The SHOW Moves

, You spent a long time with You get all of the basic moves, and two Spooktacular moves.

The SpoOktacular
a traveling show and get an Pick two of these:
ability based on its style. b Put On A Show: You can entertain people so they
Are you still with them? If so, feel joy and forget their troubles. Say what you do
how do you balance work and and roll +Charm if it’s pure performance or +Weird
I’ve traveled all over, pretty much everywhere monster hunting? If you left, if you add a pinch of magic. On a 10+ the audience
you can make a dollar. I’ve made people happy, why was that? is transported and happy. Troubles and trauma are
and I guess annoyed a few. But everywhere you Pick your show’s specialty: eased in their minds, for a good while. On a 7-9 pick
go has monsters–this show included. b An Infernal Power: A Big Bad operated the one: the effect just lasts a little while, or the regular
Show for evil purposes. You signed the contract– time but there’s a ruckus when you’re done.

CHARM • Manipulate Someone take a three-box infernal favour track. Spend

these as if they were Luck points. The Big Bad
b A Negligible Price: You can make a magical deal to
fulfill a desire for someone else. The price is that they
• Act Under Pressure may restore these points when they wish, but reveal to you a secret, the world then arranges itself
COoL • Help Out first you must do something unforgivably ter-
rible. What sin have you already committed?
to fulfill their desire, fitting the scale of the secret.
b Easygoin’: You have the gift of being friendly and
• Investigate a Mystery
SHARP • Read a Bad Situation
Infernal Favour: b b b.
b Magic & Illusions: You can cast confounding spells.
easy to chat to. When you try to make a good
impression on someone you just met, roll +Charm.
• Kick Some Ass When you weave an illusion, roll +Weird. On a 10+ On a 10+ they treat you as a trustworthy and friendly
TOUGH • Protect Someone everyone is fooled, they are either led in a direction
of your choice or you and those you choose escape
acquaintance. On a 7-9 they open up more than
usual but still regard you as a stranger. On a 6 or less,

WEIRD • Use Magic undetected. On a 7-9, it doesn’t quite work: misdi-

rect or escape as a 10+ result, but the Keeper chooses
they think you’re playing them, and they’ll not trust
you or your companions.
one: someone isn’t fooled, or you gain unwelcome b Pay It Backward: Give yourself or someone else an
Luck attention. On a miss, it goes badly as magic always advantage on any roll: roll 3 dice and select the best
Mark luck to change a roll to 12 or avoid all harm from does. 2 for your result. Whenever you do this, the Keeper
an injury. b Making Money: You’ve got a lot of practice bam- gains 1 hold. That hold may be spent to give any
Okay bbbbbbb Doomed boozling folks. When you mess with someone, roll hunter (but usually you) a disadvantage: roll 3 dice
+Charm. On a 10+, they don’t know what’s going on and select the worst 2 instead.
Spooktacular special: When you spend a point of Luck, and overlook something of your choice. On a 7-9 b The Old Crew: You have an ally team of Show folks
you’re going to run into someone you met at the Show. they still overlook something but they’re more angry you worked with. They are great at setting up a scene,
Could be good, could be bad, who knows?. than baffled. On a miss, you better run. creating a distraction, or even intimidating folks.
b Problem Solvers: The Show rolls into town, people b The Game Is Fixed: When you use magic in a
Harm
visit and reveal their difficulties. The crew arrange crowded and chaotic place (like a fairground), take
When you reach 4 or more, mark unstable.
to make things better, leaving each town a little +1 forward. You may also choose the following
Okay bbb|bbbb Dying happier than when you arrived. Well, when things effects whenever you use magic:
Unstable: b go smoothly anyhow. When you chat to someone, • Someone fails a skilled task
or observe them for a few minutes, the Keeper will • You disappear unnoticed and untraceable in a
Experience tell you what their biggest problem is right now. crowded and chaotic scene
Experience: bbbbb b Supernatural Creatures: You’re not entirely human • Instantly set up or pack away a carnival stall or
yourself. Pick a single supernatural move from any camp site
Whenever you roll and get a total of 6 or less, or when a hunter playbook (the Monstrous is a good place to • Track someone
move tells you to, mark an experience box. start). How does your inhuman nature show? • Get a bunch of cash.

This playbook is ©2020 by Michael Sands and Evil Hat Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. Permission to copy for personal use granted!
Gear Look, pick one from each List: Leveling Up
You get one camp tool, one vehicle, one mystical item, • Human, slightly inhuman, fate-marked, __________. When you have filled all five experience boxes, you level
and all the paraphernalia. • Friendly face, guarded face, observant face, open face, up. Erase the marks and pick an improvement from the
weathered face, young face, _____________ face. following list:
Camp tools, pick one: • Fancy clothes, old clothes, stage costume, working
b Pocket knife or multi-tool (1-harm hand useful Improvements
clothes, _______________.
small) b Get +1 Charm, b Take another
b Mallet (1-harm hand useful blunt) Ratings, pick one line: max +3 Spooktacular move
b Crowbar (2-harm hand useful messy) b Charm +2, Cool -1, Sharp +1, Tough 0, Weird +1 b Get +1 Cool, max +2 b Gain an ally
b Baseball bat or similar (2-harm hand) b Charm +2, Cool +1, Sharp 0, Tough -1, Weird +1 b Get +1 Sharp, b Take another
b Hatchet (2-harm hand messy) b Charm +2, Cool 0, Sharp -1, Tough -1, Weird +2 max +2 Show option.
b Sock full of coins (1-harm hand stun) b Charm +1, Cool 0, Sharp -1, Tough +1, Weird +2 b Get +1 Weird, b Take a move from
b Charm +1, Cool +1, Sharp 0, Tough -1, Weird +2 max +3 another playbook.
Vehicles, pick one: b Take another b Take a move from
Introductions
b Pickup b Truck Spooktacular move another playbook
When you get here, wait for everyone to catch up so you
b Van b Motorcycle & sidecar
can do your introductions together. After you have leveled up five times, you qualify for
Mystical item, pick one: Go around the group. On your turn, introduce your advanced improvements in addition to these. They’re
b Ghost Shades. Sunglasses that can see into the spirit Spooktacular by name and look, and tell the group what below.
world (it seems darker than usual, obviously) they know about you.
Advanced Improvements
b Really Big Plush Dog (Animated). Somehow this History b Get +1 to any rating, max +3
came to life. It’s kind of like a regular dog? Go around the group again. On your turn, pick one of b Change this hunter to a new type
b Returning 100. Spend this hundred dollar bill, and these for each other hunter: b Create a second hunter to play as well as this one
it will come back in a day or so • This hunter worked the Show with you. Ask them for b Mark two of the basic moves as advanced
b Scamulet. Heats up whenever someone’s running a how long–it was at least a few months, time enough b Mark another two of the basic moves as advanced
scam on you to become friends. b Retire this hunter to safety
b Wizard Tent. Worn and crappy on the outside, big • This hunter knew you as a kid. Ask what town you b Get back one used Luck point
and luxurious on the inside both hail from. Did you run away to join the Show? b Get your own traveling show. Maybe you take over
• “No, I certainly did not rip you off in that town a few your old one, maybe you start anew
Paraphernalia. You have all of this crap.
years back. Must have been a different show, mate.”
B Tickets to a show, Snack vouchers, Decks of cards, • This hunter was chasing a monster when the Show
Pairs of dice, Magic trick props, Camping gear, was in town, and thought it might be one of the crew.
Makeup, Costume accessories. Was it? How did you resolve things?
• This hunter is an estranged family member. Decide
Getting Started the exact relationship together.
To make your Spooktacular, first pick a name. Then
• Something got loose from the Show, a few years back,
follow the instructions in this playbook to decide your
and this hunter ended up helping you secure it again.
look, ratings, Show, moves, and gear. Finally, introduce
Tell them what got loose, then ask how they ended
yourself and pick history.
up hunting it too.
Pronouns: _______________________
• A fortune teller told you this hunter is part of your
destiny. Ask what the rest of the fortune said.
• This weird old person pointed this hunter out to you
when you were in a bad spot. Ask them why they
helped you get back on track.
Spooktacular art by Juan Ochoa
Playing The Spooktacular Keepering For The Spooktacular We’re with the Circus
Your strengths are dealing with people and some very The main thing for the Spooktacular is to give them Spooktacular Focused Team Concept
specific magic. plenty of people to deal with. They need chances to make
deals and figure folks out. Include in mysteries plenty of This team concept has the whole hunter team working
Look for opportunities to talk with folks: uncover their people who know bits and pieces of information, who as part of the Show. Although the Spooktacular gets the
secrets, give them prizes, make deals, trick them, and have secrets, and who are going to lie to the hunters. final word on the nature of the Show, get the whole group
confuse them. What you discover will help the team get involved in the decision.
to the bottom of mysteries. They’re weak in a fight, so if they come up against a
monster without backup, it’s good idea to have the You’ll also need to decide how the hunters relate to the
Your weakness is fighting–you’re not really set up to do monster capture or disable the Spooktacular, rather than Show. Choose one:
that at all. When things get dangerous, you can create dis- just kill them (much as you might with a Mundane in b We use the Show as cover for our independent
tractions to help the other hunters. If that’s not enough, that situation). The Spooktacular has a number of tools monster hunting.
you may need to run away. to help them escape. b The Show has always been about monster hunting,
and we get missions from Management.
The Show
You should also make sure you get a good idea about the b The Show has sinister goals but we work from within
Figure out your relationship with the Show when you
nature of their Show, in particular its goals and how it to save people.
create your hunter. The most important thing is whether
operates. If they still work with the Show, it’s going to b We run the Show and decide where it goes and what
you still work there and have to fit in monster hunting
be around a lot. Make sure there are some interesting it does.
around your duties.
bystanders there, not just for the Spooktacular to deal b We hunt monsters independently, with Management
If you still work the Show, you can suggest that the with, but the other hunters too. Define the Show as a knowledge and approval.
hunters are too. It’s a good cover for monster hunters, location threat (good choices are wilds, crossroads, or b _____________________________________________.
and gives everyone the chance to add some of that circus maze types), and perhaps include some other locations
within. If the Show’s nature suggests it, there may also be The Show provides a base of operations and transport for
style to their hunters. Come up with some of the other
monsters and minions there. the hunters. It has to go where the audiences are, but oth-
important people in the show as a group. More personal-
erwise it’s fairly free.
ities will add a lot to the relationship between the hunters
Even if they’ve left the Show, make sure it crosses paths
and the Show. There’s a team concept to the right that Each hunter should decide what their job is at the Show.
with the hunters now and again. This can give you the
builds on this. Create a character or two you work with to fill out the
basis of an arc for your game, perhaps a sinister plot
behind the Show, or perhaps something it’s working cast.
If it’s just you working the Show, figure out how you rec-
oncile monster hunting and your regular duties, just like against.
Special improvement: The other hunters may use an
any hunter with other responsibilities. improvement to take the Show’s specialty as a move (as
Include some mysteries that thematically fit with the
Show’s concepts. E.g.: the fair folk, demons making con- an extra improvement option). The Spooktacular may
Another option is that you left the Show (willingly or not).
tracts, evil clowns, fate and predestination, illusion and take an extra improvement to recover a used Luck point.
Is there a story there? Figure out what happened, and let
the Keeper know. Particularly important are whether you deception, tricksters, unique and amazing creatures. Astounding playtesters!
left friends or enemies, how Show management think of Featuring:
you, and the state of the Show now.
Harrison Allen, Brianna Douglass, Emerald City Game
Or perhaps you have your own idea instead? What is it? Masters Guild, MarioGMan25, Oskar Linsenmeyer,
Erika Kuta Marler, Stefan Tyler, Daniel Steadman, and
Now all that’s left is to get out there. On with the show! Finley Stoutt.

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