Monstrous - Discussion Thread

Hello and welcome to the discussion thread for Monstrous. Here you can ask me questions, chat about the game, and help develop San Lorenzo and the world it inhabits. Just remember to keep all discussion civil.

edited 17th Nov '16 12:40:49 PM by PossiblyQuiteInsane

So I've been thinking about San Lorenzo and its history.

After the M-reactor, things went downhill for San Lorenzo. While it never turned into a lawless dystopia or a ghost town the way some towns did post M-reactor, there has been a significant amount of tension between humans and monsters. There's a lot of potential for plotlines there- a riot erupting in town, how lawmakers and law enforcement are dealing with the changes, a temporary trip to other towns that are handling everything far worse than San Lorenzo.

Bit of a practical question, but will this game get a skype/Discord chat? From experience I can say that those games that had one tended to last longer due to the more direct contact as opposed to a forum D!Thread

Also to the above: Seems fine by me... maybe at some point Cornelia's store is gonna get wasted then?

I can't wait for Leith to scare the shit out of Jack.

Sort of question: Is there any particular rule on how far our character's could live apart from each other? I figure that being in the same neighbourhood would make it easier to have them run into each other, but that also might make the hunters' jobs too easy.

It'd also determine the likelihood of pre-established relationships; Cornelia might be well-known amongst the local community if there are monsters forced to buy LARP clothes since regular clothes don't fit, or they feel unsafe from hunters without armour. Patrick accidentally killing a bunch of teens in the middle of class would obviously make the news (is he a Lorenzo native?), but it's less likely that any of the PCs would have previously met him in person. Seawell and Jack aren't famous, and Leith is a total recluse, but they stand out enough that someone might remember seeing them while they walk around town.

Huh... I didn't think about the monster community... you're right Cornelia's shop could be a go-to point... which would also make it an enticing target for hunters... also I imagine she'd now be pretty careful who she could sell weapons too - although she would have no such thoughts about armor.

I have a question regarding the game's atmosphere. There are several ways it could go. Some characters are more tragic than others, and others are more combat oriented than others. Nothing wrong with that, but fitting them together in one adventure can be difficult.

Of course, the simple (and best) answer would be to go with multiple plots that accommodate the players- some might battle hunters, while others face issues of life after The Change, like discrimination, for example.

Also, how far things can go could be an issue. Examples include ghouls eating people or succubus draining men of their (censored). I'm not saying these things can't happen, but they should be "off-camera".

Personally I'd be alright with that as long as we could agree that unless I agree to it racism against Cornelia/Her Shop should be kept to an at least bearable amount - as in: No molotovs going thourgh her windows or random lynchmobs trying to destroy everything. Now... I'm not saying that things like these can't happen at all... but at least not all the time if possible.

edited 17th Nov '16 2:59:13 PM by Sergey_Smirnov

Personally, I'm up for whatever you guys want. Jack's certainly more combat oriented, but I can probably go with the flow.

Also I totally look forward to a Wraith shrieking like a little girl when meeting Leith. I'm terrified of spiders in real life, honestly xD

Oh, and questions: I'm assuming that "natural" monsters exist, too? I mean, monster hunters probably existed before the Reactor incident. It would be interesting to see how they would react to new monsters if they did- thinking of them as newbies mooching in on their food supply, annoyed that they've been widely "exposed," happy to help them like one might a new player in your favorite game- that kind of thing.

edited 17th Nov '16 3:04:26 PM by Cwest5538

Wow. I take a little nap, and suddenly everyone has something to say. That might have something to do with the fact I just opened this thread. Ah well, on to answering your questions.

Orthoclase: I doubt towns have fallen into dystopia or been abandoned already, but everything else you were saying makes sense. The racism angle was very prevalent in my conception of the RP, and I'm sure that a lot of places aren't really dealing with this whole thing all that well. Some may have even fallen into anarchy.

Sergey_Smirnov: A: Yes, I was planning on creating a Skype chat for the game after we officially get started. B: I imagine the amount of racism towards her/her shop would vary depending on the local community. Racism isn't evenly spread. Some neighborhoods will be a lot more accepting than others. Also, I promise not to destroy your shop. Very often.

whizzerd: There's no particular rule, but San Lorenzo's a big city, so I understand your concern. I imagine monsters would gravitate toward one of two extremes. They'd either live in the sparsely populated outskirts of the city to avoid people altogether, or in the densely populated central district to hide in the crowds.

Sijo: Multiple plotlines to fit the tones of the characters would probably work best. The Change had a lot of consequences for everyone, even without hunters. It tore apart families and friendships, and created tragedies on all levels. Personal, community-wide, and even national. As for the issue about going too far, I agree. It's up to the player to decide how much their character acts like a monster and what they need to do to survive, but I'd prefer to keep the more morbid aspects offscreen. And I'll probably just veto succubi/incubi outright, because they're practically an invitation to go too far.

Cwest: Natural monsters absolutely exist, although they were quite rare in North America. They mostly inhabited Europe and Asia, with smaller populations in Africa and South America. But there still were North American monsters, and they sure are upset about the increased attention. Natural monsters are also far more likely than transformed monsters to be malicious, because they were never human to begin with.

edited 18th Nov '16 12:41:23 PM by PossiblyQuiteInsane

I guess perhaps Patrick could turn up in Santa Lorenzo?

Okay... since it fits better here:

Of course cornelia will not wear armor all the time, bbut for marketing reasons its now kinda her uniform hence she will wear it while in the shop, normally she'll wear casual clothes not unlike such

Adorable.

What does everyone think of the Van Helsings?

Alrighty, let's see.

Me, personally, as Chris? I think they're rather cool! I like the idea of a Vampire Hunting family, since other vampires obviously didn't just go away once Dracula died. Wonder what they think of Quincy, eh?

In Character, Jack would probably consider them all murderous pyschopaths and work to avoid them. Probably.

They are a really good idea and I'm sort of jealous I didn't think of them myself

Where does one even purchase pants for a horse? I guess monster clothes must be a thing. Probably expensive too since they likely have to be custom-made

edited 18th Nov '16 2:46:15 PM by PossiblyQuiteInsane

I have an idea for something involving angels, and I figured I should just ask here to make sure that everyone's okay with that. I don't want to offend anyone's religious or irreligious sensibilities.

• Salutes* I doubt that you can really offend me that much xD I may not be an Atheist, but I have skin a bit thicker than tissue paper.

I'm good as well.

Also, I'm going to be fleshing out the history of the Van Helsing family. I'm fine with people making OCs who work for the Van Helsings.

Actually angels in our setting would just be winged people? Not that different from harpies.

Additionally, the concept of angel-type beings existed long before any current religion's. Besides, this is fiction. Anyone who gets offended by that is because they choose to be.

edited 18th Nov '16 3:07:30 PM by Sijo

Angels? I'm not offended. Heaven and hell-type ideas can be referenced, but I don't want them to become a focus. It may alienate players.

edited 18th Nov '16 3:49:30 PM by PossiblyQuiteInsane

If we take angles... I kinda fancy the kind from Centaurs Lif and how they get their "halo" (Its hair)

Also: Re:Clothes: I presume Cornelia can handcraft them at least for herself.

edited 18th Nov '16 3:56:35 PM by Sergey_Smirnov

Like I said, Angels (and Demons) in our setting don't have to be real (whether real ones exist can be left entirely off-panel) so no controversy here.

Btw re: our tailor- she seems familiar somehow...

My idea is for three angels, one of whom claims them to be human incarnations of actual biblical angels, one going along with it for the fame, and one who's there unwillingly. So they're not, like, angel angels (or are they?) (no, no they're not).

edited 18th Nov '16 5:40:06 PM by emilyorthoclase

Sounds OK by me.

Works for me

Oh wow, I did not even realize that was what I was doing. XD

edited 18th Nov '16 6:02:16 PM by PossiblyQuiteInsane

Totally okay with angels who may or may not be biblical angels.