Humans are the real monsters.
The Stranger https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JZpBBTzr7eLMpJxcTQzkmPzjP_IXUZLNfsIONjiOTyk/edit?usp=sharing
The Loser https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R0e2wFJPXUdOE7qTrpNRaaWoDH26_LZbAZHV6hNpEo4/edit?usp=sharing
The Genius https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZvyHfDGjYZ1MpKuFXOHLNLrynkc9gsZ_1LjIxRQRE8w/edit?usp=sharing
Workshopping welcomed, and needed.
The Stranger was previously the Shadow, with elements that have now been split into a separate Skin, the Loser. What both have in common is that I wanted to create a Skin where the player could act as a Big Bad to the Chosen’s Buffy– the cultural/institutional abuse of the Stranger, the caustic self-destructiveness of the Loser. I don’t think the experiment ultimately succeeded, as both Skins end up being pretty vague in terms of what kind of monsters they are. The moves could be more metaphorical, too, although I do think they lead to interesting situations in play.
The mad scientist Skin has been attempted a few times, and this is my stab at it.
I can’t open it. 🙁
Maybe link sharing will work better than publishing.
What’s the metaphor? Which teenager is this?
In the case of the Stranger and the Loser, it’s not necessarily all that metaphorical. The Stranger uses a position of privilege to hurt others and get away with it. They could be rich, popular, older, whatever, but they have power and influence that they wield as a weapon. They might have a secret of their own, skeletons in their own closet, but they use other people’s private lives against them. The metaphor is a serial killer or sexual predator, an abusive boyfriend or girlfriend, or yes, a teacher or parent if that’s something the group is willing to bring up. The Stranger could be a supernatural being, though personally I think that softens it somewhat. I suppose it’s meant to be a pretty thin Skin. I’d be interested to know what other people did with it, because I do realize it won’t fit into most games.
The Loser is the opposite of the Stranger. They’re also an outsider, but instead of hiding they wear their hate for the world on their sleeve. They’re the schoolyard loner and badass that kids parents’ warn them away from, the drug dealer or gang member scorned by the cool kids who somehow maintain their cred in spite of having few visible friends. They’re someone whose self-destructiveness is corrosive and yet magnetic. The subject matter of the Loser simpler than the Stranger’s. It also might be a dead trope nowadays– it’s been a long time since Heathers (or season two of Buffy) came out.
There’s room for supernatural in both Skins, but inspired by the Queen, I sort of like the idea that you can play them as completely mundane. I’m not sure that’s really working for either Skin, though. If anyone wants to suggest a better framework for these moves, even whole new Skins where the various moves are shuffled around and renamed, frankly I’m all for it.
The Genius is someone who might know or have been told what they’re good at but doesn’t know what they want. They’re vulnerable to peer pressure, flattery, and bullying because of that. They don’t have a lot of control over themselves, but in exchange, they get to be the centre of attention, and they get the Creations, which are meant to be powerful and desirable (to others, not just the Genius) without being game-breaking.