Monsterhearts
Most teenagers will never know that things like you exist, the secret monsterhearts.
A story game about the messy lives of teenage monsters
Monsterhearts lets you and your friends create stories about sexy monsters, teenage angst, personal horror, and secret love triangles. When you play, you explore the terror and confusion that comes both with growing up and feeling like a monster.
Based on the Apocalypse World engine, this is a game with emergent story, messy relationships, a structured MC role, and a focus on hard choices.
It’s designed to evoke stories like True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ginger Snaps or The Twilight Saga. If you like supernatural romances, or stories of monstrosity and personal horror, or if you just like watching sexy people ruin their lives, then you’ll love this game.
Buy Monsterhearts
160-pages, with 18 interior images (iconic b&w character art).
PDF (in both single-pages and spreads) $10
Print + PDF Combo $25 + shipping
You can also pay for this game using good deeds as currency.
PDF (2 good deeds), Print+PDF (5 good deeds). Click icon for more info.
Skins for Download
Here, for your downloading pleasure, are the Monsterhearts Skins (character workbooks) and Monsterhearts Reference Sheets.
Made possible by Christopher Murray, I’m pleased to reveal The Serpentine (with some Under the Serpentine’s Skin). And made possible by the generous support of IndieGoGo backers, I’m pleased to reveal The Angel.
Learn About: The Blood of Misty Harbour
The Blood of Misty Harbour is a 3-episode Monsterhearts miniseries, giving you everything you need to run a smooth convention game or first campaign. Find out more by clicking here.
Reviews, Discussions, & Actual Play Reports
Pre-release fanfare: Monsterhearts is Monster Love, Let’s Back Monsterhearts, Announcement thread at Story Games, Jamie Fristrom’s Announcement
Reviews and Interviews: Deeper in the Game’s review, Interview on Giant Fire Breathing Robot, Interview on Paper & Plastic, Reading Monsthearts (Wilper), Monsterhearts (at Derailed Gaming), Queerness and the Supernatural Teen Romance Genre, Emily Short’s Review
The game gets discussed at: UK Role Players, Meserach Criticizes the Basic Moves, Monsterhearts Forums, RPGGeek Listing, ‘Ask Questions’ Reference Card
Actual play reports include: Toronto Teen Monsters, AP for a brand new MC, Two One on One Monsterhearts, Night of the Dance, Monsterhearts is Amazing! First Session, Edgegate Part 1, Helium Buffalo AP (audio recording), Tiend High School, Gamestorm Mini-Reviews, What’s Eating Allison, The Lesson, The Best Friends Club
What People are Saying
“Monsterhearts is heartbreakingly good.” -Graham Walmsley, author of A Taste For Murder, Stealing Cthulhu, and Play Unsafe
“I’ll add my vote for Monsterhearts. It’s one of the best RPG books ever.” -John Harper, author of Lady Blackbird, The Regiment, and Danger Patrol
“Y’know, Mcdaldno has always made beautiful art, but I just got my copy of Monsterhearts and I’m especially impressed.” -Fred Hicks, author of Don’t Rest Your Head and Spirit of the Century
“Put me in the camp that had no interest in the genre but fell in love with the game anyway. I think it is an improvement in AW’s core rules and presentation. It’s well written and clear, and strings are a big improvement over history to me. It also handles harm in a more intuitive way.” -Jason Morningstar, author of Fiasco, Durance, and Grey Ranks
“Monsterhearts is seriously awesome.” -Carl Rigney, illustrious GM
“I am seriously impressed with Monsterhearts” -Josh Roby, author of Smallville Roleplaying, Sons of Liberty, and more
“Monsterhearts perfectly captures the awkward awesomeness of teen horror. Yes please!” -Ross Cowman, co-organizer of Fabricated Realities, author of Serpent’s Tooth
“My first session, and it worked out beautifully. We all wanted to play again, and scheduled the next date. It seemed like it was all just mundane high school (crushes, IMs, jocks), but then Todd got hungry and it rolled from there. There was a lot of sexual confusion, awkward dinners with parents, emotionally distant and cruel teenagers – everything we wanted.” -Ethan Knudson, a satisfied gamer
“Basically, this is the best game ever.” -Rowan Cota, a satisfied gamer
“Last night’s first Monsterhearts session turned out pretty great! Three players, (male) Queen, Hollow, and Serpentine. There’ve already been a couple of assaults, minor police involvement, several vicious reputation-ruining efforts including sex photos and a PC planting drugs in another PC’s locker, a confession of dangerous gay love between PC and PC, foreshadowing of future capital-B Badness, and a desperate secret murder! Can’t wait to see what we get up to today.” -Christopher Murray, a satisfied gamer
“This is what Vampire: The Masquerade and all those World of Darkness games should have been.” -Jamie Fristrom, designer and technical director of Spiderman 2, owner of Happion Laboratories
“This game is a beautiful pile of emotional claustrophobia and fragile feelings and bad choices.” -Kit La Touche, a satisfied gamer