This is a run of The Between, a game of monster hunters in a gothic Victorian London by Jason Cordova and published by the Gauntlet. This will be an extended quarterly game, running at the same time on Sunday evenings in June, July, August and September. (I am extending this out to four months as I imagine we may well lose a session or two, especially over the summer). This is a game designed for campaign play, and as such I will be looking to run with a stable group where possible - please only sign up if you can make a good faith effort to attend for the full run (with the understanding that life will come up and over 4 months I’m not expecting 100% attendance from everyone!). I will draw from the wait list where possible, especially if there are any pre-planned absences from the game. General sign-ups will be available in 72 hours time (April 20th). We will be using Zoom for our sessions. This session will be recorded, and I would actively like to release the recordings on Youtube. I will still ask for consent of all participants on a session-by-session basis, but for this run I ask that you don’t sign up if you’re uncomfortable with being recorded for broadcast in principle. (Video is not mandatory).
The Between is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of mysterious monster hunters in Victorian-era London. These hunters learn about various monstrous threats in the city and conduct investigations, or “hunts,” in order to neutralize them. They gradually become aware of the machinations of a criminal mastermind who is sometimes connected to the threats, but always scheming to bring the Crown to its knees. The hunters will ultimately be forced to reckon with this criminal mastermind in order to save the country.
The Between is directly inspired by the TV show Penny Dreadful, but also takes inspiration from British horror classics, the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pulp-era media, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
It is a PbtA game of emergent mystery, and while there is a traditional GM role, much of the wor of describing and populating the city and defining the mysteries you investigate is shared amongst everyone at the table.
In this series I will be running using some of the material from my upcoming season kit, Incense and Cigar Smoke. The season takes a particular interest in the cults and secret societies operating behind the scenes in Victorian London. This includes the mastermind Lord Fauconberg, a new playbook (The Acolyte) and some of the Threats.
Content Warnings: This is a game inspired by the TV series Penny Dreadful, and wider gothic horror influences, and as such some very dark themes are inherent to both the threats and the player characters themselves, as well as a focus on sexuality and sensuality. This includes but is not limited to graphic violence, murder, cannibalism, body horror, dark sexual themes (though not sexual violence), threats to children and animals, foul language, blasphemy, witchcraft, and defiling corpses. We will be using safety tools, but if this does not sound like the sort of material you would like to engage with, this game is probably not for you. I also tend to run with a slightly higher focus on the social horror and inequalities of the Victorian setting than established in the book. Though we will have a discussion on tone and content before the game begins, as well as establishing Lines & Veils to provide a comfortable play experience. This game will take place under the Gauntlet Community Code of Conduct and the safety tools Script Change and X-Card will be in use. I will aim to get in touch with participants through either the Gauntlet Slack or email a week in advance of the game to confirm attendance and provide play materials.
Session 1 Sunday, June 5, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, June 5, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 2 Sunday, June 12, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, June 12, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 3 Sunday, June 19, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, June 19, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 4 Sunday, June 26, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, June 26, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 5 Sunday, July 3, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, July 3, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 6 Sunday, July 10, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, July 10, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 7 Sunday, July 17, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, July 17, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 8 Sunday, July 24, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, July 24, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 9 Sunday, July 31, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, July 31, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 10 Sunday, August 7, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, August 7, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 11 Sunday, August 14, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, August 14, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 12 Sunday, August 21, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, August 21, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 13 Sunday, August 28, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, August 28, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 14 Sunday, September 4, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, September 4, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 15 Sunday, September 11, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, September 11, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 16 Sunday, September 18, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, September 18, 2022 10:30 PM
Session 17 Sunday, September 25, 2022 7:00 PM → Sunday, September 25, 2022 10:30 PM