Stranger Shores: Character for a Hangout Game

On Thursday, I am GMing a hangout game in the Stranger Shore setting. The game is supposed to serve as a short introduction into FATE Core. I've prepared five characters for the players to choose from. The skills are already adjusted to reflect the latest changes to FATE Core. All characters still have aspects and skill slots for the players to customize them. The faction names are explained in this post. All characters start with Refresh 3, stress boxes are based on Physique and Will respectively (and thus not listed).

Malthusian Fallen Angel

Aspects:
High Concept: Fallen Angel
Faction: Malthusian Conspirator
Community: Shady Dealings

Skill Pyramid:
Great (+4): Contacts
Good (+3): Elemental Control (Light), Resources
Fair (+2): Fight, Shoot

Stunts & Extras: 

• Sinister Reputation: You can use Contacts instead of Intimidation to create advantages based on the fear generated by the sinister reputation you’ve cultivated for yourself and all the shady associates you have.
• Seven League Stride: By apparently walking straight into a wall or a shadow, the character can teleport to another location within one day travel of his current location. The player needs to spend a FATE point to use the stunt.
• Elemental Control (Light): Can use light to overcome obstacles, create advantages, attack and defend.

Humanist Community Leader

Aspects:
High Concept: Coarse,yet gentle Ogre
Weakness: People & things are fragile
Faction: Humanist Spokesperson

Skill Pyramid:
Great (+4): Physique
Good (+3): Provoke, Empathy
Fair (+2): Fight,

Stunts & Extras: 

• Brutal: Use Physique instead of Fighting to physically attack a physically unharmed opponent.
• Tough Hide: Armor:2 vs all attacks causing physical stress.
• Incredibly strong: gain +2 to Physique, when overcoming any physical obstacles to movement.

Demonic Geneticist

Aspects:
High Concept: Purified Demon
Weakness: Cold-wrought iron
Faction: Darwinist Geneticist
Job: Researcher at GenTech Industries

Skill Pyramid:
Great (+4): Lore
Good (+3): Elemental Control (Fire), Investigate
Fair (+2): Fight,

Stunts & Extras: 

• Scientist: Gain +2 to Lore, when creating advantages related to biological research.
• Flaming whip: Gain Weapon:2 when physically attacking with your flaming whip
• Elemental Control: Fire. You can use fire to overcome obstacles, create advantages, attack and maybe even defend.

Iconoclast Warlock

Aspects:
High Concept: Wicked Warlock of the North
Weakness: For whom the bell tolls
Faction: Iconoclast clawing at the gates of Faerie

Skill Pyramid:
Great (+4): Witchcraft
Good (+3): Lore, Will
Fair (+2): Deceive, Notice

Stunts & Extras: 

• Witchcraft: You can use the Witchcraft skill to overcome obstacles and create advantages
• Warlock: You can use the Witchcraft skill to attack and defend.
• Knowledgeable: You gain +2 with Lore when creating advantages related to the weaknesses of supernatural creatures

Albigensian Nephilim

Aspects:
High Concept: Haughty & arrogant Nephelim
Faction: Disgusted Abligensian
Community: Fear and Loathing in Juneau

Skill Pyramid:
Great (+4): Provoke
Good (+3): Sorcery, Will
Fair (+2): Fight,
Average (+1): Physique

Stunts & Extras: 

• Indomitable: Armor:2 vs all with Provoke or Witchcraft/Sorcery attacks causing mental damage
• Sorcery: You can use your Sorcery skill to overcome obstacles and create advantages
• Curse Heaven! You can use Provoke instead of Sorcery to attack people in churches, cemetaries and other sacred places mentally

Monsterhearts: Session Prep

Tomorrow, the second episode of Devil Falls, AK will be played. I've decided that I need some session prep. Not much, but three things need to be addressed:

• Annalee the Witch was cheated out of her gaze into the abyss at her grandmother's house.
• Player characters might encounter the Merrow of Lake Crescent.
• Baron the Infernal will drug the beer supply at the party. What happens if a player character drinks some beer?

I've decided to address Annalee's gaze into the abyss with a custom move, because she was looking for some very specific information. Also, I am going to introduce that custom move as a love letter. The Merrow will be statted as a threat. It is not, as of itself a menace, but rather a threat attached to a menace. I think the real menace is something else. Drinking beer at the party will be a custom move also. It will be rolled with +dark.

Love Letter to Annalee

Dear Annalee,

since I completely misjudged the scene at your grandmother's house with your aunts being all mean to you and you hitting the books looking for answers to your previous visions, you are entitled to roll +dark after the stats are highlighted. Don't forget to add the +1 carry forward from your previous vision. On 10+,  you can choose choose two: 

• You will learn that Cassidy can take the shape of a wolf
• You carry +1 forward toward asking Cassidy for help against the merrow
• You are cured of one condition.

On a 7-9 choose one:

• You will learn that Cassidy can take the shape of a wolf and you gain the condition "drained".
• You learned a confusing jumble of half-truths and maybe even suspect Cassidy to be the merrow.

On a 6- you take the condition "unloved" because you listened too much to your mean aunts.

Love & kisses

Your MC

The Merrow

The merrow constitutes a threat. It craves intimacy (isolate them), it offers power (shower them with outlandish gifts) and it has the capacity for sudden violence (outright kill someone they love). The merrow is a tough opponent and will require 8 harm before being killed.

• Is there only one merrow?
• Who awakened the merrow?
• Who is using the merrow?
• Who will be offered power by the merrow?

Drinking the Drugged Beer

When you drink from the beer that has been poisoned with drugs by Baron, roll +dark. On a 10+ choose three. On a 7-9, you can choose two.

• Baron doesn't gain a string on you.
• The next morning, you do not gain the condition "headache".
• You don't carry +1 forward when lashing out physically at the party.
• You do not end up making out publicly with another student from your homeroom.

Monsterhearts: Cardiff, Wales Episode 2

We continued our Google Hangout game set in Cardiff, Wales. The player of our witch Merill couldn't join us. So it was up to Lucien the Serpentine, Morrigan the Ghoul and Mattieu the Selkie to continue wreaking emotional havoc.

At the end of the last episode, Marcel the transgender teen was kissing Morrigan. Both were rather surprised by this event. Thomas saw that and looked confused between at Lucien and Mattieu. Lucien used that opportunity to smile back and obviously trying to turn Thomas on. Mattieu became jealous almost instantly and jumped over two tables to slug Lucien. Lucien's nose started bleeding and he faked unconsciousness. John the quarterback, who was standing next to Lucien, looked menacingly at Mattieu and cracked his knuckles. Mattieu told Thomas that he needn't follow someone like Lucien around - ignoring John completely. But Thomas reacted shocked and more or less told Mattieu to tell Lucien that he was sorry, because Thomas didn't want to associate with bullies. Mattieu reluctantly woke Lucien up and told him that he was sorry.

Morrigan came over and joined the boys, asking Mattieu: "And you want to become class president?" Mattieu just replied: "Actually, no. I only ran for the office, because someone told me it would be fun." Thus more or less taking himself out of the race. Then he left with Thomas.

After school Morrigan observed Felix handing over money to an older boy. In exchange, he got some knockout pills. Morrigan remembered that Felix had been infatuated with another girl, before taking interest in Merall. Back then, Felix had resorted to stalking. Morrigan figured out that Felix probably uses the knockout pills to get the girl he "wants" at the moment. She confronts him about it. Felix knocks her backwards into a lanternpost, causing a serious laceration. Morrigan, being the Ghoul that she is, shruggs the wound off and intimidates Felix by implying that the pills are the only way for him to get a girl. He leaves in a huff and gets on the bus.

Lucien comes home to the family mansion and is greated by his father. His father asks him sternly if he succeeded in becoming class president. Lucien tells him meekly that the voting has been postponed until the next day. Then he asks his father for help. Reluctantly, his father tells him about secret drugs hidden in grandfather's cupboard. He tells Lucien not to take too much, since grandpa isn't around anymore to make new ones. Supposedly mixed with alcohol, the drugs make a person very prone to accepting suggestions. Lucien also gets the car to buy some alcohol. He doesn't notice that he is not alone in the car. His little sister Cassandra has snuck into the backseat.

At school, Mattieu serves detention. Mr Gilles ordered him to clean all the desks in the classroom. Then he leaves him alone. Thomas joins him. Apparently standing back a bit insecurely. Mattieu exchanges a few words about texting with him. Thomas finds it hilarious that Mattieu "pretends" not to know about mobile phones and texting. Mattieu steps up to Thomas and then grabs him by the shoulders. Thomas apparently knows what he is doing and embraces Mattieu. Suddenly, he confidently kisses Mattieu. Mattieu shrugs out of his jeans and t-shirt, Thomas practically  tears of his own clothes and they explore each other. Mattieu submerges himself in the sensation, sees the visions the water brings him and realizes that he isn't the first Selkie to seduce (or be seduced?) by Thomas. The ocean shows him visions of Thomas making out with Mattieu's halfbrother Louie. The realization crashes down on Mattieu like waves and he looses himself in Thomas' arms.

Later in the evening Amanda and Mattieu prepare the beach party. The create a small, illegal fire, gather some driftwood around the fire, near a ruined boathouse. Mattieu asks Amanda, if she has a mobile phone and John's number. Of course she has. Mattieu borrows the phone and texts John as Amanda that she would like to make out with him at the party. Amanda reads the text, just smiles and shrugs, apparently not minding. Mattieu has thus fulfilled his bargain with John who is responsible for getting the beer.

Lucien arrives at the party, and his sister Cassandra darts out of the car. She wears make-up, entirely too provacative clothes for a fourteen year old and wants to party with Lucien and his friends. Felix, Lydia and her boyfriend The Matt! approach. The Matt! finds it entirely uncool that Lucien brrought along his little sister. Lucien's popularity takes a big hit. Lucien takes out the vodka laced with grandpa's drugs and after some cajoling gets his sister to drink some. Then he tells her to go home. Alone. Slightly tipsy. Way to go with responsibility.

Then he joins the other students at the fire. He gets Felix to drink some of the vodka and asks him for help. Felix agrees to help in return for getting Cassandra's number from Lucien. Lucien doesn't hand out the number right away, but Felix will help nevertheless.

Morrigan arrives together with Marcel, Thomas and some friends. They walk over to Amanda and Mattieu. Thomas and Mattieu are both grinning at each other openly. To Morrigan it is pretty clear what happened and she tells them. Mattieu tells her that they did it at her desk, trying to gross her out. Morrigan just turns to the fire.

Lydia approaches and takes the opportunity to talk with Morrigan about the class presidency telling her that The Matt! and she are still uncertain who to vote for. If Morrigan is interested in winning their vote, Lydia suggests for her to join her and The Matt! at the boathouse later. Then she turns around and walks off. Morrigan gazes at her back and stares into the darkness beyond the fire, the world forming a tunnel leading to Lydia... and the her hunger awakens. Morrigan finds herself consumed by her hunger for fear and hungrily eyes Ed the nerd who used to be her best friend and the scumbag Felix.

Lucien gazes into the fire and let's his thoughts wander. Before his mind pictures of Lydia and the Matt! rise. They are passionately kissing inside the boathouse and start love-making. Then Lucien sees himself stepping out of the darkness and joining them.

Mattieu only has eyes for Thomas. He observes him sitting at the fire. He remembers how he felt in his arms and smells the salty ocean loosing himself in the moment. Suddenly he realizes that Thomas wants to break out from his live and feel the excitement of the world. Louie probably promised him to show Thomas another exciting world. For Mattieu it becomes clear what he has to do. He has to show Thomas who he really his. Then Thomas' heart will be his.

Meanwhile, Morrigan decides to go after Felix first. She approaches him, casting first a menacing shadow over John's back who is shielding Felix from her. Then she walks around Felix, approaches him from behind, whispers in his ears what she knows about him. What he does to the girls. Felix is already intimidate and caves in. He sinks to his knees while Morrigan sniffs the fear that he exudes. John tries to chase her off, but she ignores him. Then she takes Felix' face almost lovingly in her hands and draws nearer and literally tasting his cold sweat, running her tongue over his face.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Notes: I found the last scene really creepy, even though I suggested elements of it. The development between Mattieu and Thomas was unexpectedly quick. Finding out about his halfbrother irritates Mattieu. All in all, our MC handled the classroom scene very well.

Monsterhearts: Devil Falls, AK Episode 1

Because I still don't have a viable and agreeable setting for FATE Core, we decided jointly to finally give Monsterhearts a shot with my regular gaming group. Maybe playing Monsterhearts a week ago also had something to do with it.

Our game is set in the fictional town of Devil Falls, Alaska. It is located inland at the also completely fictional Lake Crescent. The eponymous waterfall flows into the lake at the northeastern end. The town is located to the south of the lake on a plain. At the western end of the lake lies the Hotel Crescent, a spa and wellness hotel. A small airport lies on the westside of town. Devil Falls High School is located in the northeastern corner of the city containing a hockey arena, a football field and a greenhouse.

Our cast so far consists of:

• Annalee, a gifted witch
• Baron, an infernal lackey of Kal'Thorag the Butcher
• Cassidy, a werewolf born as a wolf and the only girl on the hockey team
• Max, a homunculus hollow and another member of the hockey team

We meet them for the first time as their Tuesday homeroom class is about to start. Their elderly but strict teacher is Ms Chamberlain. On their way to class, Cassidy runs up to Mary-Jane, the star pupil, and asks her, if she could copy her homework. Mary-Jane agrees, but only if Cassidy gets back the lunch money that Veronica bullied from her the day before. Cassidy agrees and waits outside of class for Veronica. Veronica is quite a piece of work. She and Baron got expelled from their last school for suspected arson.

While Cassidy waits for Veronica, Paul tries to sell green pills to Annalee and Max. Max has latched on to Annalee quite firmly and takes his social clues from her to the point of twinning (at least that's how Cassidy sees it). Max just takes the drugs from Paul and then shuts him down. Annalee is a bit conflicted about the drug business and hasn't made up her mind yet how to feel about the pills.

When Baron and Veronica arrive, Cassidy tries to slug Veronica with a puck as she doesn't want to give the lunch money back. Veronica sidesteps Cassidy and slams her head into the railing on the gangway to the classroom. Cassidy is hurt. Baron tries to drag Veronica with him to the classroom, because they are already late. Cassidy observes the two and suddenly realizes that quiet, pyromanic, violent Veronica is very much into bad kid Baron. As Ms Chamberlain approaches and gives afterschool detention to all three, Cassidy tells Veronica that she will make sure Baron and Veronica get some time alone during detention, if Veronica hands back the lunch money.

In class, Ms Chamberlain announces that Erica, a popular girl and last year's homecoming queen, has been found dead near Lake Crescent. Apparently her body was mauled by a wild animal - probably a wolf. During the third hour a short memorial will be held in the auditorium. Baron uses this as an opportunity to mouth off to the teacher and even threatening her. After class, Ms Chamberlain walks Baron to the principal. There he threatens Principal Kate O'Rourke. She decides that she's had enough and calls the police to have Baron arrested as a potential homicidal maniac.

During the memorial for Erica, Cassidy tries to turn the planned party down at the lake into a memorial party instead of the year's welcoming party. Zack, a friend of Baron's, hears that, climbs on a chair and announces that Cassidy is inviting the whole school to a party at Lake Crescent. Max is furious at this display of inappropriate behavior and tackles Zack. Zack goes down and Principal O'Rourke notices the commotion. She orders detention for Cassidy, Max and Annalee (who is more or less innocent in all this). Cassidy tells her that she already has detention today and get O'Rourke to postpone the detention to Wednesday.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Baron has been placed in a cell. There he tries to gaze into the abyss and fails miserably. Instead, Kal'Thorag the Butcher appears to him and asks him to poison the beer keg at the party in the evening with the drug that comes as green pills. Baron agrees and Kal'thorag opens the cell door. Baron walks out of the police station without being noticed.

Back at school, lunch break has started. Max and Cassidy sit at the hockey team/cheerleader table, where Melissa announces that she will become homecoming queen this year as Erica is unable to compete. Max shuts her down in disgust. Annalee is also at the table flirting with Boyd, the arrogant goaltender that she secretly detests. Suddenly he kisses her squarely on the mouth (gives her want he thinks she wants). Breaking out in tears, she runs away.

Baron has arrived at school again and seeks out Paul in a dark corner to get the green pills from him. Paul spills that he hasn't them anymore, because Max took them from him. In the end, he tells Baron that he can have the pills, if he can take them from Max.

Baron arrives in the cafeteria just as Max hits Boyd for kissing Annalee. Then Max runs off to find her. Baron follows him. While searching Annalee, Baron tries to get the pills from Max. Max ends up hitting Baron on their way to greenhouse where they suspect Annalee is hiding.

Amidst all this commotion, Cassidy feels rather lonely and stares into her coke. There she gains a crystal clear vision while being exhausted from the events. She sees a large, reptilian shadow following Erica while she is jogging around the lake. As the shadowy monster suddenly attacks the blonde runner, a wolf hurls itself at the monster, preventing it from devouring Erica. The monster throws the wolf into the trees and slithers back into the lake. Cassidy realizes that she was the wolf and that she cannot remember any of this.

In the greenhouse, Annalee has her secret and sacred space. She gazes into the abyss and the abyss answers her. She also gets the vision that Cassidy gets and realizes that she needs the help of the wolf in order to fight the green-scaled monsters with the lanky black hair and the claws of iron. She calls her grandmother April, the only other witch in her family and asks for advice. Her granny asks her over for tea after school.

As she leaves the greenhouse, she runs into Baron and Max. Rather distraught she realizes that Baron is trying to get the drugs from Max. She urges Max to destroy the pills rather than give them to Baron. But Max refuses. When she tries to hit him as frustrated as she is, she stumbles and he catches her. Looking down, Annalee realizes in horror that she's stumbled in a large three toed footprint that resembles the claws of the green-scaled monster. Now completely sick, she asks Max to take her to the school nurse James.

Sixth hour has started. Annalee, Baron, Cassidy and Max are supposed to attend the English Literature class. But only Cassidy is in attendance as Coach Delgado starts the class. Mary-Jane is also there, remarking on the looks of Coach Delgado who is wearing a muscle shirt as usual. Cassidy is more interested in the actual lesson about an obscure poem attributed to William Blake that describes a hideous monster with green scales, black lanky hair and iron claws. Blake calls that monster a "merrow". Cassidy has a déja-vu. Max finally arrives, carrying a tardy slip for himself and Annalee. James has excused her from attending English Literature.

After school, Veronica and Cassidy start detention absent Baron who is meeting with Max. Max is attending hockey practice and meets with Baron. Baron finally gets his desperately needed drugs. Now he can set the diabolic plans of his infernal master into motion. Annalee visits her grandmother April and her aunts Mae and June. She drinks tea with them and is treated to a delicious cheesecake, but unfortunately not to any answers.

Later, Annalee makes her way to the party at the shores of Lake Crescent. Suddenly, she hears twigs and branches cracking behind her. She turns around, her eyes widen and she screams in fear. Unfortunately, the music from the party drowns out her scream...

TO BE CONTINUED

Notes:

• Doing the homeroom seating chart was fun. I haven't even used a quarter of the awesome the players put in there.
• The NPC sheet sucks for me. I need lines on that sheet.
• Sketching Devil Falls on the community sheet was also not as rewarding as I thought. Going to redo that in MS Office Word.
• The player most critical of the whole Monsterhearts told me afterwards it was fun and he'd like to play again.
• I did a major goof-up with the scene at granny's house. I would have liked to dump some info regarding the werewolf on Annalee, but didn't realize how to do this. After having read this article on using gaze into the abyss as info dump/hitting the books, things have become much clearer. I should have let Annalee gaze into the abyss again (this time with the +1 forward for acting on the previous gaze into the abyss), this time with help from her grandmother. I am probably going to replay the scene at granny's home at the start of the next session with Annalee and have her roll +dark to find out about who the wolf in the vision is. After that we'll find out about Annalee's fate.
• The story is coming nicely together. Baron will poison the beer keg (and mark XP for that). Annalee needs to find Cassidy. Cassidy knows what they are facing but has no idea what to do about the merrow. Max has become a willing accomplice in drugging an entire party.

WPW Hack: Club Babylon Part 3

This post takes a closer look at the setting. I am still struggling with parts of it. It is suppossed to be a rundown part of the city where beings from fairy tales have appeared. As I discovered this is somewhat similar to the Borderland Series (which I haven't read yet) and decided go in the general direction of that.

Fairyland (or whatever you want to call it) is touching our world in that neglected part of town and monsters start crossing over. They take on the guises of the modern world while still retaining their powers and appetites from fairyland. They are disguised by the refusal of people to see the truth of the aggressive biker gang (they are goblins), the creepy janitor (he is an ogre) or the head of the modelling agency (a medusa). But not all monsters are repulsive, some are terribly beautiful and alluring. But all of them are dangerous to the unprepared mortal.

But the people living in this part of the city aren't defenseless. At around the same time the connection to Fairy formed, longtime clubbers at Club Babylon suddenly found that they possessed a special kind of magic that levels the playing field with fairy tale monsters. Some have taken the fight to the street and protect the neighborhood, but others have become enticed by the monsters. Possibly to gain acceptance or lash out at the world around them.

In my mind this part of the city has the following three aspects:

• Abandoned and neglected
• Beauty in the most unlikely of places
• At the border of the Otherworld

The assets are: Great /(+4) Dangerous, Good (+3) Bitchy and Fair (+2) Sensitive.