The original version of the game, created in response to a challenge to design a role-playing game in 24 hours. From the rulebook: "vs. Monsters is a roleplaying game in which the players take the roles of 19th century monster hunters living in the America of the time. This is the America of Edgar Allan Poe. This is America seen though the goggles of distortion that are used by such greats as Lewis Carrol, Tim Burton, and Mike Mignola. This is America as it never really was."