Stalk monsters in the World of Darkness with a new edition of tabletop RPG Hunter: The Vigil

Fight back the shadows with the second edition of horror roleplaying game Hunter: The Vigil 2E, which has landed on Kickstarter.

Based in the gothic RPG setting Chronicles of Darkness (which was previously known as the World of Darkness), meaning it shares a universe with Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Hunter: The Vigil 2E sees you playing a cast of human characters battling a shedload of supernatural monstrosities from the Chronicles of Darkness world, among other nightmares.

Known as hunters, these characters are not necessarily superpowered. You’re just humans that want to wipe out monsters. You might want vengeance or enjoy the thrill of the chase. Odds are you don’t even know that much about the monstrosities you’re facing - although you might become one if you’re not careful.

There are three tiers of gameplay in Hunter: The Vigil 2E. In tier one, your party of characters, known as a ‘cell’, has little to no support, beyond finding the odd ally along the way. In tier two, you play a group of hunters backed by a larger operation called a ‘compact’. Within the first edition, these included a group of big game hunters that exclusively tracked down werewolves, plus a coalition of Japanese pearl divers who slaughtered beasts from the deep, then sold their flesh for profit. At tier three, you are but cogs in a larger machine. Known as a conspiracy, these ruling groups run churches and governments alike.

Hunter: The Vigil 2E will include rules that allow players to build a world within the setting, including the types of hunter you can play, lots of lore regarding the cells and conspiracies, and monsters to run, plus mechanics that help you create your own evil entities, among other dread beasts.

The RPG also features The Slasher Chronicle, a horror-movie-themed setting that revolves around a slasher-specific group. Slashers are devolved hunters who have lost their minds on the job and are now compelled to kill for the sake of killing. The first edition of Hunter: The Vigil had its own spin-off game titled Slashers, in which you could play one of the serial-killers-in-training yourself.

The first edition of Hunter: The Vigil landed in 2008 and was an adaptation of 1999 roleplaying game Hunter: The Reckoning - which saw hunters granted powers by mysterious patrons who’ve deemed them suitable to see beyond the veil.

The upcoming tabletop RPG comes from Onyx Path Publishing, which also makes RPGs such as high-fantasy Exalted and instalments of creepy fairy fantasy RPG Changeling.

Hunter: The Vigil 2E has already exceeded its Kickstarter funding goal of £19,000 and will be concluding its campaign on March 5th. It is estimated to arrive with backers in March 2020.