Which game does monster hunting well?

[daddystabz]

I'm likely going to be running a monster hunter campaign in the near future and I'm trying to capture the tone of the tv show Supernatural with a bit of X-Files-style investigation. So far I have narrowed my potential candidates list down to Monster of the Week (Evil Hat Productions) or potentially Hunter the Reckoning (Renegade Games Studios). I might just opt to go with my general-purpose horror RPG of choice, Shiver (Parable Games) if none of these would seem to do the trick well.

Which one of these games would capture this essence best?

 

[Theory of Games]

I like Monster of the Week: it's modern + supernatural, PbtA structure allows for a variety of characters enabling different kinds of stories; very simple and fast 2d6 core mechanic; the playbooks foster group cohesion by establishing bonds between the PCs.

It's very fluid, as many of the better PbtA games are. Very fun and organic in play. Or at least that's how I play them. I never felt the rules in my way at any point. So refreshing for a game that offers so much versatility.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I'm likely going to be running a monster hunter campaign in the near future and I'm trying to capture the tone of the tv show Supernatural with a bit of X-Files-style investigation.

Why not just play the Supernatural Role Playing Game then???

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

Really want to up the ante?

Use Dread.

 

[daddystabz]

Why not just play the Supernatural Role Playing Game then???

I have it and have considered it, but I watched a review that claimed it is missing a lot of monster types in its bestiary and that the rules are kind of half-baked, not clear in some places. I should pull it down and read it.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I have it and have considered it, but I watched a review that claimed it is missing a lot of monster types in its bestiary and that the rules are kind of half-baked, not clear in some places. I should pull it down and read it.

Fair enough. I know it exists but I don't know if it's good...

 

[jdrakeh]

Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium (not the Jenga Dread).

 

[kronovan]

I have it and have considered it, but I watched a review that claimed it is missing a lot of monster types in its bestiary and that the rules are kind of half-baked, not clear in some places. I should pull it down and read it.

Like a number of the Cortex based games that Margret Weiss published for established IPs, Supernatural The Roleplaying Game is best suited to players and GMs that want an RPG experience that closely mimics the TV series. If your goal is to have Supernatural+elements of X-Files, IMO it isn't the best choice. Not to mention it's long OOP and no longer supported.

Of those you listed I only know and have played Hunter the Reckoning. What you're looking to run is IMO the sort of setting and premise it was written for, so I can certainly see it working.

 

[Simlasa]

I watched a lot of Supernatural but it eventually got a bit too silly for me. I really liked the early seasons where the guys felt like they were in deep over their heads, and wanted by the police as well as the forces of darkness. They were committing crimes left and right to fund their crusade.
It felt like things were sure to end badly for them but they couldn't let it go.
So that's probably why I'd go with Call of Cthulhu (something pre-7e)... just leave out the Mythos and put in some other creatures.
If I wanted a more X-Files feel to it, I'd go with Delta Green... or maybe I'd go Delta Green either way.

 

[AnsaArlasta]

I watched a lot of Supernatural but it eventually got a bit too silly for me. I really liked the early seasons where the guys felt like they were in deep over their heads, and wanted by the police as well as the forces of darkness. They were committing crimes left and right to fund their crusade.
It felt like things were sure to end badly for them but they couldn't let it go.
So that's probably why I'd go with Call of Cthulhu (something pre-7e)... just leave out the Mythos and put in some other creatures.
If I wanted a more X-Files feel to it, I'd go with Delta Green... or maybe I'd go Delta Green either way.

I played Hunter: The Reckoning. The game is more about exploring morality and political interactions than active hunting. So it's not quite that for me. I don't find games like that anymore. While I wait for something new, I read on Spins4Win.com the guide about gambling. I've recently realized that I'm interested in reading about it. I often read it before bed and fall asleep that way.

Call of Cthulhu is a top game, no matter what anyone says. It's a shame that there are really very few similar games.