morsla | For the Calvin & Hobbes fans...

I just bought a copy of Monsters and Other Childish Things, from Arc Dream publishing.

Have you ever secretly wanted to be best friends with a magical unicorn? His name would be Dewdrop, and he would talk to you with his thoughts, and he would carry you on his back away from all the bullies and parents and kids who don't get you, and you’d have such wonderful adventures!

This game is pretty much like that. Except if you drew Dewdrop on your Trapper Keeper, they would send you to the principal’s office, then to the school counselor, and then probably to a place with a name like Morning Meadows Home for Disturbed and Psychotic Youth.

Dewdrop has too many dimensions and can gouge bleeding wounds in reality with his infinitely fractal horn. His dainty hooves burn the floor, and his breath makes Mrs. Wombatson’s prize petunias wilt and shrivel. But he really is your best friend.

To quote the blurb, "It's a game about kids and the people who matter to them most - their friends, family, and loved ones. And their horrifying pet monsters."

Monsters that the grownups can't see, of course. Monsters that want to help their owners, as much as inhumanly possible. It's nice to get out of PE class, get out of a detention, or have the school bully stop taunting you. Monsters want to do nice things for their owners. Like teleporting them to Pluto when PE class is about to start, or setting fire to the school, or turning the bully inside out. They just can't understand why their owners get so upset about it.

I've been checking the game's website for a while, and PDF copies went on sale today. Now I just need time to run it, and some players. If I wasn't already running games flat out during Arcanacon, I'd bring along some textas and paper plates and run a game on the fly...