Looking for feedback.  I'm trying to flesh out the world a little, and create some characters the players have some relation to.

---------------------------------------

Smith, you're an interesting guy, and you've led an interesting life.  You've been out and about this world, meeting new and interesting people, and putting your creepy Brainer charm on them.
Choose one or two (your choice) Prominent People in the world. (there's a list) You automatically get 3 hold on them, as if you've rolled In-Brain Puppet-Strings.  Tell me what the command was, and why they will not or have not shaken the holds.
In addition, roll +Weird.  On a 7-9 Pick one different option for each person you selected.  On a Fail, do the same thing, but add one more option.
?   You have an old wound from this person that you've been hiding, take 1 harm.
?   The person, and their people, are hostile to you.
?   They have something you want, and they know it.
?   You'll take -1 to every roll when acting against their interests.
?   There's tons of Maelstrom interference.  Take -1 Weird for the rest of this session.
?   Nothing's feels real, except that creepy Brainer part of you.  Take -1 to all your stats (except Weird) this session.

Prominent People
?   Captain Rothschild - Leader of Poundtown.  He's the guy trying to get that boat going, and get the fuck outta here.
?   Deputy Amp - Chief of the Police in Poundtown.  He wants to loot and enslave the area, and add it to Poundtown's influence.
?   Dawson - Rich sonaofbitch.  Husband to your Sarah-chick who tried killing you. He's throwing money around, trying to get more of the area under his thumb.
?   The Shepherd - Leader of the Luddites.  He wants to kill or disable all the tech in the region.
?   King Xander - Leader of the chopper-gang The Avalanches.  Up in the mountains. They've got a tank.  They want to carve themselves an empire.
?   Dr. Blue - A military scientist in some fancy place of science.  Researching the Bubbles.  She wants to bring them down, or find out what happened.
?   Rattle - One of the cut-throat kids in Playboy's gang. He'll have ambition.
*none of these people have come up yet - I'll be sure to do it this game or next.

Hey gang.

Made up a new custom move that I have yet to implement in my game.  The idea is to create history with a place the players never visited before, but the characters may potentially have.

Looking for feedback and/or suggestions.

===================
Move:
When you arrive to a new settlement, ask the character "Have you been here before?"  If no, then there's no history, no ties.  Yet.
If yes, get the player to name an important NPC in town.  Roll +Hot and pick one.

10+:
-They are still in love with you.
-They owe you a favor.
-They are easily intimidated by you.
-You had an agreeable business arrangement.

7-9:
-You left them in a bind.
-You went back on a deal.
-Skipped out with something of value.
-Broke their heart.
-Made them a lot of promises, never delivered.
-Owe them a big favor.

Fail:
You left them broken, beaten, betrayed, humiliated, and/or you killed someone they love.

Hey guys. A question I wanted cleared up.

The players want to get a forest guide in their employ. Am I right to go off the Recruit move first,  then the create a hirling move to actually give the guide some stats?

Assuming yes, I wanted to know why this was two moves and not one. Both Hirelings and Recruiting don't reference each other and feels a little clunky. As if it was writ by two separate people.

Thanks. 

Myself, and friends, get to gather in a few days to play some Monsterhearts. Super excited.

Some of my friends and I are finding a problem with the Turn Someone On move, specifically used on males PCs, to other male PCs.  The male making the roll gets to describe his pouty lips, and strong hands, and thus (depending on the roll) gets to inform how the other character is turned on.

I've been trying to analyze this, wondering if it's the homophobia in me that is uncomfortable with the implications of this move. 

I do understand what the move is trying to do, having read the Queer Content section in the book:

"Characters can't help what arouses them ... It pushes the characters to some interesting places ... it creates another dimension to the character." (paraphrasing)

That's great from a storytelling perspective, but-

But it feels kinda false, like it doesn't spring from the fiction or from a logical place I can relate to.  Being a heterosexual male myself, I cannot remember anything so explicit ever happening like that in my life.  And I'm just going to assume most other hetero males cannot recall anything like that as well.  Also, it seems kinda absurd to tell another PC male that "your character is turned on! He is gay!" 

Aside from (immature?) statements like that, it is also a little hard to believe, because the move is telling the player how he ought to act, and what's he's supposed to feel, which takes volition and ownership away from the player.  That's the biggest problem I have with the move.

So question, does the other male have to be 'turned on' or can the move do other things instead? (like mesmerize the other character, impress them, etc)  Why does it seem like all the male characters are just a heartthrob and a dice roll from turning gay?  Should I just swallow my questions and accept the system/fiction?

What have other players done, in a male played game of Monsterhearts?

Here's something fun I did to begin now two new campaigns of AW.  (Inspired by the World-Burning from the Burning Wheel rpg.)

I'm reluctant to simply start a game of AW without knowing basic things about the world - setting especially - so I devised a number of questions to fill in the broad strokes of the world.  And then I get the players to answer them.

For my current game, I made nine questions, and I equally divided them amongst the three players.  In no order:

What was the height of technology before the Apocalypse?
When did the Apocalypse happen?  And what was its duration? (Long/sudden? In one lifetime?  Several?)
What's a major event in recent memory?
What's the ecology of the immediate vicinity?
Where will humanity be in twenty years?  In fifty?  One hundred years?
What is the current state of humanity?
If the Maelstrom were a person, what emotion would be tied to it?
Are we on Earth?
What or where is an example of the Maelstrom in everyday life?


Questions answered, a general idea of the world is formed.  Each time I've done this, I've noticed the players were salivating to fill the world in with their characters. Playbooks were snapped up, and I proceed to then ask probing questions about the characters.

Exciting things are defined right from the beginning, and players can create characters with confidence of where they'll be in the world, but general enough to have opportunities for further creation.  Also, because the players answer the questions, they're already emotionally tied to the fictional world.  Stakes named and put out there by the players.

Hoping this may inspire some other intrepid MCs.

I'm going to post the result of these questions from my current game, as well as post the on going sessions.  So far I'm really enjoying MCing, more than with any other rpg.

Peace.

I've been inspired to do my own take on ABaHD after reading another Playbook thread on it (thank you, Willow).

A Boy and His Dog is homage to human-canine interactions such as Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie, the Road Warrior, Dogmeat (from the Fallout series), the obvious A Boy and His Dog story by Harlan Ellison.  (a great "Apocalypse World" short story).

Wanted the Playbook to revolve around the concepts of loyalty, protection, friendship.  Inspired by the builds of the Faceless and Driver.

Finally, I consider this to be a rough draft.  I highly encourage others to comment and suggest ideas that will help to improve this. 

A Boy and His Dog

You can remember the black nights spent dodging murder, then hunting the things that weren't trying to eat you.  Afterwards, the two of you managed to pull in somewhere safe, keeping watch while the other slept.  Alone, either one of you would be nothing more than a meal, but together you're nothing to be scoffed at.  And while people will let you down, fuck you over, stab you in the back, your dog is the one person you will stick with you, through black nights and murder.
In Apocalypse World, so many people are separated from love and warmth, but not you.  You've got your best friend.  You've got your dog.

Choose your name and look:

Name
Ace, Bandit, Blondie, Blood, Blue, Dog Boy/Girl, Flint, Gibson, Harlan,                 

Hunter, Kringer, Max, McCarthy, Queen, Shepherd, Snarl, Terry, Trigger, Vic.

Look:
Boy, Girl, Man, Woman, Ambiguous

Army surplus wear, furs and leather wear, ratty luxe wear, baddass ganger wear, rugged ranger wear.

Filthy face, friendly face, weathered face, cute face, thin face, quirky face.

Spiteful eyes, guarded eyes, sharp eyes, twitchy eyes, expressive eyes, warm eyes.

Angular and bony body, wiry body, sturdy body, chubby body, relaxed body, malnourished body, fit body.

Choose a set:
Cool-1 Hard+0 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird0
Cool+0 Hard+1 Hot0 Sharp+2 Weird-1
Cool+1 Hard0 Hot+0 Sharp+2 Weird-1
Cool-2 Hard+0 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird+1

Your Dog
Choose a name for your dog.

Choose a gender:  Male, female, neutral.

Pick an array.
Fierce+1, Friendly+0, Alert+1, Aberrant+0, Dependent+1
Fierce+0, Friendly+1, Alert+1, Aberrant+0, Dependent+1
Fierce+0, Friendly+0, Alert+1, Aberrant+1, Dependent+1
Fierce+1, Friendly+1, Alert+1, Aberrant+0, Dependent+2

In combat, it has: 2-harm hand implanted, 0-armour, with a health clock the same as you.  Players Healing and Harming your dog affects your Hx as if they healed or harmed you.

Also, while your dog may argue with you, hate you, or get upset, it will never betray you.  The dog is +Loyal to you.

Pick the dog's breed:  Mutt, Pedigree, Cyber, Mutie.

Pick its role:  Hunter, charmdog, sentry, science experiment, wardog, Maelstrom expy, lapdog, performer.

Pick one or two Strengths, and one or two Weakness.

Strength:  Fast, protective, tough, patient, friendly, eager, adorable, smart, aggressive.
Weakness: Lazy, filthy, dumb, lame, loud, feral, needy, decrypted, cynical, ugly, mostly-blind, small.

Moves:
You start off with A Boy Loves his Dog, and Tricks.

A Boy Loves His Dog, while accompanied by your Dog...
... if you do something under fire, add your dog's fierce to your roll.
... if you try to do something by force, add your dog's fierce to your roll.
... if you go aggro, add your dog's fierce to your roll.
... if you try to seduce or manipulate someone, add your dog's friendly to your roll.
... if you read a sitch or a person, add your dog's alert to your roll.
... if you try to open your mind to the psychic maelstrom, add your dog's aberrant to your roll.
... if you help or interfere with someone, add your dog's alert to the roll.
... if someone interferes with you, add your dog's dependent to their roll.


Tricks:  Give the dog a command.  Roll +Sharp.  10+ Pick all 5.  On a 7-9, pick 3.  On a fail, the dog does not, or cannot obey.
--The Dog obeys the command immediately.
--The Dog is not harmed or hindered.
--The Dog is not confused, distracted or frightened.
--The Dog performs particularly well.
--The Dog performs happily.
Note:  I thought the dog needs a way to determine the degree of success/fail when the Boy gets the dog to do something.  One can use this move to do a huge array of things, like guard a person, attack, navigate through a land mind, dig for treasure, etc.  Can be compared to the Pack Alpha move.

Scout:  When you read a sitch, a success will allow you to pick an additional question.  10+ Pick two questions from below.  7-9 pick one additional question.  As this is part of reading a stitch, you also can take +1 if you act on these answers.
-Who else has been here?
-Where can I find [a particular item, place or person]?
-Where is safety?
-What happened here recently?
-What is secretly going on?
-How can I best hurt my enemies?

Best Friends:
When you help another PC, gain an xp.

DON'T FUCK WITH MY DOG
When fighting together, you and your dog act as a small gang: 3-harm, 1 armour. Range: hand/close.

Canine Intervention:
Your dog races to perform a last second save when a NPC or PC is about to take Harm.  Describe how your dog can come to the rescue.
Roll +Sharp for an NPC, or +Hx for a PC.
On a success the dog reaches the target in time.
10+ - Divide the total harm in half, (round down), and divide the remainder between the target and the dog.
7-9 - Subtract 1 from the total Harm, and divide the remainder between the target and the dog.
Fail - Both the target and the dog take the full harm.
Note, the Harm can be dealt from any source, so long as the canine can physically intercede.  It is conceivable for the canine to arrive in time to prevent the Harm from a botched Angel roll (bursting in on the operation before the scalpel is lowered!), but hard to justify intercepting the Harm from a Brainer's move.

Speak:
Your dog can speak, through medical experiement, mutation, telepathy, mechanical enchancements, or sheer empathy. ("what's that Lassie?  The Hocus fell down the well?")  Others can understand the dog, if it wishes.
Still working on the details of this power.  Thinking it could give +insight, or maybe a bonus similar to the Faceless?  Or maybe scratch this as a power, and allow the dog to speak from the beginning?
Note:  I think it's important that the dog is given a voice, either literally or figurativly, especially as a way for the character to be played with and interact.  The Dog from the Harlan Ellison story was done particularly well as a speaking (telepathic) character, and that's something I want to capture with this char.

Gear
You get oddments worth 1 barter.

And pick 2:
-9mm (2 harm, close, loud)
-Hunting Rifle (2 harm, far, loud).
-Hunting spear (2 harm, hand or close & reload)
-Handspike (1 harm, AP, hand)
-Fuck off knife (2 harm, hand)
-SMG (2 harm, close, area, loud).
-Many Knives (2-harm, hand, infinite)
-Dog Vest worth 1-armour.

Also, the Boy can choose to take armour worth 1-armour.

Hx

On your turn, choose one or both:
-You want to have sex with one of the characters.  Tell them hx+2
-One character has never had a pet.  Tell them hx-2
-Everyone else, tell them 0.

On their turn, pick on or both:
-Your dog thinks you should watch that person.  Whatever number they tell you, give it +1
-You've had to pack up with that character, surviving through a particular period of murder and starvation.  Whatever number they tell you, instead write +2.
-Everyone else, write the number they tell you.

Boy/Dog Special
-If you and a character have sex, hold 2.  Either you, or the other character can spend the hold.  Spending the hold will compel the other to help, if able, or to prevent the other from interfering.

Improvement
_+1 Cool
_+1 Hard
_+1 Hot
_+1 Weird
_+1 to one of your dog's stats.
_Gain a new Boy/Dog move.
_Gain a new Boy/Dog move.
_Gain 2 gigs and Moonlighting.
_Gain a move from another playbook.
_Gain a move from another playbook.
* If your dog dies, you can also spend a level to gain a new one.  (detail).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks!

Hey.  My first post.  Would love suggestions, tips, ideas, thoughts. 

THE TRIBAL:
Gone are the old ways, and the good ol' days.  What happens when you've forgotten how to speak, how to act,  how to be 'civilized?' You reinvent yourself, and take what you can from the dead world.  You've taken the scraps of memory left in the ruins, and from it, a new order -  a new culture - has arisen.  One that can survive the toxic air, the things that roam, and worst of all, other people.  When the last of your machines break down- when everyone's dying for a drop, you will thrive.

Creating the Tribal
Choose a name, look, stats, a tribal trait, moves, gear, and Hx.

Name:
Pale Dog, Joe, Zog, Oog, Kurtz, Rags, Hunter, Bad Crow, Him/Her, Mister/Misses Savage, Si, Sprang, Za, Sky, Pepsi, Ghost, Knocker, Demon, Black man, No-No, Mojo, Gungadish, Skeleton, Monkeyboy, Noble, John.

Look:
 
Man, woman, ambigious, transgressing.
Leather wear, fur wear, scrap wear, scrounge wear, vintage wear, rugged wear, display wear.
Lithe body, scarred body, tattooed body, gaunt body, muscled body, bony and tall body, solid body.
Noble face, scarred face, crooked face, tired face, gorgeous face, inbred face, weathered face.
Laughing eyes, Serene Eyes, Wild Eyes, Pale eyes, Cloudy Eyes,  Sad Eyes, Watchful Eyes, Guarded Eyes, Spooky Eyes, Clever eyes, Dull eyes, Squinty eyes.

Stats:
•   Cool+1  Hard+0  Hot+1  Sharp+2 Weird-1
•   Cool+0  Hard+1  Hot-1  Sharp+2 Weird+1
•   Cool+1  Hard-1  Hot+1  Sharp+2 Weird+0
•   Cool-1  Hard+1  Hot+0  Sharp+2 Weird+1

Moves:
You get all the basic moves.  And this one:

 Wasteland Survival:  With preparation and the right materials, the Tribal can make something for himself, up tor a small gang.  Pick one:  Shelter/protection, food/water, medicine, basic weapons/armor.   Plus roll+Sharp.  10+ The creation is permanent.  7-9: Will soon break down with use.  On a fail, you end up wasting time and the material. 
And pick 2:

Ambush:  Prep before going aggro or seizing by force.  Prep can mean anything from hiding a broken bottle behind your back, setting snares, or waiting till night falls.  Right before you make your move, roll +Sharp.  10+ pick both.  7-9 pick one.   
•   They're vulnerable.  You do AP or +1 harm. 
•   They're disorganized.  They do -1 harm.
On a fail, you're caught before you're ready.  You do -1harm.  They do +1harm.
Ambush lasts till whenever the MC decides the NPCs can identify the threat and/or get themselves rallied.  For PCs, they'll need to Act Under Fire.

Quick In:  When using a hand weapon, or any tribal/primitive type weapons (like a bow), gain +1 armour.

Somewhere Out There:  Name a person, place or thing out in the Wastelands that you want to find.  It exists.  Roll +Sharp.  On a success, you know where it is, but the MC chooses 1.  On a 7-9, the MC chooses 2.  A fail, the GM chooses 4.
•   It's far off;
•   In hostile territory;
•    it's in the vicinity;
•   You can't go back the same way you came;
•   it's been claimed;
•    it's not what you expected;
•   it's in danger.

Deja Vu: At the start of a charged situation, make a prediction then roll + Sharp.  10+ Hold 2.  7-9 Hold 1.  You can spend your holds 1-for-1 on yourself, or another PC to take +1 to make the prediction come true.  On  a fail, take -1 forwards, as you're looking the wrong way.

In Every Footprint, In Every Cloud, a Sign:  Use Sharp when opening your brain to the psychic maelstrom.

You are the Prey, the Hunter: +1 Sharp.

Tribe Set:
You come from a tribe.  They worship a specific way, they act a specific way, they believe in certain gods.   Because of where you're from, choose a set, and pick one of the tribal traits therein:

-Child Tribe:  The adults never found you, or maybe you exile anyone over a certain age.   Pick one:
•   Child immortality:  The first time you take a debility, ignore it.  You're now out of the fight and left for dead.   You'll come back in the aftermath.  Erase all harm.
•   Perceived vulnerability: Whenever someone offers you aid, protection, care or comfort, and you accept, they gain +1 xp.

Blood and Darkness tribe:  Gathered in secret, your tribe conducts dark rites.  More in tune with monsters, than with people.
•   Cannibal:  While away from your tribe, gain +1 xp when you eat someone.  Spread the love.
•   Wasteland demon:  Pick one condition:  Inflicting harm in darkness/Inflicting harm with a hand or intimate weapon.  Whenever you inflict harm with this condition, then inflict +1 harm and +messy.  If the weapon is already +messy, it becomes +GORE EXPLOSION.

Exploration tribe:  Your tribe roams the earth, learning about the people and the world.
•   Crazy prepared:  Gain a piece of gear from another playbook.
•   Well versed:  Gain an additional sex move from another playbook.  When you do the nasty, you can now use either the new sex move,  your tribal sex move, or both.

Exodus tribe:  Your tribe has suffered, and forced to leave their ancestral land. The tribe's warriors are dead, and only you remain to lead them.  The tribe consists of the very young, and the very old.  A medium gang, 0-harm, 0-armour.  Plus pick 2:  Vulnerable: Desperation; Vulnerable: Disease: Vulnerable: Hunger, Vulnerable: Violence.  In addition, at the beginning of every session, they produce 1 barter for you.
•   You can consult the tribal elders.  Gain +insight.
•   Whenever you protects the tribe from danger, or improves their lot, you gain +1 xp.

Maelstrom Tribe:  You are the product of a tribe highly in tune with the ebbs and flow of the psychic maelstrom.  The tribe even refers to the maelstrom directly, as if it were a place.
•   Shaman: With preparation, gain +augury.  You can use Sharp for augury if you have a move that lets you use Sharp to open your brain to the psychic maelstrom.
•    Intimacy with the secret world:  Once per session, in private, you can ask the MC about the nature of a threat that has been encountered, or is looming.  Gain +1 if you act on what the MC tells you, similar to using the basic Sharp move.

Wasteland tribe: Your people are tough and hardy, pragmatic.   You're in balance with the land, and conduct regular business with other settlements.
•   Nothing wasted:  Whenever you successfully use the Wasteland Survival move, gain +1 barter.
•   Helpful Native:  After a successful Wasteland Survival move, whenever you share the earnings with one or more PC, gain +1 xp.

Gear:
You get clothes appropriate to your look, and 1-armour at your discretion.  Plus, pick 2 Tribal weapons:
Boomerang:  (2-harm, close/far, returns) and an armoured glove.
Longspear: (3-harm, hand/close)
Garrote: (2-harm, AP, intimate)
Blunt War Weapon: (3-harm, hand, messy)
Great Scything Blade: (3-harm, hand, messy)
Bow: (2-harm, close, AP)
Outdated Hunting Rifle: (2-harm, far, AP, loud, reload)
Ceremonial dagger:  (2-harm, hand, valuable)
Hunting knives: (2-harm, hand, infinite)
Javelins: (2-harm, hand/close, reload)
Bolas: (1-harm, s-harm, close, reload).
Junked Sawn-off shotgun: (3-harm, close, loud, reload)
Your Own Damn Nails and Teeth: (2-harm, intimate/hand, implanted, messy).
Clawed glove: (2-harm, close, messy)

HX:
On your turn, pick 1 or both:
Tell someone +1 hx.  They've had dealings with your tribe before.
Tell someone Hx-2: Your tribe has been hostile to that PC, or someone near and dear to them.
Everyone else, tell them -1.  You're strange and different.
On their turn, pick one or both:
Whatever number someone tells you, write +2 instead.  You've helped them when they were lost, alone and hurting.
Hx -2: They've fucked with or double-dealt your tribe.

Tribal Special:
When you and another character have sex, you can gain +1 history with them, and they get -1 history with you.   Or you get -1 history with them, and they get +1 history.  What with the cultural difference.

Improvement:
--+1 Cool (max +2)
--+1 Hard (max +2)
--+1 Hot (max +2)
--+1 Weird (max +2)
--Gain another tribal trait from a different tribe set. 
--Gain the second tribal trait from a set you've already taken.
--Gain a tribal move.
--Gain another tribal move.
--Gain a move from another playbook.
--Gain a move from another playbook.