Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash is rightfully regarded as a Halloween institution and one of America’s most enduring novelty singles. One reason for its continued success is that the lyrics do a great job of weaving an image in the listener’s mind, giving them a glimpse into a world populated entirely by beloved movie monsters. At Midnight, We Mash takes this idea to its logical conclusion, turning the song into an excellent teen drama and the perfect Halloween TTRPG experience.
At Midnight, We Mash is a LARP-based TTRPG that casts players as a group of monsters who have formed a band and have been invited to headline Boris’ castle Halloween party.
A Halloween TTRPG Made Of Several Stages
The game is broken up into a few distinct phases. At the start, players pick one of the band members, the vampire, werewolf, human, or Frankenstein-like monster, each with a set of scene prompts, personality quirks, and a unique mechanic. For instance, the werewolf will have to juggle their transformations as both their human and wolf personas want different things, the vampire has to deal with their hatred of their father (Count Dracula), and Frankenstein must carefully manage their raw physical strength to avoid doing accidental harm to those around them.
After this, each player introduces themselves to the table by saying something they notice about the party and answering a character-specific question.
In the first round, each player picks one of their character’s scene prompts and plays it out. These scene prompts cover everything from helping another party guest being bullied, finding yourself pulled into a series of errands, or trying to flirt with someone you have a crush on.
Round two plays out a lot like the first, with each player choosing a scene from their prompts or coming up with one of their own. However, rather than each character handling the scene alone, each player invites another character to do the scene alongside, meaning that each player gets to be in two scenes during the round.
A Twist In The Tale
The third round, taking place shortly before the band goes on stage, has the group roll on a twist table to add a twist to the storyline, from the cops bursting in to stop the party to a massive brawl breaking out on the dancefloor. After this twist, all the players participate in a scene that shows what happens when the band takes to the stage and performs their show.
Finally, the game rounds out with a final scene that covers the end of the party, giving the players a chance to wrap up any lingering plot beats or storylines.
At Midnight, We Mash’s Format Helps Ease People Into Narrative Games
At Midnight, We Mash’s slowly escalating rounds format does a great job of easing players into their characters and the game’s story. The first round directly asks players to answer a simple question themed to their character, giving them time to get into character and get a feel for the other players at the table.
Then, the second round offers players time and space to dive deeper into their character’s inner life and explore what life is like for a monster. During this round, each player will also see the scenes created by the other participants, helping the group open up and become comfortable with each other while identifying details they can build on in later scenes.
The third round builds on this trust and openness by having players work on scenes together, allowing both players to build on the ideas they created in the first two rounds. This comes to an epic climax in the final scene, where all the players work together to play out the band’s epic set. In some games, a scene like this could easily see players clam up as they don’t know where to take the scene or end with one player dominating the scene at the expense of everyone else.
However, as At Midnight, We Mash slowly builds to this point by having players work solo and in small groups, by the time the last scene comes around, the players are comfortable with each other. They have had time to establish their characters, and have been able to lay the foundations of their personal story, meaning that this scene ends up flowing naturally, no matter if the players are TTRPG veterans or newcomers.
Building On A Long Tradition Of Monsters As The Other
One of the most fascinating things about At Midnight, We Mash is how effectively it utilizes and builds on the metaphor for otherness that has been at the center of the monster genre since its inception. Each playable monster is clearly built around one or more forms of otherness or alienation. However, rather than just telling the player which one, the character’s unique ability, personality ideas, and scene prompts gently guide the player there. This means that At Midnight, We Mash gives players plenty of space to self-reflect and explore while allowing them to imbue the characters with their own experiences, leading to a much more emotional and memorable experience.
At Midnight, We Mash is the perfect LARP for those people looking for a Halloween-themed to play this spooky season that is heavy on the drama but light on the scares. However, the game is much more than that, as it really drills deep into the themes of social alienation and the struggle to find your identity that sits at the core of the monster genre, meaning that each game is guaranteed to feature at least one very emotional scene.
Plus, due to its format, At Midnight, We Mash also doubles as a great introduction to LARP-style games, making it perfect for people who want to get their friends into stuff like Monsterhearts but are worried that they’ll feel overwhelmed by its massive amount of options and open-ended nature. Because of this, At Midnight, We Mash is a great Halloween TTRPG to have sitting on your shelf, as it is a fantastic quick game.
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, TTRPG designer, and visual artist. They love creating and exploring the often overlooked corners of indie media, spotlighting things that dare to be different.