#monsterhearts

[bibinella]

tfw your boss sees a spider and you have to deal with it 😥😥😥

#Wasteland Gospel #WLG #my work #bibinella #Vera Han #Ash Murphy #these two... swoons #Monsterhearts

[anim-ttrpgs]

Why I Dislike PbtA Games, and How Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is Their Opposite

@tender-curiosities

It is no secret that I hate PbtA games.

Though due to a recent misunderstanding regarding another post, I’m going to preface this post by saying that this is going to be a very opinionated post and

I do not seriously think that PbtA games are inherently bad, though I may sometimes joke about this.

While I do often question the taste of people who make and play PbtA hacks, I do not think poorly of their moral character.

While I am going to call for PbtA to be used less as a base for games in the future, I’m not saying that the whole system and all games based on it should be destructified. It’s good for what it’s good for, but unless you’re doing that, I really think you should use something else.

Now that that is out of the way, here’s what I have to say about it.

My first experiences with PbtA games were pretty rough. Monster of the Week was not the first, but it was one of the first ‘indie’ TTRPGs I played after having previously played mostly only D&D3.5e and 5e. I really appreciated that the use of 2D6 over a D20 meant that the dice results would be more predictable, and I really liked the various “classes” I was seeing. (At this time, I didn’t really understand that they weren’t really “classes” at all, though I think I can be forgiven for this because many people, even people who like PbtA games, still talk like “classes” and “playbooks” are interchangeable.)

I was very enthusiastic to play, until it came time to start actually “making” a character, and found that I couldn’t “make” a character. I wanted to make a nuanced, three-dimensional PC who was simultaneously stereotype-affirming and stereotype-defying, with a unique backstory and dynamic with the other characters—but when I went to actually fill out the character sheet for basically any “class”, I found that most of the backstory and most of the personality for my character was being set for me by the playbook. It felt like the only thing about the character I really had a say in was their name, and that two PCs of the same playbook would actually turn out to be almost identical characters. At the time, I thought this was very restrictive and very bad design.

Later, now that I understand the design intent behind it, I still think of it as very restrictive, but I think of it as very bad design for me, not inherently bad.

When I play a TTRPG, I want more freedom in who my PC is. That doesn’t mean I want less rules, in fact having more rules can often increase freedom, but that’s a different post. I want to create original, unique characters, that I won’t see anywhere else. If it’s a class-based system, I want that class to barely touch the details of my character’s backstory or personality, so that I can come up with something original and engaging for why and how this “Fighter” fights. This means that two level-1 Fighters, despite having almost the same mechanical abilities, will potentially be very different people.

PbtA games don’t let you do that. In a lot of PbtA games, you’re not playing your own original character, you’re playing someone else’s character, that every other player that has picked up the same playbook before you has played. It’s more like “character select” than “character creation.” I think I could liken it to playing Mass Effect or The Witcher. Every player may pick a few different dialogue choices in those games that change the story, but we’re still all playing Shepherd or Geralt. No one is going to experience a new never-before-seen story in Mass Effect or The Witcher, which is very much a factor of them being video games and not TTRPGs, and therefore limited to the amount of code, writing, and voice-acting that can go into them.

This anonymous asker who sent a message to @thydungeongal seems to feel pretty similarly to me about PbtA games, and @thydungeongal's response is a very good response about how people find this appealing.

I have more respect for PbtA now than I did, but I still don't like it because to me it seems to play so much against what I consider to be the strengths of TTRPGs as a medium, much like how video games like The Last of Us and David Cage games play against the strengths of the medium of video games, and I will never like it. But other people clearly do, so to each their own.

Then another reason I don’t like it is because I think it’s oversaturating the TTRPG space. I’ve referred to PbtA before as “indie D&D5e”, and i do think that’s a reasonable comparison, because in much the same way that you always hear “D&D5e is a system that can do everything”, I think a lot of people seem to be under the impression that the PbtA system is a system that can do anything. It’s kinda the système du jour for indie TTRPGs right now, and many iterations of it make it clear that many designers do not consider how PbtA differs from more traditional TTRPGs, and how it is specialized for different types of TTRPG gameplay. Just like how I feel PbtA isn’t playing to certain important strengths of TTRPGs, I think that many—maybe even most—PbtA hacks don’t play to the strengths of PbtA. But this isn’t really PbtA’s fault, that comes down to any individual indie TTRPG developer on a case-by-case basis. And the cure for that is something I’m always saying: If you are going to be a writer, you have got to read lots of books. If you are going to be a director, you have got to watch lots of movies. If you are going to be a video game developer, you have got to play lots of video games. And if you are going to be a TTRPG designer, you have got to read and play lots of TTRPGs. That and you have to understand that TTRPGs are specialized. Even "agnostic" systems like PbtA are somewhat specialized, and therefore might really not be a great fit for the game you’re trying to make.

That and, to get more subjective again, there’s like an ocean of them, and I don’t even like the ones that are actually good.

Now that I’ve talked about how I don’t like PbtA games, I’m gonna talk about a game I do like: Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy. Obviously, I like it because I’m the lead writer for it, but I would also like it even if I wasn’t the lead writer for it, because it’s just my kinda game. Eureka is the opposite of a PbtA game. I wrote it to play to what I feel are the strengths of the TTRPG medium.

Eureka’s character creation uses personality traits as a mechanical element of the character, but it does so in a deliberately freeform way. You build your character’s personality out of a list of traits, so who your character is is very much linked to what your character can do, but we aren’t just handing you a pre-made character.

Eureka is designed to incentivize organic decision-making by the PCs, most often by the mechanics of the game mirroring the world they live in. Every mechanic aims to create situations wherein “what will the PC do next?” is a question whose answer can be predicted - it doesn’t need to be ordained by a playbook.

One of my favorite examples of this is, rather than a “Fear Check” forcing the PC to run away if they fail, or “Run Away from Danger” being a “Move” on their character sheet, Eureka opts for the Composure mechanic. The really short version is that one of the main things that lowers a PC’s Composure is encountering scary stuff, and the lower a PC’s Composure, the more likely they are to fail skill checks, and the more likely they are to fail skill checks, well, the less brave they and their player probably feel about them standing up to this scary monster. So if the PC has low Composure, they are more likely to choose to run away. The lower their Composure, the better idea that will seem.

This system really really shines when it comes to monster PCs in Eureka. Most monsters benefit a lot more from having high Composure, but have fewer ways to restore Composure than mundane PCs. Their main way to restore their Composure is by eating people. The rulebook never says “your monster PC has to eat people”, but more likely than not, they’re going to be organically steered towards that by the game and world itself. Sure, they could decide to be “one of the good ones”, and just never eat people, just like you reading this could decide to stop eating food. You technically could, but when your body starts to fail, how long would you? (This is a big part of the themes of Eureka and what it has to say about crime, disability, mental illness, and evil. People don’t just arbitrarily do bad things, it is often their circumstances that leads them down that path until they see little choice for themselves in that matter, and “harmful” people are still just as deserving of life as people who “aren’t harmful”, but that really deserves its own post.)

It has been said that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually arrives at much the same end as the PbtA game Monsterhearts, and I actually don’t disagree, but it gets there from an entirely different starting point and direction. The monster PCs in Eureka are very likely to eat people and cause drama, but it won’t be because they have “Eat People and Cause Drama” as a “Move” on their character sheet.

Monsters in Eureka have a lot of abilities, which they can use to solve (and create) problems as the emergent story emerges organically.

(Oh and Eureka is about adult investigators investigating mysteries, and sometimes those investigators are monsters, not about monster kids in high school, to be clear. The same “end” that Eureka and Monsterhearts reach is that of the monsters being prone to cause problems and drama due to the fact that they are monsters, though this isn’t the sole point of Eureka, just one element of it.)

You can pick up the free shareware version of this game from the download link on our website, or the full version for $5 from our Patreon.

And don’t forget, Eureka is fundraising on Kickstarter starting on April 10th, 2024! We need your support there most of all, to make sure we hit our goals and can afford to make the best version of Eureka we can make!

Interested in branching out but can’t get your group to play anything but D&D5e? Join us at the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club, where we nominate, vote on, and play indie TTRPGs, all organized by our team with no strict schedule requirement! Here's the invite link! See you there!

We also have merchandise.

#eureka: investigative urban fantasy #ttrpg #rpg #roleplaying #eureka #tabletop #monsters #coc #allied forces #monsterhearts #pbta #powered by the apocalypse #motw #monster of the week #motw ttrpg #motw character #d&d 5e #d&d #dungeons and dragons #dnd #dnd5e #d&d5e #fighter #indie #indiegames #indie game #indie games #indie designer #ttrpg design #ttrpg community

[jettyfisher]

Chandra in her partial werewolf form. She likes this form and feels the most comfortable in it.

#monsterhearts #digital art #oc art #oc #sketch #digital drawing #monster #werewolf #werewolf girl #furry #fluffy #wolf #werewolves

[lesly-oh]

You wanna play with fire? Stick and poke tattoo? You wanna play, my new girl? I wanna play with you... 🔥

These are Ash and Tal, mine and @zephyrzion 's characters from our new campaign... If you wanna know more about them you should go check @sapphicrush_rpg 👀

#Wasteland Gospel #Ash Murphy #Talan Meza #Talash #myart #monsterhearts

[rollforfelicity]

Pictured here are two of my Monsterhearts players.

The Pegasus is reacting to his plan of scaring a girl off by saying he's only looking for love backfiring massively when she responds "fuck it, let's give it a whirl."

The Werewolf is reacting to her roommate and massive crush responding "fuck it, let's give it a whirl" to her fuckboy friend who is ruining both of their lives in this moment.

#monsterhearts #ttrpg #ttrpg stream

[andrew-nobody]

What are they about?

Blades in the Dark is a game where you play a crew of rogues in a sunless electropunk industrial city. You’re dodging corrupt authorities, avoiding ghosts, and dealing with demonic forces. All the while you’re unable to leave the city because the lightning barrier around the border keeps out the horrors beyond.

MonsterHearts is a game where you play as high schoolers who are secretly monsters. It’s all about high drama and is very PvP. Think Twilight, Teen Wolf, Buffy…. That kind of thing. It’s really fun. You only have four stats, Hot (to seduce someone into doing what you want), Cold (To shut someone down or control your urges), Volatile (to lash out violently or run away), and Dark (to commune with the Abyss). It’s all about feeling like a monster in your skin as your body changes against your will, etc.

#answered asks #anon #ttrpg #monsterhearts #blades in the dark

[whammy5]

More OC artwork of mine done by SuperiorSpy over on Twitter. This time a werewolf character that has been used in various systems with different backgrounds in Monster of the Week, Monsterhearts, Masks: A New Generation, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians

#werewolf #ttrpg #monster of the week #monsterhearts #masks: a new generation #thirsty sword lesbians #oc artwork commission

[originalzin]

Get your shit together, Hazel.

#monsterhearts #oc #art #demon girl #demon

[nightingaleif]

Nightingale-IF

genre: YA, drama, romance, mystery, urban fantasy, monsters, private academy

Inspiration: Wednesday, Monsterhearts, Euphoria, Locke and Key

Your family name is known for all the wrong reasons. Still, much shock spreads when you are brought before the authorities. The charge? Attempted manslaughter.

The father you have so reviled for his neglect proves useful. He pulls strings and calls for favours and within a fortnight, the charges are dropped.

But you can't stay at home, where you will forever be seen as the kid who got away with murder. Instead, your father sends you off -whether you want to or not- to the Obsidian Academy, which he also attended at your age.

The Obsidian Academy is grim and dark, as if from a whole other era. The residents of the halls are just as peculiar and secretive. Why does your roommate have scratch marks on their wall? Is it your idea or does the Queen Bee have concerningly sharp fangs? And why does everyone keep calling you a 'nightingale'?

Don't get too comfortable yet. For a dark force roams these halls. More and more bodies wind up dead and who knows who will be next? With your reputation and the disappearances starting just when you arrived, you are at the top of everyone's list...

Nightingale is rated 18+ for inappropriate language, sexual themes, use of substances, depictions of violence. (More will be added to the list of trigger warnings as I add more scenes)

FEATURES

Solve a murder mystery with twists and turns. Supernatural of not, the threat of the serial killer is true and ever present. Everyone is in danger. Everyone is a suspect. Even you.

Delve into the secrets of the Obsidian Academy and its residents. Young adults are a mess. Monsters even more so. You would be wise to watch your step, lest the Lady of the Night sinks her fangs in you. Unless you want that of course.

Discover your past. What is your father hiding from you? What happened to your mother? Why do some teachers look upon you with such recognition in their eyes? And what happened that fateful night when you almost claimed a life?Find out what a nightingale is. What it means for you, your relation to the creatures of the night and your fate.

Romance a variety of characters! From the cheery roommate, who mysteriously disappears every full moon, to the Queen Bee whose fangs scare and thrill you, to your guardian angel with horns and even the guy you almost murdered!

Romantic Options

The Roommate: Mace/Macy Walker (gender selectable)

M has welcomed you with open arms into the Obsidian Academy- and into their room. You are sharing a dorm room and so far they have gone out of their way to make your arrival as comfortable as possible. They seem determined to initiate you into their ever growing circle of friends.

Yet the claw marks on the walls imply there is a wilder side to them.

The Queen Bee: Claudia/Claude Fairmont (gender selectable)

C has not spared you a glance. Then again they seem to barely notice anyone but themself. If anything, they seem to dislike you just a little bit more than most. C waltzes around like they own the place and judging by the way everyone bends over to satisfy their whims, they just might be. They grin often and every time they do, you can't resist the urge to let your eyes wander down to their sharp fangs.

Why do they look at you like they know you?

The One You Almost Killed: Amir/Amara Sharma (gender selectable)

The two of you were close. Or your families were at least. Up until now anyway.

The fateful night itself is a blur, but the next morning is clear. You were behind bars and Amir was in the hospital. Bleeding, torn apart, disfigured by your hands.

You thought you would never see him again. Yet here he is. At the Obsidian Academy. Sharing a desk with you.

You are fucking doomed.

The Bodyguard: Lucian/Lucia Winchester (gender selectable)

Despite your repeated protests, you did not arrive to the Obsidian Academy on your own. Your father sent a bodyguard alongside you to guard your every step. You have known L for years, but it has only recently dawned on you how little you know about them. They remain your distant, silent guardian angel.

Though he may be the opposite of one.

Asks: Open!

Demo: Soon...

#interactive fiction #interactive game #if wip #mystery #romance #Monsterhearts #twine game #twine interactive fiction #twine wip #twine if #if games #Werewolves #vampire #fallen angels #dark academia #dark acadamia aesthetic

[renthe69th]

Doing a gesture/skin coloring study and i thought it looked good

#butch #ttrpg character #monsterhearts #oc: viola reyes #here have some tasteful butch sideboob #she's always getting her ass in trouble fighting everyone #partially cause her gf is a fucking shitheel who makes a million enemies and she has to protect #anyway im really proud of the shading and the movement in this piece

[kettle-bird]

New season now on HBO

Finally drew my entire Monsterhearts group! Five monsters and a mortal tackle freshman year at Eldridge University, Maine.

Still frames below the cut!

#kettlebird art #kettlebird OCs #monsterhearts #monsterhearts 2 #ttrpg oc #ttrpg campaign #ttrpg art #ttrpg #atlas jones #other people's ocs #eyestrain #gif warning #flash warning #i adore these idiots oh yes i do

[bibinella]

livestream shenanigans...

I stream on twitch every tuesday & thursday! click here for more info

#wasteland gospel #my work #bibinella #hex #nox x haley #nox tanith #haley marshall #ttrpg #monsterhearts

[tyrannic-prince]

"I am just enjoying the company of a disaster."

This cosplay makes me feel so powerful and confident. I wore this to the theatre to see Charlie and the Chocolate factory and got so many lovely compliments from the staff and cast. 10/10 would recommend cosplaying as Jamie everywhere ❤️🖤

Jamie Wrenly belongs to @executivegoth for @criticalrole

#cinderbrush #monsterhearts #critical role #critical role cosplay #Jamie Wrenly #jamie wrenly cosplay #cinderbrush cosplay #critter #taliesin jaffe #goth aesthetic #goth #witch cosplay

[jettyfisher]

The baddie that bit Chandra. Never mind, I take it back. The bite was sexy and I want another.

#monsterhearts #digital art #digital drawing #werewolf girl #werewolf #bite #furry #wolf #buff woman #biker girl #rebel #monster #werewolves

[lesly-oh]

Ash 😳✨

#Ash Murphy #The Hunted #Monsterhearts #myart

[vicekillx]

Harm [ArtFight]

i will, in fact, like him when he's angry Character (c) mulchmouth Art (c) VicekillX

#art fight #art fight 2023 #artfight #art #fight #2023 #artfight2023 #team #vampire #vampires #team vampire #manticore #monsterhearts #mulchmouth #vicekillx