Cover: Rebekah Glidewell

Words: Brian Richmond

Art: Peter Violini

V2 for /tg/

Its nice to work on somethinglike this after so long awayfrom it. Im having fun.

Fixed Specialties and WeaponTags. Started the monsterchapter. Put in some interiorillustrations from Pete.

Part 1: How to Play

Whenever you perform an action that has a chance of failure, you roll two six-sided dice, or 2d6.

A roll of two (2) is a critical failure which will add further complications to the situation.

For example if you played a character with glasses running from a monster and you rolled a two, youwould not only fail to outrun the monster but you would also probably trip and break your glasses.

Rolling a three, four, five or six (3-6) is considered to be a Failure, which means you fail at what you setout to do but no additional penalty other than what seems appropriate would occur. So, if you insteadrolled a Failure in the above example, your character would only either drop their glasses or fail tooutrun the monster--whichever seems the most appropriate as determined by the GM.

A seven (7) is considered a Partial Success, meaning that while you succeed there is a "but..." added inthere. You outrun the monster -but- you can't find your car keys. You outrun the monster but now you can'tget a beat on where it might be in the woods. A Partial Success should make you feel safe but uncertain.

A roll of an eight, nine, ten or eleven (8-11) is a Success, which means you did what you set out to do. Ifyour goal was to outrun the monster, you did. If your goal was to start the car, you did. Trouble mayfollow as a result of your success, but what you've done is a step in the right direction for your continuedsurvival.

A roll of twelve (12) is a critical success which should give you and possibly your allies some breathingroom. For example, if you were running away from that previously mentioned monster and you rolled atwelve, you would make it back to your car in time to grab your gun and prepare a shot at the beast.

Ultimately a high roll is better than a low roll and what is listed above is merely a set of examples andsuggestions. A rule of thumb, the higher you roll the more actions you should be able to get away withsaying. The lower you roll, the more the GM gets to have you fail at what you're attempting.

Number Rolled (2d6) What It Means2 CRITICAL FAILURE

3-6 FAILURE7 PARTIAL SUCCESS

8-11 SUCCESS12 CRITICAL SUCCESS

CHARACTER CREATION OVERVIEW

You need a piece of paper, like in a composition book or an index card. Nothing big or fancy isrequired. You also need a writing tool, like a pen or a pencil. There are five steps to this that will beoutlined below and examined in the following pages.

First: Come up with a name, a gender, and an age. Ask your GM if this is going to be a children-onlygame or an adult only-game, or a mixed-age group.

Second: Once you know if your character is an Adult or a Child, invest your dice into the three Focuses.

Third: Determine your character's specialties, something they're exceptionally good at. These shouldmake sense. An Adult might be very skilled at Driving or doing Research, while a Child might be skilledat Sneaking around or Stealing things.

Fourth: Come up with a few traits about how your character looks or what they do. You might be tall, youmight be short, you might be fat, you might be thin. People might think youre cool, people might thinkyoure weird, and people might think youre boring. For Adults, this also entails a job description likebeing a cop, reporter, teacher, or fisherman. Traits represent how people in the game see you, and whatyou may consider a positive can quickly become a negative. A cool cop who is screaming about ghostsis going to get more mockery than the loser cop who everyone already considered a weirdo.

Fifth: Determine your starting gear and budget. Children should probably only have a few necessarypieces of clothing for various weather changes and social situations, and possibly a few pieces of cheaptechnology (a Polaroid camera, flashlights, walkie-talkies, super-soakers, etc...). Adults have a bit moremoney to spend on things, but wealth doesn't go as far: a car, a place to live, and bills might eat upmuch of their money. Adults should have either a car or a place to live, and some modest recreationitems and job equipment in addition to what kids might have.

A good budget for a simple game is to say they have clothes and enough cash to get $250 bucks worthof stuff from thrift stores or the local super-store. Items function as they do in the real world, there is noneed for special rules to use a camera. Just use whatever dice seems most appropriate and consult thechart.

FOCUS & FOCUS DICE

Starting Characters have a number of points they can invest into three different Focuses. TheFocuses are Fighting, Thinking, and Running. When you perform an action that relates to Fighting,Thinking or Running you add the number of points invested in the specific Focus to your end total.

For each point you invest into a Focus, you gain a Focus Dice. The Focus Dice is an additional d6that you can add to applicable rolls. Once that Focus Dice has been used it cannot be used againwithout an appropriate passage of time, scene, or GM allowance.

For example, a child named Robert is on the run from a horrible beast that walks up-right on twolegs in a grim mockery of man. Robert is a coward who spends most of his time doing two things,reading (Thinking) and trying his hardest to run and hide from bullies (Running). Since Robert is trying toescape his pursuer he may use any single Focus Dice he has invested into his Running Focus in addit ionto his dice roll for the purpose of escaping from the monster.

CHILDREN begin play with three (3) dice to invest into their Focuses.

ADULTS begin play with five (5) dice to invest into their Focuses, but an Adult can never investmore than three (3) dice in any single Focus.

SPECIALTIES

These determine something your character is specifically great at, like driving, fist-fighting, orspeaking with people. Specialties add a +2 bonus to rolls dealing with the specialty. Unlike Focus Dicewhich can be spent, you will always keep your Specialties.

ADULTS gain two (2) Specialties, while CHILDREN gain only one (1) Specialty.

FEAR

Fear is the most common issue your character will face. When a character is suffering the effectsof Fear, they most roll a Fear Dice.

A Fear Dice is a d6 that you SUBTRACT from any rolls you make. For example, if Robert justwitnessed his best buddy Joey get his guts ripped out by a tall man whose face is a glimpse into the voidhe'd most likely be suffering from Fear and be forced to roll a Fear Dice. If Robert rolled an 11 to flee thismonstrosity he'd have to roll an additional d6 (and let's say he rolled a 6) which in this case would besubtracted from his successful total of 11. The subtraction of the fear dice would bring his total down to a5 and Robert would soon be meeting a similar fate like his former friend.

Fear only comes into play when the mood is appropriately spooky or when something gruesome,traumatic, or horrifying occurs. When the monster first appears, Fear is appropriate. When the long-timeally is revealed to be a husk hypnotized by an unknown enemy, Fear is appropriate. When a character'sfocuses in life are undermined or utterly destroyed, Fear is appropriate. While a cowardly child mightjump at every broken branch he should not wet himself until he sees the whites of inhuman eyes.

OVERCOMING FEAR

Overcoming Fear is not something most people can do, least of all people confronted by livingmalicious entities they ought to very rightfully be afraid of---but it can be done. A character whenconfronted by something to be afraid of can expend a Focus Dice to keep their mind on the task at hand.The result of this overcoming of fear can make a character look cold, callous, or incredibly bravedepending on the situation.

LIFE AND DEATH

The damage done by monstrous things exists both in the physical and in the mental, and as onesuffers at the hands of the unknown they begin to spiral down until there's little left but either gore orinsanity. All characters start off Healthy and slowly degrade until they end up Gone, a state that can bedefined as anything from a coma, a corpse in the ground, or complete insanity with no chance ofrecovery.

CHILDREN and ADULTS begin play with six (6) levels of Health.

ADULTS, however, can ignore damage that would only bring them down to havingSCRAPES.

HOW DAMAGE APPEARS

When a character suffers a single point of damage they are considered to have SCRAPES, whichis something that can be shrugged off or ignored if given a few minutes by an Adult. For a child it beginsthe downward spiral of pain. This damage could be compared to cutting oneself on very thick brambles,an annoying but not completely hindering type of wound, or suffering from cold spots given by a spiritualentity.

When a character has suffered two points of damage they are considered to be ROUGHED UPand will need a day or two off their feet to fully recover from lingering pains. This damage could becompared to taking a punch to the face or being the subject to an energy sapping by an entity.

A character who has suffered three points of damage is considered to be HURT, which issomething that will require proper medical attention to deal. Someone who is Hurt might not be able tomove one of their limbs without extreme pain, could be suffering from dizziness due to constant trauma,or is under so much mental stress they cannot think without migraine level headaches.

A character who is HURT suffers a -1 penalty on all rolls.

If a character has taken four points of damage they are considered to be INJURED. An Injuredcharacter likely has broken bones, a concussion, or is subjected to some of the fiercest spiritual andmental torments. A character who is injured shows obvious physical signs of their damage, be it a broken

limb or the pallor of spiritual oppression. To recover from being Injured a character will need to seek outmedical aid which may see him or her out of action for a time, but certainly not indefinitely.

An INJURED character suffers a -2 penalty on all rolls.

When a character has a single level of Health left they are considered to be DOWN AND OUT,meaning they are barely clinging on to their lives and sanity. To recover from being Down and Out thecharacter will need serious medical attention and care--the likes of which will likely see him or her out ofaction for weeks if not indefinitely.

A character who is DOWN AND OUT suffers a -3 penalty on all rolls.

When a character is GONE they are never coming back. A character who is Gone has lost allthe levels of their Health and as a result they've either been driven completely mad, been driven into acatatonic state of which they may never awaken, or they've been killed. A character who is Gone is forall intents and purposes unplayable and should be retired or used as a plot device to drive the actionfurther.

DAMAGE AND MONSTERS

Different sorts of attacks by different sorts of monsters may ignore certain protections a charactermay have, such as a wolf-beast not caring that a camper is holding a crucifix or a phantasmal horrorignoring the protection of a Kevlar vest. The type of damage a monster does is reflected in their statblock.

Just the same monsters are damaged or held back in unique ways depending on their origin,purpose, and weaknesses. To properly hunt a monster one must research their weaknesses, for only afool goes hunting werewolves with a security blanket as their ace in the hole.

The health of monsters is unique to each monster and is reflected in their stat block. Most monsterscan take far more damage than human beings and injuring a being twice ones size and made of stone ismuch harder than injuring a little kid or another adult.

WEAPONS AND TAGS

Weapons vary from situation to situation, as stated above. A crucifix is only as good as the faithof the man holding it, and while a gun can kill most things it can't kill ghosts. When you choose aweapon/item or find one in a situation, it will have a tag attached to it. A Good Tag and a Bad Tag. AGood Tag is something like "Precise", because it describes a positive quality of the item. A Bad Tagdescribes a condition, Fragile", which bring up complications that could occur on a low roll.

Good Tags come into play when you use an item in a way that utilizes its qualities and roll aPartial Success. A Success to bar a door with a lead-pipe through the handle is acceptable because it is"Metal" and "Heavy". A Good Tag coming into play turns a Partial Success into a Success.

Bad Tags come into play when the negative qualities of an item should hinder you. For example ifyou were trying to silently (a vague term in the world of guns) shoot an enemy and failed, your gun's"Loud" Tag might come into play and reveal your location. A Bad Tag coming into play turns a PartialSuccess into a Failure.

Tags are ultimately situation-specific, and just because your Hatchet is tagged Intimidating doesn'tmean it will be in all situations. GMs and Players should keep this in mind. Generally speaking, justbecause something isn't tagged one tag doesn't mean it can't be used for other purposes. The GMsword is the final authority on the subject.

CRITICAL SUCCESSES AND PARTIAL SUCCESSES

A weapon does 1 additional damage on a Critical Success and 1 less damage on a PartialSuccess.

WEAPONS & DAMAGE

Below is a vaguely encompassing list of weapons and situation damage rules to keep in mind.Obviously if you want to play a more lethal game the damage can be increased, or if you wantsomething more heroic the damage could be lowered.

BLUNT WEAPONS, like sticks, clubs, baseball bats, canes, or lead pipes.

Damage: 2.Good Tags: Heavy, Concussive, Lock-Breaker, Metal, Lucky, Natural.Bad Tags: Heavy, Breakable, Rusty, Cold, Conductive, Splatter Weapon.

BALLISTIC WEAPONS, like pistols, hunting rifles or generic guns. Heavy weaponry or sub-machine gunsdon't fit the theme of the game and should be avoided. These are the Sheriff's six-shooter, the familyhunting rifle, or the dead Nazi Spy's Luger.

Damage: 3.Good Tags: Spread Shot, Precise, Intimidating, No Serial, Holdout, Silent, Loud.Bad Tags: Off-Kilter, No Serial, Permit Required, Intimidating, Loud, Bulky.

SHARP WEAPONS, like kitchen or hunting knives, a sword, a fireplace poker or a hatchet.

Damage: 2.Good Tags: Heavy, Intimidating, Never Dulls, Combat Weapon, Holdout, Metal.Bad Tags: Heavy, Intimidating, Rusty, Cold, Splatter Weapon, Conductive, Breakable.

UNARMED ATTACKS are relatively ineffective on non-humans, and even on humans you need to besomewhat lucky to royally mess someone up. All unarmed attacks are tagged Natural but all unarmedattacks also show signs of injury if used. Beating someone up tends to bruise the knuckles or leave bloodand flesh under the finger tips. Consider this.Damage: 1.Good Tags: Natural.Bad Tags: Signs of Injury.

Things such as VEHICLE IMPACT are generally likely to result in serious injury to both the driver and thebeing hit. Such pain and injury to the being hit is likely quite bloody and terrible.Damage: 2, if hit by a Bike. Biker takes 2 damage if he falls off the bike.Damage: 4, if hit by a Car. Driver takes 2 damage if they are thrown from the car.Damage: 10, if hit by a Truck or a Train. Driver takes 4 damage if the Truck spins out or flips.

Other situations such as falling from a cliff should consider how much damage a person in real life wouldtake if they fell off.

MAGICAL DAMAGE SITUATIONS

There's no hard and fast rule for how much damage a crucifix will have against a demon or how much asecurity blanket might harm the boogeyman if he touches it. These things are best left up to your GM, asthey dwell in the realm of the unknown. And you're not supposed to start off play with a holy sword andmagic helmet.

Part 2: THE SETTING

OVERVIEW

The Location of the town can be anywhere from Alaska to the badlands of the Midwest or the PineBarrens of New Jersey. The only key important factor of the Location is that the small town is secluded,separated to the big cities and other towns by long stretches of highway and hard to traverse wilderness.

Every small town has its secrets, and these secrets are known by The Authority. The Authority is made upof those who have been exposed to the secrets, either willingly or as a victim. The Authority need not bethe antagonistic force, but rarely will they accept that a group of kids or a few men and women withguns can solve their problems.

The secrets may come from or dwell within the Hidden Places. The Hidden Places are forgotten orshrouded in local mythology and rumors. The Authority, if they have the means, will try to keep peopleout of such places or make sure they are only told of in the drunken ramblings of those they cannotcompletely suppress.

But for every Hidden Places, there are a few Safe Places. Havens created by those who have seen thetruth and want to fight it, or places where the dark things do not tread. The most common Safe Places arecommon meeting areas where people can regroup, bind their wounds, eat or drink, use the bathroom,and get a moments reprieve from the true threat.

That true threat is The Unknown. It is found in the Hidden Places, can slink into the Safe Places and isfoolishly believed to be controlled or contained by those who are part of The Authority. The Unknowntakes many forms. The Unknown corrupts the souls of mortals, torments their minds, and breaks themdown into twisted, cruel, manic things.

When creating a town, roll on the following charts. Your town can have however many members of TheAuthority you want. Every building could be a Hidden Place, and no Safe Places could exist. TheUnknown could exist in such levels that it stinks of B-Movie cinema. Ideally, youll want to find a balanceand have everything tie together in a well-woven conspiracy.

These charts exist only for the option of random generation. You can of course pick and choose your ownLocation, Authority, Hidden and Safe Places, and Unknown threats.

THE LOCATION (1d6)

# Rolled LOCATION

1 Grassland Region

2 Forested Region

3 Mountainous Region

4 Coastal Region

5 Arid Region

6 Winter Region

Grassland Regions include rolling hills, wide open plains, and an unobstructed view of the sky. The GreatPlains region of the USA would be considered a Grassland Region for purpose of making a town.Forested Regions can be tropical bayous, deciduous woods or coniferous forests. Washington State andmuch of the East Coast of America would be considered Forested Regions for the purpose of making atown.

Mountainous Regions are locations at high altitudes, near mountains, or even on mountains. AppalachianRange or the Rocky Mountains are good examples of Mountainous Regions a town may be located nextto.

Coastal Regions are in close proximity with large salt or freshwater bodies of water. The town couldborder the Great Lakes, the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans for the purpose of town creation.

Arid Regions are dry, and for the purpose of town creation, akin to deserts. The Badlands and much ofthe Mid-West fit into this category.

Winter Regions refer to colder areas of the country, like Alaska or upper Maine. Winter Regions havelong winters, heavy snow, and cold winds.

THE AUTHORITY (2d6)

THE AUTHORITY# Rolled 1-2 3-4 4-6

1 The Sheriff The Mayor The Industrialist2 The Church The Teacher The City Council3 The Candidate The Old Man The Shopkeeper4 The Doctor The False Friend The Librarian5 The Waitress The Camp Counselor The Laborer6 The Drifter The Secret Society The Agent

The Sheriff is the head law enforcement officer in the town, with access to guns and a great deal ofauthority. The Sheriff can potentially assist the party in dealing with physical threats, though its morelikely for the Sheriff to bust them for trespassing or illegally carrying a firearm. Or Disturbing the Peace.

The Mayor is in charge of the town and can influence public policy. The Mayor is also the sort of personyou dont want to threaten or tick off, as they can easily manipulate their allies against you.

The Industrialist likely maintains a factory or some other business, possibly employing the bulk of thetown. The Industrialist has the money and power to get away with crimes, as well as the ability to gatherhired muscle in need of money who will work less than savory jobs.

The Church refers to the person in charge of any local religious structure and by that extent, theirsubordinates. The Church can be a great ally against the forces of evil, but they can just as soondemonize the party and have characters ostracized by their good Christian neighbors.

The Teacher can cause a great deal of issues for child characters and can watch their actions during theday. The Teacher is able to spread disinformation, make children stay after school, or interrupt parentsfrom their work by means of an emergency parent/teacher conference.

The City Council is a powerful Authority, able to change public policies and manipulate many agencies.The City Council is also made up of beings from multiple agencies, the type of people who can influenceTeachers, the Church, the Librarian, the Laborer, the Industrialist, and the Mayor.

The Candidate is a person running for office, like Mayor or City Council; they have a lot of charisma butlittle power if they dont win the position. The Candidate likely has a built up following of loyal activiststhat he can use to blackball or harm those who stand in the way of his goals and ambitions.

The Old Man has been around long enough to know the secrets of the town deeper than many otherAuthority figures. The Old Man may even know when the Unknown first came to the town. The Old Manmay be crotchety or unsuspecting, depending on how the years, society and the burden of knowledgehave weighed in on him.

The Shopkeeper is able to keep his finger on the pulse of the locals, and he controls the flow of goods.The Shopkeeper can tarnish someones reputation by having them banned from his or her store, just aseasily as he can assist them by selling batteries or bullets off the record.

The Doctor has a great deal of power, including the ability to have people committed, should it bewanted. The Doctor can provide medical aid and scientific answers to the curious events if they arentdirectly working for the Authority.

The False Friend is a personal associate of the players who happens to be working against them withouttheir knowledge. The betrayals committed can be for the greater good of the town, but the betrayed maynot see it this way.

The Librarian knows the history of the town and can be a source of archaic information of blatantdisinformation should it benefit the Authority. The Librarian can be a very helpful ally, but she can also bean enemy that can snuff out ones ability to research into local history.

The Waitress keeps an eye on travelers and helps dispel notions about strangeness on the roads. TheWaitress also deals in foods and drinks, giving her ready access to poison her enemies while gatheringinformation like where they are from and why they are in town.

The Camp Counselor spread propaganda to children, turning dark truth into local myth and legend.The Camp Counselor is able to keep tabs on many kids and is often the only adult watching them for aprolonged period of time.

The Laborer works the mills, factories and docks of the town, not a being of great authority but one withfriends and physical power. The Laborer is able to appeal to his fellow workers for support or politicalinfluence.

The Drifter is a stranger, one who might be followed or one who might be following the Unknown. TheDrifter is usually a pawn of The Authority or The Unknown, unwittingly reporting activity or allowing theUnknown to flaunt its power.

The Secret Society is an organization of the Authority, run by those who know the truth and those theydeemed worthy enough to learn of it. The Secret Society could be benevolently protecting the town insilence, but their methods may not be approved of by all.

The Agent is a government employee with a good budget, a sharp suit, and a gun; sent to investigatesomething and unwilling to let the locals interfere. The Agent is rarely directly part of The Authority. Moreoften than not, the Agent is a hapless pawn or cover-up specialist.

THE HIDDEN PLACE (2d6)

THE HIDDEN PLACE# Rolled 1-2 3-4 5-6

1 Derelict Place Haunted Place Devils Place2 Forgotten Battlefield Place Where No Man Treads Sacred Waters3 Nexus Point Earthworks Ancient Glyphs4 Murder Scene Lost Monument Caverns Deep5 Broken Institute Cold War Relic Carnal Pit6 The Rock Demesne of the Strange The Secret Club

The Derelict Place refers to an abandoned place of industry. Good examples include an abandonedslaughterhouse, an abandoned mine, a factory in disrepair, an old mill, or a train Station on long deadtracks.

The Haunted Place refers to a place that is generally rumored and considered to be haunted by thelocals. This could be the creepy old house from colonial times, a bridge where a man committed suicide,or a grove where body parts were found back in the fifties.

The Devils Place is an anomalous location, like an unlucky crossroads or a place of satanic ritual. TheDevils Place is generally considered to be unlucky, and weird things are often seen by firelight in onesperipheral vision here.

The Forgotten Battlefield is a place of great violence, forgotten by the history books or consideredunimportant in comparison to greater battles. Old bullets can be found in the trees and the in the soil. Atnight, mists may roll over the grounds and horns may be heard on the wind.

The Place Where No Man Treads is a rarity in the modern world. Such a place has a feeling of naturalpurity and gives humans a fear of no longer being the dominant species.

The Sacred Waters are places of spiritual energy. The Sacred Waters could be an alleged fountain ofyouth, an old lake considered holy to Native American Tribes, or the lone watering hole for all theanimals in a region.

The Nexus Point is an area where the natural and elemental ley lines of the world converge. Strangelights and issues with electronic equipment is commonplace in such locations.

The Earthworks are earthen platforms, burial mounds and temple mounds, as well as things like theNazca Lines. Earthworks had religious meanings to Native American tribes, and they may also serve ascurious signifier to extraterrestrial beings.

The Ancient Glyphs can be found carved into trees, stones, and painted on the walls of caves. Theirmeanings are unknown, even to the indigenous people of the region. They could foretell prophecy,doom, or simply be a puzzle waiting for a solution.

The Murder Scene is a spot where a gruesome murder occurred and where the land itself neverrecovered from the traumatic event. The ground may be darker, the walls or trees brittle and cracked, orthere may even be a body still located at the scene.

The Lost Monument is a statue, cairn, or totem to a forgotten person, tribe, of thing. The build andappearance of such a monument should have a connection to the Unknown terrorizing the region, so astrangely made totem of weeping men and red-eyed wolves would be appropriate in a region terrorizedby a Skinwalker.

The Caverns Deep refers to a series of caves, potentially inhabited and most likely dangerous. The cavesmay have been used as an old smugglers route, or once been inhabited by bears.

The Broken Institute is an abandoned and derelict schoolhouse, hospital, or prison. The wilderness hasovertaken the complex and graffiti marks the walls. Such places are generally filled with negativeemotions, as many travesties and unreported sins occurred behind their walls.

The Cold War Relic is an abandoned bunker, underground number station, crashed USSR satellite orbomb shelter from a time when America feared an oncoming nuclear holocaust. Propaganda and dust-covered consoles line such places, as well as half-finished formulae on chalkboards.

The Carnal Pit is an underground location of unfortunate butchery. This could be an abandoned quarrywhere the mob buried the bodies of rats and cops. It could be a tiger-trap like pit cave that plantsconceal, only for unfortunate travelers to fall into and become an additional set of bones.

The Rock is a place of isolation, carefully positioned in places dangerous or hard to reach. The Rock canrefer to a lighthouse constantly beset by storms, a jailhouse built to harbor a dangerous criminal in needof constant isolation, a hunters cabin in the mountains or an astronomers research station that hasntbeen unlocked in years.

The Demesne of the Strange is a place where the dark things come from. It is something well into therealm of the paranormal, like an underwater cave-city, a house that only appears on a full moon, or acrashed UFO. The Demesne of the Strange, if it exists in the region, should be well-hidden and speakingof such a location should quickly reach the ears of the Authority.

The Secret Club is a strange place, maintained by strange or eccentric people. The Authority may havean agent within the Secret Club, but they at the very least have heard rumors of its existence. A gypsycaravan, a shanty-town built during a festival, or a cabinet of curiosities could all be considered SecretClubs.

THE SAFE PLACE (2d6)

THE SAFE PLACE# Rolled 1-3 4-6

1 The Relatives Place The Schoolhouse2 The Local Shop The Shopping Center3 The Library The Playground4 The Church The Clubhouse5 The Police Station The Allys Place6 The Campgrounds The Outlier

The Relatives Place is a safe place for one or more characters because it belongs to an Uncle, Aunt,Cousin or Sibling who wont mind too much about them crashing on the couch or using the garage forsomething private in the early hours of the morning.

The Schoolhouse is usually not open at night without a good reason, and theres no way youll be gettingin carrying a weapon. The Schoolhouse might be considered a designated safe meeting place for thecommunity, meaning it can be used to stay safe through hurricanes or other calamities.

The Local Shop belongs to pleasant enough people, or it might just be a good safe territory when yourbuddy is working the shift there. It doesnt get a ton of business, and the lights are bright enough to givea good view of anything coming at you from the parking lot.

The Shopping Center is located just on the outskirts of town. Its made up of several major chain stores,open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The Shopping Center is destroying local businesses and isntlooked upon fondly by many of the locals.

The Library is a place of research, often open late, and with easy to access private meeting rooms. TheLibrary is a safe area to seek out information via online catalogs or long forgotten tomes of local history.

The Playground is closed at dark, but crowded by parents and kids during the day, which makes it easyfor individuals to blend in. Children without adults or adults without children can possibly warranted thesuspicion of concerned parents or possible predators.

The Church is a place of holy strength, provided those who maintain it are pious and pure. Demons andevil spirits cannot enter beyond its threshold lest they be scorched and be banished back from whencethey came. Churches are open most hours of the day, but those running them will not approve of certainattire, attitudes, or any overt weaponry.

The Clubhouse refers to a tree house, after school activities room, or a secret meeting place. This safeplace is easy to maintain and notice intrusions from the Authority, as it is very personal or used so oftenthat minor changes will be noticed.

The Police Station is not an ideal meeting place, but it is certainly safe. There are trained and armedprofessionals at work behind the bulletproof glass of the waiting room. The issue with using the PoliceStation as a meeting place is that Cops will ask you questions and anything borderline illegal will createa mess of problems.

The Allys Place belongs to an unknown ally who is working against the Unknown and the Authority. Todetermine an Ally and what sort of place this might be, roll on The Authority chart. The Ally has all thebenefits of what was rolled without the need to report back to some higher power.

The Campgrounds are a safe place when you need to hide. They are abandoned most of the year,surrounded by wilderness, and generally have a sparse population during their good seasons. Sign-inregistry for cabin use can be easily ignored unless someone is actively looking for intruders.

The Outlier is a Hidden Place that is free of the dangers usually found within. The Outlier might be aplace of positive spiritual energy, benevolent ghosts, or some form of protection that keeps it as hard topenetrate and find as a usual Hidden Place. To determine this Outlier, roll on The Hidden Places chart.

THE UNKNOWN (2d6)

THE UNKNOWN# Rolled 1-2 3-4 5-6

1 The Hairy Man The Extraterrestrial The Spirit World2 The Mutant The Walking Dead The Demon3 The Creature The Magician The Vampire4 The Artifact The Time Traveler The Fair Folk5 The Under-People The Eldritch Abomination The Water Monster6 The Inspired Killer The Tormented Savior The Devil Himself

The Hairy Man refers to creatures such as Sasquatch, Werewolves or Giants. Hairy Men are generallylarge, physically powerful, and often have a stench to them. Hairy Men tend to solve their issues viahunting and violence.

The Extraterrestrial refers to traditional depictions of aliens. Greys, Nordics, Insectoids, and Reptoids allfit into this category. Extraterrestrials are unknowable entities; to comprehend them is to try at madness.

The Spirit World refers to Ghosts, Wisps, and Orbs as well as to more mythological entities likeWendigo or Skinwalkers. The Spirit World is a primal place, and the evil entities often seem morecommon than the benevolent ones.

The Mutant was once human, and this is the source of its rage and shame. The Mutant can be reasonedwith, though it often has many topics that drive it into a fit of violence and pain.

The Walking Dead means Zombies, Skeletons, Ghouls, and the unfortunate living individuals who findthemselves possessed. The Walking Dead are often driven by hunger or some other baser desire, makingthem more like animals than once-living humans.

The Demon is a hard creature to pin down, as the legions of the Underworld are many. Demons ofGreed, Demons of Wrath, and Demons of Temptation are the most common sort to blight the mortalworld with their whispered sins.

The Creature is something that has vestigial resemblance to a real thing, but it is exaggerated andtwisted in appearance that it cannot be confused for anything other than a monster. Giant Spiders,Lizard-Men, and the Jersey Devil are all solid examples of this type.

The Magician is a mortal practitioner who has dabbled in areas man was not meant to know. Suchhubris brings scorn from the righteous and lust from darker powers. Magicians include Cultists, Diabolists,Psychics, and Witches.

The Vampire is a harbinger of blight, carrion, disease and death. In the twisted guise of what could beconsidered human, Vampires play their shadow games, manipulating others into becoming cattle orperforming tasks in ancient plots.

The Artifact is an item, the likes of which could be used for great good or evil. The darker powers of theworld will always seek to twist the whims of those who use it. Artifacts could include an Infernal Device, aPhylactery, or a Magic Sword.

The Time Traveler is a wayfarer in our petty perceptions of how the universe works. Even the mostbenevolent Time Traveler may cause irrefutable harm to the galaxy, possibly causing it to collapse in onitself due to paradoxes.

The Fair Folk are an ancient kindred of spirits found all over the world. Fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, andthe mighty Sidhe compose the ranks of the Fair Folk. These creatures are the sort that steal children fromcribs and string organs up in trees. They demand all services be paid in kind, that bargains be held onpain of death, and they all possess a common idea that mortal kind is frail and fun to use.

The Under-People are strangers in our world. They could be an ancient civilization that sought refugefrom cataclysms we know of only in folklore. They could be remnant freaks from a government programor the refugees of an alien intelligence. The Under-People share a common hatred of the sun and thesurface, xenophobia uniting even the most bitter enemies in their ranks to solidarity.

The Eldritch Abomination should not exist by all rational comprehension. They could be ancient uncaringgods, beings from an alien world where physics are no longer holding sway, or visitors from an unknowndimension. Sentient lights, all-devouring blobs, and goat-legged merchants made of tentacles under theirclothing are possible examples.

The Water Monster dwells beyond the reach of man, forever avoiding them even as they search forproof. The Water Monster can be found in ancient paintings and legends by the indigenous people, allof whom generally agree that the creature should be avoided. Water Monsters tend to appear as greatserpents, fish, squids, fish-like men, or leftover dinosaurs.

The Inspired Killer tried to survive their encounter with the Unknown, but they were left with a permanentpsychic scar. Perhaps they are driven to madness by an invisible pattern, or they might be haunted bywhat theyve seen and think their slaughter to be mercy killings. The reluctant killers are the most tragic,as they fight the inspiration through each murder and must deal with their human emotions when thewhispers leave them knee deep in a chest cavity.

The Tormented Savior is much like the Inspired Killer, as the Savior dealt with the Unknown as well. TheTormented Savior might be the first victim of the Unknown, a trapped soul trying to resist the corruptiononly to be overtaken and cause harm. The Tormented Savior is cursed to do harm, and can only findoblivion by causing another to take its damned burden.

The Devil Himself takes many forms and goes by many names. Old Hobb is usually a short fat man whowill get you what you want at the cost of what you need. Mr. Scratch is tall and handsome, he likes toplay and enjoy the lives of those he reaps, ensuring they go down to the dark place with a smile on thei rmugs. The Man in the Smoked Glasses is a form the Devil takes when hes in a bind and way behind andwilling to hunt, gamble, and scam to get what is required.

TOWN CHART NAME (2d66)

#rolled FIRST PART OF NAME SECOND PART OF NAME11-12 Twin Hills13-14 Silent Mountain15-16 Meadow Peaks21-22 Hill Town23-24 Brew Ville25-26 River Port31-32 Lake Haven33-34 Mountain Water35-36 Forest Falls41-42 Glen Glade43-44 Aurora Flats45-46 Old Meadow51-52 New Swamp53-54 North Harbor55-56 West Run61-62 East Beach63-64 Black Stead65-66 White Reach

To roll a d66, roll 2d6. The first d6 is the tens column and the second d6 is the ones column.

Town names are very important and in the United States, youll find that most towns dont follow this sortof pattern. Greek and Roman town names are common throughout most of the country, as well as townswith Native American or Spanish names.

This chart should only be used if you are into the spirit of random-rolling, cannot come up with a townname you think is unique, or as a basis for coming up with a town name like Montville rather thanMountainville (as it would be called directly off the chart).

Reroll if you end up with a nonsense town name like Mountain-Mountain, or simply choose what isdesired off the list.

Part 3: THE Unknown

THE UNKNOWN

There are things in this world we cannot explain, we should not know, and that we musteventually confront. These things shake us to our core, reiterate how ultimately weak and ignorant we areof the larger world around us, and make us sound like raving lunatics when we try to let others in on thetruth. The Unknown is out there are it is a dangerous thing, it is kept secret by most who know it---either inexchange for power or in a feeble attempt to prevent others from losing their blissful ignorance.

In the case of the game, The Unknown refers to "Monsters", inhuman villains with special abilitiesthat represent a threat to the players and a reason for the Authority to exist. In terms of story, oneprotagonist is likely to be at least tangentially aware of rumors pertaining to the Unknown in their town.Rumors can be misleading and are often purposefully so on the orders of the Authority. If a rumor saysthere's a ghost in the town quarry when it's really a demon in the woods not far from the quarry, theAuthority is sure to keep an eye on those who follow up on the rumor and visit the quarry.

When choosing monsters beware of over-saturation. The Monster isn't scary if we can see it onthe screen at all times. The Monster is scary when the party is being hunted. The Monster is scary whenit's followed them home. The Monster is scary when it's taken all they have. You don't need six uniquemonsters running around the town on a murder spree, you probably just need one type of monstercausing the mayhem. Work subtle. At most consider two monster types, one as the red herring or as acatalyst to the second. It allows for variety and a bit more fear than the kids slaying Dracula,Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf-Man and the Gillman.

SPECIAL RULES

Most of the Monsters the players encounter will be stronger, weirder, and far harder to kill thanany human being. The Unknown is not known, it is subject to special rules. They are not built as humansare. Many take damage differently than humans, many can only die in specific ritualized ways, andmany can take a lot of punishment before appearing to be injured. Each monster requires its ownsituation rules and abilities, though to make this a bit more uniform they are also built much likecharacters. Monsters have Focus Dice, and once spent they are gone for the duration of the time theplayer is encountering them. Monsters all have a weakness, which can be exploited by those who learnthe truth. In place of Specialties, Monsters have Abilities, which are very specific and possibly verydeadly if properly used.