"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster...?" 

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 

The Amalgam is a monster. They were created by someone who lied to them about who they were and where they came from and what purpose they were made for. They inspire fear and awe in others who see them, thus spawning more rumors and legends which inspire fear even in those far distant. And their understanding of themself is shaped by those lies and the distorted emotions they see in others eyes.

When you play the Amalgam, you'll step into a world that doesn't get you. And you get yourself even less than them. But during play, when others take the time to look at you — truly look at you and try to see the truth of you — you'll find yourself learning more about yourself through them. You'll discover who you really are, through the process of stepping past the rumors and fears and distortions, into the person that you really are.

You'll also get all the fun of playing the monster. Moves like the default Synthetic Bebe, which celebrates those who aren't "naturally" born the way they are, let you admire all the unusual things your body can do for you. Whether you're super strong, or strangely flexible, or something else, you'll be able to experience the world and act in ways that no ordinary person could.

On the flip-side, what's more fun than playing a character with one big weakness? This playbook lets you use moves like My Only Weakness!, Mass Produced, or Don't Know How to Act in order to get those moments of humanity, vulnerability, and juicy weakness.

Even if you're not interested in playing the zombie babe, patchwork ingenue, lab-grown genetic icon, or mythic beast, you'll still get plenty of use out of the moves in this playbook. Any character that wants to lean into weakness, rumors or lies, or inhuman abilities should grab a move or two from this playbook with an advance.

So celebrate the spookiest of seasons by lurching, crawling, pouncing, or floating toward your own copy of this playbook.