82 episodes
The Monster's Playbook The Monster's Playbook
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- Leisure
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5.0 • 10 Ratings
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The Monster's Playbook is an actual play Monster of the Week RPG podcast where the real world crashes into the paranormal over and over and over again. And where no monster can hurt you as much you hurt yourself.
Set in Minneapolis, MN, our current campaign (The Cover Story) follows the exploits of journalist and ex-cultist Kira Ashwood, supernatural social outcast Mark Clayton, Special Agent Casey Davis, and professional sorceress Theo Nessos as they battle monsters threatening the city.
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Forged in Fire Pt. 4 - Balance (S3E29)
The Kingdoms of There have a vital purpose. A threat to them is a threat to everything. Unfortunately, there are so. Many. Threats. And only Kira, Anna, Mark and Theo—and their friends—know enough to face them. But around here? Knowing is WAY more than half the battle.
Content Warning: Brief mention of suicidal thoughts
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're once again featuring a promo for No Latency. Check out this actual play pod on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound. -
Forged in Fire Pt. 3 - The Right Decision (S3E28)
So here's the plan: Fight fire with fire. It's simple, but it won't be easy. The forge is under the control of an unscrupulous wing of the Magio, the stones that will serve as materials are… unstable at best, and even once they find this forge, what kind of weapon will be strong enough to save the whole world?
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're featuring a promo for No Latency. Check out this actual play pod on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound. -
Forged in Fire Pt. 2 - A Bird in a Cage (S3E27)
What do you do when you're walking around with a weapon that can destroy everything? Keep it pointed at the bad guys. The hunt is on for a legendary forge that can craft vital resources out of the team's most dangerous liabilities. They have more than one mystic stone imbued with the flames from the end of the world. I guess using that stone to build something is.... certainly An Option.
Content Warning: This episode includes depictions of dissociative disorders and confronting an abuser. Additionally, there is a short scene at the end of the episode depicting home hospice care (1:41:30-end).
If you or a loved one are experiencing difficulties, please contact the professionals who can help you. And for more information about Dissociative Identity Disorder visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're also featuring a promo for another actual-play podcast, Mage Hand High Five. Check out this Dungeons and Dragons pod on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound. -
Forged in Fire Pt. 1 - Forward (S3E26)
Okay, it's time once again to ask our favorite question: What the hell do we do now!? The immediate threat from The Magio has been handled, but now an even bigger threat looms. And some of the biggest players in the game want Mark, Theo, Kira and Anna to get on the front lines in a battle they're only just beginning to understand. Lock and load, people.
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're also featuring a promo for another actual-play podcast, $2 Creature Feature. Check out this fellow Monster of the Week pod on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound. -
The Midnight Council Pt. 3 - Blood of the Centaur (S3E25)
All families have secrets. But when your family is the head of a magical organized crime outfit, your secrets are going to be a little bit bigger than most. We'll have to go pretty deep to get to the bottom of this one. Deep like all the way into the underworld. So pack light, and dress warm. We're going to finish this one way or the other.
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're also featuring a promo for another actual-play podcast, The Sprouting. Check out this Call of Cthulhu pod on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Casey Davis (The Freelancer) and Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound. -
The Midnight Council Pt. 2 - One Step at a Time (S3E24)
The Magio has one rule above all others: You do not contact the dead. And Theo Nessos is about to break it. She's going to get to the bottom of the one mystery that's defined her adult life: How and why did Selena Nessos die?
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If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review to help us spread the word and don't forget to share with your friends. We love friends!
Subscribe to our Patreon: Head to our Patreon for bonus content you won’t want to miss out on.
Support the Show: Follow us on social media, buy some merch, support us on Ko-fi, and check out our Wiki by heading to our DirectMe Profile.
Join us on Discord! Come hang out with the cast on The Monster's Playbook Discord server where we can discuss the latest episodes, trade theories, answer questions, and get to know you, our listeners, a little better.
This week we're also featuring a promo for another actual-play podcast, 5 GMs in a Trenchcoat. You can check them out on their website, and be sure to listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Cast:
Jonny Grubb as the Keeper
John Wander as Mark Clayton (The Divine)
Lauren Johnson as Kira Ashwood (The Initiate) and Anna Ashwood (The Apprentice)
Miah Detjen-Wander as Theo Nessos (The Searcher)
This episode was edited by Miah Detjen-Wander and Lauren Johnson.
Theme song by Jonny Grubb.
Cover art by Gabe Schmidt.
Incidental music from Epidemic Sound.
Customer Reviews
So creative! Can’t wait to listen to more!
Just found this podcast and already so intrigued! The setting is so creative and the players work and sound really well together. Can’t wait to catch up and learn more about the world 😊
The Monster's Playbook is great!
Another Monster of the Week podcast, another great show!
The Monster's Playbook is about three (eventually five) Hunters, Kira Ashwood, Mark Clayton, and Casey Davis, as they work together to try to stop bad supernatural things from happening in Minnesota and beyond!
Mark, Kira, and Casey (and eventually Theo and Anna) work well together as a team, each playing to their strengths and giving Jonny (the Keeper) the opportunity to pose complex moral choices. Jonny also does a magnificent job keeping the frankly vast number of NPCs quirky and interesting, while posting complex moral choices to the team. He hurts them because he loves them.
And I love them, too.
The Hunters also do a great job of interacting with each other, making their conversations (and reveals!) seem natural and normal. Well, as normal as MOTW gets.
Unfortunately, the cast didn't record a Season 1 for public consumption, but there is a Season 1 retrospective at the beginning, which is very helpful. That being said, when you jump into this podcast, there is a *lot* to keep track of, from goals and Hunter abilities to NPC organizations and families. But it's worth keeping track of everyone. I've been invested since starting Season 2.
Give this show a listen! It's definitely worth your time!
The monsters playbook!!!
Very creative and well done!!
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