Gameplay will go here!
Search Posts
Is anyone unfamiliar with the system, by the way? I can fill y'all in as needed.
I'd like to try running a campaign of Monsterhearts 2, a Powered by the Apocalypse game about relationships and teenage monsters. I'm a little new to the system myself but I'll help guide any newbies as much as I can.
Monsterhearts is a game driven primarily by social interactions. There will be danger, intrigue, and life-threatening situations, but it's not a combat-focused system. Think less Buffy and more True Blood. The PCs are newly arrived freshmen at Summerwood University, an elite private college on the East Coast. The school is highly exclusive, but has been known to offer scholarships to unusually "talented" applicants. There are rumors of mysterious, supernatural events and sinister dealings among the students and faculty… but that's probably nothing to be concerned about.
Some ground rules for the campaign:
To submit a PC for recruitment, include the following details about them: Name
Recruitment is open until I decide we have enough people.
HUNT #1: Harvest It is late September, the night of Howling Creek's annual Harvest Festival, one of the biggest events in town. The festival takes place in Dalmont Park, where the town's eponymous creek is located. The area is scattered with colorful autumn foliage, with a more densely wooded area nearby. Nearly the whole town is here. There are carnival rides set up (including a ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a cheap-looking “fun house”) and a variety of harvest-themed activities, including a highly competitive pumpkin pie eating contest. A stage has been set up, and a local band composed of three forty-something dads (who call themselves The Mid-Life Crisis) are performing a competent upbeat cover of a David Bowie song. Everyone seems to be having a great time. A dim, warm light fills the park. It is nearly sunset. Magnus:
You were recently hired to do an odd job by Jonah, the owner of the club where you are employed; the precise details of his dealings have been kept vague, but you're able to surmise that he's involved with some sort of organized crime. You've been told to go to the Harvest Festival and meet with a man named Walter at a particular park bench; he will give you a briefcase, which you are to bring back to the club (and are not to open). Jonah gives you a physical description of Walter but doesn't provide may more details. Since this meeting is taking place in public, it seems likely that Jonah does not entirely trust Walter (or his employers) and wants to avoid any chance of violence breaking out. Phil:
The autumnal equinox is a particularly significant time of year, often linked to the hunting patterns of certain creatures as well as dangerous magical rituals. You've been instructed by your agency to be on the lookout for any unusual activity, particularly in areas where large groups of people are gathered and may be at risk. The Harvest Festival seems like the prime location. Ariane:
The Collectors' arcane seers have foretold that an event of great concern will occur at this year's Harvest Festival. The details are vague, but you've been instructed to attend and be on the lookout for anything odd—particularly any unusual objects that might be recovered. Derek: Your guardians have other plans tonight and have saddled you with the responsibility of taking Josie to the Harvest Festival. Hopefully you'll find something here to distract you from the strange dreams you've been having...vivid visions of flying through a cold night sky.
This is where players can refine their character details and establish if/how they know each other.
Some specific elements I'd like some more clarity on-- Arianne: Tell me a bit more about the Collectors. I gather that they collect magical artifacts and that their motives for doing so are dubious. What has Arianne been told regarding their motives? Do they ostensibly collect artifacts for educational/research purposes, to keep them safe from those who would misuse them, or do they openly exploit them for personal gain?
Magnus: Do you have a particular breed of monster in mind for your history, or do you want me to "reveal" it over the course of the story? Also, how old is your character?
This is my first time GMing this system as well as any PbP game, so please bear with me. :) The game is set in the present day and the PCs are based in Howling Creek, an unassuming suburban town in Indiana that is secretly a hotbed of paranormal activity. No one is exactly sure why, but there are a wide range of varying theories; some say the town sits at the intersection of several mystical leylines, while others insist that it's the remnants of an ancient curse. Regardless, most people (both within and outside the town) remain blissfully ignorant of the existence of the supernatural, rationalizing the town's strange phenomena as simply urban legends, mass hysteria, or drug-induced hallucinations. Those in the know observe that, for whatever reason, the town has a way of keeping its dark secrets under wraps, and they tend to do what they can to keep it that way to prevent widespread panic (and avoid attracting the attention of even darker forces). The PCs are a motley crew who will soon find themselves at odds with various shadowy adversaries. This is a very flexible setting; pretty much anything goes with regard to what sort of supernatural creatures and entities may exist (think Buffy, X-Files, Supernatural). Please have a basic understanding of how the game is played and the basic moves (link). Character Creation: Use the basic hunter playbooks from the Revised edition. (link) At this point I'm less concerned with your characters' stats and moves than with your concept, history and personal goals. You can pick out ratings and moves if you so choose, but your more story-centric details will be the deciding factor if I end up needing to choose between several players. Since, as per MoTW rules, there can only be one hunter of any given type per campaign, you may want to submit more than one character (especially if someone else submits a hunter of the same type as you). I'm not gonna make you choose your “look” from the multiple choice options in the playbooks, feel free to get creative. Please look relatively human so that you'll be able to engage in social situations with mundane NPCs without incident (mostly applies to Monstrous and Divine). Player characters may choose to start aware or unaware of the supernatural (playbooks like the Expert or Wronged are obviously more likely to start out in the know, but even if you're the Chosen, Spellslinger or Initiate you could gain knowledge of your powers or join your sect over the course of the first hunt if you so choose. Generally speaking, only characters who are aware of magic (or have some sort of latent magical ability) will be able to use the Use Magic move to start. Big Magic can only be used by characters who are well-experienced with the arcane. It will be up the players whether or not they know each other before the first session (I'm not going to require that we do the “History” portion of the playbooks exactly as written). We'll work out those details and refine other backstory elements before the actual gameplay begins. Recruitment will stay up until I feel we have enough players (ideally at least 3).
So I’ve never actually GMed a PbP game before, but I’ve been looking into the Apocalypse World system Monster of the Week lately and would be interested in giving it a try. Just curious if there are enough people here familiar with the system to start something up. |