Free to Download: A Monster’s Tail quickstart – PbtA RPG inspired by Pokemon

In September, Five Point Games uploaded a generous 100+page quickstart for A Monster’s Tail to DriveThruRPG.

Pokemon and the monster-catching follow-up series such as Digimon heavily inspire this TTRPG. Not only does A Monster’s Tail use the Apocalypse Engine from Vincent and Meguey Baker but it also uses adapted duel moves from Lowell Francis and Agetha Cheng’s Hearts of Wulin and leans into work by Mark Truman from Cartel.

Players embark on a thrilling journey of friendship and discovery in A Monster’s Tail. It’s an RPG about coming of age. As a teen Trainer in a world teeming with fascinating creatures, characters explore uncharted territories, forge deep bonds with their monster companions, and face challenges that will test courage and shape destiny.

The quickstart has all the basic rules and moves for the game, plus character generation.

There are eight core playbooks in the quickstart as well.

• The Captain: An aspiring up-and-comer, the community has high hopes for them and higher job priorities to take care of before they go anywhere close to the top.
• The Champion: They want to be the best, battling Gyms and other Trainers.
• The Doctor: Everyone, including Genmon, gets scrapes and bruises occasionally, and Doctors are there to patch them up. Doctors are always looking for more patients to expand their practice, whether in a Town or in the Wilds.
• The Idol: Performers who know how to incorporate Genmon into their Routines have a fan base and will show the Region there’s more to Genmon than just battling! You can dress them up too!
• The Professor: The academics of the Genmon World and professors study oddities both of the Region and of Genmon themselves.
• The Mystic: Some can tap into the strange powers of the world and Genmon, even coaxing it out of themselves. Mystics have a deep connection to the Wilds.
• The Smith: People still have to make things in the Genmon world, and Smiths are happy to do it. From making potions to devices to capture Genmon, the Smith is a handy person to have around.
• The Transfer: A visitor from another region may have some skills, but can they defeat their biggest foe? Culture shock.

Some of the satisfaction from Pokemon is learning about the monsters and their weaknesses. The strength/weakness system is found in A Monster’s Tail with the typical Genmon type having two it is strong against and two strong against it. However, Five Point Games only has 30 Genmon in the quickstart and have only illustrated a handful. It’s a challenge they’ve set themselves!

The full rules, and we don’t know when they’re due, will have more than 70 Genmon. If the game takes off, then there’s ready “inspiration” for more.

The core rules, when finished, will also have rules for the Finales, GM tips, two more Playbooks and details for the region of Hayle.

Quick Links

• A Monster’s Tail