My advice: pick the hunter whose problems you want to play - not just whose powers you like. All 10 core playbooks share 8 basic moves, so your choice shapes your story without assigning you one fixed job.
Here’s how I’d narrow the list:
- Chosen: I want destiny and the pressure that comes with it.
- Crooked: I want criminal contacts and a past that causes trouble.
- Expert: I want knowledge and preparation to help solve mysteries.
- Flake: I want to connect clues and chase conspiracies.
- Initiate: I want secret orders, duties, and supernatural training.
- Monstrous: I want to play a monster who hunts monsters.
- Mundane: I want an ordinary person caught in supernatural danger.
- Professional: I want agency backing, training, and orders to question.
- Spooky: I want psychic powers with a dark side.
- Wronged: I want revenge against the monsters that hurt me.
Quick Comparison
I’d use these story hooks to compare the options - not as limits on what each hunter can do.
| Playbook | Main strength | Story pressure |
|---|---|---|
| Chosen | Fighting a destined threat | Fate |
| Crooked | Contacts and shady skills | Past crimes |
| Expert | Research and preparation | Knowledge has limits |
| Flake | Spotting connections | Others doubt you |
| Initiate | Training and secret lore | Orders and obligations |
| Monstrous | Supernatural abilities | A dangerous nature |
| Mundane | Human connections | Life outside the hunt |
| Professional | Training and agency resources | Agency rules |
| Spooky | Psychic abilities | A dark source of power |
| Wronged | Hunting a chosen enemy | Revenge |
My final test: Which problem would I enjoy facing week after week? That’s the playbook I’d choose.
How to Play Monster of the Week
FAQs
Which playbook is easiest for a new player?
The Expert is the easiest playbook for a new player. You’re the team’s go-to source for monster lore and investigation leads, so you have a clear role in each episode.
Monster of the Week is beginner-friendly overall. It uses simple 2d6 Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics and playbook-based character templates that start you off with just a few moves.
How do the Expert and Flake differ in investigations?
The Expert uses monster lore, specialized knowledge, and established leads to make sense of strange clues. Through study and analysis, they connect those clues to past cases. The Flake approaches mysteries like a conspiracy theorist, digging into hidden truths and following unconventional - even paranoid - lines of thinking.
Both gather information, but they work differently: the Expert leans on experience and research, while the Flake spots secrets others might miss.
Does our hunter team need a balanced mix of playbooks?
Yes, a balanced mix gives each hunter a different way to contribute. Monster of the Week playbooks are mainly narrative archetypes, but their moves and equipment also fill different team needs. Pairing an investigative Expert with a combat-focused Professional or a protective Chosen helps the group solve mysteries and face monster threats without stepping on each other’s toes.
