Hello Halloween friends! It’s spooky season and if you’re like me, you may be looking for a good and spooky TTRPG to play this month. There are literally thousands out there in about any genre you can imagine which makes it tough to choose. But sometimes you just want to fight (or become) a monster. Whether it’s creeping cosmic horror barely held at bay, a big hairy werewolf, or space survival horror, I’ve got you covered. These are my favorite monster TTRPGs but by no means the only ones out there. These are not in any particular order. Whether any of these suit your table is up to you but I’ll give you a brief run down of what kind of game it is, how you can get started with it, and give you handy links where you can buy the game.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

Honorable Mentions

Dungeons & Dragons

Say what you will about Dungeons & Dragons (everyone does) but at its core, D&D is about fighting monsters. Which edition is best and how adaptable to horror the game is happens to be a matter of opinion. But they have an entire book dedicated to monsters so, yeah it’s a good monster game. My personal recommendation if you are just getting into TTRPG’s is to go ahead and start with the 5th edition, as it’s the current and easiest to obtain edition.

You’ve definitely heard of it and there are tons of different ways to get this game. In order to play the full game, you’ll need the three core books – Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide. These all retail for different prices but they generally run from $30-50. The best way to get these books is at your local friendly game store. You can get them on Amazon for a bit less as well. If you want to do that, all you need to do is click the hyperlinked text above. Also, if you want to play exclusively online, I recommend clicking on the image above where you can get Roll20 compatible content.

A free way to get started is to just use the basic rules but there’s a lot more work upfront for that and you’ll be limited in the amount of monsters you can find. Still, if that’s more your speed click here.

Pathfinder

This game is a lot like D&D but there are a few differences. It’s a little crunchier so if you like that, this game is great. One nice thing is that you really can just start with one book. It’s got some cool monsters, great art, and is fun to play. You can also buy this game on Amazon or at your local friendly game store. If you want to get it through Amazon, do me a favor and buy through the image above or by clicking here. This book generally sells for around $45 but a lot of times you can find a good sale.

Now on to the top 5 Monster TTRPGs!

5. Call of Cthulhu – Cosmic HOrror TTRPG

It can’t be overstated how much I enjoy Call of Cthulhu. It’s a game of cosmic horror where you are faced with a bleak world where you are not likely to survive. The universe not only does not care about you, it actively despises you. But you and your friends can try to be a small shining light in the dark, fight the cosmic evil, or go mad in the attempt. (You’ll probably go mad but it’s a ton of fun).

For this game you can go for the main book known as the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook but there are also great entry points. If you want solo adventures go for Alone Against the Flames. If you want a starter set, that’s a fantastic way to begin and Chaosium, the publisher of the books does an amazing job putting together a starter set.

The prices run from $10 – $50 depending on what you want. If you just want PDF’s use my links above. But if you want hard cover books then your best bet here is actually going to the Chaosium website. (By the way all their games are fantastic and worth the money in my opinion)

4. Vampire the Masquerade – Blood Sucking TTRPG

And now we enter the World of Darkness. Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition is a game where you are the monster. You are a vampire in a world much like our own. But you are most decidedly an undead creature of the night. You need to do all the things you think vampires need to do. You need to drink blood, avoid sunlight, and you get some really interesting powers. But, there is a world out there ready to destroy you in any way you can imagine. You’ll have to navigate a world of intrigue, secrecy, stealth, power, politics, violence, despair and every single vice you can imagine. And you’ll want to try to suppress the constant hunger you feel which could reveal to the world just what you are at any time.

Vampire the Masquerade is definitely on the mature side of gaming and it makes absolutely no apologies for that. But you and your group will want to be sure to make exceedingly clear lines on how to safely role play in this game so you only traumatize characters, not players. It’s a bit of a fine line but good game masters (in this case called Storytellers) can handle this no problem.

This is a great game full of narrative possibility and I highly recommend it. You can get this book on Amazon or at your local game store. A less expensive option here is to get the PDF version by clicking one of the links above. The PDF will run you around $30 while the Amazon book is often priced closer to $50. I just use the PDF and I find it just fine.

3. Monster of the Week – Monster TTRPG

I mean, the title kind of says it all here. You know the shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Supernatural where there is a monster every week and the good guys fight them? Yeah, this is that. It’s a heck of a lot of fun and it’s pretty quick to learn too. It’s great to use both as just a one off game night or for a bit of a longer campaign, but of course, you’ll still want to have a monster to fight each week.

You can get Monster of the Week on drivethrurpg and it’s currently on sale for just $12. This is just the PDF version but it’s a great deal and gives you perfect Halloween month vibes.

2. Werewolf the Apocalypse – Wolf TTRPG

If you have a list of monster games and you have vampires in it, well, you’ve got to have werewolves too. Werewolf the Apocalypse is the newest title on this list although there have been several versions of this game already. This also takes place in the World of Darkness so it sits adjacent to Vampire the Masquerade and chances are if you like that game you will like this one. However, there are definitely some differences.

As the name implies, things are getting dire for werewolves, not to mention the rest of the world. There tends to be a bit more action and a little less intrigue than VTM but the players are definitely shape changers who have a big battle to fight. This is a newer edition so I have not fully played it and can’t tell you how it compares to older editions. But so far, the rules seem fairly clean and the gameplay is easy to pick up if you have played any Storyteller system game before. Also, like VTM this is for mature audiences so be forewarned.

The PDF sells for $38 and you can get that by clicking the hyperlinks or image in this post. If you want the hardcover book it’ll cost you closer to $55. For this one, I recommend going to your closest gaming store for the hard copy.

1. Alien – Space Horror TTRPG

In space no one can hear you scream. I mean, unless you are playing a TTRPG with your friends on earth and then you can all hear one another scream. Alien the Role Playing Game is a fantastic game of space survival horror. And if you think you know all the bad things you can find in a game like this, well, you are underestimating what is in store for you here.

In my opinion the best way to get started here is with the starter set. This set gives you a rulebook, a scenario, five ready made characters, a big ol’ map, a bunch of game markers and custom cards to use in the game.

There are two good ways to get the starter set. First, you can grab it on Amazon for around $40 here. This will give you all the stuff mentioned above in a neat, slick box. If you don’t mind printing stuff on your own, you can save a good bit of money to get the starter set as a PDF on drivethrurpg for $20 right here.

Well, that’s my list. Now, go out and get yourself something to play for a good old spooky time and have fun!

Monstrously yours,

Slick Dungeon