HyveMynd
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Post by HyveMynd on Feb 12, 2013 23:15:19 GMT -8
I just felt like sharing this. Last month we started a game of Monsterhearts and I finally get to be a player (rather than the MC). Everyone in the HJ's community should know what the game's premise is (as I sing it's praises constantly), but just in case you don't here is it in a nutshell. You're a high school kid dealing with all the usual teenage social bullshit you'd see in a typical teen drama like Gossip Girl or Dawson's Creek. Except that you'r also a monster. Vampire, werewolf, ghost, whatever. Which ramps the drama up to 13. So I'm playing January, who is a Hollow; think Frankenstein's monster. Someone that was built or made, not born. My particular story is that I was a demon who possessed the body of a high school girl, and promptly forgot/lost all my demon-y powers and don't know how to be human. In game terms, the Hollow is all about conforming to the labels that other people give them; they benefit from letting other people define how they act. A few days after the start of the new school year, January decides to sit in the popular girl's seat in homeroom, just to cause shit. Sure enough, Vivian comes in, acting all bitchy and demands she leave. January's not having any of that, calmly stands up, and socks Vivian right across the mouth. Vivian falls, cracks her head on the side of a desk, and lays on the floor twitching. Not moving. The class goes nuts. Cage (a Ghoul and fellow PC) runs over to check on Vivian, whom he has a crush on. He then tackles January to the floor, roughing her up a good bit, and demands to know why she did that. "I totally just helped you out" January replies. "Now you can be all white knight-y and take her down to the nurse." Which he does, after bullying Marco the football player in to taking Vivian down by himself. A few minutes later and January hears her name blaring across the school's PA system. Report to the principle's office immediately. So she does. Cage is waiting on the bench outside the office. Like a little snitch he says he's going to tell the principle everything January did. She swings at him too, misses, and goes bat shit berserk. This body is wrong. It has to suffer. She needs to cut herself out of it. Make it bleed. She looks Cage dead in the eye. "Hit me." she says. And he does. He buries his fist in her face, and she crumples. Smiling and spitting blood, she drags herself over to the door of the principle's office and smacks her head into it a few times. Like she's knocking, only with her face instead of her fist. The door opens, teachers gasp in horror at the state January's in, as she shakily raises a hand toward Cage. "He did it." she says weakly with a malicious smile seen only by him. Heh. So yeah. My Monsterhearts character January is pretty fucked up. And I like it! One of the mechanical rules of the game is you can spend a String (a resource that represents leverage you have on other characters) to offer another player a point of XP if they do something. If they do what you ask, they get the XP. As you only need 5 points to advance, a single point of XP is really valuable; like 1/5th of a level. So, waiting outside the principle's office, I spent a String on Cage, turned to Cage's player and said "I'll give you an XP if you hit me." The other mechanical rule is that sometimes, when you miss a roll, you become your Darkest Self. That's when you act like a total monster, burning, crushing, and destroying everything in your way. The Hollow's Darkest Self is making their body suffer. They're cutters who need pain to feel real. So when January snapped, that was me missing my roll (which I did constantly that session) and the MC triggering my Darkest Self. Our next session is next Thursday, and I can't wait to do more fucked up shit with January. Anyone else want to share some of their messed up characters? Edited because I screwed up an NPC's name.
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Post by jazzisblues on Feb 13, 2013 6:15:53 GMT -8
I have yet to play MH, but Gina has and enjoyed it very much. Your story sounds like fun times Hyve, looking forward to hearing more from this character.
JiB
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Post by Kainguru on Feb 13, 2013 9:12:15 GMT -8
Changeling The Lost: My Character 'Frank O'Brien' - loosely based on Tom Waites. This was the character backstory I gave the GM (using the Tom Waites song 'Franks Wild Year' with alteration): Frank settled down in the Valley, and he hung his wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife's forehead. Before that he'd served his time in the war Two years in Italy cleaning up various piles of shit Nothing major except when his best friend of six months Exploded like an overripe tomato beside him Nazi shell loud but quick Frank wore the brains and intestine for the better part of day Pinned down under fire. It was summer too stank so bad couldn't get the smell out Had to burn his uniform in the end. Frank got pretty drunk after that and for the rest of his tour Saw strange things in those ancient shadowed streets Late at night in the quiet. Whiskey will do that do a man Frank thought Make him see things that can't possibly be Still Frank was honourably discharged at the end of the war His girl back home had spent most of that time on her back Maintaining the morale of the men left behind While Frank and his friends had been sweltering Under that hot Italian sun dressed in suits of gore. Frank knew, Frank knew she knew he knew, But never a word was said on the matter. Except for that one trip just after he got home to the VD clinic, Frank supposes she went too because it never did itch like that afterwards again. He sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road and assumed a $3000 loan at 15 1/4 % and put a down payment on a little two bedroom place. His wife, that spent piece of used jet trash, Made good bloody-marys, kept her mouth shut most of the time, had a little Chihuahua named Carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind. They had a thoroughly modern kitchen; Electric oven (the whole bit) Frank drove a little sedan. They were so happy. One night Frank was on his way home from work, stopped at the liquor store, picked up a couple of Mickey's Big Mouth’s. Drank 'em in the car on his way to the Shell station; he got a gallon of gas in a can. Drove home, doused everything in the house, torched it. Parked across the street laughing, watching it burn, all Halloween orange and chimney red. Frank put on a radio station, got on the Hollywood Road headed North. Sometime after that things got really weird Like back in Rome Only he wasn't that drunk At least not that he could recall Never could stand that dog.The GM took the metaphor at the start, about his wife, literally so I decided to roll with it - thus Frank O'Brien entered the changeling realm pretty fucked up to begin with. Oddly though he was the one of the group most determined to remain as human as possible - rarely using his Changeling Powers (and very reluctantly even when he did). A fucked up communist sympathising pot smoking drunken beat poet changeling in 1950's Boston . . . beyond redemption but trying all the same . . . Aaron
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Post by CreativeCowboy on Feb 16, 2013 3:44:48 GMT -8
Chris, thank you for this post and your post in Only Players Roll where you explained Apocalypse World-based games. I am not sure I understand AW to my complete comprehension but what you have described, so far as I understand it, is a game I would like to play. The interaction between players and GM sounds good old school to me – in comparison to “nu skool” munchkinism, which rests on a mechanical mathematical DC from a spreadsheet without any necessity beyond dice for player interaction. Not sure if the GM must give player information (synthesizing data for players for them to “phone it in”) or raw data (for player skill to interpret and be present) in your example. I just felt like sharing this. Last month we started a game of Monsterhearts and I finally get to be a player (rather than the MC). Everyone in the HJ's community should know what the game's premise is (as I sing it's praises constantly), but just in case you don't here is it in a nutshell. You're a high school kid dealing with all the usual teenage social bullshit you'd see in a typical teen drama like Gossip Girl or Dawson's Creek. Except that you'r also a monster. Vampire, werewolf, ghost, whatever. Which ramps the drama up to 13. So I'm playing January, who is a Hollow; think Frankenstein's monster. Someone that was built or made, not born. My particular story is that I was a demon who possessed the body of a high school girl, and promptly forgot/lost all my demon-y powers and don't know how to be human. In game terms, the Hollow is all about conforming to the labels that other people give them; they benefit from letting other people define how they act. A few days after the start of the new school year, January decides to sit in the popular girl's seat in homeroom, just to cause shit. Sure enough, Vanessa comes in, acting all bitchy and demands she leave. January's not having any of that, calmly stands up, and socks Vanessa right across the mouth. Vanessa falls, cracks her head on the side of a desk, and lays on the floor twitching. Not moving. The class goes nuts. Cage (a Ghoul and fellow PC) runs over to check on Vanessa, whom he has a crush on. He then tackles January to the floor, roughing her up a good bit, and demands to know why she did that. "I totally just helped you out" January replies. "Now you can be all white knight-y and take her down to the nurse." Which he does, after bullying Marco the football captain in to taking Vanessa down by himself. A few minutes later and January hears her name blaring across the school's PA system. Report to the principle's office immediately. So she does. Cage is waiting on the bench outside the office. Like a little snitch he says he's going to tell the principle everything January did. She swings at him too, misses, and goes bat shit berserk. This body is wrong. It has to suffer. She needs to cut herself out of it. Make it bleed. She looks Cage dead in the eye. "Hit me." she says. And he does. He buries his fist in her face, and she crumples. Smiling and spitting blood, she drags herself over to the door of the principle's office and smacks her head into it a few times. Like she's knocking, only with her face instead of her fist. The door opens, teachers gasp in horror at the state January's in, as she shakily raises a hand toward Cage. "He did it." she says weakly with a malicious smile seen only by him. Heh. So yeah. My Monsterhearts character January is pretty fucked up. And I like it! One of the mechanical rules of the game is you can spend a String (a resource that represents leverage you have on other characters) to offer another player a point of XP if they do something. If they do what you ask, they get the XP. As you only need 5 points to advance, a single point of XP is really valuable; like 1/5th of a level. So, waiting outside the principle's office, I spent a String on Cage, turned to Cage's player and said "I'll give you an XP if you hit me." The other mechanical rule is that sometimes, when you miss a roll, you become your Darkest Self. That's when you act like a total monster, burning, crushing, and destroying everything in your way. The Hollow's Darkest Self is making their body suffer. They're cutters who need pain to feel real. So when January snapped, that was me missing my roll (which I did constantly that session) and the MC triggering my Darkest Self. Our next session is next Thursday, and I can't wait to do more fucked up shit with January. Anyone else want to share some of their messed up characters? This post was like scales falling from my eyes because it demonstrates to me how a system in role-playing could inspire the kind of behaviour I have only seen from what I would call dysfunctional gamers, magnifying their neurosis, through the window/excuse of their characters. For the first time, I could see myself playing a dysfunctional character within a game and still feel clean. I have not been so close to Damascus in a long time, brother. Thank you for the map.
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HyveMynd
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Post by HyveMynd on Feb 17, 2013 20:00:31 GMT -8
That does sound like a pretty mess up character, kainguru. Changeling: the Lost is a very close second in my favorite nWoD settings ( Vampire: the Requiem being first). As one of my players put it, every PC is, by their very nature, an abuse victim. The magical nature of the setting allows for some really messed up stuff to happen at the intersection of reality and fantasy. I really like it. The game I was running fell apart due to scheduling issues though. Glad I could help you out, creativecowboy. The thing about Monsterhearts is all of the characters are messed up. There are no "well adjusted people" in that game. Even though every PC is a monster (ghost, vampire, witch, etc.) each monster is really just a metaphor for a type of messed up, teenage behavior. The Werewolf is the kid who acts out violently to problems or confrontation. The Ghost is the kid no one notices (and who likes it that way). The Ghoul is the disaffected kid who suddenly becomes way too obsessed with certain people. The Witch is the kid who sits back and judges everyone else silently. It is really quite clever. But is also turns some people off, which I understand. More than other games, you really have to be OK with not being in full control of your character and with failure when playing Monsterhearts. Especially when it comes to sexuality. As I said in my original post, players want Strings on other characters so they have emotional leverage over them. One of the easiest ways to get a String on another character is to turn them on. For example: After getting patched up at the hospital and then a trip to the police station, January and Cage are back at school the next day. There in biology class together, and the teacher makes them lab partners: they have to dissect a dogfish together. January burned all her Strings on Cage yesterday and wants to get more on him to use later. She's standing on the opposite side of the dissection table from Cage, and leans over at just the right angle so he can see straight down her blouse. Cage gets all hot an bothered and blurts out that he'll try to get Vanessa to stop picking on January. What happened mechanically, is this. I rolled for January's turn someone one move and got a weak hit. That means Cage's player has to choose between three options; give me a String, give himself to me, or promise me something he thinks I want. He didn't want to give me a String, nor (he decided) would Cage start going at it right there in the biology classroom, so he chose to promise me something he thought my character wanted. You'll note that Cage's player wasn't allowed to say "January doesn't turn me on". In Monsterhearts, just like in real life, you can't decide what gets you all revved up. But you do get to choose how you react to it. That rule stands despite your character's sexual orientation. You can say your character is straight, gay, bi, or whatever. If someone successfully turns you on, you still get turned on by them. Another example: Later in the day, January discovers that Sarah (an NPC) has the hots for Cage. Sarah is cousins with Danielle, who is one of Vanessa's toadies. January gets a nasty plan to use Sarah's affection for Cage as a tool to get back at him and Vanessa. So January finds Sarah out in the quad during lunch, and sits down a little too close to her.
No, she hadn't heard about Danielle's party tonight. No, she's pretty sure she's not invited. Oh Cage is going? Didn't you know that he's secretly into you, Sarah? He totally is, he's just too cool to show it around his friends. Oh, you've got something on you face. No, you missed it. Here let me get that for you.
January then leans in far too close to Sarah, their lips almost touching. She brushes the nonexistent crumbs from he lips in a way that implies more than just friendship, as she says something along the line of "I can see why Cage likes you...". Sarah suddenly kisses January, gasps, turns bright red and runs off. Again, what happened mechanically is I wanted a String on Sarah, and attempted to turn her on. I got another weak hit, and the MC chose to have the NPC "give themselves" to my PC. Hence the kiss. Sarah's probably straight though, which is why she got all embarrassed and ran off. Unfortunately I, the player, didn't get a String on her which is what I really wanted. Instead what I did is dig myself a big mess hole. I can either give up and find another way to get into that party, or I can keep working on Sarah. Of course I'm going to do the latter. The whole point of this game is to cause drama and see how messed up things get.
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Post by fray on Feb 17, 2013 21:00:44 GMT -8
Yep, them there are some pieces of work you two have.
I want to play MH. ...someday it will happen.
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jfever
Journeyman Douchebag
FEVAH!!!!
Posts: 218
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Post by jfever on Feb 17, 2013 22:27:25 GMT -8
I was in an evil 3.5 campaign as a Warforged Fighter who had it in his head that he was better than the Lord of Blades (think that was the name of the fabled ruler of the Warforged). The party and my Warforged ended up inside an isolated magical bubble that housed a land filled with undead to recover a specific item. Along the way we encountered a female good aligned cleric with her two fighter buddies. We worked together to recover the item. Then, through some conversation, found out that the good bitch and her two friends had vowed to stay inside this bubble and not give us the item. This item was not only our quest, but also our ticket out of the magical bubble. So, as evil people would do, we swiftly dispatched the two friends. We then tied the good female cleric to the table in her house. My Warforged told her, "You know. I could do anything I want to you right now. But, as opposed to how all you flesh bags perceive us, I have a certain level of empathy and will not harm you any further. I will simply leave you here to starve. Farwell." My Warforged turned around and started to leave with his two friends. The good aligned cleric, of Pelor, then spat on the back of my Warforged character's head and said,"You and your kind were a mistake! May the light of Pelor burn you all!!" This did not make my Warforged character feel very good. So, he turned around and commanded his companions to hold down the cleric woman. (Also, as a side note, my Warforged character had made it a point to enhance himself with spikes all over his body, especially his hands.) Then, Warforged said,"I WAS going to leave you to die praying to your piece of shit God. But, now, (he lifts his spiked fist in front of his chest, tightening his fist) you have incurred my wrath. The wrath of the greatest creation that has ever walked this planet!" Then, he proceeded to fist fuck the cleric woman, listening to her screams of agony and pain, until she passed out from pain or blood loss.
yeah . .. . . . . .. . . I was 18 years old. . . .
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Post by malifer on Feb 18, 2013 6:25:33 GMT -8
But is also turns some people off, which I understand. More than other games, you really have to be OK with not being in full control of your character and with failure when playing Monsterhearts. I think what turns me off of Monster Hearts is the setting. I don't know if I could really get into any game set in high school. It's too much like reality television and that makes me turn off the tv and grab a book. Although I do see the similarity between hyper-emotional impulsive young people that biological will not have the ability to plan or perceive consequences for about 8 to 10 years... ...and those same characteristics in a group of transient murder hobos with low Wisdom scores that just set everything on fire.
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Post by heavymetaljess on Feb 18, 2013 11:49:23 GMT -8
My current character for our 2nd Edition AD&D game is pretty fucked up.
Alfrun discovered she could do magic when she was 10, but kept it to herself. Her family lived in a highly religious town that looked at magic as an abomination. One day, her father caught her doing a light cantrip and turned her in to the village clergy. That same day, she was found guilty of using magic, tied to a stake in the center of town, and lit on fire. She was 12.
She was able to wiggle free of her bounds but not until after the towns folk had pelted her with rotted garbage. Her right side from the chest up had been badly burned and she ran off into the snow covered forest to escape. She wasn't very successful though and soon the town folk caught up with her. They determined that her evil was so strong that they had to bury her alive. Little did the town folk know, but at night a necromancer was digging up all their dead.
From his mountain dwelling the necromancer saw the funeral and headed out that night to collect the body he hoped was still fresh. He was horrified to dig a still living young girl from the frozen ground and did his best to bring her back from the brink of death. Though he was successful he was unable to save her right eye or prevent her body from being horrifically scarred. Once he learned she was capable of magic, he took her on as an apprentice.
Many years latter, Alfrun was forced to leave after her mentor was killed in a summoning accident. She was now in her late 20's and had sewn garments of leather to cover her scarring. Her horrible experiences had turned her into a bitter, angry, selfish person (Charisma 5). On her way out of the area, she burned down the church in her town.
Her time spent with the necromancer, learning his style of magic, twisted the woman's mind. She cares little for life or death and looks at them only as a condition. She has become obsessed with eyes and believes they contain the essence of the individual. She collects the eyes of people and monsters she kills. When she casts spells to see the last moments of a person's life, it involves licking their eyeballs. Eventually, when she gains enough levels I intend for her to make a spell that allows her to use the eyes like the "essential salts" in Lovecraft stories.
She is manipulative, crafty, and people look on her with fear and revolution. She uses their fear to control people. She isn't evil, but because most people abhor magic so much in our setting, they consider her the worst of society. Even her traveling companion, basically a female Conan, keeps a careful eye on Alfrun and doesn't fully trust her. The only thing keeping them together is mutual respect for each other and the fact that they each make the other’s life easier.
I absolutely LOVE playing this character. It lets me take weird and disgusting to the next level. I always try to think of what the most demented, nauseating thing I could do would be. Recently, I watched a horror short film about a girl who uses a syringe to pull out the liquid from eyeballs of people she kills. Then she injects it into her own eye so she can see their life as it “flashes before their eyes.” It was horrific and now I always picture other people reacting to what my character is doing the same way I reacted to seeing the film.
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HyveMynd
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Posts: 2,273
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Post by HyveMynd on Feb 18, 2013 19:13:40 GMT -8
But is also turns some people off, which I understand. More than other games, you really have to be OK with not being in full control of your character and with failure when playing Monsterhearts. I think what turns me off of Monster Hearts is the setting. I don't know if I could really get into any game set in high school. It's too much like reality television and that makes me turn off the tv and grab a book. Although I do see the similarity between hyper-emotional impulsive young people that biological will not have the ability to plan or perceive consequences for about 8 to 10 years... ...and those same characteristics in a group of transient murder hobos with low Wisdom scores that just set everything on fire. LOL. Yeah, the PCs in Monsterhearts have an excuse for their behavior: they're teenagers. Those D&D "heroes" who just burnt down an entire village (and did only God knows what to the survivors if 18 year old jfever is in the game ) don't really have that excuse. Basically, my belief with roleplaying games is this. Somewhere at the core of everyone who roleplays is a desire to be someone, to do things, and to experience things that they can't or didn't in real life. Everyone is playing to scratch that wish fulfillment itch, even if it's just a small part. My high school and college years were boring as shit. Seriously dull. If I had a time machine, forget killing Hitler. I'd go back to 1994, find my 14 year old self and smack the shit out of that damn poindexter. I'd be like "Hey dumbass! You can be a nerd for the rest of your life. You've only got about 10 more years of this 'no responsibility' stuff. Make good use of it, especially since you'll only have that hair for 15 more years. Go be stupid." So Monsterearts is wish fulfillment for me, as I didn't do any of that stuff. But I can understand when people say "Nah, I experienced that shit, so I don't need to roleplay it."
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kevinr
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 158
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Post by kevinr on Feb 18, 2013 20:15:19 GMT -8
When it comes down to it Monsterhearts is a pvp game so the characters really don't need to be likable or play well with others.
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HyveMynd
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Posts: 2,273
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Post by HyveMynd on Feb 21, 2013 19:47:18 GMT -8
When it comes down to it Monsterhearts is a pvp game so the characters really don't need to be likable or play well with others. Absolutely true, kevinr. As illustrated by what happened in last night's session. This has kind of turned into a Monsterhearts AP thread, but I like sharing all the messed up shit that happens. I'll do what I did before; write out the story with notations of mechanics that resulted from/caused the fiction. First though, all the players chose their character portraits. Presenting: Kindly just ignore the watermarks on the stock images. And yes, Catherine is a complete basket case. The last session ended on a cliffhanger for both January and Cage. Both of them were at a house party thrown by Danielle, one of Vivian's toadies, and both had gotten into sticky situations. Cage, who was coming down the stairs with Vivian after having sex, gets confronted by Lance and most of the hockey team. Things get tense. January, who'd been steered over to the football team by Marco, gets approached by Danielle and is told she has to make up for what she did to Vivian. Whatever it is, it's not going to be good. Catherine (the Ghost) arrives at the party. This is incredibly odd as no one usually notices her or invites her to anything. Cage and Lance get into a shouting match, and Lance asks Cage if he wants to take it outside. Gladly, says Cage and leaves Vivian standing on the steps. Off they go into the yard where the hockey team forms a circle around them. Lance makes the first move, throwing a punch that Cage tries to duck under. He's not quick enough though, and catches Lance's fist in his face. (1) He staggers backwards into the arms of one of the hockey players, who grabs him in a bear-hug, holding his arms so Lance can lay into him even more. Cage head-butts the guy, smashing his face, and goes berserk. He sees red. He needs to cause as much chaos as he can. Right now. (2) Cage turns and starts wailing on anyone he can reach. The hockey team fights back, pulling him down with their numbers, and beats him into unconsciousness. (3)
Back inside, Danielle presents January with a red plastic Solo cup and orders her to drink it. What's in it, January asks. It doesn't matter, replies Danielle. Drink it, and part one of your punishment is done. She steps closer to January. Drink it. Now. January considers her options, including violence, but that'll just cause more problems. Better to just get this over with. Fine. She snakes one arm around Danielle's waist, pulling her closer, and grabs the cup with her other hand, intertwining fingers as she does so. She chugs whatever's in the cup, intentionally spilling some down her front, which she then brushes away with Danielle's fingers. What the hell are you doing, yells Danielle shoving January away. I don't swing that way you perverted freak. (4) Now on to part two. Danielle orders January upstairs. Second door on the left, she says. Make sure whoever's in there has a good time. We'll know if you don't. January hesitates. After this we're done right, she asks. For this offense, replies Danielle. Now go. Feeling she has no other choice, January starts dizzily starts up the steps.
Off in the corner, Catherine is approached by Marco, a defensive lineman for the football team. Are you having a good time, he asks. I guess so, replies Catherine shying away from him. He's completely drunk. You need to loosen up and have a good time, he says. Here. He pushes a plastic cup towards here and puts a hand on her shoulder. Catherine flips out at the male human contact and starts screaming, trying to get Marco off of her. Calm down you crazy freak, he says. (5) I'm just trying to have a good time. Jeeze. I'm sorry, Catherine mumbles. Just don't touch me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Here, Marco says. You can make it up to me. He pushes the cup at her again, and Catherine gives in. She takes a sip, but Marco tips the cup so she swallows way more than she indented.
Outside, Cage is still out cold from the beating the hockey team gave him. They've propped him up into a sitting position, and are using his head as target practice for their empties. Bouncing beer cans off his head like a backboard.
Upstairs, January finds Billy waiting for her in one of the dimly lit bedrooms. He's chubby, with braces and a terminal case of acne. January wedges a chair under the door handle as there's no lock, snaps on the light, and stalks over to him. He looks nervous. January sees an opportunity, and acts on it. She sits down next to Billy, squeezing up against him. I know what you're expecting, she says, and I know what everyone says about me. (6) But it's not true. She touches his hand and leans over. How about we just tell everyone that something happened, and leave it at that? If you promise not to say anything, maybe I could... reward you later, January asks him. When no one's around, of course. Billy leans in and kisses January. No, he says. Were going to do it right now, or I'm going to go tell Danielle, he says. (7) January stands up and confronts him. I tried to be nice, she says glaring down at him. Did you hear what I did to Vivian, she asks. No, he replies. I put her in the fucking hospital, which is exactly what I'm going to do to your fat ass if you don't tell Danielle exactly what she wants to hear. Got it? Billy nods silently. (8) Good. Now just sit there for a few minutes, then roll your ass downstairs and find Danielle. Minutes pass in silence. Finally Billy creeps out the door and heads downstairs. January finds an upstairs bathroom to make herself look slightly "messy" before going downstairs herself.
Meanwhile downstairs things are getting out of hand. Catherine realizes what this party really is and why she and January got an invite. It's an excuse to haze and humiliate all the loser kids. She panics, suddenly unable to find her friend Mary. Something bad must have happened to her. Where is she? She starts screaming again, and Vivian and Danielle start herding her towards the door. It's time for you to leave, they say. Catherine's slowly backed out the door into the front yard, where Cage is finally starting to come to. January comes down the steps, pushing between Vivian and Danielle to get to Catherine. Come on, she says. Let's just go home. Catherine babbles something about wanting to make sure Mary's all right. Forget her, January snaps. Let's just go. Now. They start walking away, through the woods to January's motel room on the highway. Cage groans, red-flooded vision coming back into focus. He's still hungry, and there is what he needs standing on the steps in front of him. Vivian. He heads right for her, grabs her arm, whispers in her ear. I need you again, right now, he says. (9) Vivian recoils. You're hurting me Cage, she says. Let go of my arm. Cage starts screaming that he needs her at the top of his lungs, and looks like he's about to drag Vivian upstairs. Lance steps up behind him. Didn't you learn your lesson yet, he says. Cage turns, fist whistling through the air, and connects with Lance's jaw. There's a grinding pop, and Lance goes down. Hard. (10) Cage lays into Lance's face like a punching bag, while Vivian and Danielle start screaming for someone to call the police.
January and Catherine hear the commotion behind them and turn around. Seeing another opportunity to get out from Danielle's thumb by intervening, January charges back towards Cage. Lance's face has a been reduced to something that resembles lasagna with teeth sprinkled in it. Get inside the house and lock the door, January yells to the girls. Now. January slaps Cage. Knock it the fuck off, she yells. Cage hesitates, fist in the air. (11) We have to go, says January. Right now. Where's Vivian, asks Cage looking up at her. I need her. Right now. Right fucking now. He's screaming again. No you don't, January screams back. Vivian ran off. You scared her off. You. Police sirens blare in the distance, getting closer. January grabs Cage's arm and tried to pull him. We need to go right now, she begs. Please? Let's go. The police told us to stay out of trouble remember, she says. Cage stands up, blinking. All right, he says. (12) January and Cage run back towards Catherine, and the three of them take off through the woods to avoid the cops. OK, game mechanics that explain what happened in the fiction above: 1. Cage fails his lash out physically roll when attempting to harm Lance, resulting in him taking damage and ending up pinned by a hockey team member. 2. Cage aces his lash out physically roll this time, doing damage to the guy holding him and getting to choose an extra option. He chooses to become his Darkest Self, and will now main, destroy, and kill anything that stands in the way between him and his two Hungers: Chaos, and having sex with Vivian. He'll also get a bonus to all his rolls when going after his Hunger without regards for anything else 3. Cage fails his lash out physically roll again this time, and gets stomped into unconsciousness by the entire hockey team. 4. January attempts to seduce Danielle in order to get a String on her but fails her turn someone on roll. Danielle puts January in a spot by calling attention to her apparent bi-sexuality to everyone at the party. 5. Catherine attempts to shut someone down to get Marco to leave her alone, and get a weak hit. They both give each other a Condition, and Catherine gets the Condition crazy freak. 6. January already has the Condition slut from a previous encounter with Lance. Conditions indicate how other people perceive you. Lance has spread rumors about having sex with January in his car, hence everyone assuming she'll do anybody. 7. January epically fails her turn someone on roll when attempting to get some leverage on Billy. The result is he presses her, trying to force her to give in to his demands. 8. January nails her shut someone down roll, using the threat of physical violence to cow Billy into doing what she says. She chooses to have Billy lose a String on her, of which he has none, so she gains a String on him instead. 9. Cage is still in his Darkest Self mode, meaning he must attempt to sate his Hunger regardless of consequences, going for the closest one first. The Ghoul's Sex Move says "When you have sex with someone, add 'having sex with [this person] as an additional Hunger'. That's Vivian now, as the two of them has sex earlier in the night. Cage will now destroy anything and everything that stands in the way of him getting to screw Vivian again. In this case, that's poor Lance. 10. Cage gets a huge success on his lash out physically roll against Lance. He does harm to Lance, and chooses to do extra harm as his critical success option. Lance goes down, and Cage just keeps on beating him into a pulp, reveling in the chaos he's creating. 11. January spends a String on Cage, forcing him to hold steady to continue beating Lance. Cage fails the roll, and finally stops. He's still in his Darkest Self and looking for Vivian though. 12. January spends her final String on Cage, offering him a point of XP if they leave right now. Cage takes the XP, forgetting about Vivian for the moment. So, as you can see there was more messed up shit last session, as is bound to happen in a game of Monsterhearts. I didn't even get to what happens when January, Cage, and Catherine get back to the cramped little motel room January lives in. That's a whole new category of messed up.
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Post by stork on Feb 21, 2013 22:30:10 GMT -8
Changeling The Lost: My Character 'Frank O'Brien' - loosely based on Tom Waites. This was the character backstory I gave the GM (using the Tom Waites song 'Franks Wild Year' with alteration): Frank settled down in the Valley, and he hung his wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife's forehead. Before that he'd served his time in the war Two years in Italy cleaning up various piles of shit Nothing major except when his best friend of six months Exploded like an overripe tomato beside him Nazi shell loud but quick Frank wore the brains and intestine for the better part of day Pinned down under fire. It was summer too stank so bad couldn't get the smell out Had to burn his uniform in the end. Frank got pretty drunk after that and for the rest of his tour Saw strange things in those ancient shadowed streets Late at night in the quiet. Whiskey will do that do a man Frank thought Make him see things that can't possibly be Still Frank was honourably discharged at the end of the war His girl back home had spent most of that time on her back Maintaining the morale of the men left behind While Frank and his friends had been sweltering Under that hot Italian sun dressed in suits of gore. Frank knew, Frank knew she knew he knew, But never a word was said on the matter. Except for that one trip just after he got home to the VD clinic, Frank supposes she went too because it never did itch like that afterwards again. He sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road and assumed a $3000 loan at 15 1/4 % and put a down payment on a little two bedroom place. His wife, that spent piece of used jet trash, Made good bloody-marys, kept her mouth shut most of the time, had a little Chihuahua named Carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind. They had a thoroughly modern kitchen; Electric oven (the whole bit) Frank drove a little sedan. They were so happy. One night Frank was on his way home from work, stopped at the liquor store, picked up a couple of Mickey's Big Mouth�s. Drank 'em in the car on his way to the Shell station; he got a gallon of gas in a can. Drove home, doused everything in the house, torched it. Parked across the street laughing, watching it burn, all Halloween orange and chimney red. Frank put on a radio station, got on the Hollywood Road headed North. Sometime after that things got really weird Like back in Rome Only he wasn't that drunk At least not that he could recall Never could stand that dog.The GM took the metaphor at the start, about his wife, literally so I decided to roll with it - thus Frank O'Brien entered the changeling realm pretty fucked up to begin with. Oddly though he was the one of the group most determined to remain as human as possible - rarely using his Changeling Powers (and very reluctantly even when he did). A fucked up communist sympathizing pot smoking drunken beat poet changeling in 1950's Boston . . . beyond redemption but trying all the same . . . Aaron That there is a great back story. All I could hear was Waits growling it out. when I ran my last PHREQUE show game, I looked at Changeling to get a handle on the fea realm. The fluff in that game is really well thought out. I stole/re-purposed/ I mean Paid Homage too it.
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Post by Kainguru on Feb 22, 2013 4:18:06 GMT -8
Changeling The Lost: My Character 'Frank O'Brien' - loosely based on Tom Waites. This was the character backstory I gave the GM (using the Tom Waites song 'Franks Wild Year' with alteration): Frank settled down in the Valley, and he hung his wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife's forehead. Before that he'd served his time in the war Two years in Italy cleaning up various piles of shit Nothing major except when his best friend of six months Exploded like an overripe tomato beside him Nazi shell loud but quick Frank wore the brains and intestine for the better part of day Pinned down under fire. It was summer too stank so bad couldn't get the smell out Had to burn his uniform in the end. Frank got pretty drunk after that and for the rest of his tour Saw strange things in those ancient shadowed streets Late at night in the quiet. Whiskey will do that do a man Frank thought Make him see things that can't possibly be Still Frank was honourably discharged at the end of the war His girl back home had spent most of that time on her back Maintaining the morale of the men left behind While Frank and his friends had been sweltering Under that hot Italian sun dressed in suits of gore. Frank knew, Frank knew she knew he knew, But never a word was said on the matter. Except for that one trip just after he got home to the VD clinic, Frank supposes she went too because it never did itch like that afterwards again. He sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road and assumed a $3000 loan at 15 1/4 % and put a down payment on a little two bedroom place. His wife, that spent piece of used jet trash, Made good bloody-marys, kept her mouth shut most of the time, had a little Chihuahua named Carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind. They had a thoroughly modern kitchen; Electric oven (the whole bit) Frank drove a little sedan. They were so happy. One night Frank was on his way home from work, stopped at the liquor store, picked up a couple of Mickey's Big Mouth�s. Drank 'em in the car on his way to the Shell station; he got a gallon of gas in a can. Drove home, doused everything in the house, torched it. Parked across the street laughing, watching it burn, all Halloween orange and chimney red. Frank put on a radio station, got on the Hollywood Road headed North. Sometime after that things got really weird Like back in Rome Only he wasn't that drunk At least not that he could recall Never could stand that dog.The GM took the metaphor at the start, about his wife, literally so I decided to roll with it - thus Frank O'Brien entered the changeling realm pretty fucked up to begin with. Oddly though he was the one of the group most determined to remain as human as possible - rarely using his Changeling Powers (and very reluctantly even when he did). A fucked up communist sympathizing pot smoking drunken beat poet changeling in 1950's Boston . . . beyond redemption but trying all the same . . . Aaron That there is a great back story. All I could hear was Waits growling it out. when I ran my last PHREQUE show game, I looked at Changeling to get a handle on the fea realm. The fluff in that game is really well thought out. I stole/re-purposed/ I mean Paid Homage too it. Cheers I tried to do the gravelly voice for the first few sessions but, to be honest, it hurt my throat too much. Frank O'Brian's response to 'shit going down' : while all the other characters were concentrating on improving their changeling abilities he just went off and bought the biggest scariest handgun he could: "fuck spooking them that weird shit, put this in a guys face and they tend to talk pretty honest". Aaron
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Post by jazzisblues on Feb 22, 2013 6:45:46 GMT -8
I like games with messed up characters, it's the problems that we bring ourselves that make it interesting. I really have no interest in Mary Sue characters either as a player or as a gm, so this whole scenario appeals to me.
JiB
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