TRAGIC LOVE MONTH #4: Monsterhearts, by Avery Alder McDaldno (2012)

Type of Media: Tabletop RPG

Teenagers and monsters just seem to go together like blood and chocolate. Maybe it's because teens can seem so similar to monsters at times, acting out hormonal aggression, indulging in strange desires, and wallowing in emotions they can't really understand. That's not even broaching the topic of sex, which to teens can be so dangerous, so mysterious, so compelling and awkward that they wind up using it like dark magic. A lot of books and movies explore this relation between the supernatural and teenaged sexuality, from Twilight to Ginger Snaps. If you want to explore it for yourself, though, you can play Monsterhearts.

Monsterhearts is a pen-and-paper RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons but focused on sexy monster teens instead of killing goblins and finding treasure. Each person chooses a Skin, a supernatural archetype like a forlorn ghost or a manipulative vampire, and builds a player character using the choices each Skin presents. The one exception is the person acting as the MC, who narrates the story and controls the world instead of playing a single character.

Players give their characters goals and desires, and create a story with each other and the MC. To shape the story each player can use Moves. Some Moves are things everyone has access to, like turning someone on, physically lashing out, or running away, but some Moves are specific to each Skin, like the Fae's ability to hold people to keep their promises and retaliate if they don't. In addition, every Skin gets a Move specifically related to when they have sex with someone. The Queen can use their Sex Move to add people to their clique of social followers, while the Ghost can use theirs to exchange secrets with someone. 

It isn't unusual for sex to be part of an RPG, but Monsterhearts makes sex a core part of gameplay by designing a specific mechanic for it. Unless you choose to play an asexual character, everyone in Monsterhearts has a relationship with sex, whether it's a physical experience they crave, something they use to feel close to others, or a tool they use to gain power. Monsterhearts also makes no value judgements on sex. The manual encourages players to explore queer sexuality through roleplaying, and characters who have sex a lot aren't portrayed as corrupted or villainous. 

That being said, not all sex in Monsterhearts is between healthy, happy people. When it's used callously or maliciously sex can hurt other people, or it can hurt your own character, or it can bring you closer to your Darkest Self, a state where your teen's supernatural side takes over and they become truly monstrous. Sex in Monsterhearts also involves gaining or losing influence over someone else in the form of Strings, a currency that indicates the power you have over another person. Most of the relationships in Monsterhearts are going to be abusive, or at least messed up in some major way.

Even though it's about teenaged monsters, Monsterhearts is a very adult game. Its design encourages dark storytelling, and your characters will develop complex and sometimes icky relationships with one another. It's a game you should probably only play with people you know and trust. If you can find a group of friends who would be up for something a bit more involved and exploratory than just watching The Craft together, take a look at Monsterhearts.