The Big Night
The Big Night
From: May Contain Monkeys
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
The Big Night is a new Kid’s Role Playing Game PDF from May Contain Monkeys.
When I received this PDF, I really thought I had seen everything. The concept was so silly and goofy that I just had to write a review for it.
From page # 5:
“It is the Big Night. Across half the world, children are getting ready for bed. But not you.”
Concept: In The Big Night, the players will tell a story about a group of stuffed animals, snowmen, and other creatures, who help out the Fat Man (politically correct version of Santa Claus) to deliver presents to children on the Big Night (politically correct version of Christmas). Collectively, the players are called a Crew and are given a Sleigh. It is a co-operative storytelling game that uses cut-out puppets that the players can color. Up front, it is quite obvious that this is meant for children so, being a father, I had to look further into it. It already had me chuckling.
Here is what is at the heart of the game…
“Once upon a time, the world was small. There were only a few scattered villages here and there, and only a few children in each one. Then it was easy for me to visit all of the children’s homes in one night.”
“Now the world is grown big and fat, like me. This is good. There are towns and villages everywhere, and even great cities full of children. This is very good. But now I am old, and I can no longer be everywhere at once. I can no longer travel the world in the twinkling of an eye, bringing toys to every girl and boy in the world.”
“Now I need your help….” – The Fat Man.
The Big Night is a very simple game and can be played by anyone who loves stories. It is designed especially for young children, of course. The game system uses no dice and no numbers higher than 3. It uses the easiest task determination system in gaming – Rock, Paper, Scissors. At least one player in the group must be able to read the book and act as Leader (Game Master).
However, the players’ adventures are not all candy and snowballs. The crew may face giants, ghosts, vampires, gremlins, monsters-under-the-bed and other horrors, as well as naughty children, and toy company agents who want to stop them from their missions for their own reasons.
From page # 6:
“But beware, my friends, for even we, who would bring joy to all, have our enemies.”
Content: The PDF opens with an introduction as told by a crew member who is meeting the Fat Man for the first time. It explains the game very simply. The Rules section explains the rules for the leader in very simple, almost First-Grade terms (which is good). Rules include rules on rock-paper-scissors, fighting, and other basic gaming concepts. The Stage chapter gives the players and the leader guidelines on creating the “world” you are in for the particular mission, using the room they are playing in and any props available including pillows, blankets and any variety of toys they may have. The Sleigh chapter describes the crew’s sleigh and what it can and can not do. This is followed by a chapter on The Dark, which a place where every puppet (player) is afraid (except for Teddys). Puppets can make tests to see what happens to them in the Dark. The Dark also has certain effects in fighting.
The chapter on Puppets (characters) covers Nice Puppets, Normal Puppets, and Naughty Puppets. Nice Puppets lists the types you can play which include Angels, Baby Dinosaurs, Dolls, and Kids. Normal Puppets include Grown-ups, Aliens, Animals and other creatures played by the Leader. Naughty Puppets include Monsters, Ghosts, Gremlins and Naughty Kids. All are defined in terms of Presents (gifts or talents) and Lumps (disadvantages) as well as Equipment.
Missions are the adventures, which can be Easy Missions, Medium Missions, and Hard Missions. In the beginning of the Naughty Puppet section, Missions are defined in terms of how many monsters and what type the crew may face. The Missions chapter gives the leader ideas on what types of missions the crew can go on. Bonus Presents is a section that supplies extra stuff for expert players. Throughout the PDF, in a different font, the author gives the reader Expert Rules for those that have more experience in gaming, and this section has several other talents and advantages that a player can customize his puppet with. It also has a simple experience system – complete a Hard Mission, get a Bonus Present.
The last few sections are on Puppets and making them. It gives several sample puppets that the players can copy and cut out or use as a template and draw their own.
In conclusion, I could not stop chuckling while I read this PDF. Brilliant! I am all for any gaming idea that introduces kids into gaming early. This is the absolute perfect idea for that. On top of that, it teaches kids how to take turns, cooperate and tell a story together. It gives a chance for one kid to be the leader and help the story along. It defines things is concise terms of Yes, No, Maybe, and on a “maybe” they have to do rock-paper-scissors. I can easily see a small group of kids playing this game, but I do not seeing it lasting too long. My wife was a kindergarten teacher before we had our child and I know she could have a blast with this, at least for a short while. No matter what age you play, it undoubtedly would be fun.
For more details on May Contain Monkeys and their new Kid’s Role Playing Game PDF “The Big Night” check them out at their website http://sweetdreams.acwpd.com/BN.html.
The Big Night
From: May Contain Monkeys
Type of Game: Kid’s Role Playing Game PDF
Written by: Allan Dotson
Number of Pages: 142
Game Components Included: Core Rulebook PDF File
Retail Price: $ 10.00 (Can)
Email: maycontainmonkeys@hotmail.com
Website: http://sweetdreams.acwpd.com/BN.html
Reviewed by: Ron McClung