Putting the Winchester brothers in an episode of Scooby-Doo would be just as out of place, but that sure didn't stop them. And if Scooby-Doo has a playbook, why shouldn't Kuuga?

Image Source: Supernatural - S13E16

In fact, I would argue that Kamen Rider Kuuga is a solid example of a Monster of the Week campaign using the Masked. Each mass-murdering monster has a unique biology and MO that requires investigation to predict and intercept, while Kuuga himself counts on his allies just as much as he does his powers. It lends itself well to a crew dynamic; watching the show, I could distinctly recognize supporting cast members as the Professional, the Expert, and the Mundane. If the Luchador and the Meddling Kid are finding use at Monster of the Week games, then I'm sure there are games where the Masked will shine. 

Artist: sasakura34

This creation process has been educational, and the results were very satisfying. I'll be posting about my other projects on this blog in the near future.