Wading into Cryptid Creeks

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Similarly, the playbook abilities called Watcher’s Gifts provide another safety net, further reducing the chance of failure. These mechanics seemed excessive at first, but ended up working well within the game’s structure. As a truly collaborative storytelling experience it works. Cryptid Creeks uses these tools to reinforce its themes and focus rather than rigid rules.   While aimed at younger audiences, the game's nostalgic charm makes it a great fit for fans of stories that center around youth and teamwork. Anyone who loves a good mystery and some creep factor will enjoy its vibe.   The materials themselves are robust and thoughtfully designed. The character sheets are a bit wordy, but contain nearly everything from the book you could possibly need. The reference sheet is both thematic and functional. We found ourselves using it more than the book for most of the evening.   The book is packed with examples. While helpful, a few become repetitive as you read them all. Even something as simple as the map was an immersive element for the players. It is left intentionally black and white for them to fill in as they explore. A lovely detail that encourages personal touches. All of the art throughout the book is vibrant, inclusive, and full of charm.

Strengths

• Players had a blast. It was the first thing they said during the wrap up.
• The touchstones (examples of characters) were genuinely useful and helped character creation go quickly.
• Replayability: the game’s many curses and plot twists encourage future episodes.
• Players visited seven distinct locations and made each one feel unique through the setup questions.
• Misfortune mattered and playing around them felt important.
• The Sash was super impactful and made the mission a success.
• Teamwork really did matter.
• The immersion, tone, and setting worked well.
• Flexibility in resolution. There are no canonical answers; everyone makes it up.

Weaknesses

• The book’s organization is set up assuming you have read the material all the way through and are familiar. Basic game terms go unexplained for long stretches, meant to be read later in the manual.
• Using the PDF as a main source of running was frustrating at times. While everything is linked well, having a physical copy of the book is recommended.
• Some key mechanics, such as Misfortunes, are not easily found.
• Misfortunes are important, but there are no functional mechanics tied to their specific titles.
• Descriptive text could be clearer. What should be read to players and what is for the GM to read in the beginning is a bit uncertain, even following the Pilot Episode guide.
• The Peddler is described as a surprise but is also openly explained to the players in descriptive text.

Adventure Summary

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Belinda Grimsbyburg had been feeling homesick lately. Since her Lorekeeper’s Tome awakened, she spent less time at home and more with the scouts. She had bound the book herself, using glossy paperboard and unyielding glue. The book spoke only to her, in a gruff and plain-spoken voice that no one else could hear or understand.   Belinda had an eye for detail and often sat in the clubhouse wearing her homemade headlamp, reading while keeping an eye on the others. Behind her thick glasses, taped in the middle, she watched them closely. From time to time, she pulled a pen from her pocket protector and jotted down a note in her book. Her scout sash was wrapped snugly around her neck, and she could always feel the presence of the well ghost bound to it, a spirit that reminded her of the eerie figure from the Ringu movie.   Dan Handly is a freshman football prodigy and an all-around well-liked athlete. When not putting in the work on the field, he is busy getting his dream car assembled, a passion project and an excuse to use his trusty new toolbox. Fearless on and off the field, a lot of this resolve stems from physical dedication and a close connection to a cryptid resembling a moose that lingers around the clubhouse.   Success has its downsides, as Dan occasionally stumbles across townsfolk meddling in his affairs, to what ends he is unsure, but rarely positive.   Cool guy and vagabond, Victor Spoils is a freshman dropout who cares for little other than the scouts and the river itself. Aimless in life, he tries to embody the waters by being a free-roaming, carefree spirit. A misunderstood soul from the wrong side of the tracks, Victor has recently taken up smoking in an effort to seem cooler to his peers.   His rough upbringing and jaded mentality help him combat supernatural challenges with denial, rationalizing or reasoning away the otherwise unexplainable. Jeans, a white tee, a jean jacket, and a trusty map of the river are his only possessions.   The Watcher took pity on the poor soul, offering Victor a place in the clubhouse and the use of a spectral dinghy, giving the lost youth guidance and purpose. Victor also has a mysterious connection to the spirit of a deceased scout named Buster, who drowned. Until he can find a way to rationalize it, Victor is keeping the connection a secret.   The three misfit scouts were idling away the time when the roof trembled, signaling the arrival of their supernatural guardian, a Sphynxdragon called Jeepers Creepers Wilson, D.D.S., or as the youths lovingly referred to him, “Peeps.” Peeps came with dire warnings of a town under siege by the supernatural, with its latest target being the elementary school.   Principal Shirley Izbat was the prime suspect. It was believed she carried a mysterious trinket engraved with the school motto, capable of enthralling those around her and forcing them to obey her commands. With the state of the school in rapid decline, the scouts sprang into action to investigate the principal and uncover the truth behind the trinket’s power. Boarding Victor’s spectral dinghy, they headed upriver.   The scouts decided to stop off at a favorite soda shop called Milly’s Malts to grab a bite and gather some information. Famous for catering to the boaters of the area, its many docking stations and dockside service were unmatched.   Dan mentioned that he was a regular here and praised their spectacular fish. Each scout ordered their preferred beverage, sipping as they settled in. While they enjoyed their drinks, Belinda recalled the time she stood up against the suspected corruption of the principal, defending books in the library from being blacklisted and removed from the school.   The river scouts entered Shingleford Elementary with full stomachs. It was shortly after one o’clock and the summer school classes had just begun. The bulletin board was posted outside the front office. Plastered on top of the other announcements was a set of rules signed by Principle Izet. It read:  

Rules
Follow Now

• No running.
• Dress code required.
• No dark sarcasm in the classroom. “Oookay,” was scrawled below it.
• No yodeling, under which someone has added, "a gift to us all."

  The students skipped quickly to the front office. Belinda was warm from wearing her clothes under her uniforms in protest because it was worth it.   The front office windows were well lit, though no one was inside. The Vice-Principal and Principal’s office doors were both closed. No one was in the front seat to greet them, though there was a burnt down cigarette in the ash tray.   Victor began searching the desk in the front office. He plucked a cigarette from the receptionist’s pack, tucking it behind his ear for later, and pocketed a lighter he found nearby.   A strange, malevolent energy sparked his senses, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the Vice Principal’s shoes just outside the office door. Used to seeing strange creatures along the river, he brushed it off as nothing supernatural and opened the door and found the janitor cleaning.   The two shared a brief conversation, during which the janitor joked around, handed Belinda the library key, and snagged the second-to-last cigarette from the pack with a wink. He casually mentioned that the receptionist had been called away in a rush.   Meanwhile, Dan began doing push-ups in an attempt to look under the Principal’s office door. On one descent, he spotted someone staring back at him with a strange grin. Mustering his courage, he went down again, only to find the figure gone. Instead, the door creaked open, and the Vice Principal emerged, dropping a stack of papers in the process.   Vice Principal Hench Mannings seemed concerned about the kids in the office. As he spoke, Belinda helped gather the scattered papers. Among them were black-and-white flyers meant for telephone poles, accusing the school of “Coddling Our Children.” Tucked in the stack was a voided check written by Principal Izbat to a board member, which Belinda discreetly snagged.   When the Vice Principal entered his office and left the door open, the scouts decided it was time to move on. They skipped out of the area and headed to the library.   Belinda knew that the librarian, Rupinder Dawnsing, would still be out for an hour during summer school. Meanwhile, Victor searched the library like a slob, tossing things around carelessly. He found a list of grades but spilled ink all over it in his rush. His sash ghost activated, giving him a sweet memory of its life before drowning. The ink stopped mid-fall, leaving the list untouched.   Belinda discovered that grades had been plummeting since Shirley became principal. She also noticed the banned books were missing, a fact that frustrated her deeply after all her efforts to keep them on the shelves. Determined, she made a copy of the voided check she had found earlier.   Dan and Belinda left Victor to continue searching for clues in the library. Dan kept watch, doing squats below the window, while Belinda tried to return the voided check. She misjudged her throw, bruising her hand and watching as the check fluttered limply to the floor.   While Victor was alone, Shawn Willoughby, one of the summer school teachers, entered the library. Seeing the mess, Shawn assumed Victor was responsible. The two talked about the declining grades and missing gradebooks, leading Victor to reveal the clue: the gradebooks were the cursed trinket.   Victor then shared something personal. He told Shawn how the local storyteller, Hilda, had once informed him that he was related to the school receptionist, who was actually his aunt. This sad revelation softened Shawn, convincing him to let Victor go with the news weighing on his mind.   The next day, Victor, concerned about his aunt’s sudden departure from work, decided to take the spectral dinghy for a visit. As he traveled, he noticed the woods along the river were filled with spiders’ webs, their many eyes watching him from the shadows. The sight was unnerving, and as if sensing the danger, the dinghy vanished beneath him. Soaked to the bone, Victor was forced to march the rest of the way on foot.   When he arrived, he found his aunt distraught. She told him she had been suspended by the principal and explained that many non-teaching staff had been unfairly punished lately. Victor took this information back to the scouts, and together they decided to present their evidence at the upcoming school board meeting in the hopes of deposing the principal.   The meeting was scheduled for Friday, leaving the group a few days to prepare. They gathered each day to discuss their strategy, but Belinda’s Lorekeeper’s Tome unexpectedly cast doubt on the importance of the voided check, causing frustration.   When the day came, the scouts chose Dan to speak on their behalf, trusting his popularity as a football star to sway the crowd. Dan began his speech but was interrupted almost immediately by the school nurse, Neta Fischer. The interruption quickly spiraled, with others jumping in and a fight threatening to break out.   For a moment, Dan recalled the first time his moose cryptid sash ghost appeared, right after a devastating loss at a big game. He had been on the sidelines, crushed by defeat, as the ghost stomped on a clipboard, urging him to keep going.   Grounded by the memory, Dan refocused and began speaking again, his words clear and firm. The potential fight seemed to vanish, as though it had never happened. Dan’s speech sparked others to come forward, including the board member tied to the voided check, who accused Shirley of bribery. A wave of accusations followed, and Shirley was swiftly deposed. Almost immediately, the trinket was recovered, and the curse was broken.   The scouts returned to the clubhouse victorious, eager to tell Peeps of their success.