Monsterhearts, anyone? (interest check)

[Ouroboros]

Hello there! Could I interest you in a game of Monsterhearts?

the game's website for reference

For those of you unfamiliar with what I am talking about, it's basically the teen supernatural version of Apocalypse World. It's simple and lovely, and ripe for lots of juicy RP. (Plus, it has as a mechanic Sex Moves. C'mon. Don't tell me you aren't intrigued.)

By nature, it is a queer friendly game, and I would expect any game of it that I play to be so as well. I would also prefer that the setting be post-high school, perhaps at college or during a summer break so there's more wiggle room when someone gets Turned On by someone else.

Beyond that, I haven't really set down anything concrete. Heck, I don't even know if I would run it or just play (or both, as I think it's possible given how things work). I am mostly just trying to gauge interest at this point for said system.

If you are? Let's talk!

[Cold Heritage]

I'm interested. I'd enjoy having the Ghoul playbook.

[Angie]

Throwing in my interest! I see that Sabrina the Teenage Witch is on the list of inspiration list, does that mean sexy witches are a possibility?  >:)

[Ouroboros]

Oh yes! Sexy witches are a character type, even!

As are ghouls, and werewolves, and vampires, and lizard people, and ghosts, and even slayers and the Popular Kid ringleader.

[Angie]

I will have a need of reading this book...

[Ixy]

I'm definitely curious about this one, but I'd like to know a little more about setting and the plot hooks, if you have them...

[Ouroboros]

I definitely recommend getting the book! It's short and the .pdf is inexpensive. (Hooray for indie RPGs!)

Unfortunately, I don't have much about the setting yet, as I was primarily interested in seeing if anyone was interested in the first place. I think that it's open to debate, whether it's a college or a summer town, and the type of event that kicks off the drama.

That said if there's a scenario that is particularly inspiring to anyone, I would be glad to hear it.


((Edited for autocorrect typo))

[Angie]

I'm broke at the moment, but I'll get it on Wendesday (it will be PAYDAY!)

[Ouroboros]

There's no rush!

I believe you can also download the skins (character types) from the site for free but I could be wrong...

[Angie]

You can, I did, I'm exicted to find out what all the terms mean-like Hot, Cold, Volatile, Dark, Strings...

[Cold Heritage]

I wouldn't mind doing college. Maybe our characters could be first or second year college students. That way we could all be in one of those huge, jam-packed 100 or 200 level courses that tend to have lots of people, and would be at least somewhat conducive to the homeroom seating chart stuff.

If anyone's interested in being a Chosen, then the source of drama's basically there: their big bad's doing big bad stuff. Otherwise it could be that one of the college professors is a vampire or leader of some kind of cult and uses his classes and teaching assistants to find new victims/converts.

I suppose there isn't a lot that can be decided without really knowing what skins will be in play.

Just for Angiejuusan:

First Taste's Free :)

Hot means fucking gorgeous, alluring, exciting, smokin’, someone you can’t stop thinking about, magnetic.

Cold means stone-cold, calculating, collected, unwavering, frigid, able to be cruel and merciless, able to keep their wits about them, obstinate.

Volatile means impulsive, wild, feral, quick-tempered, quick to fght or fight, aggressive, unpredictable, a basket-case, sudden.

Dark means weird, mysterious, sinister, dabbling in the occult, comfortable in darkness, able to liaise with otherworldly forces, powerful.

[Angie]

It says Witches get -1 Hot, 1 Cold, -1 Volatile, and 1 Dark...I kinda wish I could swap those Cold and Hot scores...

[Cold Heritage]

I guess that does kind of put a damper on 'sexy witch' if you're at a disadvantage to Turn Someone On - although I don't think that failure with that move doesn't affect whether or not they're turned on, just the mechanical consequences, if any.

Character creation does award a point to assign to one of the four stats at the player's discretion, though.

And regardless of what your stat is, I don't think it has any bearing your character's appearance.

[Angie]

I'll probably put the freebie point into Hot.

Also, I'm curious about "Darkest Self", is that basically just giving in to the temptation of your powers and using them without care?

[Cold Heritage]

More or less. Your 'Darkest Self' is basically the worst you that you can be, based on your skin and who your character is.

[Angie]

What about Strings? What are they?

[Cold Heritage]

Strings are a resource you use to affect other characters. They represent having emotional power over them. You keep track of the strings you have on characters separately; they aren't in one big pool. You can spend strings to affect other characters in different ways. For example, one of the general things anyone with a string to spend can do is spend 1 string you have on someone to add 1 to a roll you make against them. Some skins, if memory serves, have unique things only they can do with them.

The backstory gives out some, and in play they can be earned as the result of moves. One of the results for Turning Someone On can be to get a string on them. But sometimes when people do things to you can also gain a string on them. A moderate success (a result in the range of 7 to 9 on 2d6+[appropriate stat]) on Shut Someone Down (a move where you say mean things to people to get them to stop whatever they're doing) or Lash Out Physically has the person making the move gain a string on their target, but the target also gets a string on the move's instigator.

[Angie]

I'm already planning out advancement...I so want to have her first learn all the Hexes, then join a Witch Coven...

[Cold Heritage]

Ah, I found it! I knew it existed!

The Ghoul has a move called Disaffected that lets you roll Turn Someone On with Cold instead of Hot. You could use an advance to take that move.

[Angie]

That would be kinda cool...but I kinda want to keep my Witch in the Witch stuff. I kinda want to know what Witch Coven does...

[Cold Heritage]

A Witch Coven is a gang, and the rules for gangs are the same for every skin. I think that it's up to the player and the GM to hash out the specifics of who's in the gang, where they fit in the fiction, and all of the other juicy details that makes them matter to the story.

I'll cut and paste the rules part.

Throwing Up Gang Signs

Most Skins have  the option  to  join or belong  to a gang, as an advancement option. The Mortal doesn’t have this opportunity. The Queen starts out with a gang.

For example, the Vampire has:
  O You belong to a Vampire Coterie.

Every  gang  makes  demands  on  its  members.  These demands have  a  tendency  to  push  the  PCs  out  of  their comfort  zones  and  into  the  territory  of  hard  decisions. When you join the gang, it’s good to have an idea of what those demands are going  to be  like,  in a general  sense: “They want me  to hunt  and  feed with  them,  every  few nights.”

Every  gang  also  has  something  that will  trigger  it  into blind action. When  that  trigger occurs,  they will pursue retaliation or dedicated response whether you want them to or not.  (You can always  roll  to manipulate an NPC  to prevent  them  from  retaliating,  though.) When  you  join the gang, it’s good to have an idea of what those demands are going to be like, in a general sense: “They strike back whenever they feel that our kind is being marginalized.”

Finally, a gang can be manipulated into helping you. When they help  you with  any  task,  add  1  to  your  rolls. When they  join you in any act of violence, inflict an additional 1 harm. Note that when they act of their own accord (in response  to  a  trigger, or  as part of  their  demands),  the impact they have on the story will often vary - sometimes they’ll have the power to outright kill people, and so on. But when  they  act  on  your  behalf,  following  your  lead, add 1 to your rolls and to your harm.

[Angie]

Witch Coven could be fun. So I think I have my first four Advancements...Take the remaining Hexes, join a Witch Coven, take Disaffected to use Cold instead of Hot (figure out how THAT works...) and potentially make a new Hex. For some reason, I kind of want a Hex that essentially makes people forget things-perhaps making a person forget about me...

Okay, so, since I fucking refuse to use Paypal, I went and bought it from DriveThruRPG. I own it now.

And now...I think I'll build my Witch.

Name: Vanessa
Skin: Witch
Origin: Wiccan
Look: Lithe, Calculating Eyes
Stats: Hot -1, Cold 2, Volatile -1, Dark 1
Moves: Hex-Casting, Sympathetic Tokens, Bide My Time
Hexes: Illusions, Ring of Lies
Sex Move: After sex, gain a sympathetic token (which can also be used as a string). They know about it. It's cool.
Darkest Self: Hex with impunity, revel in the power, and laugh as you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight!

Backstory: To be written

(I'll work on the other stuff later, but for now, there's the building blocks.)

[Cold Heritage]

Hopefully Ouroboros decides to run the game. :)

[Angie]

I am jumping the gun a little, aren't I? Well, I hope so-I like this idea.

[deadmanshand]

I would definitely be interested in a Monsterhearts game. Especially a college set one. Though I have a question. What Skins will be available? The core ones obviously but what about the others? The Angel, the Selkie, the Serpentine, and the Hollow? Jackson Tegu's Second Skins? Or even some of the excellent fanmade Skins like the Skins for the Skinless?

Most of which can be found here: http://nerdwerds.blogspot.com/2012/12/all-of-playbooks.html

I ask mostly just to layout all the options but partly because only a few of the base Skins really appeal to me. Some of the others are distinctly more interesting. The Serpentine from McDonaldo's extra official ones. The Sasquatch, the Cuckoo, and the Wyrm from Tegu's Second Skins - which I can provide. The Beast and the Calaca from the Skins for the Skinless at nerdwerds.

[Ouroboros]

I think I'd be open to most skins, unless they were somehow not actually applicable - a selkie in a landlocked game would be a little weird, for example. Even then if the story made sense I'd be down.

And yes, I'm definitely still intending to get this going one way or another!

[deadmanshand]

Excellent. Honestly I feel like Monsterhearts was made for Elliquiy and have wanted to see a game of it on here since I joined.

[Cold Heritage]

Couldn't agree more with that, deadmanshand. You mentioned being able to provide second skins. Could I benefit from you providing, please?

[Angie]

I won't! I have my Witch, and none of you are taking her from me! MWUAHAHAHAHA!

[Ouroboros]

All right, so we've got some interest, enough to start up a small game. I'd say now is the time to pin down setting a little more, just in case people are interested but not ready to commit due to the vagueness of the concept. So, beyond the college freshman/sophomore angle, I am thinking...

- Coastal small town in the US, perhaps in the Northeast where there's a college every 100 yards.
- Private university with a few mandatory cattle call classes that characters will be in
- Small town secrets, naturally

Anything else? Thoughts? Concerns?

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

Aw yiss, Monsterhearts. I can't understand why there aren't dozens of this game on Elliquiy.

Dotting interest in a Selkie, since it's a coastal town. I won't be really free 'til Wednesday, though.

EDIT: I like the idea of a University or college. For one thing, it sidesteps the most iffy question about MH...Are any of the students too young to be getting involved in this kind of (delicious) awfulness? College is supposed to involve a lot more experimentation. You've got fraternities and sororities and all the flavors of inclusiveness and exclusiveness that those entail. Small town private university sounds delicious, so long as it's a large enough university to get a bit out of hand...

And it looks as if we're up to five: so far, let's see...Ghoul, Witch, Selkie and Fae...And DMH listing a lot of unusual ones, including some I don't know!

[Corinthi]

I adore Monsterhearts and Powered by the Apocalypse games.

I'd like to play Anders, the dainty, androgynous Fae with laughing eyes and a matching smile that is only occasionally mocking. Born of a May Day tryst, he's beloved by his human mother and despised by his human father.  His genuine Fae father hasn't shown up yet. A poli-sci major specializing in social justice issues, he tends to take promises rather seriously.

Hot: 2
Cold: -1
Volatile: -1
Dark: 1

Faery Contract: When someone breaks a promise or contract to me, I gain a string and can use it to make them suffer.
Lure: Whenever someone makes a promise to me, they mark experience. Whenever someone breaks a promise and I seek vengeance, I mark experience.

Sex Move: Whenever I lie naked with another, I can ask them for a promise. If they refuse, I gain two strings on them. 

[deadmanshand]

Cold Heritage - I can have that up for you sometime tonight I believe.

I like coastal college town idea. Maybe some dark woods nearby. I'm a sucker for dark woods. I really am.

[Angie]

Cold Heritage - I can have that up for you sometime tonight I believe.

I like coastal college town idea. Maybe some dark woods nearby. I'm a sucker for dark woods. I really am.

We all are. Dark woods might as well be a combination Arena, Dungeon, Mystery, etc.

[Corinthi]

I'm picturing Anders as a local, living in the college dorm just because his father is happy to pay to get him out of the house. Dan, his father, is a big, burly contractor who's resentful of the kid, who's blatantly not his son. Dan would have gotten a divorce, but River, Anders' mother, is old money.  So, for the benefit of a nice bank account, Dan sticks it out and sticks it to his secretary.

Anders is usually pretty easygoing, so long as people are accepting of others. Show any racism, sexism, ableism, or other isms, and he'll point it out to give an opportunity to adjust. Double down on the ism and you've made an enemy. He's happy protesting, doing charity work, dancing, flirting, and gossiping.  Sexually, he's pretty queer. An androgynous, bisexual switch who occasionally enjoys dressing like a pretty tomboy.

[Angie]

Anders is usually pretty easygoing, so long as people are accepting of others. Show any racism, sexism, ableism, or other isms, and he'll point it out to give an opportunity to adjust. Double down on the ism and you've made an enemy.

I'm quite curious, how heavy do you plan on playing up the social justice thing? Because I've gotta tell ya, depending on exactly how it's done, the person behind this keyboard (i.e. me) might take issue. I've had bad experiences, I know, but I haven't met a single person who said they were involved in social justice who didn't a: use it to further their own pet agenda or b: call me the worst example of humanity because I'm trans (male body, female mind, if the distinction matters). Now, people on E are a lot better about this, but I thought I'd bring it up because I don't want any problems to arise.

[Corinthi]

Anders isn't about the wild factionalism you get with a lot of the online Social Justice stuff. He's more along the lines of we should all accept people as they come and try to squash/subvert societal constraints that cause imbalances of power or prevent people from living how they was to live.

Decriminization of drugs, demilitarization of police, ending discrimination, feed/house the homeless while giving less economically fortunate folks more opportunities for social growth.

Bleeding heart hippy, not Internet hate generator.

[Angie]

Then in that case, you and I will get along swimmingly! I also support such an endeavor in real life, and I'm very thankful you took the time to explain Anders's position-rereading my post, it kinda felt like I was attacking you...

[Corinthi]

No worries. Social Justice has become something of a dirty word, but I really wanted to embrace that college age passion and enthusiasm about fixing the broken world, especially given how broken Monsterhearts tends to be.

Vanessa's welcome to have a focus for Anders if they know one another starting out.  She can hex the heck out of him if he ticks her off.

[Ouroboros]

I will admit, I actually self-identifiy as a "social justice warrior" but that's because I'm just very socially liberal and fond of using the somewhat derogatory label to describe myself. Being an oldster I definitely fall on the "be decent to each other, y'all" side of things, so I may not even properly be a SJW. Oh well.

Aaaanyway, to recap again:

Setting:
Coastal college town near a dark woods, old growth untouched by loggers, old money and new hedonism and a heady sense of experimentation as students explore their first real taste of freedom and responsibility.

Characters:

The Fae - Corinthi
The Ghoul  - Cold Heritage
The Selkie - CarnivalOfTheGoat
The Witch - Angiejuusan
? - Deadmanshand

I think we've got a good number of people involved, though I'd be willing to take on a few more to start. I don't want things to get too huge to start, just so I can get used to running the game and can devote a proper amount of attention to doing it well. Plus there's a few of you who need a couple of days to get the book and look over things. I'll say that I would like to get started within a week, but realistically it might not happen given that various winter holidays are happening and I've got IRL obligations to family/friends pretty steadily until the new year.

[Angie]

I will admit, I actually self-identifiy as a "social justice warrior" but that's because I'm just very socially liberal and fond of using the somewhat derogatory label to describe myself. Being an oldster I definitely fall on the "be decent to each other, y'all" side of things, so I may not even properly be a SJW. Oh well.

There's a difference between 'SJW' and 'asshole'.

[Cold Heritage]

Would the university have any sports programs? In light of Anders' disposition, it's somewhat tempting to make an athlete who is to some degree unenlightened on social issues.

@deadmanshand: thank you. I look forward to it.

@Carni: glad to see you! I was hoping you'd peek in.

[Ouroboros]

Yes, definitely. They might not be top-tier athletic departments, but there would definitely be sports.

[deadmanshand]

I'm seriously considering the Beast from Skins For the Skinless. It sounds like rollercoaster of a Skin. Lots of trying to repress things till you explode in violent excess.

[Corinthi]

I listened to an Actual Play of Monsterhearts where they used the Beast. Sounded fun.

[deadmanshand]

Alright. I'm really torn between a couple of Skins so I'll see what you all think.

Choice Number One! The Beast

The Beast is all about repression. You’re that kid who bottles up her passions, who’s terrified of intimacy, and whose emotions are so locked away that when you do finally let them out, they explode with a horrible, uncontrollable intensity. In this case, you’ve got a good reason, because your passions turn you into a killer animal.

The one aspect of your human personality that never goes away is your emotional connection to others. It just turns twisted and malicious - when you are your Darkest Self or are Feral with no impulse control, you’ll go out of your way to hunt and attack that teacher who humiliated you, that boy you have a crush on, or that girl who flirted with the boy you have a crush on. When you return to normal, you’ll probably be horrified - but some small secret part of you will have enjoyed it, and can’t wait to be let out of the cage again.

Choice Number Two! Creepy Stalker Guy The Proxy

The Proxy is both victim and villain. Stalked by an otherworldly malevolent It (think Slenderman, the Rake, etc) and driven to paranoia and growing madness. Recording everything to document his being stalked and becoming a stalker himself. Lots of cryptic messages, voyeuristic recording, and general creepiness while his stalker messes with him the way he messes with others. It's very much a self destructive cycle of the abused becoming the abuser full of fear and sleepless nights.

Note that that one would require the ST to occasionally play the role of It as it has strings on the Proxy and can tempt him to take terrible actions.

[Ouroboros]

Hmm. I like them both, actually... I think I would lean a little toward the Beast though.

[Cold Heritage]

Here's thoughts (everything subject to approval):

Silas the Ghoul!

He's an athlete attending the college on scholarships and bursaries. His father's one of those guys who peaked in high school and who's stuck there - he'll talk about how they got to the state finals and how he could've gone pro (spoilers: he wasn't anywhere near that good) but he married his high school sweetheart because he got her in the family way and did the right thing. His mother works at a Wal-Mart as a greeter she's just worn down and resigned to her mediocre life. They're a state away.

Silas, unlike his dad, is good. He could go pro. He wasn't the most popular kid in school, but he was with that crowd: a hulking, musclebound presence mixed in with the preppy jock crowd. Silas always had a pretty girl hanging off his arm. And when it came time to torment someone who didn't fit in, Silas had a cutting remark to contribute.

Silas died the night of high school graduation. He got drunk, like a lot of other kids in his graduating class. Some teen warlocks sacrificed him to Satan, or something. But they done fucked up, and Silas came back full of hunger and ate them all. He killed a couple of them first, but some? Yeah, live and screaming.

Silas doesn't decay. His skin's kind of waxy and he's got perpetual bags under his eyes like he never, ever sleeps (though he does). His body's still as huge as ever, but he's slower to move than he used to be.

Mechanics

The Ghoul

Name: Silas
Look: Stiff; hollow eyes
Origin: Resurrected

Sex Move
When you have sex with someone, add “having sex with [this person]” as an additional Hunger. If you already have this Hunger, mark experience.

Darkest Self
You will maim, kill and destroy anything in between you and the nearest object of your hunger. You will feed relentlessly. You escape your Darkest Self when someone restrains you or fends you off for long enough for you to regain your composure – at least thirty or forty minutes.

Hot: -1 Cold: 1 Volatile: 2 Dark: -1

The Hunger
You have a Hunger for: flesh.
When you heedlessly pursue a Hunger, add 1 to rolls. When you ignore a feeding opportunity, roll to hold steady.

Short Rest for the Wicked
When you die, wait it out. Some hours later, you wake up fully healed.

Satiety
When you satiate a Hunger, choose one:
  } heal one harm;
  } remove a Condition;
  } mark experience;
  } carry 1 forward.

[deadmanshand]

Here's my shot at a character:

Bram the Beast

He's a student attending college (very) out of state working on a degree in Psychology. He's a foreigner born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa till 2002 when his family left the country for the United States. His father was a senior military officer who left his position after rumors of involvement with the Boeremag. His mother was - and remains to this day - a housewife under his father's thumb. Bram doesn't get along with either of them. Which is why they are on the other side of the country.

Bram is a bright student but always reserved. Distant from his fellow students. His school career and personal life have been marred by a number of outbursts. Some vandalism, a few disturbing the peace, and at least one accusation of keeping a dangerous beast who injured and traumatized a girl.

Truth is he is the dangerous beast. Whatever his father had gotten involved in attracted bad attention. One that got a curse leveled upon Bram as a child. When he is in throws of passion - lust, anger, jealousy, hatred - he becomes a great hyena. Vicious and cunning and malevolent. And it's always there behind his eyes.

Mechanics

The Beast

Name: Bram
Animal Form: Hyena
Look: sculpted with intimidating eyes
Origin: Hexed

Sex Move
Immediately after you have sex with someone, you become your Darkest Self and lash out physically at your partner. You may then choose to keep lashing out or run away.

Darkest Self
You are an animal. No trace of your human body or mind remains, only your most primal emotions - lust, fear, anger, jealousy, hatred. You are drawn to anyone you have such intense feelings for, but your only means of interacting with them is to savagely attack them. If you can’t find someone you know, any target will do. You cannot escape your Darkest Self until you take a life.

Hot 2, Cold 1, Volatile -1, Dark -1

Caged Heat
Whenever you are turned on (especially as a result of having turn someone on used on you), your inner beast begins to assert itself. You gain the condition Feral, and for as long as you have that condition you may use Hot instead of Volatile to lash out physically. You can attempt to hold steady in order to remove this condition. Additionally, while Feral choose two:
} You mostly retain your human shape.
} You mostly retain your human
intelligence and personality.
} You mostly retain self-control over your violent and malicious impulses.

Green-Eyed Monster
Your Caged Heat move is triggered by intense jealousy, anger, or hatred in addition to by being turned on.

Predator and Prey
If you are Feral and have lost your impulse control, carry 1 forward against anyone who has a string on you. Take a string on anyone at whom you lash out physically and inflict harm.

[Angie]

I'm curious to see how Binding (when I get it) works on you...

[Ouroboros]

Nice!

How is everyone coming along with obtaining the rules, by the way?

[Cold Heritage]

I think we all have them now.

[deadmanshand]

Had the rules for a long time now.

[Ouroboros]

I believe Angiejuusan might have been the only one of us who needed it?

Regardless, I will probably write more later. I need a refresher myself and with the holidays and various family members visiting I haven't had a chance yet.

[Angie]

And I mentioned that I bought the thing.

[Ouroboros]

Ah whoops! My apologies for missing it.

[deadmanshand]

While sitting here recovering from the plague - I refuse to call this affliction a mere flu - I discovered an old half finished Skin I made for Monsterhearts. Thought I'd share it here.

The Sandman

You walk in a world of dreams and nightmares. Of black miracles and wondrous terrors shaped by those around you. You can see their potential but it's obscured by all the petty bullshit they keep inside. And you envy them anyway because they can dream and you can't. Your dreams are their dreams and it gets so hard to see the real world through the haze of dreamstuff.

You are the kid everyone unburdens themselves on. That quiet kid with the nice smile who people always go to with their problems. The one who ends up spending too much time playing therapist without managing to stay out of their problems. The one who ends up with others secrets and the burden of what to do with them. Keep their trust or tell the truth?

Playing the Sandman

Darkest Self

You can see what they all want. What they all hide. Their guilt and their passion calls to you. So give it to them. What they want - what they deserve. Let them see how terrible it can be to have all their dreams come true. Come out of your Darkest Self when someone fulfills one of your desires.

Sex Move

When someone sleeps next to you they have vivid dreams. You choose if they are good or bad dreams. If they are good dreams they remove a Condition and you may ask them "What do you love?" If they have nightmares they gain the haunted condition and you may ask them "What do you fear?"

Names

Antique names, British names, fanciful names

Look

dreamy, sleep deprived, ethereal, shadowed

intense eyes, bedroom eyes, knowing eyes, haunted eyes, dreamer's eyes

Origins

A dream in human form, an open mind, incubus or sucubus, disciple of a dreaming god

Stats

Add 1 to one of: Hot 1, Cold -1, Volatile -1, Dark 1

Moves (Take Secret Keeper and two others)

- Secret Keeper

You live in a world of secrets. Some you divine and others given freely to you but all are in your trust. To share someone's most private thoughts is a betrayal and you know it to the core. Because who knows the power of a secret better than their keeper?

Whenever you share a secret given to you willingly give the target a String on you and you gain either the condition guilty or malicious. Until you lose the condition the person you betrayed may spend a String to cause one of he following effects:

To fail a single roll as if you had rolled a 6 or less
To take a 1 harm

- Dreamwalker

You can enter and explore the dreams of others. When you touch a sleeping person or lay your head where they last slept you gain +2 to Gaze Into The Abyss about them.

- Dreamweaver

Dreams are clay in your hands. To be molded to show what you want them to show. You may use this Move on a sleeping person you touch or one that has told you a secret. When you do roll with Dark. On 10+ plus choose two options. On a 7-9 choose one.

They take or heal 1 Harm
They gain one condition from inspired, terrified, or insomniac
They don't know you were in their dream and take 1 String on you

- Bedroom Eyes

When you roll to Turn Them On you gain new options. On a 10+ plus you may take a String on them or they dream of you the next time they sleep and trigger your Sex Move.

- Living Nightmare

Whenever you Shut Someone Down roll with Dark. If you have asked them "What do you fear?" gain +2 to your roll.

- Living Dream

You can seemingly make dreams come true. You can spend a String on someone to have the following effect:

Believe one false thing to be true till the next time you sleep.

- Shoulder to Cry On

When someone shares a secret with you about another they mark an xp.

- Maker of Dreams

When you help or harm someone using their secrets, mark an xp. If you brought them face to face with what they love doing it, they mark an xp. If you brought them face to face with what they fear doing it, take a String on them.

Backstory

Advancements

[Cold Heritage]

That's really cool! I hope you finish it someday.

[Corinthi]

I really like the concept and feel of The Sandman. If I had a criticism, it's that it looks a bit too competent at what it does. The primary move is nicely masochistic, although I'm not as thrilled about the Maker of Dreams XP move. If you're playing a Sandman, you're already buying into the idea of collecting and using secrets. I don't think you should further incentivize doing what the playbook was designed to do.

Still, it's flavorful and interesting. I think it'd be a nice addition with a little more workshopping.

[Ouroboros]

Hey, you guys are not forgotten! I'm just working up to MCing the game, and I think I am almost there. I will probably get something started today or tonight, so we can go over characters, strings, and the like before going IC and getting into the juicy drama of it all.

I will leave you with a question, however. Given the rating system, such as it is, where do you think this game should go? Probably not light, but bondage? NC? Extreme? Think we count as exotic based on the nonhuman characters? I am OK with most things, but if there are subjects best avoided now is the time to say.

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

I'm still working on upgrading my never-got-off-the-ground selkie to a collegiate environment and trying to find the rest of her background (there's more to her than is shown here but I need to sort it out and fix it up).

Mild older-Morgan musical inspiration for later.

[Angie]

I would say extreme just in case, so we're covered.

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

I would say extreme just in case, so we're covered.

Extreme is probably wise. Monsterhearts can get a little rough. If you play RAW the rules are actually quite explicit that your character can end up wanting to do things you wouldn't do, if the dice fall that way.

And I don't mean tearing people apart.



From p.20, probably one of the more controversial rulings in the game (although if read closely, it shouldn't be):

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

This move implies something about sexuality, and
particularly teenage sexuality. We don’t get to decide what
turns us on. When you make a move to turn someone on
(with a character action or with scene description), the
other player doesn’t get to exclaim, “Wait, my character
is straight! There’s no way that’d turn them on.” That’s a
decision that we as players can’t make for our characters.
The dice are going to be the ultimate referees of what is
and isn’t sexy for these characters. Their own sexuality
will confuse them and surprise them; it’ll show up in
unexpected places and unlikely situations. Regardless of
the results of the roll, however, each player still gets to
decide how their character reacts. Being turned on by
someone doesn’t imply or demand a particular reaction.

The last two sentences are very important. Your character might want to do something...Doesn't mean you have to play that they act on that want.

I am super-busy until Thursday evening, but I will try to work on getting Morgan upgraded to 'college-level' and finding the rest of her background that I'd sent the GM for that other game, in my free time if I get a chance.

[Ouroboros]

Oh, no rush at all you guys. I'm just moving sloooowly toward setting up an actual OOC instead of an interest check thread. Although I would like to get started sooner I don't really anticipate any real movement until after the holidays.

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

FOUND IT. Now I just need to fix it to be a bit more collegiate...

SPOILER ALERT

There's a diverse set of legends wherein an older married couple who cannot have children adopt a foundling, who later turns out to be either a prince or a monster. Then there are the many mermaid and selkie stories that involve a fisherman catching a woman in his nets and marrying her, and her later proving to be a mermaid or a selkie...And the biggest selkie story of them all (the Great Selkie of Sul Skerry) is about a mother who has a child and doesn't know who the father is until he comes to claim the child, and the father and the child both turn out to be selkies.

So...Throwing all of that into the blender and adding a bit of spice,

Her 'uncle' is a very old fisherman, retired now. He and his wife never had children. He found the girl huddling asleep in soaking-wet rags beneath the dock the day after his very last voyage was cut short by a tremendous storm. That was three years ago. She spoke almost no english. As best can be guessed, she was swept off the deck of some vessel in the storm...but she didn't match any missing persons bulletins. The state tried to put her in a foster home but she was so visibly terrified of being separated from the fisherman that the social workers themselves advocated that the old couple try to raise her. Paperwork was filled out. Identity was created. She is officially adopted. She has been home-schooled for the past two years, as best her adopted parents could, but they're old, indulgent, and physically incapable of keeping her from going out, so better that she has some experience in school with other children.

And here we are.

Her english is...okay. Not wonderful. As best she can explain, her first memories are of the sea and the storm (not true, but she knows better than to say otherwise). Her understanding of human society is a mixture of 'If a martian watched from the shore' with a strange muddling of awareness of human interventions around the ocean...And the peculiarly distorted views her adoptive parents have given her to expect of school, remembering that they attended high school probably six decades ago. She's clever...Her math scores are fantastic barring deliberately confusing word problems...she just has no social context for a lot of things, and more importantly no experience interacting with people her own age.

Oh, she has undoubtedly picked up some ideas from books, from movies, and from television...But how much bearing on reality do those have?

Short and lithe, but most people would assume short and dumpy because even the least fashionable person can tell she has no idea how to dress well...So she resorts to 'comfortable' clothing which does nothing at all for her...And then there's the sleekly muscular young woman who just joined the swim team and shares her name, who moves like an otter once she's in the water. Standing ready to dive? Nothing to see here. Barely in
balance. Awkward. And then a moment after the splash she's furrowing the water a full body length beyond anyone else and any onlooker can see that the gap between her and the other swimmers is only going to increase. Her dark hair hints at curl just below her waist, and lacks any styling or even the gloss of proper maintenance. As for her eyes, it isn't that they seem too large for her face, it's that there's a distance in them; they are far away, somehow, even when she's looking right at you. Drowning pools that take the color out of their surroundings: murky, dark sea-grey-green or green-black with the occasional angry flicker of deep blue jade. Hard to say where she's from, exactly. Her name taken together with her pale skin, dark hair and eyes suggests what used to be called black Irish...But the fullness of her lips and something about her nose echo Polynesia.

Curious, and curiously lacking in social skills. She'll chew her lip in hesitation until the strain of waiting or wanting overcomes whatever fear or uncertainty was holding her back...And then explode into talk or action, either clumsy-sullen or flailing-passionately. Can't talk without moving her hands. Asks stupid questions. Accent from where-is-that? No, I know a guy from Russia and he sounds nothing like that. Lost her memory, if you believe that. Speaks as clumsily as she moves, has trouble finding the right word about everyday things, waves her hands and points and gets frustrated. Good math grades, though.

Michael MacLear was a fisherman...From a long line of fishermen. He spent most of his life fishing well off the Pacific coast, working his way on far-ranging tuna trawlers. His wife Tracy was a good, stubborn woman who adapted well to the life of onshore waiting which has plagued sailor's wives since time immemorial. By the time Michael took on his last five-year gig, captaining a tuna trawler out of Ensenada, the couple had been long-resigned to their inability to have children. They were good, Christian folk, and while advancing medicine and the bureaucracy of adoption might be options for some, they felt unaccountably wrong to the MacLears.

"And then," as Michael would later tell his drinking buddies, "...the miracle happened."

It was meant to be his last trip out. He'd filed his resignation beforehand. That threw some official scrutiny on what happened, but it was officially decided that Hurricane Rick had skewed around far too sharply for anyone to predict, and the rogue waves which forced him to turn the Rosa Maria towards land so as to take shelter near Bahía Tortugas were perfectly capable of swamping the old CMT fishing boat...Other, similar vessels were lost.

The fact that the boat was silted in...unable to leave the bahia until after the storm's wrack had been dredged from the bay was quite beyond his control. It was an unnecessary lot of excitement for a sixty-five year old captain on his final voyage, but he'd lost neither his ship nor a single crewman, only those tuna they were unable to keep iced in the tropical heat.

And of course they tried to stick him with that. Failed, but they did try.

But the miracle was not the survival of the Rosa Maria. Rather, it was the survival of another storm-tossed arrival on the shore of Bahía Tortugas. The girl looked to be about thirteen, didn't seem to speak any English...or Spanish, or any other language they tried her on for that matter...But she latched onto Michael MacLear the instant she saw him.

It was a strange situation. During the weeks which the Mexican Federal bureaucracy tried (and failed) to establish who the girl might be, she refused vehemently any attempts to take her away, first from Michael, and then from his wife when she came out to Bahía Tortugas to stay with him until matters with the Rosa Maria were resolved. By the time the old couple moved to Mexico City, it was fairly well established that the young girl didn't fit the descriptions of anyone lost at sea, or even missing from the Pacific coast of north and central America, during the past three months. And she seemed to have no memory. She picked up a little English and a little Spanish quite quickly, and seemed determined to disavow knowing of any family or friends, and just as determined to stay with the MacLears.Eventually, after much prayer and counseling (and a look at some unfortunate aspects of the Mexican foster care system), the elderly couple decided to adopt her. It took a bit more clearing with the U.S. embassy, but surprisingly little effort before the way was smoothed and the three of them retired to [OH HECK IT'S NOT LOS ANGELES].

In the intervening three years, 'Morgan' has mostly been home-schooled, but as time has worn on it has become apparent to all involved that her elderly parents really aren't up to dealing with a sometimes-rebellious teenager, more socializing will be better, not worse, despite her lack of it to date, and that she's coming and going out into the wide world regardless of their heartbroken desires. Morgan's relations with her foster-parents aren't hostile, but her side of it has been much more about 'take' than 'give' from the moment she first decided Michael MacLear was the one.

[deadmanshand]

Can we give a bonus experience point to Carnival for using a gif from the Room?

[Ouroboros]

Yes, but it's from another system so I don't know how useful it will be.

(And now I need to write a freeform story based on The Room, thanks guys.)

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

Just an FYI I will be indisposed and likely AFK for most of this weekend.

[Ouroboros]

Arrrgh so much to do, so little time! Offline, anyway.

I'm going to get our OOC set up in the proper area today, but before I do that I wanted to open the floor, so to speak, to suggestions for the name. Left to my own devices, names can get a little obtuse, so if you'd prefer something like [University Name] or similar now is the time to say something.

[Corinthi]

Since we're in college, the home room setup doesn't really work, so why don't we all belong to a student organization of some sort. Maybe a theatre troupe, a film club, or something else entirely. We can use the organization as the thing that causes us to all circle one another. We could name the game after the club. Something like 'The Jaded Order' or some such.

[Ouroboros]

There's a thought - and it would be a lot easier than trying to shunt all of you together via a freshman cattle-call class. Either that or the same dorm.

[Angie]

Jaded club, I kinda like that. I assume none of us knows shit about the others?

[Ouroboros]

Well, you will sort of know some of the other people to begin with. We'll be assigning your starting strings in the OOC once I get it started, which gives you some shared backgrounds.

[Cold Heritage]

The exact nature of this club should be decided before we starting giving out strings. I'll have to change the fluff side of my character to be someone who'd be part of it.

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

So this kind of begs the question of the nature of the club...

As in, 'what sort of club could all these disparate people belong to?'

Morgan's an athlete (swimmer, competitive), and good at math, but she's socially kind of...Yeah. What's socialization again?

What do people think? Anything that might be relevant. Skills, hobbies, whatever.

[Angie]

Club could be  anything, from a study club to some kind of student body (unlikely as that is) to a club that helps prepare the members for joining the really real world. Whatever it is, it smells amazing in there, as Victoria knows what smells best when it burns. I've got it in ky head that her ritual hexing involves lots of fire.

[Praetoria]

Do you have room for another player?  Monsterhearts is one of my favorite RPGs :)

[Ouroboros]

Sure! We have a list of current players and skins a page back, and are at a number where one more would be reasonable.

[deadmanshand]

A club is an interesting idea as long as we pick the right one but since my brain is fried by retail work during this season I have no idea what it might be.

[Ouroboros]

This is likely a private college, so there's always the possibility of there being some sort of small group freshman orientation "class" or community service work groups if a club doesn't come to mind.

[Praetoria]

Sure! We have a list of current players and skins a page back, and are at a number where one more would be reasonable.

Great :) I'd like to claim The Mortal, since no Monsterhearts game is complete without one :)

Name: Diedre

Hot: 1
Cold: 0
Volatile: -1
Dark: 1

True Love: You always have exactly one lover. The first is chosen in your backstory. If you ever fall in love with someone else, give them a string and they become your new lover. You always carry 1 forward to earning your lover's heart or fancy

Excuses Are My Armor: When you ignore some blatant problem with your lover or how they treat you, mark experience.

Down the Rabbit Hole: When you go poking your nose in affairs not meant for your kind, someone involved in the situation gains a String on you and you mark experience.


So, someone interested in having a kind of pretty, co-dependent girl in love with you? Guys or girls are fine for me

[Cold Heritage]

Is there some kind of criteria that the university uses to set admission that could be leveraged to get the disparate cast together?

An idea that came to me (though it requires WILD COINCIDENCE) is that all of our characters are beneficiaries of the same scholarship or bursary or grant, and as part of getting the money the recipient has to be part of the [dead white guy name here] Memorial Club. That club can then do charity work or something, so everyone can be united in compulsory drudgery.

If that doesn't fly it's no big deal with me, but otherwise I'm tapped out. My brain is also fried from holiday retail. I suggested a big, 100-level class because it's easy for everyone to take English Lit 101 or Philosophy 101.

So, someone interested in having a kind of pretty, co-dependent girl in love with you? Guys or girls are fine for me

I am interested.

[Praetoria]

I am interested.

Possible. I am intrigued, but looking over the sheets, it would be a serious XP pump for you. We have sex, I trigger your Darkest Self, causing you to hunger for more sex, causing me to trigger your Darkest Self again, etc.

[Cold Heritage]

Hmm. Wasn't thinking about that. The first time Silas and Diedre were to have sex, it would just result in Silas gaining Hunger: Sex with Diedre and going into his Darkest Self. After that, I guess each instance of intercourse could net Silas 2 experience - one from the Sex Move, and one from Satiety. But until they have sex, being a Ghoul, Silas's probably not going to be all that interested intercourse, having those dulled emotions and all, which could pave the way for opportunities for Excuses Are My Armour and Down The Rabbit Hole.

Though who knows? There's a lot of exciting opportunities if any of the other characters were Diedre's lover. No rush to decide it yet.

[Angie]

I think Victoria would shy away from having any sort of lover (though that may not stop  Diedre). She's still growing into her powers and sees mortals as liabilities-as far as she knows, she's the only supernatural in town.

I'll post her history when I get a proper keyboard in front of me, not this touchscreen crap.

[Angie]

Well crap, I've been calling her Victoria, she's actually Vanessa. Oops. Maybe she uses Victoria as a nickname.

Name: Vanessa
Skin: Witch
Origin: Wiccan
Look: Lithe, Calculating Eyes
Stats: Hot -1, Cold 2, Volatile -1, Dark 1
Moves: Hex-Casting, Sympathetic Tokens, Bide My Time
Hexes: Illusions, Ring of Lies
Sex Move: After sex, gain a sympathetic token (which can also be used as a string). They know about it. It's cool.
Darkest Self: Hex with impunity, revel in the power, and laugh as you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight!

History: Vanessa grew up in a house that was dominated by a man that could only be described as 'an asshole'. The kind of guy who thought that giving women the right to vote was the beginning of America's doom. He was also a devout Jehovah's Witness, and the Sundays drove Vanessa mad with boredom and absolute hatred for the Christian faith-all denominations. Her mother was no help-she silently agreed to her husband's beliefs. Thankfully, Vanessa was the eldest of four children, meaning that most of the time, it was the younger kids in trouble, and Vanessa could be alone for a few hours.

She became a Wiccan almost out of spite for her father, thinking it would be the most blasphemous religion to join. However, the longer she studied the path, the more she agreed with it, finding an inner peace she had been lacking for most of her life. Her father could rage all he wanted-he could not shake the serenity she had gained.

Of all the people in her life, Vanessa loved her grandmother, Sarah, the most. Even though she approached her upper 60s, she was still quite active, with very few health problems. And if Vanessa's father, Charles, feared anyone, it was his own mother. "I tell you, I never raised that boy to be the way he is!" She would say. With her Southern accent as soft as melted butter, she would regale Vanessa with tales of her youth. She was a hippie back in the days of free love, a protestor against the Vietnam War, and had taken many lovers-both male and female-before marrying and having Charles, her only son. "Never let anyone tell you that things are just the way they are-do somethin' about it." That was always Sarah's favorite advice.

One day, Vanessa was cleaning out Sarah's attic, and found a mysterious, leather bound tome. Within, she found the familiar tenets of Wicca, but she also found more. She found magic. Unwittingly, she tried to cast one of the spells upon herself. She felt nothing, so she figured nothing happened. But later, when Sarah asked her if she found anything interesting, she found herself unable to lie and say 'nothing'. She told Sarah about the book, and Sarah's face paled. "Oh my, I know that look on your face...You girl, you have the gift."

It turned out that not only was magic real, Sarah had once been a Witch, long ago. "I remember my old days with the Coven. We all swore an oath to each other, to bring no harm to others, no matter our temptations. We strayed, of course. Some days we would hex whoever we damn well felt like. But we always made up, and our hexes never did too much harm. Now me, I ain't got the gift no more. I can't work it like I used to. But I can teach you...if you swear that same oath. Remember child, no matter what power you have, this power ain't for hurting others. Right wrongs, help who you can, but never, ever strike first. Do you understand?" Vanessa swore to the oath, and began a much more educational class...

A year later, Vanessa graduated from high school, and was now a full fledged Witch. She graduated on the Honor Roll, and with the unknowing respect of every student-she had hexed every school bully to see demonic visions whenever they tried to abuse some poor kid, and she had gone so without revealing herself at all. Now afraid of this mysterious avenger, the bullies and jerks of the school had shaped up quick. She told Sarah of this, and she laughed. "Now that's what I want to hear my girl doing!"

Now she's come to this small town, this small Academy, to further her...mundane education while enhancing her magical power away from most prying eyes. Plus it gets her away from Charles. Little does she know what this place holds for her...

Now, I am open to discuss who I have tokens for (I get two for free) and who gets a free String on me for finding me rifling through someone's stuff.

[Corinthi]

A fae's focus on promises with a mortal's co-dependence could make for an intriguingly masochistic combo.

Also, Vanessa's welcome to have tokens for my Fae, Anders. He's not terribly careful about such things.

[Angie]

A fae's focus on promises with a mortal's co-dependence could make for an intriguingly masochistic combo.

Also, Vanessa's welcome to have tokens for my Fae, Anders. He's not terribly careful about such things.

To be honest, she'd probably want several. She probably sees Anders as a loose cannon and ready to blow at any moment, possibly becoming the one he hates so much. She figures he should be on a leash, and who better to hold it then her? Yes, she is that overconfident. And it's not a slam against Anders, I just get the feeling that that's how she would see him.

EDIT: Also, I think Vanessa, with her history, is going to prefer the "spellcasting does you 1 Harm" thing if she has to pick one of those effects. "Do what thou wilt, if it harm none"-well, she can harm herself, at least. It'll help her sleep at night.

[deadmanshand]

Diedre and Bram would be a nasty relationship. It would involve a lot of blood and pain.

[Praetoria]

It's a possibility, yes. Their sex moves are kind of redundant, though ;) Either way, Diedre would get beaten up some.

[Angie]

I'm curious. You mention in Bram's backstory that he "becomes a great hyena", what would you say to Vanessa having a bit of hyena hair but having no idea it's a token for you?

[deadmanshand]

Works for me.

[Ouroboros]

Hey, just so you know, I would rather keep the strings and such separate from this thread. Jus so we have it for reference in the actual game ooc... And to that end, are there any additional ideas regarding the club/game name, or would you prefer MC fiat?

[deadmanshand]

I'll take MC fiat please!

[Cold Heritage]

I'm kind of warming to the idea of all of the characters living in the same dorm, and there's a movie night weekly in the dorm common room, and they could call it a club to get funding from the uni for renting movies and such. That way it's relatively easy for everyone to be a part of it, no matter how disparate they may be.

Otherwise, I also throw my lot in with MC fiat.

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

• MC Fiat.
• Dorm.

[Cold Heritage]

My desire for Monsterhearts outweighs my desire not to be the annoying one who pokes things. Any updates on the horizon, Ouroboros?

[Ouroboros]

Yeah... I was sort of hoping for more feedback, especially given the recent holidays, but I might have waited too long. I might get the ooc up when I am at a computer this morning, otherwise Sunday. And from there we should be good to get started, unless we do need to do more recruitment.

[Angie]

I've just been waiting. And biding my time, like a good Witch! ;D

[Ouroboros]

Cool. You down with MC fiat for the game name and the link between everyone being the dorm?

[Angie]

Yeah, all good for me. It's my first time playing Monsterhearts, so I'd kinda prefer it.

[Ouroboros]

Awesome.

[Ouroboros]

Here's the OOC.

Right now, I would like you to post the character sheets there (and nothing else) in order to keep things neat. Once we've got the sheets in, or at least a placeholder, from everyone, we'll start further discussion of strings. I'll also be finalizing information along the way.

[Ouroboros]

Well, looks like we have half of the interested people over in the OOC - I'll give it another day or two and maybe a poke before moving on. Three isn't exactly ideal for an online game IMO, but we can probably manage.

[Ouroboros]

Just a bump for those who have not moved their sheets over to the OOC. I'll be PMing later today.