In trying to understand the fundamental structure behind Monsterhearts, etc, I have started some analysis from a purely mechanical level.
For example, I notice that some skins get three Moves and others only two. MH only has 4 stats and AW has more. Has anyone else done a 30,000 foot analysis of the ApW-based games?
I think that it could point to a basic “grammar,” whether intended or not.
There are some interesting comparisons as well. Not much difference between the Vampire & the Queen skin, for example, from a numeric / mechanic point of view. Which is oddly appropriate to me.
Seeing the underlying structure is helping me when I make choices in my own ApW-powered game design process.
One important difference is that you (werewolf excepted) can’t find out what is going on mechanically. There’s no Read A Person/Sitch. This can sometimes make advancing the plot be a little more convoluted/complicated especially in the presences of characters (the Chosen & Infernal for example) who require PLOT.
The vampire and the queen are vastly different in a lot of ways. For starters the queen has a gang while the vampire is much more of a loner or predator. They gain strings and interact with them in very different ways. The vampire gets rewarded for withholding sex, the queen gets rewarded for having it.
I can see that Tim, I was speaking from a purely stat-oriented view, but you do bring upi good points there
you can’t just look at the stats. they are just one part of the picture