In post 14, the worst wrote:hey, you mentioned it was an unbreakable tutorial. a challenge is a challenge right?
i'll let someone else handle the next one.
Haha and you were up to the challenge!
Also wow interesting this is my first introduction to the tags! Useful.
Is the way I’m going about this making sense so far? I’m hoping you’ll understand stats, Moves, rolls, experience & leveling up, and Luck (which I haven’t yet explained) by the time we’re done. We’re almost done with the tutorial - if we get to the end and you don’t understand one of these, let me know!
You’re not crazy. Forget what your parents say, forget what the college therapist said, you’re not making this up. Dangerous monsters exist; they’re real and coming for Ashdale, and if no one else believes, then you’ll have to stop them yourself.
It started when you were on that camping trip with your family last year. You saw something unnatural, you know you did. Your parents didn’t believe you, your friends laughed it off when you brought up, and the cops told you to stop wasting their time (you heard one jerk detective mutter something about “that unstable male” as you walked out the door - ughh, you hate when people use “male” like a noun).
Knowing no one would believe you, you decided to search for this unnatural thing yourself. Of course, you didn’t want to go unprepared. How did you get ready for this dangerous solo adventure, again? Choose one:
-You worked out and practiced using throwing knives to defend yourself:
+1 Tough & gain Throwing Knives
(1-harm close many)
-You studied up on the strange creatures you might find and practiced a unique way to kill them - beheading:
+1 Weird & gain guitar-string Garrote (3-harm intimate)
You finally went back to the woods last month, and you found what you were looking for. A werewolf!
Roll +Weird
to see how your first encounter with the supernatural went.
On a 7-9, pick 1 of the following to be true. On a 10+, both:
-The werewolf was friendly
-You learned something important about where the supernatural creatures come from
On a miss, still pick one, but something evil was watching you…
Only three people believe you: Your younger brother Corey (he saw it too, on that camping trip), his weird goth friend Gabbie (whose house might be haunted? or something), and your ex-boyfriend Diego (it’s… complicated, you’ll have to ask him).
Now Corey and Gabbie are telling you about this missing person from the Sundown Theatre, and they want you to drive them to Pins-Up Bar and Bowling Alley to ask around about it. On the one hand, you don’t want even more people thinking you’re crazy. You also don’t want to endanger your brother. But on the other hand, Corey’s practically an adult. And for once, it’s nice to be believed…
As your car pulls into the Pins-Up lot, you see none other than Diego Perez parking his motorcycle. When he heard you three were looking into this, he insisted on joining. You didn’t know how to say no, given what he’s been through. Hopefully this won’t be too awkward. After all, you can’t get distracted; lives are at stake.
Senior year is weird. You thought it would be cool being among the oldest in school, but apparently cool kids stay cool and nerds like you still don’t rule the school or whatever. Not that that’s the most important thing right now, since uh, your best friend Gabbie can maybe do magic or something??
You and Gabbie are unlikely friends. You’re among the top of the class, she doesn’t do homework ever; you’re a goody-two-shoes, she follows rules when she feels like it; even the way you two dress has nothing in common (does she own anything other than black?). But you’re both smart, and have the same sense of dry humor, and you’ve been best friends ever since your mutual friend Sam didn’t come back after freshman year, and you were the only two who missed him.
What’s something else you’ve bonded over?
Choose one:
-You’ve shared all the same bullies:
-1 Tough & gain the Move “Always the Victim”
Spoiler: Always the Victim
When
another hunter uses Protect Someone to protect you
, they mark experience. Whenever
a monster captures you
, you mark experience.
-You’re both clumsy and bad at sports:
-1 Cool & gain the Move “Oops!”
Spoiler: Oops!
If
you want to stumble across something important,
tell the Keeper. You will find something important and useful, although not necessarily related to your immediate problems.[/b]
(for either choice, these changes only apply to you, not to Gabbie)
You told Gabbie about the creepy thing you saw in the woods, and of course she believed you (she’s a good friend). But it’s only recently that
she’s
been telling
you
a much weirder story.
When she first said her house was haunted, you made plans to stay over for the weekend. She said she could hear voices as soon as the sun went down. For most of the night, she said she was seeing and hearing things you didn’t experience at all. For awhile, Gabbie sat and chatted with a ghost you could not see. But at one point you had your eyes closed and heard a voice that wasn’t yours or Gabbie’s. At the volume of a whisper, you heard, “Help her”. At that point, you looked up, and Gabbie was hardly breathing. Her eyes were glowing and she looked… almost trapped?
Roll +Cool
to see what you did next:
On a 10+, you helped Gabbie snap out of it - describe how you did it. Also, Gabbie gets a +1 on her Mystery Letter roll.
On a 7-9, same as above, but at a cost to you both (keeper’s choice). Or, you don’t help snap Gabbie out of it, and watch her struggle on her own - up to you.
On a miss, your failed attempts to help Gabbie angers the ghost. Be prepared for present and future backlash.
When Gabbie is back to normal, she says the ghost left, and that she now knows some things about a missing person in town. Something about the Sundown Theatre, and needing to go to Pins-Up. You’re glad to have your friend back to normal (she’s... acting normal, right?), and her house rid of ghosts. And you know your brother will help - he’s super into the freaky stuff going on lately. Hopefully together you’ll be able to face whatever comes.
In post 36, Irrelephant11 wrote:-You’re both clumsy and bad at sports: -1 Cool & gain the Move “Oops!”
Spoiler: Oops!
If you want to stumble across something important, tell the Keeper. You will find something important and useful, although not necessarily related to your immediate problems.
I'll take this one.
Great! I’ll add it to your character sheet, but feel free to edit your own character sheet in the future!
okay with deft ninja skills I'll put down the cup of coffee I was drinking, help Gabbie into a leaning/lying down position where she's comfortable and not going to freak out when she comes to. Then I'll start talking and telling funny stories and jokes and things, hoping it acts as an anchor back to reality.
Cool! This is exactly what happens, and Gabbie gets a +1 on her Mystery Letter roll (coming soon).
It’s been 10 months since your mother died. She was the only one left at home after your dad died four years ago, so now you live alone. At first, the grief was overwhelming. Amid your depression, you broke up with your boyfriend Alec.
They say the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. You’re pretty sure you’ve made it through all five – you’re definitely in a healthier place than you were months ago. They just forgot to mention the sixth step, where you are now: revenge.
You didn’t know your mother had been murdered by a werewolf, not at first. Police said it was an unfortunate hiking accident, and she’d been mauled by a rabid coyote. At the funeral, your mom’s coworkers from the hospital were very sad, and had an annoying amount of pity for you. What you didn’t understand, though, was why you were the only one who was suspicious. Who had ever heard of a coyote accident in Ashdale?
A couple weeks later, you decided to investigate the hiking trail where she died.
Who did you take as your traveling companion?
Choose one:
-Corey. Though you haven’t spent much time with Alec since breaking up, Corey has long felt like your younger brother, too, and he’s up for anything. You told him you just wanted to walk the path in memory of your mom. The two of you chatted endlessly – what did you talk about?
+1 Charm
-Gabbie, your step-cousin (your mom’s sister is her step-mom). Gabbie and Aunt Clara were two of the few people at the funeral who didn’t treat you with kid gloves just because you’re an orphan now. You didn’t explain why you wanted to go, and you mostly walked in silence.
+1 Weird
You stopped when you reached the place your mother was found. That’s when you found the half-paw-half-footprint, the one that changed everything. Suddenly, someone else walked up the trail.
Roll +Charm
to see what happened next:
On a 10+, choose 1. On a 7-9, choose 2. On a miss, all three.
-Your presence here looked suspicious to them
-They’re a person of authority in Ashdale
-They saw the footprint too
When they left, you told your traveling companion about the footprint, and they in turn told you about Alec’s obsession with monsters. As you head home, you texted Alec about it. You agreed something strange was going on in Ashdale. After that, though, you didn’t talk about it much. After some research, though, and another examination of that spot in the woods, you’re certain your mom was killed by a werewolf.
A few months later, Gabbie texts you to meet her, Corey, and Alec at Pins-Up. Something about a ghost and a missing person. It might seem dangerous to take Gabbie, Corey, and Alec searching for these evil beasts, but if they’re going looking anyway, you’d better make sure you’re there to save their asses. You’ll do whatever it takes to stop these abominations from ever hurting anyone you love again.
You’ve never considered yourself into magic, or Wicca, or anything like that. Sometimes people assume you are because you like to wear all black and keep to yourself, but you’ve never had interest in anything like this: this weird set of, um… superpowers? that you’ve started to develop.
It started a little less than a year ago. The first time it happened, it was with your gym teacher. You hate going to gym class, and one morning you were dreading the idea of whatever physical activity you’d have to do that day. That dread started to sort of… solidify.
What happened next?
Choose one:
-You implanted a thought in your gym teacher’s brain – “We should take today off and relax” – and you knew you had done it because he said those very words out loud:
+1 Charm, -1 Tough, and gain the Move Telepathy.
Spoiler: Telepathy
You can read people’s thoughts and put words in their mind. This can allow you to
investigate a mystery or read a bad situation
without needing to actually talk. You can also
manipulate someone
without speaking. You still roll moves as normal, except people will not expect the weirdness of your mental communication.
-Your gym teacher didn’t come to class that day… Apparently he’d gotten a terrible cold and gone home. You’d been saying “please get sick and go home” to yourself all day:
+1 Tough, -1 Charm and gain the move Hex.
Spoiler: Hex
Hex: When you cast a spell (with
Use Magic
), as well as the usual list of magic effects, you may pick from the following:
-The target contracts a disease.
-The target immediately suffers harm (
2-harm magic ignore-armour
).
-The target breaks something precious or important.
As you’ve learned to control your powers, you’ve discovered you can do lots of things outside the realm of normal possibility. All it takes is some focus – and repeating what you want to happen out loud helps a lot. The mood swings, paranoia, and hallucinations that come with it are, uh, more than worth it, right?
Meanwhile, the other strange thing going on is that your house has a ghost! You’ve lived in your house awhile, and the ghost is new… or maybe the ghost has been there awhile and your ability to see it is new, you’re not sure. You decide to invite Corey over to show him.
The two of you sat down in your room, and the next thing you know, you’re talking to the ghost! She seems to have a lot to say about something dangerous coming for Ashdale. She says that the theatre director went missing during a recent show at the Sundown Theatre, and that there’s an evil monster behind it. She doesn’t know everything about it, but she’s so relieved to be able to talk to someone living about it, because she doesn’t want Ashdale to remain unaware of this danger.
Roll +Sharp (for you, this is a +0, but remember to use the +1 that Corey earned for you!) to find out what you asked her. On a 10+ hold 2. On a 7-9, hold one. On a miss, hold one, but your
Dark Side
will come into play. Spend your hold to choose from these questions for the Keeper:
-What exactly happened at the theatre?
-What sort of creature is it?
-What can the creature do?
-Where did the creature go?
-Where’s the missing person?
-Are there any other dangers I need to know about?
She also tells you that Figgy, a bartender at the Pins Up Bar and Bowling Alley, will know more.
After talking to the ghost, things go a bit foggy. You wake up horizontal in bed, with Corey seated across the room telling stories. You get up quickly and tell him you need to get moving – you’ll tell him about it on the way! You ask him to text Alec to drive you both to Pins Up. Meanwhile, you text Diego to meet you both there. He’s going to want to know about this – you just spoke to his dead mom!
The four of you are standing outside of Pins-Up Bowling Alley and Bar. It's a Saturday night, so the parking lot is full and you're sure the bar is too. The sun has been gone for a couple hours, and star- and moonlight give a haunting glow over Ashdale.
In post 54, skitter30 wrote:sorry guys, am kinda on vacation and forgot this was a thing for a few days; i'll be better
Gabbie stiffens. On some basic, fundamental level, she doesn't want to talk about all the weird things that have been happening to and around her. It would almost be an admission, a confession that forces beyond her ken and control have chosen to grant her power, but have also inextricably tied her to the uncanny and unnatural. Almost as if by acknowledging the occult she'll subsume herself within it.
She's scared. She doesn't understand the metaphysical capabilities she's manifesting, isn't sure whether she'd prefer to acknowledge her new ability to perform supernatural feats or to pretend to herself that she can't. She had decided to show the ghost to Corey - if someone else could see it too it would at least validate her experiences and confirm that she isn't subject to some merciless and unrelenting delusion.
But he wasn't able to see it.
Her voice is tremulous, shaky.
"I think you're hiding something from me!"
she accuses Corey. It's almost easier to believe that the ghost was some sort of cruel prank he'd pulled on her than to believe it was
real
, than to be forced to accept that the supernatural exists and that she is of it.
i, uh, decided to roleplay an existential crisis apparently
I love this!
Also as a sidenote I'll probably just be watching and prodding until one of you uses a Move, goes somewhere new, or interacts with a NPC (though if you decide to only do character dialogue for IRL weeks then I might have a NPC interrupt )
But I already love the ways your bringing your characters to life!
In post 57, skitter30 wrote:i hope that counts as accusing Corey of hiding something?
You let him off a little easy, but that's okay! The Spooky's Dark Side is supposed to get more intense the more you use your powers. For now, this counts.
I also encourage you to say "We as a group do ____" and if anyone wishes their character didn't participate in that ____, we can fix it retroactively (rather than always waiting to get on the same page). For instance, here, I'm going to now assume y'all are inside Pins-Up, since Diego got drinks and Gabbie wants to talk to Figgy. Don't let waiting for each other to play slow you down! Do what your characters would do.
Hey all! Excited and nervous to play my first game with you!
"Heyyy, yeah I'm Figgy! Hi nice to meet you! Gabbie, right? Your dad is so good at bowling, I don't know if you know that but wow you should know that he's actually very super good.
The theater? Oh yeah oh my gosh the theater - oh one second." The half dozen dangly earrings hanging from Figgy's left ear jingle as she runs to help another customer for a minute.
She returns.
"Yeah so weird and sad! You know director Carl Wagner? He's been directing for years and his shows are always so amazing oh my god they're my favorite and oh, right, so he went missing in the middle of a rehearsal the other night and no one knows where he is. I know, weird right? Anyway that couple's lives have always been tragic ever since she lost her voice during a show all those years ago... it's crazy that he's gone. Are you guys sticking around? I might be able to tell you more but I've gotta help this customer."
She walks to the other end of the bar again. If any of you would like to learn more by talking to her, roll to
Investigate a Mystery
.
Hey all! Excited and nervous to play my first game with you!
And I believe I get one that is outside of all the questions, so, my question there would be Where can we go to get clues which may not be immediately obvious?
Your read of the "Investigate a Mystery" isn't quite right; you only get that extra question if you have "Advanced" the Move, which is something you can do when leveling up. Since you haven't done that yet, you'll get just the two questions. For future reference, you can always ask just one question at a time, if you expect one answer to affect what you'll ask next. But in this case I'm gonna roll with it and answer both.
What do you do?
Hey all! Excited and nervous to play my first game with you!
Aaaaand we're back! Hopefully you're all still interested in this little RPG.
I'm thinking I want to change the expectations for this game a bit: I'm going to post an update three times a week: M/W/F. Whoever posts in between can "move" all the characters, if they're together, or just do something specific to your character. You can always cover for each other, or choose to do nothing for a couple updates. But if nobody posts between two of my updates... well let's just say you usually don't want that to happen
Hopefully this can keep the story moving and also relieve some of the pressure of each of you having to post every time!
I also notice brass seems to have siteflaked but I'll give him a week or so to notice this is back on before I look for a rep.
Hey all! Excited and nervous to play my first game with you!