A Guide to The Between RPG Victorian Horror
Discover The Between RPG, a game of Victorian monster-hunting. This guide explains its unique story-first mechanics, setting, and campaign structure.
Discover The Between RPG, a game of Victorian monster-hunting. This guide explains its unique story-first mechanics, setting, and campaign structure.
Welcome to the gaslit streets of Victorian London, the stage for The Between RPG, a tabletop experience steeped in horror and tense investigation. This isn't a game about epic quests and high fantasy. Instead, it’s all about collaborative storytelling. Players step into the shoes of Hunters for His Majesty’s Menagerie, a secret society tasked with protecting London from monsters that defy explanation.
The Between RPG pulls you right into its chilling atmosphere. As a Hunter, you're a hidden defender against creatures lurking just beyond the edge of human sight. The game centers on investigating strange happenings and facing down grotesque threats that stalk the city's murky alleyways. It’s a rich backdrop for mystery and suspense, perfect for anyone who loves a good horror story. If you're looking for tips on building that spooky vibe, check out our guide on popular indie horror games.
The game runs on the unique Belonging Outside Belonging system. Forget complex dice rolls and combat rules; this framework is all about narrative choices and building the world together. The goal isn't to "win." It's to weave a compelling, shared story with the other players at the table.
Here's what makes the game tick:
The real heart of The Between is the dynamic between the characters—Hunters bound by a shared, secret duty, yet each harboring their own dark pasts and motivations. The story you build together is the ultimate reward.
This guide will dig deeper into what makes this TTRPG so special, setting the stage for a game where every single decision carries weight.
The gameplay in The Between RPG is built on two pillars: hunting down strange happenings on London's streets and managing your secret society, the Menagerie. It creates this fantastic rhythm that feels like a Victorian detective story crashing head-on into a monster-of-the-week thriller. You and your fellow Hunters are bound to protect the city, but everyone is hiding their own dark secrets and bringing unique skills to the table.
But this isn't about solving just one mystery and calling it a day. The game centers on an ever-present danger known as The Threat. This isn't some static monster waiting in a dungeon; it actively learns, evolves, and gets stronger as you play. This creates a real, palpable sense of urgency that hangs over every single session, forcing you into tough choices that crank up the stakes and push the story forward.
Your time in The Between RPG is neatly split between two distinct phases that constantly influence each other. This structure creates a nice balance, blending methodical clue-gathering with tense, behind-the-scenes resource management.
This back-and-forth flow is the heart of the game. Making a breakthrough in an investigation might drain the Menagerie’s funds, while a poor decision made back at headquarters could leave you dangerously exposed when you're out in the field.
At its core, The Between is about balance. You're not just fighting monsters; you're managing a secret war on multiple fronts, where a single misstep in either investigation or administration could spell disaster for London.
To get a clearer picture, let's break down the key ideas you'll be juggling in every session.
Mastering this cycle is the secret to survival, not just in the game, but for creators running a crowdfunding campaign for a game like this. Managing backer expectations and fulfillment is its own kind of "Menagerie Phase."
While Kickstarter's native pledge manager is like Amazon—a simple, one-size-fits-all marketplace—a dedicated tool like PledgeBox is more like Shopify, giving you a customizable storefront with far more control. The best part? PledgeBox is free to send the backer survey and only charges 3% of any upsells, making it a powerful, risk-free choice for indie creators.
At the heart of The Between RPG is the Belonging Outside Belonging (BoB) engine, a clever system that throws dice out the window in favor of tokens. This simple change puts the story’s momentum squarely in the hands of the players. Instead of hoping for a lucky roll, you earn and spend tokens based on your character’s strengths and dramatic choices, making every success feel earned.
This isn’t about just passing or failing a check; it’s about making choices that matter. When your Hunter tries something risky, you describe what you're doing and spend tokens to ensure it happens—but often with a twist or complication. It’s a fantastic mechanic that keeps the story moving forward, replacing binary outcomes with interesting narrative hooks that really ramp up the tension.
When you create a character in The Between, you’ll start by picking a Playbook. Think of these less like rigid classes and more like character archetypes. You might step into the shoes of the resourceful Sleuth, the haunted Veteran, or another compelling role. Each Playbook comes with a set of unique moves that let you influence the world in specific ways, defining your character’s identity and driving the plot forward.
This infographic breaks down the core gameplay loop, showing how investigating The Threat and managing your headquarters, The Menagerie, are intertwined.
As you can see, the actions you take during an investigation have a direct impact on the ever-growing Threat, while the choices you make back at The Menagerie give you the tools you need for those investigations.
This kind of story-first design reflects a huge trend in the TTRPG world. The global RPG market was valued at around USD 26.97 billion in 2025 and is expected to explode to an estimated USD 104.16 billion by 2034. That’s a massive appetite for rich, engaging role-playing. You can read the full research about the RPG market growth to see just how big the demand is.
Instead of tracking hit points, characters in The Between RPG collect Scars. These aren't just penalties; they're lasting physical and emotional wounds that permanently change who your character is. A Scar isn't just a debuff—it's a story beat.
This combination of token-based actions and narrative-focused Playbooks guarantees that every session is deeply personal and character-driven. For indie creators bringing their own unique games to life, managing all the moving parts after a campaign is key. While Kickstarter's built-in pledge manager is like Amazon—simple and functional—a specialized tool gives you way more power. Think of PledgeBox as your Shopify; it's a full-featured storefront for your backers. It’s completely free to send the backer survey and only charges 3% of any upsells, making it a perfect, no-risk solution.
Running a game of The Between RPG feels less like being a traditional Game Master and more like becoming a reactive storyteller. The Harbinger—the game’s name for the GM—doesn't come to the table with a rigid plot. Instead, they guide the story by responding to what the Hunters choose to do. It's a dance, not a monologue.
This collaborative spirit is really the heart of the game. Your job as the Harbinger is to present intriguing mysteries, give voice to the monstrous Threat, and paint a vivid picture of London's foggy streets. The players, in turn, are actively shaping the world and its narrative, which makes every campaign a completely unique and shared creation.
A good session of The Between RPG walks a fine line between tense, quiet investigation and sudden, heart-pounding horror. Pacing is everything. One moment, the Hunters are piecing together clues about the Threat; the next, they're in a desperate confrontation that tests their limits. If you're looking for ideas on how to frame these encounters, our article on how to build a dungeon has some surprisingly useful tips.
Here’s a simple flow for a session:
The rising interest in TTRPGs shows just how much people crave these kinds of shared stories. The global role-playing games market was valued at USD 23.2 billion in 2023 and is expected to rocket to USD 53.8 billion by 2032. This incredible growth is all thanks to innovative games like this one that prioritize collaborative storytelling. You can discover more insights about the expanding RPG market on dataintelo.com.
The secret to a truly compelling campaign is atmosphere. Use vivid descriptions of the gaslit streets, the oppressive fog, and the unsettling silence to create a palpable sense of dread. Make your players feel the chill of Victorian horror, and they'll be hooked.
Feeling inspired by the huge crowdfunding success of games like The Between RPG? That’s the fun part. The real work begins after the campaign ends, when you have to turn that vision into a physical product for thousands of eager backers.
Managing pledges, collecting shipping info, and handling fulfillment is a beast of its own. It all starts the second your campaign clock hits zero, and this is exactly where a powerful pledge manager becomes your best friend.
A lot of creators try to stick with their crowdfunding platform’s built-in tools, but they often hit a wall. Think of the standard Kickstarter pledge manager like Amazon—it’s a straightforward, closed system that gets the basic job done. It's functional, sure, but it doesn't give you much room to grow or customize. For an indie creator, that’s a massive missed opportunity.
Now, let's look at it a different way. What if your pledge manager felt less like a static marketplace and more like your own personal online shop? That’s the PledgeBox difference. It operates more like Shopify, giving you the keys to the kingdom to build out your post-campaign experience just the way you want it.
This level of control lets you manage your backers with precision, sell more through add-ons, and build a real community around your game. You’re not just shipping boxes; you’re creating an ecosystem for your fans that can turn a one-off project into a sustainable brand.
Beyond picking the right platform, digging into growth hacking strategies for indie startups can seriously boost your campaign's reach and turn one-time backers into loyal supporters. You can learn more about how a dedicated tool gives you this kind of control in our deep dive on what PledgeBox is and how it helps creators win.
The most powerful part of PledgeBox is its pricing. It’s completely free to send the backer survey to all your supporters. The platform only charges 3% of the upsell if there’s any, which makes it a zero-risk, high-reward choice for any creator.
This setup means you only pay when you make extra money. The platform’s success is tied directly to yours, which encourages you to offer awesome add-ons and late pledges, creating a fresh revenue stream long after the funding period closes.
The Between RPG has earned a dedicated following by focusing on what makes role-playing genuinely unforgettable. Its appeal isn't just one single thing, but a thoughtful blend of strengths that create a truly unique experience, starting with its chillingly atmospheric Victorian London setting. It's the perfect, foggy backdrop for tales of mystery and horror.
But a great setting is just the beginning. The game is built on story-first mechanics that champion character growth and true collaboration between players. Instead of getting bogged down in dense rulebooks, the system is designed to be narrative-driven, which opens the door to a much wider audience. It's a breath of fresh air for veterans tired of endless number-crunching, and it's an incredibly welcoming entry point for newcomers who might feel overwhelmed by more complex games. This approach taps directly into the growing demand for more personal, rules-light TTRPGs.
The market for these games is always evolving. For instance, in H1 2025, overall player spending on RPGs saw an 11% dip year-over-year, falling from $10.4 billion to $9.3 billion. Even with this shift, standout titles with strong narrative hooks held onto their audiences, proving that a compelling story is the key to building loyalty. You can dig deeper into these complex market dynamics to see how player tastes are changing.
At its heart, The Between is an invitation. It's a call to gather your friends, step into the gaslit shadows of London, and discover what stories you can weave together. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or a creator looking for inspiration, this game has something special waiting for you.
Thinking about stepping into the gaslit, monster-hunted world of The Between RPG? Here’s a quick rundown of the essentials for both new players and aspiring Harbingers looking to face the horrors of Victorian London.
Getting started is surprisingly simple. All you really need is the core rulebook, which lays out everything you need for gameplay.
The game uses tokens instead of dice, so you can just grab some coins, beads, or any other small markers you have lying around. Most importantly, you’ll want a few friends who are ready to dive in and tell a spooky story together.
Absolutely. The Between RPG runs on the "Belonging Outside Belonging" system, which is incredibly light on complex rules. It's designed to put the story first.
This focus on collaborative storytelling makes it a perfect gateway for players new to tabletop RPGs. You get to jump right into developing your character and the plot, without getting bogged down by complicated mechanics.
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