You thought school couldn’t get any worse. Then you died.
Concept: Purgatory High is a Monsterhearts small town that presents the very specific afterlife of infinite high school. From the text:
Purgatory High is open to (and, in fact, compulsory for) all young dead people to prepare them for their future afterlife. Really? Most drop out into the fiery pits. You can’t be entirely sure you’ve escaped damnation until you head out of the gates and disappear in a whiff of sulphur or beam of light (to your beatifically boring white-halo job).
Until then, class. How many students are at the school? Hard to tell. The corridors seem to stretch as eternally as the Double-Math class, historically anachronistic mobs rushed along them, guided by the crisply suited teachers. Angels? Devils? Monsters? Whatever the teachers are, you just know they’re not like you.
But at least it’s not hell. Not yet. And it’s not too late to discover what’s going on – with yourself, and this whole place…
Aim: We’ll create characters who are rebels and anomalies in this place. We play to find out about the nature of the afterlife, what happens when people graduate from it, and maybe even why weekends still exist in this place.
Tone: This could range from existential horror to comic. We’ll have a conversation on the tone we want to hit during the first session. In my dreams I’d be able to approach the afterlife with some of the cosmic mundanity of The Good Place meets the disorienting nightmare of Jacob’s Ladder.
Subject Matter: Themes that may be present include being both human and inhuman, dysfunction, abuse, shame, isolation, queerness, violence, death, and occasionally transcendence. In addition, this setting includes a specific afterlife, the particulars of which are up for discussion. We’ll also talk about a variation in rules on non-attraction in addition to the rules on asexuality. Finally, broad and metaphorical interpretations of Sex Moves are encouraged.
Despite the unusual setting, the vast majority of the skins are not normal students. This series will use the skins The Infernal, The Ghoul, The Ghost, The Vampire, The Queen, and The Mortal, though other skins may be appropriate. This will be discussed with the group leading up to the first session, and at any session that includes a new player.
Skins and basic mechanics can be found on Avery Alder’s website. Note that in this series, players will only exercise their moves on other players’ characters by affirmative and enthusiastic consent.
This event is scheduled for a maximum of four hours, and will be recorded with the consent of all participants. This series will use an Open Table; attendance at each session is preferred but not required, so please RSVP to each session you wish to attend. Safety tools in use for this game will include the Open Door, the X-Card, and Script Change. Additionally, a content discussion establishing Lines and Veils will be held prior to each session. If this is your first Gauntlet Hangouts event, please review the inclusivity policy.
Saturday, November 2, 2019 2:30 AM → Saturday, November 2, 2019 6:30 AM Session 1
Saturday, November 9, 2019 3:30 AM → Saturday, November 9, 2019 7:30 AM Session 2
Saturday, November 16, 2019 3:30 AM → Saturday, November 16, 2019 7:30 AM Session 3
Saturday, November 23, 2019 3:30 AM → Saturday, November 23, 2019 7:30 AM Session 4
Saturday, November 30, 2019 3:30 AM → Saturday, November 30, 2019 7:30 AM Session 5
General RSVPs begin on 9/18 at 9:30 PM Eastern.