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The Between

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Overview 

The Between is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of mysterious monster hunters in Victorian-era London. They are residents of a place called Hargrave House, and their job is to investigate and neutralize monstrous threats terrorizing the city—threats that Scotland Yard won’t or can’t handle themselves. As the story progresses, they become aware of the plans of a Moriarty-style criminal mastermind they will eventually have to face in order to save Queen and country.

The Between is directly inspired by the gothic horror TV show Penny Dreadful, but also takes a lot of inspiration from British horror classics, graphic novels like From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and pulp-era stories. Mechanically, it’s Powered by the Apocalypse but also uses the mystery system from Brindlewood Bay.

Your PDF download includes:

  • Rulebook (Singles)
  • Rulebook (Spreads)
  • Reference Sheet
  • Mastermind Sheet
  • London at Night: The Unscene
  • 7 Playbooks (more info below)
  • 10 Threats (more info below)

Playbooks

The Vessel is a magic user; they allow dark, supernatural entities to enter their body in order to fuel powerful rituals. Throughout the game, you learn about their history with these dark entities as well as their time with a coven of witches that tried to use their talents for evil ends. The Vessel can perform dark rites, use divination tools, conduct investigations by drawing supernatural entities to them, and more. Play the Vessel if you want to explore dark rituals and what it feels like to be in control of dangerous things.

The Explorer is a member of the upper class. They made their name and fortune mapping the unexplored parts of the world for the Crown. They are also the rival of the criminal mastermind Hargrave House will eventually have to face. Throughout the game, you’ll be exploring the story of a young man whose village was terrorized by the Explorer when the Explorer was camped there during an expedition. Play the Explorer if you want to move in elite social circles, use money and other resources to solve problems, and be a rival to the game’s main antagonist.

The American is a gun-slinger from America’s Wild West. They grew up with great privilege but abandoned it for frontier life. Along the way, they picked up a curse that sometimes changes them into a feral beast. Throughout the game you’ll be exploring how they came to leave their privileged life and why they eventually fled to London. The American is an excellent shot, a terrific storyteller, a master of disguise, and more. Play the American if you want to solve problems with violence or if you’re interested in being an outsider. 

The Mother is a highly-talented doctor and scientist. They lost someone they love and are using that heartbreak to fuel their creation: a person crafted from the body parts of other people, given life by experimental, alchemical processes. Throughout the game, you will be exploring their past with the person they lost, and why they were driven to create a new form of life. Play the Mother if you want to use science and medicine to solve problems, or if you want to delight in blood and guts. 

The Undeniable is an immortal being of incomparable physical beauty. They have been worshipped as a god for much of their lives and a cult dedicated to them is active in London. Throughout the game, you’ll be learning about the artistic masterwork that bears the scars of the Undeniable’s wickedness, as well as their history with the artist who created it.  Play the Undeniable if you want to be extremely powerful, occasionally villainous, and focused on sensory experiences. 

The Factotum is a servant of one of the other hunters. They are a highly skilled operator—resourceful and practical. When the other hunters are mired in darkness, the Factotum is busy getting the job done. Throughout the game, you’ll explore their professional past and how they came to be a servant. Play the Factotum if you want to be highly effective or if you want to explore what it’s like to have your personal goals and dignity subsumed by another’s. 

The Orphan (Playbook) is a special playbook that isn’t immediately available to us; it is unlocked after certain conditions on The Mother playbook are met.


Threats (Scenarios)

The St. James's Street Ghost: The Beales of 18 St. James’s Street are in a terrible predicament: their townhouse is being terrorized by a malignant spirit. The ghost has already taken the life of their maid, and it seems no one in the house is safe so long as the haunting continues. Hargrave House investigates in order to learn how to quiet the ghost so it can pass into the next world. They may also learn how to make contact with ghosts, a feat that may prove helpful in future investigations.

The Limehouse Lurker: Bodies are turning up in Limehouse, completely drained of blood. Hargrave House knows it’s a vampire, but something about the initial report indicates the undead monster has the physical body of a child. An old vampire must be dealt with in a very different way from a young vampire, and so Hargrave House must initially determine if the vampire is truly adolescent or if it’s actually an ancient being in a small body.

Sally No-Face: A killer is stalking the streets of London. Their calling card? The victim’s faces have been removed with surgical precision. Panic sets in across the city, with some believing the killer is Sally No-Face, an urban legend reborn. Scotland Yard has had no luck capturing the perpetrator, and so Hargrave House steps in. But which approach to take? Finding the killer’s lair? Drawing the killer to them? Learning what makes the killer tick in order to bring them in peacefully?

The Whateley Camera: A young actress went missing after being photographed by the Society Obscura, a secretive club for photography enthusiasts. Hargrave House cares less about missing actresses than something in the Society’s possession: the Whateley Camera, a known object of power said to contain the consciousness of a powerful extra dimensional being. Recovering the Whateley Camera and discovering how it acts as a portal to another world is a matter of the utmost urgency.

The Creature of Cremorne Gardens: A number of people report being terrorized by a “fish-like man” in and around the Cremorne pleasure gardens. Rumors suggest the creature can even lure people to a watery doom with the use of a hypnotic song. Hargrave House investigates to determine if the fish man is actually real, or simply a hoax perpetrated by someone with a financial incentive to see Cremorne Gardens fail.

Figg's Piggs: Pie maker Titus Figg is arrested after it’s revealed his famous Figg’s Pigg pie contains human meat. Titus’s three family members—wife La Hortencia, eldest son Obert the Blade, and youngest son Patrick—managed to escape capture, and Scotland Yard has asked Hargrave House to help track them down. The loose Figgs are extremely dangerous, and pursuing them will force Hargrave House to face a level of darkness and depravity they have only imagined before, to say nothing of the pagan swine god, Moc’h.

There are also four special Threats associated with particular playbooks: The Coven, The Cursed, The Pinkerton, and The Orphan (Threat).

You can watch the author of the game running The Between on YouTube. 


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Reviews (16)
Discussions (14)
Customer avatar
Geoffrey H December 19, 2022 9:36 pm UTC
Any chance of an ebook format (epub, mobi) or a phone-optimised pdf? I'm okay with using an electronic copy but I'd like it to be easily readable on a small device, i.e. phone or e-reader.

Edit: It wouldn't need to include images unless that would exclude important information.
Customer avatar
Kelly W June 25, 2022 1:26 am UTC
is this playable with one GM and 2pc?
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C August 06, 2022 10:44 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Yes
Customer avatar
Charles E June 20, 2022 3:29 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I can't review this as I'm listed as a publisher here, but I've run one session of The Between and I adore it. I'm really looking forward to trying it again in the future.
I was a fan of Penny Dreadful and this has that languid, mysterious tone. It also marries narrative exploration with taut mechanics in a way which I've come to expect from The Gauntlet's games and hope to see more of from other designers in the future. The Unscene in particular is a fantastic way of measuring out actions from players but also building the world the players inhabit.
Customer avatar
Jeffrey S March 19, 2022 1:47 pm UTC
Are you guys planing on doing a physical book edition?
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C March 26, 2022 4:08 am UTC
PUBLISHER
There are no plans at this time. The spreads layout PDF can be taken to a print shop and printed pretty easily, though.
Reply
Customer avatar
Michael S March 15, 2023 2:08 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Are there plans now? ;-). Either as a PoD or a Kickstarter some time in the future?
Customer avatar
Chris M February 16, 2022 10:49 am UTC
PURCHASER
Perhaps a daft question, but do the masks also dictate when a character gets retired? ie: run out of masks, thats it...game over?
Also i assume that the masks are only used when needed for the dice boost. they are not forced on characters?
Finally (Sorry) is there a limit to how many masks can be used in a session?

I love the look/feel of the game, and really want to get my head around this particular point. Very interested to see how clue collecting vs the story will work - bit apprehensive, but equally i think mature roleplayers will lead the way
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Customer avatar
Jason C February 17, 2022 5:01 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Yes, they do! They're kind of like a narrative life bar.

Yes, Masks are just for dice boosts, never forced on a player. The exception to that is if the character takes a 4th Condition, at which point they must mark a Mask.

There is no limit, though for the above reasons, players will be strategic in how/when to use them.
Reply
Customer avatar
Chris M February 18, 2022 9:33 am UTC
PURCHASER
Thank you sir, really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Love the feel of the game and currently singing its praises to my roleplay group.

So glad to see an author that is so involved with his product and the people buying it. really appreciate it :)
Customer avatar
Robert F February 01, 2022 12:30 am UTC
PURCHASER
This game is glorious. I've played an 11-and-still-going session campaign run by Jason, the game's designer, and it's one of my favorite roleplaying experiences ever. It's a game of gothic horror set in Victorian London inspired by (among other things) the show Penny Dreadful. In fact the playbooks on offer pretty clearly map to the characters in that show. Mechanically it's a combination of PbtA and the mystery system from Brindlewood Bay.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C February 17, 2022 5:01 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the kind words!
Customer avatar
Julius H November 08, 2021 10:21 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just a wonderfully designed game! (the same goes for Brindlewood Bay, but this - it's just so much more)
10/10 <3
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C February 17, 2022 5:01 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you!
Customer avatar
Skip O July 15, 2021 6:21 am UTC
PURCHASER
Question: I love every aspect of this game except the unscene, which I have absolutely no interest in running. Would it unbalance the game (like with XP gain) if I cut that entire section out?
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C July 15, 2021 10:28 am UTC
PUBLISHER
No, but I recommend giving it a try. It’s a very intentional part of the overall design, and your players will grow to love it. Every play group I have ever run it for says the Unscene is their favorite part.
Customer avatar
Simon P July 10, 2021 3:16 pm UTC
1) What is the recommended and minimum required player count (including Keeper) for The Between?

2) Can you please comment on replayability of the game?

3) Are there any plans for a Print on Demand or other physical edition?

Thank you!
Reply
Customer avatar
Jason C July 12, 2021 10:12 am UTC
PUBLISHER
1) 1 Keeper and 3 players is recommended; 1 Keeper and 2 players is the minimum. You can do 1 Keeper and 1 player with some small adjustments.

2) It's highly replayable. I've run each scenario several times and they always end up completely different from each other. The semi-collaborative nature of the gameplay leads to very different stories among play groups.

3) Not yet.
Customer avatar
Patrick M June 15, 2021 9:30 am UTC
PURCHASER
What system is used? PbtA? Forged in the Dark?

This sounds like a very focused game, but should be fun (like Band of Blades, which was also super focused)
Reply
Customer avatar
Gabriel M June 15, 2021 12:01 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The core is pretty much PbtA with distinct playbooks, moves, and 2d6+stat for resolution. The mystery mechanics and a few other pieces are based on Brindlewood Bay (also by Jason Cordova).

The theme and tone are focused, but there's still a lot of room to pour meaning into things and build story. It's very collaborative.
Customer avatar
Blake R June 15, 2021 4:30 am UTC
PURCHASER
Played 2 sessions of this game, was very well crafted. If you like shows like Penny Dreadful or Hemlock Grove you'll enjoy the gameplay that evolves from The Between. Style and tone is baked into every character move.
Reply
Customer avatar
Gabriel M June 15, 2021 11:54 am UTC
PURCHASER
Played in the same 2-shot and can confirm that every playbook, move, and prompt fill the game with story and atmosphere. The game takes the structure from Brindlewood Bay and really expands the scope and many of the mechanics. The threats (mysteries) are far more complex and even with just a couple sessions we started to get a great feel for characters and setting.
Customer avatar
Stephanie J June 14, 2021 6:44 pm UTC
PURCHASER
If you liked Brindlewood Bay, and want something darker. This is for you. I got it early through the Gauntlet
Patreon, and it is glorious. Even if you forget rules, stumble through the Unscene, there's plenty of pickup moments to aid you as a gm that even if your players throw something out there, you will be confident. My players in the week upcoming the first session having debating which playbooks to use, because they are all so very good.
Customer avatar
Charles E June 14, 2021 3:13 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I got this from the Gauntlet Patreon and have yet to run it, but this reads as gloriously narrative and mechanically intricate as Brindlewood Bay and Trophy before it. The character playbooks are evocative and the ability to unlock certain mysteries and other playbooks almost feels like a Legacy-style board game. I can't wait to try The Between out with my group, and to see what new material comes out for it.
Customer avatar
peter W June 14, 2021 1:54 pm UTC
reads more like a boardgame - with predefined characters and goals
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Platinum seller
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Pages
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118.82 MB
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File Last Updated:
August 22, 2022
This title was added to our catalog on June 14, 2021.