The Weird

Every campaign hits a moment where things feel a little too familiar. The tavern is just a tavern, the bandit is just a bandit, and the treasure chest holds another +1 sword. The Weird is the cure. It’s a big hardcover idea book from Monte Cook Games, packed with strange, surprising and delightful details you can drop into any game, whatever system you play.

It’s written by veteran designers Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell and Sean K. Reynolds, with contributions from Dominique Dickey, Shanna Germain and Teri Litorco. Inside are more than 100 lists holding over 10,000 individual ideas. Each chapter takes one part of the game, such as an NPC, a magic item, a spell or a whole plot, and opens with practical advice on making it more memorable. Then come hundreds of ready-to-use suggestions you can roll for at random or simply pick.

What makes the book so useful at the table is how it’s organised. Ideas are sorted by genre, so you can find what fits your game, whether that’s fantasy, science fiction, horror, modern, mythology or post-apocalyptic. They’re also sorted into four flavours of strangeness: Interesting, Surprising, Gonzo and Whimsical. Want an unsettling twist for a horror one-shot, or something playfully absurd for a light-hearted fantasy session? You can dial the weirdness to exactly the level you want.

Use it to prep a whole adventure, give a player’s backstory a hook, or rescue a session when the players wander somewhere you didn’t plan for. It’s an essential shelf companion for any GM who wants their game to stick in their players’ memories.

Inside you’ll find ideas for:

• NPCs, names, appearances and backgrounds
• Creatures and monsters
• Places, structures and dungeons
• Magic items, gear and vehicles
• Spells and abilities
• Plots and adventure hooks
• Player characters
• Advice on weaving weird ideas into a campaign, an adventure, a backstory or a single scene

Specifications:

• Authors: Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell & Sean K. Reynolds, with Dominique Dickey, Shanna Germain & Teri Litorco
• Publisher: Monte Cook Games
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Size: approx. 10.9 × 8.6 × 0.9 in (27.6 × 21.8 × 2.2 cm)
• Weight: approx. 2.6 lb (1.2 kg)
• System: System-neutral (works with D&D 5e, Pathfinder, Cypher System, OSR and any other RPG)
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• EAN: 9781950568444