I have used this system to run a 2-shot adventure and we had an absolute blast. The rules are fairly easy to pick up; as someone with no prior experience in the Apocalypse World Engine, I had no difficulty understanding the rules and explaining them to my players. The character sheets (Skins) were fantastically well-formatted, further adding to the ease for new players. If you are looking for a fun way to let of steam, I definitely recommend this easy-to-play game to channel your inner teen angst!

That said, the book itself often feels edgy just for the sake of being edgy, and the content is painted as unneccesarily dark. It takes itself too seriously; adopting a very politically-correct/trigger-warning tone while diving headfirst into abuse/trauma subjects that are at complete odds with that tone. Steer clear of the heavy stuff, know your table, and you will have fun.

Monsterhearts 2 is an outlet for creative energy. Either for the MC (The Monsterhearts 2 equivalent of a DM) or the players. It's so nice to deal with petty high school drama and worrying about trying to remain hidden in a crazy world.

I fully recommend everyone to try out Monsterhearts 2 for the following reasons:

• Be who you want to be. In Monsterhearts 2, everyone can be whatever monster or whoever they want to be, regardless of gender, sexuality, skin color, and things like that.
• Tell a messy, beautifully chaotic story with your players. No need for big story lines. Make up a setting, choose characters, talk about boundaries and NPCs, and dive in! No other RPG system I played is that chaotic and prep-light.
• An awesome community. I've never met a community that is that welcoming. Ask any question to, or have laughs with your new friends.
• Inclusivity and consent. The topics of Monsterhearts 2 can be very raw and real, but with the consent guidelines in this book, as well as the proper understanding of what Monsterhearts 2 wants to be, You can have very fun RP without the nasty feeling of being left out or ignored, or worse.

Easily the best-written RPG rulebook I've ever read. Also ranking among my all-time fav games to play! Absolutely worth your time.

Avery Alder's Monsterhearts has been one of those games I that I have wanted to review and play some more ever since I first encountered the First Edition all the way back when I was introduced to it at Gen Con.

Monsterhearts is a game on what it like to play teenage monsters. Monsters as metaphors for teenage life and feeling a little outside the norm. I think it is something everyone can relate too I think. The system is an easy one, based on the Apocalypse World Engine, something else I have wanted to delve into further. The base mechanic is simple; 2d6 + whatever mods (depending on the game), get higher than 10 for a success, or a 7-9 for something weird.

Characters have playbooks (much like many PBA games) but they also have a "Sex Move" they can use on other characters. They are teens afterall.

Don't expect a lot of combat here or a detailed combat system, this is not "Supernatural", this is Buffy in the early seasons, Twilight, or Carmillia the Web Series.

Monsterhearts 2 is a game for sexy teen monsters to have melodramatic interactions, but, it goes out of its way to be “sexy” and “edgy”, which to me was actually a turn off.

Mechanically, the game is fine. It follows the standard Powered by the Apocalypse layout, with a few minor name changes to suit the game’s style. I think MOST of the skins were well thought out, each skin representing a different kind of monster, and the abilities therein. I do not like the Mortal aka the human. Its abilities lead me to believe that the “best” way to play this character is as the victim of abuse, and you have very few choices beyond that.

The art is so-so. The cover is the best art by far; with the interior art looking like someone used a marker to copy pictured of goths and punks. The vast majority of the monsters look like normal people. Maybe this is part of the game, that monsters have to “blend in”, but for a game that pronounces itself as out and proud, I’d like the monsters to look like monsters, at least in some of the art.

The ZIP file is actually great. You can get the book with each page as a single layout, or lay out side by side. The player skins are laid out to be printed and folded into little player books, which I think is a good touch. There’s also a PDF of towns you can set your sexy monster abusive relationship game in, with potential story seed. (I found the towns PDF to be the best part of the book.)

All in all, I’m going to give this game a solid “meh”. It’s not sexy. It is melodramatic. It does have monsters. It’s a different kind of game, and Buried Without Ceremony should be congratulated for being daring enough to try it.

Monsterhearts and Monsterhearts 2 are, in my opinion, the best written PBTA Games out there. Not a game for every table, but the perfect game to scratch your itch if you're looking for melodrama and the opportunity to explore characters in crisis. Genuinely give this book a read even if you're not interested in playing sexy teenage monsters, the insigns into playing people driven to make poor decisions will be worth your time.