Classical & RP furries, segue into playing animals as characters in RPG

I’ve looked at Masks, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do as a GM, and it looks as if it’s saying that I should create a villain, and give them a list of moves that they can take, such as a PC would have. And I don’t really have any intuition for how that was done for the PC templates; I don’t know, for example, how I could make up a new type of PC if I wanted to.
I do a lot of improvisation when I’m running a campaign. But often enough, it grows out of character sheets that I’ve written up ahead of time, and sometimes of biographies that I’ve thought out for those characters. The improv is helped a lot by having a bunch of details from which I can pick the one that seems to fit the current situation. And those details come from preplanning—not of a plot, because I don’t think it’s my job as a GM to figure out a plot, but of characters.
That in fact is the biggest reason that I don’t make much use of published scenarios; many of them seem to assume a predefined plot that it’s the GM’s job to nudge the players into following.

Having just looked at that section - you’re not generating full on character classes or mechanical moves the way PCs have (though if you’re interested in learning about designing custom moves of that sort, Apocalypse World has a bunch of good advice and Vincent Baker digs more into his design ideas on his patreon), just saying some dramatic actions that are specifically associated with that villain. Like Magneto might “use the metal they’re wearing to immobilize them” or “rip the rebar out of a nearby building and fling it at an enemy”; Darkseid might “unleash the unerring destructive power of the Omega Beams” or “recite the Anti-Life Equation”. (I’m not sure if those are well-phrased villain moves, but it’s the sort of thing they’re looking for, I think.)

Anyway. Back to the original topic.

I’ve dug the Blue Rose rulebook out for a skim through, and it seems not - the table of options to pick from all seem to be animals rather than anthropomorphised. I can’t speak for 1st edition, however, as I’ve never laid eyes on that.

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I wouldn’t absolutely rule it out, as I’ve got Bunnies and Burrows and GURPS Bunnies and Burrows. But I’ll have to think about it. Thanks!

I played a talking hound in a Celtic Myth game many years ago. Cumindigh was very houndlike in attitude (motivated by food, status, and stench) but did talk. Arguably he was more sensible than the Celt PCs, who were trying to be more mythic.

I played a psychic chimp in a Heros Pulp game for a while. Mango Joe could not talk but had a big dumb galoot of a buddy who understood him. MJ did not act a lot like an animal but was often treated like one.

Baugh was a dwarf raised by wild mountain sheep. He often had ramlike thoughts and attitudes which confused his compatriots.

I’ve played various anthro style furry PCs, but these are mostly “regular PCs in odd suits” where that sort of thing was not especially remarkable.

DMing wise, I had a DnD Golden Labradoodle Paladog for a while - he was a very good boy.