Monsterhearts, anyone? (interest check)

Started by Ouroboros, December 06, 2014, 10:25:21 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

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!
Semi-Relevant Information
wants and needs | apologies and absences  | ons and offs

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?
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Angie

I won't! I have my Witch, and none of you are taking her from me! MWUAHAHAHAHA!
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!

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?
Semi-Relevant Information
wants and needs | apologies and absences  | ons and offs

CarnivalOfTheGoat

#30
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!

My O/Os. My A/As.
Games I seek:
Savage Worlds of My Little Pony <- Just what it says. Free supplement for SW. (Or any other MLP RP!!! :D)
Eclipse Phase <- Posthuman grit SF, open source, downloadable from their web site. VERY deep worldbuilding.
Cold City <- Espionage meets the Lovecraftian supernatural. Allies in post-war Berlin chasing down the results of secret Nazi experiments
a|state <- Post-apocalyptic sort-of-steampunk, sort-of-high tech roleplay in a massive, decaying, broken-down city-state.

Corinthi

#31
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

Quote from: deadmanshand on December 08, 2014, 11:36:33 AM
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.
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!

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

Quote from: Corinthi on December 08, 2014, 12:19:09 PM

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.
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!

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...
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!

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.
Semi-Relevant Information
wants and needs | apologies and absences  | ons and offs

Angie

Quote from: Ouroboros on December 08, 2014, 03:47:18 PM
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'.
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!

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.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Ouroboros

Yes, definitely. They might not be top-tier athletic departments, but there would definitely be sports.
Semi-Relevant Information
wants and needs | apologies and absences  | ons and offs

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.
Semi-Relevant Information
wants and needs | apologies and absences  | ons and offs

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.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

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...
Avatar is by Lemonfont. Will remove it if he asks me to.

Come check the Cyberpunk Images Thread!