Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
Author: Benjamin Baugh
Year: 2008 (Last updated 2010)
Pages: 192 pages
Retail Price: Completely Monstrous Edition PDF $14.99 – currently on sale for $10.34
You may look at this recommendation and be thinking, “Jeff, didn’t you just give us a game about little kids and monsters? How many of these sorts of RPGs are on this list?” Oh, relax. Monsters and Other Childish Things takes the kids and monsters theme and turns it on its head. You see some of the horrible monstrosities from beyond our reality aren’t necessarily all bad and turn out to be better than other terrors which await. In MaOCT, you’ll play not only a fairly ordinary kid but also their monster, who just also happens to be their very best friend.
The game utilizes the One Roll Engine, a system which is streamlined and geared toward fast and furious play with minimal prep time. Simply roll a certain number of ten sided dice, normally based on stat+skill, and look at the numbers. You’ll simply note the number of matching dice as well as the numbers on the dice which match to determine the level of success or failure. Easy peasy!
MaOCT leaves it to the players if they want to steer toward a comedic, serious, or anything in between for their gaming style. The characters and their creatures may find themselves navigating a typical school day gone wrong, a side tracked family day trip, or even take on a world spanning conspiracy aimed at humanity’s destruction. The core book provides plenty of pregenerated characters, monsters, NPCs, and story nuggets as well as a full fledged adventure.
Monsters and Other Childish Things never takes itself too seriously which really makes the proceedings a load of fun. Arc Dream Publishing also has a nice number of cool adventures and supplements available too. Lastly, because MaOCT is pretty “rules light” the game is another great fit for those who love to play online with their pals.
