You’re a monster in Mansters, something like a blood-sucking vampire or a dangerous werewolf, but you’re not one of the society-shaping evils of troll farms, far-right tabloids, phishing or cat-fishing gangs.
You can swap your email address for a demo download already.
Black Lantern is best known for their dark fantasy 5e setting, Soulmist, a deadly setting set in a fantasy world of never ending darkness. Mansters is set in a world a lot like our own, except the supernatural is real, and some of these paranormal entities have decided to take on those who profit and thrive by feeding humanity’s fear and loathing.
With Mansters, Black Lantern are dropping 5e in favour of the equally hot topics of weaving in political undertones and constructing an RPG where the players see today’s world from a very different perspective. Imagine invoking empathy and politics at the same time. Nightmare.
While Mansters is not a hack and slash, the goal is to remove evil people from the world, there will be action, and there will be Hunters out there.
Equally, while the RPG isn’t a combat game, the system is called Hack ‘n’ Slice. Not, Hack ‘n’ Slash, which is the more usual gaming jargon. Black Lantern’s system resembles pizzas and trees. The stats look like pizzas, with the number of lines in the pizza being the record, and then skills developing into a tree below.
Geek Native has permission to share the game’s (current – may change) introduction from Black Lantern, at least a part of it.
Mansters is a tabletop roleplaying game that uses caustic wit and humor to reveal certain dark blots of the real world. At the same time, it shows how these dissonant aspects of our daily life are perceived by our hero-protagonists, which are none other than the monsters!
Throughout the game there may be instances where the players will come face-to-face with situations that they may be going through in their real lives. (We are not seeking to burden our player with reminders of the problems of day-to-day life in their leisure time. On the contrary, we seek to present some of these problems in a pleasant and entertaining way, pushing these fantastical characters to find solutions for them) And who knows, maybe with this approach, the players will be motivated to try to confront similar situations in their lives in the same calm and humorous way.
I had the chance to run some quick questions through Dimokritos Salourstros of Black Lantern.
Why is this a good time to launch an RPG like Mansters?
Soulmist was a heavy and dark project, and although it came from the heart, I felt that I (and possibly the RPG community), were in need of something more pleasant.
Halloween is fast approaching. And as we all know, there can be no Halloween without monsters! In the case of Mansters, of course, the monsters in question are not antagonists, but protagonists – heroes, even.
With this concept in mind, are looking to make Mansters leave its mark upon this year’s Halloween season by injecting some light-hearted fun in the RPG space, while staying true to Halloweeny themes and tropes.
Is Mansters a mature game intended for adults?
Yes. Although the art and overall mood of the game hints at a children’s fairy tale, Mansters is not actually intended for children. At the game’s core there is an element of political satire, and it seeks to present the dim and dark reality of the “grown-up” world in a humorous way. With all that said, it remains a light RPG made for playgroups and families looking to spend a few pleasant hours of fun, humor, self-deprecating wit and laughter.
What do you hope to achieve with Mansters?
Through Mansters, we give the RPG community our first attempt at a new system called Hack & Slice. What I’m basically trying to do is create a system so light that a casual player will find all the information they need just by looking at a character sheet, and listening to the GM explain some basic stuff 30 minutes before the game begins.
Of course, it was also important to me that the game is light, but not shallow. I wanted simple, not simplistic. I wanted the system to have a certain level of depth, which could allow the GM and the players to create a compelling scenario out of it.
At the same time, as a setting, Mansters is meant to portray modern society’s hardships and struggles in a humorous way, while also highlighting the need for us to fight for something better – through the eyes of our monster-buddies!
The Kickstarter is expected to launch during Halloween.
Quick Links
- Kickstarter: Mansters.
- Download: Mansters demo.
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