Game system based on vs . Monsters by Philip Reed.

Credits
Author: Rick Hershey
Editor: Lucus Palosaari
Copy Editor: Troy Daniels
Design and Layout: Rick Hershey
Fat Goblin Hoarde: Eric Hindley, Ismael Alvarez, J Gray, Jeffrey Swank,
John Bennett, Justice Mora, Kalyna Conrad, Kiel Howell, Lucus Palosaari,
Michael Ritter, Rick Hershey, Tony Petrecca and Troy Daniels
Publisher: Rick Hershey

vs. Stranger Stuff © 2016 Fat Goblin Games

vsM Engine and the vsM Engine logo are trademarks of Philip Reed and are used
with permission. Visit www.philipjreed.com for more information about the
designer. Game system based on vs. Monsters by Philip Reed.

Open Game Content: All material — including but not limited to art, place and
character names, character and setting descriptions, background, and new class
descriptions—is Product Identity. All other content is considered Open Game
Content. Reference in non-Open Game Content (thus not covered by the Open
Game License) in this work to content owned by others is not a challenge to their
ownership and is used under Fair Use.

About Fat Goblin Games

Based in South Carolina, USA, Fat Goblin Games was founded in 2011 to
create Pathfinder Roleplaying Game compatible products. With a focus on
high quality production values and providing a creative environment for
our writers, Fat Goblin Games has quickly become a recognized force in
the world of third party publishers.
With hundreds of support books, visual aids, campaign settings, and
quality stock art, Fat Goblin Games continues to provide exciting content
and fantastic worlds in which gamers can immerse themselves.

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check out our website at fatgoblingames.com.
 Intro
“Sometimes, people don’t really say what they’re really thinking.
But you capture the right moment… it says more.”
- Jonathan Byers, Stranger Things
vs. Stranger Stuff is a mini-rpg of 80’s inspired adventure/horror/
sci-fi, typically involving children and teens. Of course
we were influenced by the recent hit Netflix series
Stranger Things, but also those great films
that inspired that series. What does this
mean? It means that a game of vs. Stranger
Stuff will involve you playing an adolescent
during the 1980’s going against strange and
unusual adversaries (often supernatural)
with the aid of your loyal group of
childhood friends.

Before strapping on your high-tops

and grabbing your bookbag you need
to familiarize yourself with the rules (it
won’t take long, I promise). After that is
out of the way, order a totally awesome
pizza, put your best synth-pop audio
cassette on, and invite your best dudes and
dudettes over for game time. Make sure you have pencils,
paper, and a deck of your mom’s playing cards. That’s it.

If you really want the full experience you should plan a

movie night before playing and revisit those films that inspire
vs. Stranger Stuff.
Inspiration
E. T. the Extraterrestrial Beetlejuice The Gate
The Thing Gremlins Stephen King’s IT
The Goonies Poltergeist Monster Squad
Stand By Me Explorers Phantasm
Firestarter Starman D.A.R.Y.L.
 The Kids
In vs. Stranger Stuff, the game speed, strength, endurance, and
assumes you are playing as a “kid.” agility.
If you want to play an adult, talk to Brains: This covers the mental
your GM, but this game assumes aspects of the kid and include
you’re between 11 and 17 years old. intelligence, reasoning, and
To create a “kid” you will need this common sense.
section, some paper, and a pencil to We assume you’re either a smart
write down the following; kid or a strong kid, so all kids start
with quality values of 6 and 4;
scribble a 6 for either Muscles or
Nickname
Brains, and a 4 for the other one.
This can be your kid’s real name,
but just going by your last name fits
Stuff
better (Smalls, Galvez, Riggs, Ripley,
Spengler, MacGyver, Murdock, etc.) Here is where we make your kid
You might also just want to go special and unique, just like your
by a clever nickname (Mullet, Bull, mother always said you were.
Coop, Duckie, Booger, Chainsaw, There is good stuff and bad stuff.
etc.), just make sure it fits the times. You pick one of each from the list for
your kid. While picking these, make
sure to think how these things can
Toughness
help define your character.
This is how hardy your kid is
and everyone starts out with 10 • Cousin/Sibling (Good): You have an
toughness points. If a kid gets hurt older cousin/sibling you can rely
their Toughness points are reduced. on in a pinch. Once per game you
In other RPGs, your Toughness can call upon them for help (the
would be called your hit points (HP) GM is the final judge on what they
or Health. can do for you).
• Clumsy (Bad): You are always
Qualities tripping up at the worst times. Any
action involving manual dexterity
Each kid has two qualities that causes you to draw 1 less card.
define them:
• Clever (Good): You tend to be a
Muscles: This covers the physical
cunning kid. Increase your Brains
aspects of the kid and include by 1.
• Daily Vitamins (Good): Mother Equipment
gives you chewable vitamins every
Kids start off with whatever you
morning and they are paying
managed to get your parents to
off. You start with 12 Toughness
buy you. It is assumed you have
instead of 10.
a room, school and play clothes,
• Frail (Bad): You are a bit scrawny
various toys, bike, etc.
for your age. Reduce your Muscles
If you want to something beyond
by 1.
the standard you’ll need to talk
• Good Kid (Good): You are well-liked. to the GM first. If it is possible for
Whenever you are interacting
you to get this item you’ll need
socially with an adult, draw a
to draw a card and compare the
bonus card.
cards number to the equipment’s
• Lucky (Good): That rabbit’s foot is value (each piece of equipment
paying off. Once per encounter you has a value based on its price and
may redraw cards for one action.
availability). If your card is equal to
• Overbearing Parents (Bad): Your or greater than the item’s value, it
parents never let you get away is yours. You can secure as many
with anything. No sleepovers, no items this way per game as equal to
parties, no staying out late.
your Brains quality.
• Poor (Bad): Your family is poor. You Failing to match or beat an
only get generic equipment and equipment’s value ends your
can never draw any equipment ability to secure the item and any
over a value of 3. Other people of remaining attempts. Most likely your
course can give you things, or you
parents are making you wait for your
can try to steal them.
birthday or worse, Christmas.
• Schooled (Good): Pick a subject
or area of interest. Whenever
an action related to this subject Example Equipment
comes up using your Brains, draw Item Value
two addtional cards.
Video Game 6
• Sickly (Bad): Asthma or allergies Pocket Knife 2
keeps you ill on most days. You start
Super Water/Dart Gun 3
with 8 Toughness instead of 10.
Skateboard 3
• Timid (Bad): You are not interested
Slingshot 4
in adventure or danger. On your
turn draw a card and show it to the Polaroid Camera 6
other players. If it’s a club card you Boom Box 5
take no action this turn.
 Fighting
“I am going to hit you all so hard that when you wake up, your
clothes will be out of style!”
-Brand Walsh, The Goonies
Sooner or later, the kids are going Really Close 4
to get into some trouble. Here’s
Close 6
how to handle a fight.
Far 10
Really Far King
Turn

Once around the table, where Damage

everyone has a chance to have an
If you hit someone, or some thing,
action is a turn.
you hurt them. For each successful
hit, your opponent loses 1 point of
Initiative Toughness. Hitting someone with
The player to the GM’s left goes a weapon deals more damage,
first and so on until it’s the GM’s turn, reducing additional Toughness.
when all the NPCs take their actions. Simple weapons remove 1
Toughness on a hit, Advanced
weapons remove 2 Toughness.
Fight

You can take one action once per

S imple W eapon E xample s
turn, including either a melee or
ranged attack. Pocket Knife, Baseball Bat, Lawn
Melee Attack: Punching, kicking, Darts, BB-Gun, Slingshot, etc.
wrestling, etc. Draw a number of A dvanced W eapon E xample s
cards equal to your Muscles and
Firearms, Fireworks, Swords/Axes,
compare the value of the highest
Crossbow, Chainsaw, etc.
card to your opponent’s Muscle. If
it’s equal or higher, you hit.
Ranged Attack: Shooting and
throwing. Draw a number of cards
equal to your Brains and compare
the value of the highest card to the
appropriate range value. If the card
is equal or more, you hit.
Pain

Once you’ve been hit enough

times and lost Toughness, you are
in pain and its harder to do things,
so you reduce your Qualities till you
recover Toughness.
Toughness 5 -1 to Qualities
Toughness 1 -2 to Qualities
Toughness 0 Unconscious

For every good night of sleep you

get back a Toughness point. If you
get medical help, draw a card. If
the card is a Heart, you get another
Toughness point.

Dying

The default assumption in vs.

Stranger Stuff is, you don’t die
Draw a number of cards equal
when you run out of Toughness,
to either your Muscles or Brains
you go unconscious. Its between
(whichever is appropriate to your
you and your GM if you’re playing
GM) and compare the highest
on Hard mode or not, but the
card drawn against a target value
assumption is you’re just lights out
chosen by the GM.
till you regain 1 Toughness.
Easy 4
Average 6
Doing Anything Besides Hard 10
Fighting Near Impossible King
When you are fighting, use the If you equal or beat the target
rules under “Fight” - for everything value, you succeed.
else use these rules. That means
if you are taking a math test,
jumping a ramp with your bike, Cards
climbing a rope in gym class, you’ll Everyone draws from the same
do the following. deck of cards. After a card is used it
goes into a discard pile.
Gamemaster
This section is for Gamematers Henchmen
(GM) only. All others go away. These NPCs can be used for
security guards, cultists, town
bullies, etc.
NPCs
Muscle: 4
The kids are going to need others Brains: 3
to interact with or the players are Toughness: 4
going to think this entire RPG is
bogus. So, here you go. Gremlin
Children: These are all the other A small monster (about 2-3ft. tall)
kids in the neighborhood, town, that wreaks havok and works in
etc. They are not really important, groups of 3-6.
but might be the most common Special: Break Stuff (3). If a
person the kids interact with. They gremlin gets into any mechanical
have quality values of 4 and 2. equipment the GM should draw
Adults: These tend to be major three cards against a target value
NPCs and the most likely to try and of ten. On a success the gremlin has
restrict the kids from doing things. rendered the machine useless.
These include parents, neighbors, Muscle: 2
store owners, etc. They have quality Brains: 4
values of 6 and 4. Toughness: 3

Villains Critters
Any little furry thing with teeth
Some NPCs are more important
and claws. They always travel in
to the kids than a typical NPC,
swarms, even if you only see just
these characters are those actively
one of them.
against the kids. These villains and
Special: Frenzy. Critters always
monsters often have unique special
attack twice per turn. Yes, always.
abilities that make them more
Muscle: 3
challenging to encounter.
Brains: 1
The following is an assortment
Toughness: 2
of Villains that you can use in your
game sessions.
Psychic Beasts
This is someone who has highly These strange creatures cover a
developed mental abilities. It could large range of monsters; mutant
be a person, or alien, or some evil animals, mindless creatures from
entity that used to be a person. It the stars, government experiments,
could even be a mutant. etc. What they have in common is
Special: Psychic Power (6 that the are generally nocturnal,
Quality). You should pick one of the predators, and good at sneaking up
following, but nothing’s stopping on kids.
you from picking all of them: Special: Sneakiness. Beasts know
• Pyrokinetics. The psychic can set things how to hide and move quietly, so
on fire, including the players. This is an unless there’s a real reason for them
opposed action (the psychic’s Special not to have it, beasts always gets
Ability against the player’s Thinking). surprise (go first for initiative) at the
If the psychic succeeds, the player’s beginning of an encounter.
clothes catch on fire they suffers 3 Muscle: 4
points of damage every turn until the Brains: 3
fire is put out. Toughness: 10
• Telekinesis. The psychic can move
objects with her mind. How big an
Trained Responder
object is up to you. She can also hit
Uniformed police officers,
the players with these objects. This is
firefighters, private security, military
a ranged attack (the psychic’s Special
personnel, and others trained to
Ability against the player’s Muscle or
respond to various situations.
the range value, whichever is greater).
Muscle: 6
Brains: 4
• Mind Reading. The psychic can read
Toughness: 8
minds, if given time to concentrate
and allowed to make contact with the
Trained Specialists
player (although you may not require
Teachers, scientists, doctors,
the contact). This is an opposed action
cooks, artists and all others that
(the psychic’s Special Ability against
have trained in a special field of
the player’s Brains). If the psychic
expertise.
succeeds, she can get what information
Muscle: 4
she was after.
Brains: 6
Muscle: 2 Toughness: 8
Brains: 7
Toughness: 10
 The World
It is up to you to figure out the this is the place to go to for those
world your players are going to overpriced and hard to find items.
explore, but here are some ideas The Government/Military Base:
that might help. Located outside of town, often
in the woods, these facilities are
The Home: This could be your guarded and surrounded by a fence
house, your room, basement, attic, to keep out trespassers and guard
etc. All the kids hang out at this their secrets and experiments.
location when not at school or their The Town: The hometown of
clubhouse. All the kids are welcome the kids. You know all the stores,
here and are often invited over for backroads, shortcuts, urban legends
meals and sleep-overs. and most of the people. This is
The Clubhouse: Crafted from where the Strange Stuff takes place
discarded wood, scavenged nails, and encompasses all other locations.
and various junk, the clubhouse is
the kids private residence.
The School: The kids spend
about half their days here,
surrounded by teachers and other
students.
The Library: This can be a public
library in town or at the school.
Anytime the kids need to
research something, this is the
place they have to go. . . oh, and
the Dewey Decimal System.
The Woods: Full of winding
trails and urban legends, the
woods surround every town and
are the preferred stomping ground
for all youth.
The Mall: Where all the cool kids
go to get the latest bodacious items.
With dozens of different stores,
kiosks, and department stores
 Plots
“I’ll kill you all! Aha, I’ll drive you crazy, and I’ll kill you all! I’m every
nightmare you’ve ever had. I am your worst dream come true! I
am everything you ever were afraid of!”
-Pennywise, Stephen King’s IT

Alien Assimilation

Extra-terrestrial beings are assimilating the people of your town (and

even some pets) and the kids must discover the menace and put a stop to
it, but who can they trust?

Deadly Dogs

A strange virus affecting animals is spreading through town, turning

beloved house pets into viscous monsters. What is the cure? How can it be
stopped? And how do we defend from man’s best friend?

Experiments on Y outh

The government has been doing medical experiments on children who

now show signs of psychic powers. Escaping and hiding out in your town,
can you help these kids escape their captors?

Ritualistic Neighbors

Several people in your town belong to a secret cult that has been trying
to summon otherworldly beings, and they might have succeeded. As
the news of a child sacrifice makes the rounds on the news, more savage
murders from something bestial are being covered up.

Urban Slasher

Local legends tell of a grizzly death on some special holiday. Since then,
the anniversary marks the return of the murderer to seek revenge on the
town. His victims of choice, teenagers.
Character Sheet Character Sheet

Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________

Player:______________________ Player:______________________

Qualities Qualities

Muscle Brains Muscle Brains

Toughness:_________________ Toughness:_________________

Stuff: Stuff:

Equipment: Equipment:

Bio: Bio:
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

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vsM Engine, Copyright 2005 Philip Reed, published by Ronin Arts; vsM Engine by Butch Curry, based on vs. Monsters by
Philip Reed with input from Michael Hammes, James Losub, Stephen David Wark, and others.
Also
Available