Category: Monsterhearts: Rules hacks & scenarios

Analyzing the Crabby Moves by Ross Cowman 

I am not a big fan of the Crabby Moves and think they don’t really work in Monsterhearts as written (at least in the way I usually play) and I think that is because of 3 reasons that I want to explore in this post

1. They disrupt the String economy 

2. They sometimes interact weirdly with other Skin moves

3. They sometimes are worded/work weirdly 

Let’s tackle them one by one 

1. They disrupt the String economy 

Looking at the basic moves there are two main ways to gain strings on people. 

Turning them on or lashing out at them. Neither does that reliably as Turn on requires a 10+ or their choice on a 7-9. 

Lashing out requires that you take that option on a 10+. 

You can also get a String on Shut someone down but only if they have no strings on you that you can remove and you pick that option. 

In the Crabby Moves 

Turn someone On does give you a string on a 10+ and an extra effect or maybe on a 7-9. 

On a 10+ with Shut someone down you gain a string on them. 

The option on Lash Out is removed. You can’t beat people up to gain emotional hold over them. 

Now in the Basic move there is one option to remove Strings from people. 

Shut someone down. On a 10+ you take their strings, on a 7-9 you both lose them. 

In the Crabby Moves, there is no option of making people lose strings. It turns Shut from a “defensive” Move that you use to show people that they can’t control you into more of a bullying tool that you use to make people feel bad and then show your superiority over them. 

I think that Shut acts as a safety valve so that people can’t just take more and more strings on someone. There is at least a way to fight back. Also a 7-9 on normal Shut can remove strings from both parties while in the Crabby moves it gives THEM a string on you. 

How does this kind of behaviour get stopped in the Crabby moves? 

The removal of the option of getting a String with Lash turns it from a violence move with social implications into a pure fighting move and removes it fully from the string game. I don’t think I am a fan of this. 

2. They sometimes interact weirdly with other Skin moves

As I am writing this there is actually less weird interactions then I thought. Here is what I found: 

Infernal: Unknowable

When you lash out physically against someone, on a 10 up, they lose 1 String ���������������������������������������� options: they lose 1 String on you. 

With this only the Infernal (or people with this move) have the option of making people lose strings on them and only with violence. 

Vampire: Hypnotic

Is weird because it requires your victim to not have strings on you. Without a way to make people lose strings this gets way harder. Maybe this is an acceptable nerf of the maybe most powerful move in the game? 

Vampire: Cold as Ice

When you successfully shut someone down (7 up), you may choose an extra option from the 7-9 list.

Now this IS weird. For one there is no 7-9 list. Second choosing two things from the list might not make sense together or might not feel rewarding enough. They apologize & shut up and take it?

They apologize & walk away? They walk away & shut up and take it?

Not ideal… A fix might be that you get to choose what option they can’t pick? Not sure here. 

Werewolf: Primal Dominance

When you harm someone, take a String on them. 

 

Now the Werewolf (or others with that move) are the only ones that can use violence to get social hold on people instead of Werewolves just being better at it. 

The Infernal and the Werewolf move could be seen as fixes or extra costs for people that want these options but the Vampire thing is weird. All in all not too bad. It depends on how important you thing the changes I talked about in bulletpoint 1 are. 

3. They sometimes are worded/work weirdly 

Hold Steady: 

On a 10+ you have 3 options: 

} you handle it like a badass

} something gives you strength or respite, tell us what and remove a Conditon

} something gives you an advantage, tell us what and take two forward 

I am not sure how this is supposed to work out? Does the scary thing still happen when you don’t chose to handle it like a badass? If not why would you choose that option when the others give you more advantages? 

Shut someone down: 

On a 10 up, deal your harm as established and choose one:

} the harm is great (plus 1 harm)

} the harm is scarring (physicaly or emotionaly)

} the harm is frightening or horrifying 

It feels like option 2 and 3 feel very similar. When you scar someone physically it might still be frightening. When the harm is horrifying then it might also scar the opposition emotionally. I think the options are supposed to be focused either on the victim or on the audience but the two things are not that different, are they? Also if you scar the oposition, why don’t you put a condition on them? 

Also, when the harm is great (+1 harm) why can’t it be frightening? 

The three options are just sooo similar… 

Run Away: 

This is basically the same as the normal move BUT on a 7-9 it doesn’t actually say that you get away from the scene. Minor point but I thought it’s worth mentioning. 

Gaze into the Abyss: 

I feel like 

} The visions are lucid and detailed

} The visions show you what you must know

Are very similar. It takes some effort to always distinguish them. Yes I can imagine moments where the difference matters but one option less wouldn’t hurt the move, would they? 

What do you think? Am I just overanalyzing? Is getting strings and spending strings enough for the string economy? 

One-Shot Scenario Sketch  —  The Wedding of Pam and Tyrone 

Pam and Tyrone are barely 18 but have decided to get married  because they are soooo in love. You are all invited to the wedding for some reason.

Questions for the players: 

– Why are you invited? 

– If they are sibling or bestie of one of them, ask them why the respective person isn’t dating them anymore but Pam/Tyrone now? 

– Why do you think this wedding is a terrible/awesome idea?

– Who are the bridesmaids?

– Who is the best man?

– Who at this wedding do you want to bone tonight?

– Why must you stop this wedding and how do you want to do it?

– What do their parents think about this wedding?

– What surprise do you have planned for Tyrone?

– What should Pam know before she says yes? 

etc. etc.

Young people getting married way too young is full of drama and pathos. A perfect moment to throw monster into. 

Has there even been an in-depth discussion of the Crabby Moves by Ross Cowman somewhere? 

Ross, you mentioned recently that you are not quite happy with how they turned out and would reconfigure them a bit if you had the time. 

Can anyone link me to some discussions of these because I am not quite happy with them simply by reading them but would like to have more input.