Now one “Skin” that does not exist in Monsterhearts is the Intrepid Reporter snoopy investigator type character who wants to find out everyone’s secrets (and maybe expose them or use them as leverage). Some examples might be Veronica Mars, Harriett the Spy, The Hardy Boys and other teen mystery novels.
Some suggested moves would be one that allows them to get strings on other people by manipulating NPC’s for information or dirt. Probably some kind of ability to use Dark to investigate a scene of an event and get information of what’s going on. And of course there is some kind of research type move that lets them delve into information networks, newspapers or occult lore to get further information on a subject.
As for the Darkest Self, its hard to think of what that might be. A suggestion could be their Darkest Self means that they are driven to publicly expose everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets and dam the consequences and only can get out of it if they see the harmful reproductions of their actions or are convinced by someone that doing so would bring more harm than good. What skin would be a good idea for this?
I have something similar in the works for playtesting although it’s a Darker feeling than the sources you suggest.
For investigation, I did not make a Dark Move but just gave Hold Steady a trigger when someone is searching for leads or information because one of those options is Ask the MC a question.
As for interrogation, I gave that to the Sex move which ended up an almalgum of the fae and ghost “when you sleep with someone, ask them a question. If the refuse to answer take a string on them if the lie take 2 strings” or something (remembering off top of my head) then gave a move that triggered it in interrogations situations
Hi, everyone! I’m new here and I’m way ahead of you:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1V2RVrn54-5aHRZZkhnXzJEZnM/view?usp=sharing
I decided not to include a couple of obvious things like an interrogation move, I thought they went against the theme of being an unpowered mundane who has to do their own legwork. The investigation is a Fruitful Void. The Investigator has to figure out how to get those secrets themselves. The Moves mostly give you ways to use the secrets and compensate for liabilities along the way. The Skin doesn’t even have high Dark (although enhancing the question-asking side of Hold Steady is an idea that Branden had in common with me).
I went with “Investigator” because it seemed like the most occult horror-appropriate option. Come on, what does Cthulhu eat 1d4 of per round?
Oh, and I really want to know what people think of The Walls Have Ears. How do you think it would play in your group? Is the alternate necessary?
EDIT: fixed the link, don’t use the old one.
EDIT: Had to fix it again. Derp.
I’m not really a fan on an “investigator” type Skin in Monsterhearts, unless it’s inspired by a monster or other supernatural creature. I feel a big part of the game is not being able to easily get reliable information, as teenagers often don’t understand what’s going on around them. The visions from Gaze into the Abyss are the best most characters can do to gather information, though a few Skins (like The Ghost and The Werewolf) have ways of finding things out.
I think a Skin about digging up secrets, spreading gossip, and blackmailing people fits more with the usual theme of Monsterhearts: being a horrible, selfish teenager. The intrepid reporter or junior sleuth feels, to me at least, like it would be better suited for Monster of the Week.
I agree with Chris Stone-Bush’s comments about simply having a skin that knows things (especially to the level the above Investigator knows things) doesn’t fit with Monsterhearts particularly well. In order to make something like that fit you have to ask how knowing things, or your desire to know things, makes you a horrible person, a monster.
This kinda goes with the issue of finding a good darkest self mentioned in the original post. I personally would go with something more along the lines of getting too involved in the investigation, going too far in the search for knowledge putting yourself and others at risk to discover every secret you can.
I disagree that the Investigator would not fit into a Monsterhearts game. In a lot of Teen Dramas there is the school newspaper and the intrepid reporter/investigator who is willing to stick their nose into business that does not concern them. In monster-hearts you got monsters who might suck blood, rend other students apart leading to an unusual number of unexplained deaths, or use strange and odd supernatural powers. What skin would fit a person who investigates these odd disturbances and tries to find out the truth behind the veil? Currently there is not a skin that fits into that category, although the Chosen maybe could with the right backstory.
Now speaking of the Chosen, now if you play a Chosen character, the “Monster Hunting Support” strings. What if you play as a Chosen who hates all monsters? Is it ok to take NPC’s as your Monster Hunting buddies rather than be forced in odd alliances with say werewolves, vampires or ghouls?
I don’t think either Chris nor myself said there ever couldn’t be an investigatior skin, just that to pull it off you would have to make sure it played up being a monster. Even the chosen the queen and the mortal (the three most mundane skins in the core) are all monsters.
If you are looking for a core skin to be an reporter I do agree that an interpretation of the chosen could be used but I think amongst ther Core along the Ghost and then the Far work best. The ghosts ability to eat sadness and get information through sex and ability to walk through walls makes it stand out in getting scoops on that is going on. Hell even darkest self plays in because then they are invisible and can go anywhere.
While the ghost will more easily got into the unassuming reporter who is surprisingly well informed, the Fae plays well for a reporter who is trust worthy and very worked up with the truth. They use turn on and manipulate NPC to get their info and then extract a promise from any source that the information is true. If it turns out to be bad… Well bad things happen to them. This fits a very in your face kind of reporter who other people will want to avoid like a plague.
As for playing a Choosen who hates Monsters you could take a monster on your team of you justify why they are one of “the good ones” or you simply choose two NPCs as your support squad
How about this for a move:
O Press Pass
You blend in wherever you go. You can convince any NPC that you are allowed to be wherever you are as long as that NPC has no Strings on you.
Personally that just feels like a weird amalgam of Hypnotize and Dissapate that just devalues a manipulate NPC roll all while not fitting into the theme of a press pass. Press passes don’t make you blend in they only work when you stand out and it doesn’t matter if someone has leverage on you, they work or they don’t.
If you were looking represent an actual press pass Dissipate actually works best as is with a blanket “you can walk trough walls” level of providing access it provides. True the walls being walked through are bureaucratic and nothing really supernatural is happening but it provides the same effect