I’m looking for threats/ menaces for my group, it consists of a fae, a vampire, a queen, and an as-of-yet undecided fourth player (who I know well enough to know she almost certainly won’t play the chosen or mortal, i kinda expect the infernal, ghoul, or witch)
so far, i have one menace kinda set out, with two threats
The hunters (Abigail, Joseph, Christopher, and Monica)
A group of students who have banded together under the tutelage of Mr. Silas to try to destroy the supernatural. (yeah, they’ve watched too much buffy)
Craving: Notoriety (lash out and provoke reaction)
Offering: Inclusion (show them what they’re missing)
Capacity: Sudden Violence (outright kill someone they love)
Mr. Silas
The schools world history teacher, who is moonlighting as a monster hunter, and has begun systematically hunting down the supernatural elements of the town
Craving: Transcendence (enlist others to do unethical bidding)
Offering: Support (save their skin at a vital moment) or Power (shower them with outlandish gifts)
Capacity: Cold Betrayal (turn their friends against them)
are there any other good menaces to include, I thought that a group of monster hunters would make a good threat (historical footnote, they’re actually a former group from a game of MotW, sans the summoned, as he didn’t really fit) but im trying to think of threats specifically for the queen and fae.
This is what classroom questions are for. Things like “What are you afraid of” and “What’s the one thing that’ll make this a good school year” give you a direction of what’s on player’s minds.
Have you already had your First Session? Is this based after all the things that shook out of that?
No, well, kinda, but not really
Oh? As in character creation but no actual play?
on the nose, yep, and one player was absent (actually, her absence was the reason we started the campaign, we were supposed to be playing AW, but we didn’t want to withut the angel)
I think you’d need to have your First Session first before getting too detailed in your Threats and Menaces. You can have some ideas to throw out there, but it’s the First Session that really sets the tone and timber, esp. as certain details get revealed by your players.
Scratch it all.
If you don’t know the characters yet you don’t need to detail menaces.
Just brainstorm some idea, don’t write them down, just cultivate a teen-horror-drama mental landscape.
Then play the first session. Get to know the characters, ask provocative question and throw at then things building on their answers.
Build on their fears, insecurities, needs and create ad hoc NPCs and dangers to tease those.
AFTER the first session sit down, rethink to what you played and write down two or three of them as Menaces. It will take you between 10 and 20 minutes.
A game of Monsterhearts begins when everyone is at the table and not a moment before. You don’t need preparation as an MC and preparation will only hinder you.
Keep the story savage ^^
Preach it, brother Ezio Melega!
Off the top of my head, the Fae suggests a ‘King’ of the Fairies type character. What if he/she or one of the King’s agents started to charm the Queen’s gang out from under her, subverting her power (for reasons either dictated by Moves taken or backstory, or currently unknown and left to emerge organically). The Fae PC would then be forced to pick sides.
100%, unreservedly what Ezio Melega said.
Despite my idea, I agree with this too. Better to have a story based off menaces reacting to PCs than forcing PCs to react to menaces they might not care about – it means at best they’re emotionally invested, at worst it’s all their fault and they’ll need to clean up their own damn mess.
Exactly that.
The Faerie King is a great classic and I used it a lot in several campaigns. It is something that often emerges from Fae stories.
Often, not always.
Maybe that peculiar Fae will be different, and you will need to tailor the menaces on them, during the game.
Cultivate a mental landscape. Watch Jennifer’s Body and Buffy, read Runaways and The Children Crusade and be ready to react and to build on questions and answers dynamic.
Keep the story feral, tailor it to the interests of everyone at the table.
Was about to ask why this isn’t a MoTW game instead but okay.