Midnight of the Century

Dive into the shadows of the '90s in this occult serial killer investigation TTRPG

Midnight of the Century is a 104-page black and white rulebook from writer and designer Colin Le Sueur. MotC is a mid-'90s pre-apocalyptic serial killer investigation TTRPG inspired by '90s movies and TV shows like Millennium, Silence of the Lambs, Twin Peaks, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

This book contains everything you need to play and run the game:

• Run investigations using a lightweight, no-combat framework.
  
• Navigate a world of escalating chaos and tensions using a four-phase Doom Clock: Dawn, Midday, Dusk, and Midnight.
• Peer into the Uncanny world of the supernatural, including relics, mysterious entities and arcane rituals.
• Delve into the secret history of the mysterious Oroboro Group and expose their true objectives. 
•  Explore ten destructive End of the World scenarios, both secular and supernatural. 
•  Learn to build and run compelling investigations. 
•  Experience the world of the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s with a setting guide for Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. 
•  Lead your table into a new system with an introductory investigation perfect for a one-shot or the start of a campaign. 
•  Craft your own serial killer investigation, with random generators for killers, victims, murders, and Uncanny events. 
•  Dive alone into dangerous shadows with solo play and, if you die, hand your Investigation off to other with the Solo Legacy rules.

Midnight of the Century is inspired by Liminal Horror, Cairn, Into the Odd, Mothership, Vaesen, Brindlewood Bay, and Cthulhu Dark.

MOVIES

• The Bone Collector (1999) 
• 8mm (1999) 
• Fallen (1998) 
• Ringu (1998) 
• Cure (1997) 
• Perfect Blue (1997) 
• Copycat (1995) 
• Seven (1995) 
• Man Bites Dog (1992) 
• Candyman (1992) 
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) 
• Silence of the Lambs (1991) 
• Angel Heart (1987) 
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) 
• Manhunter (1986) 
• The Dead Zone (1983)

Want to watch more films like these? Check out the Letterboxd Midnight of the Century Appendix N list!

TV

• Millennium (1995–99) 
• Brimstone (1998–99) 
• Profiler (1996–2000) 
• Nowhere Man (1995–96) 
• Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–99) 
• Twin Peaks (1990–91)

COMICS

• Stormwatch (WildStorm)
• Hellboy (Dark Horse Comics)
• Sin City (Dark Horse Comics)
• Hellblazer (DC/Vertigo)

TABLETOP GAMES

• Liminal Horror (Goblin Archives)
• Cairn (Yochai Gal)
• Into the Odd (Chris McDowal)
• Mothership (Tuesday Knight Games)
• Cthulhu Dark (Graham Walmsley)
• Brindlewood Bay (The Gauntlet)
• Vaesen (Free League)

MUSIC

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/3rXlxPQKm5BlY5Hg85j5Jb?utm_source=generator

• Colin Le Sueur - Writer and Designer
• Emmet Byrne - Development Editor
• Karen Twelves - Copy Editor
• Amy Le Sueur - Proofreader

Midnight of the Century is a clever mashup of pieces of some of my favorite systems, pulled together by inspiration from some of my favorite media. It all clicks in a way where I instantly want to get it to the table.

Emmet Byrne, tabletop writer and designer (Old Oak Games)

Midnight of the Century absolutely nails the vibe and feel of serial killer drama with a hint of supernatural weirdness. As a huge fan of Millennium, Silence of the Lambs, and Seven, I can't wait to get my hands on the finished book!

You can find Colin on Bluesky, TikTok, or YouTube.

Or you can find our store at shop.byodinsbeardrpg.com.

Midnight of the Century is a love letter to the TV series Millennium (Fox, 1996-1999), created by Chris Carter, and the show’s protagonist Frank Black (played by Lance Henriksen). Millennium was one of my favourite shows as a teenager in the '90s, and I wanted to make a game that replicated the feeling of hunting serial killers through a rain-soaked city in the Pacific Northwest.