Bureau 13 describes the operations of a fictional top-secret American government agency that investigates and combats supernatural events and creatures.

[2] Stalking the Night Fantastic was first published by Tri Tac in 1983,and a second edition was released the following year, accompanied by a number of standalone adventures.

The third edition, retitled Bureau 13, featured a somewhat streamlined game system, and was released in 1990 as a 190-page softcover book designed by Richard Tucholka, with interior artwork by Tom Dow, with artistic contributions by Randy Bathurst, Doug Blanchard, Larry Dixon, Sandy Harlan, Tom Howell, Bradley McDevitt, Scott Ruggels, and William Wardrop, and cover art by Phil Foglio.

In the January 1995 issue of Shadis, Dirk Dejong thought the game "includes a decent magic system and a well-thought out array of monsters to start your adventures with."

"[4] In 1991, the third edition of the Bureau 13 series won the Gamers Choice Award at Gencon for Best Fantasy Game.