Monsterhearts 2: Downward Spiral

This is a 10 session series  of Monsterhearts 2 by Avery Adler, beginning on Oct 10th to avoid competing with the Shared Hearth event. Being able to attend every session is ideal, but not required. You should RSVP to each session you wish to attend. No prior experience with the game is necessary. All rules will be taught.

CONCEPT: Monsterhearts 2 is a PbtA game about the messy lives of teenagers who are secretly monsters. It explores the terror and confusion of having a body that is changing without your permission. The monstrosity of these characters is literal: they are vampires, werewolves, witches, and more. But their monstrosity is also allegorical, standing in for experiences of alienation, shame, queerness, and self-destruction.         

AIM: Everyone shares the same agenda: make each main character’s life not boring, keep the story feral, say what the rules demand, and say what honesty demands. It’s about exploring relationships and internal strife. While not exactly player-versus-player, it is certainly a game where characters hurt one another, make mistakes, and navigate social fallout.  

TONE: Imagine a teen supernatural romance with elements of horror. The tone may move between comedic and serious, but melodrama will always be the constant. Media touchstones include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vampire Diaries, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Note: We will be playing with only the original Skins.

SUBJECT MATTER: Monsterhearts 2 explores some difficult themes: dysfunctional relationships, teen sexuality, coercive power, trauma, abuse, violence, and queer marginalization.

SESSION LENGTH: 3 hours. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 total (one spot is being held for Will S.) 

LOTTERY: If more than 3 people sign up, I will run a lottery for the 3 available seats on Sunday August 10th at 5pm Pacific and announce the results via email.

SET-UP : We will use Zoom for our sessions. I’ll email all players about a week before the first session with the necessary links and resources. We will plan to record, but I will confirm this with the players. The  Open Hearth Code of Conduct will be in play and we will use Lines and Veils and the X-Card, as well as Script Change for safety tools.