A little too queer?

Okay, I don't want to spark controversy. I mean, I myself am not straight. Pretty much, though, everyone in the campaign I'm in has either been turned on by both genders, or said "fuck it" and flirted with both genders at some point or another. I mean, currently it's waay too easy for a dude to turn on a dude who's "supposedly" straight. In fact, it's gone so far that eventually we came to the consensus that literally everyone in the monsterhearts universe is pansexual and that there aren't even words for sexual orientation. I'm just thinking there should probably be at least one way of handling sexual orientation. I mean, a person of one gender should still be able of turning on a supposedly 'straight' person of the same gender, but it should be a bit harder than turning on a gay person of the same gender, or a straight person of the opposite gender.

There's no straight or gayness attribute in the game. There's no way for anyone to really determine how straight or gay any character is or isn't. We're just left with, what do they do? What do they say? What do they feel?

How hard is it to turn on a "supposedly" straight dude?

You can have a high school filled with teen monsters, but if everyone's also queer it's a bit much?

Okay, okay. I hear ya, it can make it difficult to get a feel for a 'horror' game when it seems more like an erotica game. But maybe that's the genre your game is headed in? Kind of a fanficcy, uber-queer, sexed up game?

Also, just because you have sex with someone, doesn't mean they like you. The werewolf who went down on you last session, might feel enough shame that they'll piledrive you into a trash can in front of the whole cheerleading squad, in this session.

Okay, okay. I hear ya, it can make it difficult to get a feel for a 'horror' game when it seems more like an erotica game. But maybe that's the genre your game is headed in? Kind of a fanficcy, uber-queer, sexed up game?

Luckily, Monsterhearts isn't a horror game. "Specifically, it’s a story game about supernatural romance and teenage desperation (Page 4)."

I'm just thinking there should probably be at least one way of handling sexual orientation. I mean, a person of one gender should still be able of turning on a supposedly 'straight' person of the same gender, but it should be a bit harder than turning on a gay person of the same gender, or a straight person of the opposite gender.

There's actually a really solid mechanic for sexual orientation in MH.  Don't roll to turn certain characters on.  I've had characters in MH games that were pretty clearly straight, simply because characters of the opposite sex were the only ones rolling to turn them on.  It's not the rules making your game pansexual.  It's you're play-group.  MH doesn't say that your character can't have a sexual orientation.  Just that (as in real life) it's not under that character's control.

The problem comes from generalizing the way MH handles sexual orientation to "everyone in the monsterhearts universe." The PCs aren't everyone in the universe. They're the Vampire, Ghoul, Witch, Queen, etc. There can be people that have a handle on their sexual orientation in a MH world. But they ain't the PCs (or the major NPCs). This isn't their story.

Quote from: Varkarrus on February 17, 2014, 02:00:01 PM

I'm just thinking there should probably be at least one way of handling sexual orientation. I mean, a person of one gender should still be able of turning on a supposedly 'straight' person of the same gender, but it should be a bit harder than turning on a gay person of the same gender, or a straight person of the opposite gender.

There's actually a really solid mechanic for sexual orientation in MH.  Don't roll to turn certain characters on.  I've had characters in MH games that were pretty clearly straight, simply because characters of the opposite sex were the only ones rolling to turn them on.  It's not the rules making your game pansexual.  It's you're play-group.  MH doesn't say that your character can't have a sexual orientation.  Just that (as in real life) it's not under that character's control.

Hmm, that actually makes sense. Not gonna do anything about it in my campaign, the fact that everyone is pansexual is already canon, and also kinda funny.

okay so I don't read turning someone on as simply sexually exciting the person.  The fact that everything is queered out is the play group probably.  I mean the straight character can still turn down the gay come on's  Being turned on in this context may just mean feeling pressured to have sex with someone.  Not actually attracted.

Being turned on in this context may just mean feeling pressured to have sex with someone.  Not actually attracted.

That is quite explicitly not how the move works. It is not a move about social manipulation or pressure, it is a move about sexuality and emotional response. If you want to pressure someone into having sex, you use a String to offer them experience, or (if they're an NPC) manipulate them.

Just to quote the actual text:

This move implies something about sexuality, and
particularly teenage sexuality. We don’t get to decide what
turns us on. When you make a move to turn someone on
(with a character action or with scene description), the
other player doesn’t get to exclaim, “Wait, my character
is straight! There’s no way that’d turn them on.” That’s a
decision that we as players can’t make for our characters.
The dice are going to be the ultimate referees of what is
and isn’t sexy for these characters. Their own sexuality
will confuse them and surprise them;

But, it is true that you can still turn down the come on. You just can't decide that it isn't turning you on.