Modern Monsters

[quozl]

No, it's not a game about terrorists.

Here's the idea:

Modern Monsters: A roleplaying game by Jonathan Nichol

In Modern Monsters, you take the role of a movie monster such as a vampire, werewolf, mummy, or Frankenstein's monster, trying to gain its freedom.  The monsters are controlled by the evil mad scientist, who is played by the Game Master.  The mad scientist uses the monsters in order to rule the area around him, gain subjects for more experiments, and do anything else he wants done including cook and clean his castle.  The monsters are tired of this and want to escape but the mad scientist has control over each of them that is hard to break.  That, and they are in love.  Each monster has a love interest which gives them the incentive they need to resist the control of the mad scientist and break free.

The game is about striving to gain freedom and how love helps fuel that desire and strengthens it but it is also about the possibility of sacrificing freedom for love.

What do you think?  Is it an interesting setting?  How would I represent love with an rpg mechanic?  (I am musing over the idea of using a mutant hybrid of SOAP and Donjon for the system.)  What more that I haven't thought of needs to be fleshed out?  (Pun partially intended....)

---Jon

[quozl]

O.K., so I'm blind and missed the thread about the Victorian monster rpg.   Hey Zak, wanna collaborate?

---Jon

[Zak Arntson]

I see our games as pretty different in scope, but there's still nothing wrong with hashing out games together!

Where Victorian Monsters is all about propriety (and somewhat of a parody), it sounds like Modern Monsters has a much different focus: Love conquers slavery.

You say that love gives the monsters the strength to be free, but then you say that there is a theme of freedom vs. love. Which is it?

In any case, I want to see more on this! Keep talking!

[quozl]

I see our games as pretty different in scope, but there's still nothing wrong with hashing out games together!

Where Victorian Monsters is all about propriety (and somewhat of a parody), it sounds like Modern Monsters has a much different focus: Love conquers slavery.

You say that love gives the monsters the strength to be free, but then you say that there is a theme of freedom vs. love. Which is it?

In any case, I want to see more on this! Keep talking!

It is a paradox (which makes it that much harder to represent in a game).  Love can give you freedom but it can be also used to tie you down.  In the game I'm thinking of using a love rating which would be a bonus to any actions which would break free of the mad scientist's control but also subtract to any actions where the love interest may somehow be harmed (physically, emotionally, whatever).  Does that make sense?  Can it work?  Romance is so hard to do in an rpg....

---Jon

[Ron Edwards]

Jon,

I recommend examining the role of augmenting in Hero Wars mechanics, specifically augmenting with relationships.

Check out my review of Hero Wars for some information about that.
This thread might help too.

These rules have prompted a huge wave of recent design response at the Forge, as the impact of positively-reinforced relationship mechanics successfuly encourages play methods that people have been trying to implement for many years.

Best,
Ron

[Zak Arntson]

Okay, I see where you're going with the love is freedom and binding at the same time. Well, now you've got the basic idea, time to start working with the System, right?

My suggestion: Focus your System tightly, and make every mechanic count towards your design goal. I (not so humbly) suggest these two threads:

http://indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1278
http://indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1211

I'm looking forward to more of this one. I love monsters!

[quozl]

Jon,

I recommend examining the role of augmenting in Hero Wars mechanics, specifically augmenting with relationships.

Check out my review of Hero Wars for some information about that.
This thread might help too.

These rules have prompted a huge wave of recent design response at the Forge, as the impact of positively-reinforced relationship mechanics successfuly encourages play methods that people have been trying to implement for many years.

Best,
Ron

Will do.  Hopefully, I'll be posting some system ideas on the forum this weekend.

---Jon