This might just be plain silly.

This might just be plain silly.

This might just be plain silly… Advancement has a definite nine options for each character. If you do not erase the Advancement at one point, they’ll be filled up after about two seasons. I understand that Apocalypse World tells you not erase the Advancements. But Monsterhearts functions differently. I wouldn’t feel too bad about allowing the players to erase their Advancements at the beginning of a new season. Okay, they erase the Advancements but get to keep the moves, stats and gang the bought. Would that unbalance the game?

Last night on Monsterhearts…

Last night on Monsterhearts…

Last night on Monsterhearts…

We ended with a bit of a cliffhanger previous session. Gail (fae) had taken Cage’s (ghoul) doll-like sister for safe keeping back to his newly discovered fae family who live in a fae abandoned hospital. The characters tracked Gail and the sister down. The problem was, Gail wasn’t allowed to let us in, it was the only rule his fae family had set down. But we needed to get Cage’s sister, so we went in anyway. Cue crazy scenes in fae-land.

The fun part about this is that we were both playing two characters. (so far, whenever one character has NPCs in a gang, we all get to play one of the NPCs. The same was true of the faeries.) So the players were able to poke at the other player characters with the NPCs. Our group does this a bunch in various games, and it’s pretty fun.

One of the fae is a Master Duellist. She challenges Cassidy (werewolf) to a duel of course (the most intimidating physical character there) and the two of them exchange some awful blows, the duellist wielding a silver sword. The duellist nearly dead, Cassidy uses her Mercy move, but the duellist fills up all four of the werewolf’s harm regardless, pushing Cassidy into her darkest self. A raging blackfurred beast stalks the halls.

Another fae is a beautiful Princess. A romantic, she becomes obsessed with the “hero from the sea”, our (selkie) Rowan. Rowan just wants to find Cage’s sister, and says she looks like a doll, and so the Princess takes her to her dollhouse, where row after row of dolls with the faces of people Rowan knows at school are lined. The Princess proceeds to distract Rowan as much as possible, taking him to a ball, saying “just one more dance” to keep him distracted.

The third fae, a Barrow Wight, speaks to the dead, and so of course hones in on Cage (ghoul). They exchange witty remarks about how dead they both are, but the Barrow Wight pokes at Cage. He’s searching for his sister, and when he turns to go the fae presents him with ten exits. “What do you really desire, in that empty shell you inhabit” the fae asks. Cage responds “I dunno, I guess, I don’t know who I am”. The fae tosses him a coin and says “Choose a direction.”

Finally, Jackson (chosen) is confronted with a giant Snake fae. This fae just wants to eat him. Jackson fails an attack role, and jumps to the worst possible conclusion, Gail tricked them all into coming into the fae realm so they could all be destroyed. The snake bit him nearly to death, but in the end made Gail appear before them all. Jackson proceeds to attack Gail, thinking he’s the enemy. The head of the household, a woman with a beehive hairdo, enters the scene and rolls out a contract before Gail. “I hate to do this, but you broke your promise.” And Gail disappears (he retires his character).

All the characters are outside, but the action isn’t over yet! Cassidy is still in her darkest self, and rips into Cage (it was funny, we all rolled for who of the PCs would be attacked, and everyone was so excited to get the highest number! So emo). She has a homebrewed power called Unrepentant Rage (or something I can’t remember) where she can’t help but do two damage when she lashes out physically. Cage flies across the graveyard, but Cassidy doesn’t stop here (she doesn’t care for Cage anymore!!) and the werewolf drooling and mad turns on Rowan. Rowan points at the moon saying “It’s not even full Cassidy!” but Cassidy just sees his hand and jumps on him, ravaging his arm. Jackson stabs the werewolf, but it’s Cages words the help sedate the beast. He calls her on her shit, saying “Cassidy this is bullshit, how you just lash out and hurt the people you care about. Get over yourself”. The werewolf sees how much she hurt Cage and Rowan, and comes out of her rage, shaking and naked, and Rowan, with savaged arm, proceeds to comfort her.

Meanwhile, the condition Cage gets for calling her on her shit is “heartless”. The player takes this literally, and where Cage’s heart used to be before the werewolf encounter is a hole. The other PCs proceed home with Cage’s sister, but Cage stays to satiate his hunger. Cassidy proceeds to look for his heart in the ravine nearby, which leads to an uncomfortable sex scene with the two characters (because Cassidy can still satiate Cage’s hunger, but she doesn’t remember having sex with him). He’s in his darkest self, but Cassidy’s turned on, and she gives herself to him feeling pretty guilty about tearing his heart out when she was a werewolf. Sex moves are exchanged (Cassidy now has Cage back on her possessive list, Cassidy remains a way Cage can satiate his hunger). All kinds of angst. And what, these two can’t escape each other.

The next day at school there’s a new character Victoria (queen). She has a bad luck amulet that’s causing all sorts of havok. Cage’s “girlfriend” Jade meets up with him and wants to know if he got her sexts, he relents to a date with her. Cassidy and Rowan meet up after school in the drug van, wallow in misery, cigarettes, and vodka, and have misery hook up sex. They feel marginally better afterwards and sex moves are exchanged (Cassidy has Rowan and Cage on her possessive list now, and Rowan has strings on Cage). Jackson flirts with the new girl Victoria, and has a date lined up. Hope she doesn’t notice his junk is missing (still stolen from the mermaid/man, still unresolved til next time!).

Is there a reason why a menace doesn’t have a countdown clock or a grim portents?

Is there a reason why a menace doesn’t have a countdown clock or a grim portents?

Is there a reason why a menace doesn’t have a countdown clock or a grim portents? Could those be added without breaking something?

What kinds of things do you do on a missed “gaze into the Abyss” roll?

What kinds of things do you do on a missed “gaze into the Abyss” roll?

What kinds of things do you do on a missed “gaze into the Abyss” roll? What do you find challenging about it, what works really well for you?

Actual Play Report by Markus Wagner of our Monsterhearts Hangout yesterday.

Actual Play Report by Markus Wagner of our Monsterhearts Hangout yesterday.

Actual Play Report by Markus Wagner of our Monsterhearts Hangout yesterday. 

MC comments to follow 

http://wingsfate.blogspot.de/2013/02/actual-play-report-monsterhearts.html

There’s some fun posts on Story Games right now featuring Monsterhearts.

There’s some fun posts on Story Games right now featuring Monsterhearts.

There’s some fun posts on Story Games right now featuring Monsterhearts.

http://www.story-games.com/forums/discussion/18005/monsterhearts-playing-scenes-behind-the-mc039s-back

http://www.story-games.com/forums/discussion/17559/monsterwarts

http://www.story-games.com/forums/discussion/18005/monsterhearts-playing-scenes-behind-the-mc039s-back