A group of teens find a secret world, infested with a seed of evil that threatens to break free and endanger the real world. These teens regularly enter the inner world to beat back the evil and protect the world.

The inner world and the way it's accessed can vary from game to game. It can be a digital reality, an alternate earth, a distant galaxy, or a fantastical realm. The way to enter it also varies: plugging into an old supercomputer, holding hands in a circle around an ancient tome, or stepping through a mysterious tear in reality.

The characters aren't a friend group in the outer world. Each one has to navigate their own social circle, which often leads them to clash with other player characters.

General ideas and stuff

Mechanics

PbtA based on Monsterhearts, with touches of Masks and FitD.

~~Two sets of playbooks: outer playbooks for high school drama archetypes, and inner playbooks for badass warrior archetypes.~~

Outer Playbooks

jock
queen bee
nerd
theatre kid
gossip
union rep
clown
gamer
cheerleader
transfer
artist
activist
loner
rocker
troublemaker
bestie

Each one gives:

A net +1 stat point
Two recovery moves (decompression and lashing out)
A thing, that's an area of expertise

Stats

Charm - influence people
Cool - do your own thing, not caring about what others think
Brains - booksmarts and focus
Brawn - physical skill

Decompress

Every outer playbook has two moves to remove Stress. Decompress is a healthy way to clear their head after a mission, Lash Out is destructive either to themselves or the environment.

Decompression doesn't always work, so sometimes you have to Lash Out to clear stress.

Example: Jock

Decompress: Get Your Head in the Game
Your team has a big game coming up. Roll. On a 10+ you carry your team to victory, clear all Stress. 7-9 clear part of your stress as you fuck up somehow.

Lash Out: Watch it, Loser!
You lash out at a weak target, projecting your troubles onto them. Choose another player characters and confront them in the school halls, either verbally or physically. Clear all your stress.
If they stay quiet, they mark one stress and you lose influence on them as you break their trust.
If they fight back, mark one stress and they gain influence on you as they make you look weak er than you think.

Example: Nerd

Decompress: Study Hard
You have a big test coming up. Roll. On a 10+ you ace it, clear all stress. 7-9 clear part of the stress as you get a disappointing, but still passing, grade.

Lash Out: I Swear I Can Fix This
You fucked up, and only you are smart enough to fix the problems you caused. You miss a week of school as you work obsessively on your plan. Describe your plan, then present it to another player character. Clear all your stress.
If they think it's a good plan and promise to try to use it, they gain influence over you as they give you the validation you need, and gain influence over them.
If they think it's bad or don't want to commit, they gain influence over you as you resolve to impress them, and mark one stress.

August 20th, 2025 September 20th, 2025

Stats and Rolls

August 20th, 2025

Basic Moves

Directly Engage a Threat

When you directly engage a threat, Roll +Brawn.

On a hit, you each take harm, then they Escalate. On a 10+, pick two. On a 7-9, pick one:

Resist or avoid their blows
Take something from them
Create an opportunity for your allies
Impress, exhaust, or frighten someone

Assess the Situation

When you assess the situation, roll +Brains. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one. Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

What happened here?
What is hidden here?
What shouldn't be here?
What here can I use to ?
What is going to do next

Gain an Impression

When you try to gain an impression on someone you're talking to, roll +Cool. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.:

What are you planning?
How can I get you to do ?
How can I gain a string on you?
What do you really think about ?

Search Your Memory

When you search your memory for important information about a subject, ask a question and roll +Brains. If the subject is related to your thing, gain +1.

On a hit, the GM answers the question. On a 10+, ask a related followup question and the GM will answer. Get +1 forward when acting on the answer.

Sway

~~When you try to sway someone into doing what you want, choose an approach:~~

~~If you persuade them openly an honestly, they might ask for a promise or payment, or only partly follow through.~~
~~If you deceive them with false words or a quick tongue, they might twist your words, discover the truth later, or learn a secret about you.~~
~~If you threaten their safety or interests, they might go back on their word later, escalate the conflict, or look to escape.~~

~~Roll +Charm.~~

On a hit, they do what you want, but the GM or other player might add a complication based on your approach. On a 10+, choose one of the options and discard it. If the they add a complication, it can't be that one.

Make a Request

When you make a request of someone, say what you want them to do and roll +Charm.

Pull Strings

Spend a string on a character to do one of the following:

Get +1 on a roll affecting them
Increase the harm you deal to them by 1
For PCs: say what you want them to do. If they do it, they gain experience. If they don't, they take 1 harm.
For NPCs: say what you want them to do. The GM will name a price or condition. If you accept, they do what you want.

Jack Out

When you try to exit the inner world before the mission is over, roll +Nothing. If you're in a fight scene, take -1 to your roll. If someone else successfully jacked out this episode, take -1 to your roll.

On a hit, you successfully exit the inner world. On a 7-9, choose one:

The sudden shift makes you feel uneasy, mark a condition
Another character feels betrayed or abandoned, lose a string on them
You leave behind something or someone important

On a miss, you fail to leave the inner world, and are trapped inside until the mission is won. If the mission fails, prepare for trouble.

Help From Beyond

When you are in the outer world and try to help your teammates in the inner world,

???

Trigger a Reset

When you enter a node of evil and trigger a reset, answer the following questions, the roll +1 for each "yes":

Is the primary target of the evil in your social circle?
Do you have a string on the primary target, or do they have a string on you?
Do you feel safe right now?

Regardless of your roll, the node collapses and the evil ceases to influence the primary target.

On a 10+, the target only has a vague recollection of the events, as if it were a hazy dream. On a 7-9 they remember one small detail On a miss, they either remember a key detail, or the evil retains a lingering connection to them. The exact details are up to the GM.

Decompress

When you take some time after a mission to perform one of your playbook's decompression activities, roll +Conditions. On a 10+, clear 3 Conditions. On a 7+, clear 1.

You can only try to decompress once after each mission.

Lash Out

When you lash out against yourself, another player character, or the world around you, read out the entry in your playbook. Afterwards, play out the consequences of your actions.

Lashing out typically clears all your conditions, but may cause some collateral damage.

August 21st, 2025

The Playbooks

Playbooks

Characters in the game spend as much time navigating high school life as they do saving the world. As such, each character has a playbook - a set of moves and descriptions that represents a character archetype. Each playbook covers both the character's place in school, as well as how they appear in the inner world.

...

The playbooks in the game are:

The Jock - a star athlete with a bright future ahead of them. In the inner world they are a peerless warrior, using either clever tactics or brute strength to destroy the evil's armies.
The Nerd - a bright kid with academic passions. In the inner world they wield their understanding of the world to alter reality, bringing mystic powers into the fray.
The Queen Bee - the popular one, that everyone either looks up to or fears, or maybe both. In the inner world they wield the power of the spoken word, either to ... or to beguile their foes.
The Theatre Kid - the wierdo who always participates in school productions. In the inner world they...
The Cheerleader - the
The Activist -

September 6th, 2025 September 6th, 2025

Stress, Conditions, and Recovery

Stress

Saving the world is a lot of stress for a teen, and it can take both a physical and emotional toll. Stress represents your character's ability to push themselves without lasting harm. Whenever a move says you take harm, mark a box on your stress track. If your stress track is already full, mark a condition instead.

At the end of the episode, clear all your stress.

Conditions

Conditions represent the pressure building up on our protagonists, and they can only take so much before they break down.

When a move says you take harm and your stress track is full, choose one of the five conditions on your sheet and mark the checkbox next to it. While marked, each condition imposes a penalty on rolls that use a certain stat.

The conditions are as follows:

Angry: your emotions are all over the place. Take -2 to all Charm rolls.
Insecure: your confidence is shaken. Take -2 to all Cool rolls.
Distracted: you find it hard to focus and think. Take -2 to all Brains rolls.
Bruised: you're bruised, beaten, or just exhausted. Take -2 to all Brawn rolls.
Despair: you're out of the element in this crazy world. Take -2 to all Weird rolls.

If a move tells you to mark a condition you already have marked, mark a different one of your choice.

Recovery

Every playbook offers two ways to remove conditions: Decompress and Lash Out.

Decompress is when you let out your steam in a healthy and controlled way. When doing one of your playbook's venting activities, roll with an appropriate stat. On a 10+, you may clear up to 3 Conditions. On a 7-9, clear 1 Condition.

Lashing out is when you let out your emotions in a way that's harmful to both yourself and those around you. When you lash out, read out the relevant block in your playbook, then clear all your Conditions, no roll required. Afterwards play out the consequences of your actions.

Note that you can only try to Decompress once between missions, but you can still Lash Out after Decompressing.

September 4th, 2025 September 6th, 2025

Notes

Basic Moves Inner World Playbook The Captain The Gossip The Jock The Nerd The Queen Bee The Theatre Kid

The Inner World

General ideas and stuff

Mechanics

Outer Playbooks

Stats

Decompress

Example: Jock

Example: Nerd

Stats and Rolls

Basic Moves

Basic Moves

Directly Engage a Threat

Assess the Situation

Gain an Impression

Search Your Memory

Sway

Make a Request

Pull Strings

Jack Out

Help From Beyond

Trigger a Reset

Decompress

Lash Out

The Playbooks

Playbooks

Stress, Conditions, and Recovery

Stress

Conditions

Recovery

Notes

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