Venue Introduction

She guided you when you were weak, leading you to the monster you’d eventually become. She was there the first time you went too far. She was there when a Hero caught your scent. She was there when you began to question your nature. She never speaks to you directly, but Her presence is known when you see the void behind your eyes in your reflection. She is known by the drive to succeed and thrive. She is known in the wonders you uncover as you explore the Dream and realms stranger still.

You ever get that feeling that someone is constantly looking over your shoulder? Sucks doesn’t it? Sucks even more when you know someone is looking over your shoulder. Yeah I’ve heard the stories about how we’re all some big happy family. Following Her has never led to anything but grief. I only came to New York to get her to shut up, but all it did was make her voice louder. She can push all she wants, but in the end, I’m gonna do my own thing, and New York is one of the few places I’ve found that will let me.

Her voice is clear and it is loud. You dream of New York every night you sleep. You see the Big Apple when you haunt the dreams of others. You find a thousand tiny hints in your everyday lives. You hear her voice, a siren song in your minds. None of you can ignore Her call, and so you come, in pairs, in groups, and alone. You arrive by plane, by car, by pathway, but the urge is too strong to ignore. Some of you have been here all along, but now feel the need to come out of the shadows, rise from the depths, or plummet from glass aeries. One thing is certain: Mother is calling you home; for better or worse, a reunion is on its way

Welcome to New York, a city that’s never been kind to the Begotten, but one that keeps drawing them in. Beasts have never been all that numerous here, and past attempts at unification have all ended in disaster, but this has changed in the past few years. For reasons unknown. The Dark Mother has called many of her children to the city, and now they have the numbers to start forming a society. But New York isn’t any safer than it ever was – mysteries threaten body and mind, Heroes rise from the mortal masses, and supernatural creatures threaten to prove who the true apex predators really are. Whether you embrace The Dark Mother or shun her, whether you subscribe to the culture or lessons or not, one thing is clear – the only way to survive New York is to band together. Will this be enough, or are you just delaying the inevitable?

Venue Themes

Tooth & Claw

To be a beast is to be a monster. No matter how civilized one may think they are, eventually the claws come out. 

New York City is a hard place for the Children to survive. Since the city’s founding, there has rarely been more than a handful of Begotten. There are many theories about why, but in the end, most Beasts meet a bloody end, or simply vanish. Fewer Devourings happen in the city compared to the average, which only fuels the paranoia some of the locals feel. The only pattern to this is that when Beasts start to number more than a few dozen, fate seems to conspire against the community. Some have begun to wonder if the city itself is rejecting them.

Heroes are a plague anywhere Beasts claim lairs, but New York is teaming with them. The why of this is also a mystery, and not one most of the Children can safely explore. The going theory is that it’s tied to population density and perhaps whatever else seems to cull the herd when the number of monsters grows too large. Even the most careful Begotten eventually attracts a Hero here. Until recently, the saving grace has been that the Heroes trended toward the disparate. This all changed when three heavy hitting Heroes banded together and began organizing any fledgling Heroes they find.

The Modern Gommorah also provides fertile hunting ground. Sin and vice are common enough in the city to be internationally renown. High crime rates and the proliferation of organized crime easily mask the occasionally indiscrete monster. Any flavor a Horror Hungers for can be found in abundance here. Auntie Mei’s laxity on people’s feeding habits also makes New York an attractive place to revel in your beastliness. But how far is too far? How does one balance the abandon of the Horror with the needs to still live in human society?

Family Feud

Who says family has to get along? So long as you got my back when it counts, we’re all good, yeah?

No family is perfect, least so the family of monsters. While outright violence isn’t tolerated in New York City, anything else is fair game. Beasts betray each other, stab each other in the back, and steal resources with abandon. So long as you don’t kill your fellows or bring Heroes down on the Hive, any other rivalry is fair game and many of the Begotten delight in these conflicts. While there is no mandate to like any of your kin, it is expected that you will aid any of the family when the need arises. All bad blood should be set aside for the good of the family, but once the danger is past, all bets are off once again!

Nobody denies The Dark Mother’s existence. Every Beast feels Her presence from time to time, some more often than that, and so every one of them knows she’s out there. What does divide the Children is how they relate to her. Some fully embrace Her, seeing Her as the ultimate doting parent. Others see Her as an abusive mother at best. The local Begotten are torn between these two extremes – Uli being the most fervent supporter and Sanité being the most fanatical rejector. While this discord rarely flares into outright hostility, those who reject Mother tend to look down on those who do not, and those who do suspect the detractors are plotting something big.

The other divide amongst New York’s Beasts is over the culture of lessons. Unlike opinions about Mother, the split between those who find meaning in lessons and those who do not is fierce. Mei is the staunchest proponent of giving the hunt meaning, though she’s also least likely to go after those who do not. Emilio is the major player in the rejector camp. He feels lessons constrain the Horror needlessly and that to be a true monster, one needs to be free of any sort of morality. He founded The Maw specifically to be a counterpoint to what he saw as an overwhelming bias towards lessons and many wonder if their reluctant joining with the rest of the cliques will last.

Storms on the Horizon

Something’s coming. Or maybe it’s already here. Mark my words though, we’re not the only monsters out there and one day we’ll find out we’re not the real apex.

A hurricane is the perfect metaphor for the current state of affairs in New York. The past was tumultuous and rough. The Begotten are currently experiencing the eye of the storm, and a few of them see this for what it is. The storm looms on the horizon and only the foolhardy aren’t taking measures to weather the other side of it. Like a mundane storm, there’s no telling when the eye will pass or how much worse the other side will be. Can the Children find a way to divert it? Will they be swept away despite all preparation?

Outside threats have taken a breather, but is this a reprieve or merely a gathering before an onslaught? That other supernatural communities also seem to be weathering their own storms concerns those in the know. Hero activity has dropped from its traditionally high levels, but the emergence of The Trio worries all but the most blind of The Children. While Queens seems to offer some sanctuary, the fact that nobody has figured out why makes most of the locals leery that this is neither long-lived nor fully effective. Finally, Mother is gathering her Children to New York for a reason, and few are optimistic that this is a happy reunion. Why does she feel the need to Call so many Beasts to one place?

Moods & Inspirations

Movies/TV Shows

• The Babadook
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters
• Madoka Magica
• Nightbreed
• Sanctuary
• Sweet Home

Music

• David Bowie – Scary Monsters
• Imagine Dragons – Demons
• Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
• Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me

What to Expect As a Player

• We plan to use social combat, clues, and the chase system, so do not afraid to take merits that affect these!
• Beast is a game that can be very triggering. If you are uncomfortable playing or playing with monsters who have no morality trait to guide them, please reconsider making a Beast. Please also refer to our trigger warning policy.
• While we are not going to restrict most concepts, please keep in mind themes and actions that are forbidden in our site’s Terms of Service; these will not be allowed.
• Beasts are not nice people. While the local Begotten are trying to make a society, this does not mean everyone likes each other or gets along. Rivalries are possible, and mistakes may well be used as weapons. This is as true for the NPCs as it is for the PCs.
• Beast is intended to be a dangerous game –  the odds are stacked against New York’s Begotten. While we will always warn of particularly dangerous scenes beforehand, any scene can be dangerous depending on player choice and the whims of the dice roller.
• Above all else, if things get too heavy – be it a scene, a plot, or whatever else, please let the Beast Team know. We are more than happy to work with you to resolve things in a way that satisfies all involved.