The FATE of Old

Back in the day (when did it happen that I could start like this?), there was a game called FUDGE. It had some new ideas like using those fudge dice and using adjectives instead of numbers. Otherwise it was more like a toolkit. Choose the attributes and stats for your campaign, pick whatever other rules you might need and have fun.

Now, my first exposure to Fate was with FATE 2 (pdf). It was more specific than Fudge but still pretty open. You still had to make up the skill list for your game. The one big thing was a new take on attributes. Instead of the GM making a list for that too, players would make up their own traits. That became popular at the time.

From such games, a caveat was learned. Very broad traits are boring. But it is tempting to make the broadest trait possible. So the Fate took that to heart. Instead of rolling those self-made attributes, you could spend them for bonuses. So you always roll a skill and, if you want, spend a charge from a fitting “Aspect” for a massive bonus. Of course, this solves the Broad Trait Problem, because any Aspect is finite. If you spend all your All Might early, you don’t have anything later and must rely on your other Aspects. Granted, the Aspect examples in the Fate 2 rulebook might not fit our nowadays refined tastes for literary expressiveness, but I’m looking at their functionality here.

There were Fate Points, too. You got them, when an Aspect became a problem, but they were a simple +1, while an Aspect charge meant a sure +2 or a full reroll. Fate Points and Aspect charges were not interchangeable. There were no scene and campaign aspects. The game also made a big point of Extras, which can still be found in the toolkit nowadays, but I’ve never seen anyone bothering either way.

It was a good system for its communicative power. Setting up the skill list, the GM says: This is what will be important for the campaign. This is what the characters will do. Making your Aspect on the other hand, you say: This is cool and important about my character.

Of course, newer editions don’t do it that way anymore. The question is why, if it was such a nice system. It’s certainly not about general simplicity, because in the same stroke that aspects were changed to simple tags, we also got Stunts, which are actually more complicated internally than the old Aspects, and another thing to keep track of. It might be a case for consistency, after maneuvers and their effects were invented. But those could have been handled without connecting things to Fate Points as well.

The only problem with the old Aspects I can imagine would be them being too good at what they do, that is limiting constant use of broad traits. We might call it the Aquaman problem. In order for Aquaman to shine, there should be water. So a particularly narrow Aspect might be wasted. But that might be fixed as well, as PDQ# has shown. The rule would be to discard Aspect charges in lieu of Stress. This could happen without regard to the current situation. Aquaman could still take a beating, but not use his Aspect actively. This would also remove the need for separate HP or stress tracks. Conditions could work unchanged.

So to use this Fate 2.9

• Make a skill list for your campaign.
• Use the Aspects the old way.
• Use Aspects as stress, too.
• Import the four kinds of actions from later editions.
• Import Conditions as you see fit.
• Gracefully ignore stunts.

Personally, I’d also make a ladder that requires less interpretation, but that might be another topic.

Originally posted at rpg.net, where it also got a comment by iago.

Powering an Apocalypse

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Tips

One of the typical suggestions when someone asks for making an Apocalypse hack is starting with Simple World. That might work, but it won’t give you something I would call a great PbtA game. Something like Monsterhearts, Urban Shadows or Masks. So here are my two tokens of economic exchange.

1. Pick a small subgenre with a few works as material.

Typically cited genres like Science-Fiction, Fantasy or even Urban Fantsy are by far too wide turn them into a focused game. On the other hand individual works of fiction often do not provide source material that is varied enough.

Some franchises, like Star Wars or Star Trek, may work as their on subgenre in this regard, because they themselves produced several installments over the years.

2. Actions anyone can take should either be a very specific move or no move at all.

In short, you want to avoid moves that change the used stat based on a situation. You want to avoid situational modifiers. If you feel the need to make such differentiation, either make two separate moves, or reformulate. Also err on the side of No Move At All.

3. When creating moves start with strong triggers.

Triggers are the most important part of your moves. They are a great opportunity to communicate the genre and flavor of your game. Use that. Also specific triggers reduce discussions at the gaming table. They do away with deliberation whether something is worth a roll or not. The move triggers, when the move triggers.

4. Create moves, then group them, then name those groupings as stats.

Definitely do not start your design with a definitive list of stats. Instead start with moves. If you end up with more than a hand full of moves that require rolls – moves without rolling are definitely a thing! -, you probably don’t want an individual stat for each move. Instead try different groupings. How might that stat be called in each case?

5. Playbooks should be about origins, motivations or behaviors

When inspecting your source material, it is tempting to model abilties or specialties with the gaming system. But Urban Shadows does not tell us about typical abilities of vampires. Masks doesn’t really have rules for superpowers. That’s because avid fans of your source material know these. Instead help them with patterns they might have missed. How does a famous hero’s sidekick act compared to a self-made neighbourhood vigilant? What does someone who grew up on a primitive planet bring with them when they join Starfleet?

Really masterful playbooks are allegories, too, like every playbook in Monsterhearts or Masks is “The kid who…”.

6. Try shuffling stuff between layers

PbtA games can be understood as different layers, to name a few:

• Conversation
• Basic Moves
• Uncommon Moves
• Hx, Bonds, Favor, Strings…
• “Sex” Moves, i.e. moves that every playbook has, but different
• Playbook Moves
• Playbook Specialties

This listing is not complete. Games like Alas For The Aweful Sea use a combination of two playbooks for characters. Masks has a category of Adult Moves that you can buy with XP. So play around with these categories. Try whether a some bit of rules could be done on a another layer. Or maybe you find you need to make your own category.

A Small Rulest for Organisations, Part 3, Precepts

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My Stuff

Precepts are a way to crunchify the ideals and outlook of organisations under this system. An Organisation can have at most two Precepts. Branches of Organisations in different regions normally share Precepts. Precepts provide Boosts. These Boosts should be used in the turn they come up.

• Altruistic: Gain a Boost once per turn, when you gift Money or an Asset tap to another Organisation.
• Dogmatic: Gain a Boost on the next turn, if you have one untapped Authority Asset at the end of turn. The Asset must have been usuable.
• Hateful: Choose another Organisation or a certain kind of Organisation as your enemy. Gain a Boost each turn to hit them with Raids and Sabotage.
• Honorable: Gain a Boost, when they openly declare you are going to attack another Organisation.
• Innovative: Gain a non-Research Boost, if you you used Prototypes at least three times last turn.
• Liberal: Gain a Boost each turn to Calm Riots. Never use Intelligence or Military to do so.
• Luxurious: Gain a Boost next turn, if you have unused Infrastructure at the end of turn.
• Mercantile: Gain a non-Economy Boost each turn, if you have the most Economy in a region. There must be at least one other Organisation there.
• Migratory: Gain a Boost each time when a Pop in a region where one of your Pops just arrived.
• Peaceful: Gain a Boost each turn, if you do not have Military.
• Rooted: Gain a Boost each turn, if you do not grow beyond your home region.
• Vengeful: Gain a Boost to retaliate, whenever another organisation messes with you.

A small ruleset for Organisations, Part 2

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My Stuff

Continuing the last post, here are some more goodies.

Boosts

Boosts are like a one time Asset. Some Boosts are generally typed, although some are general. You can buy typed Boosts with Money. The first Boost of a type (say Research) in a turn and region costs 1 Money. The seconds costs 2 Money etc.

Random Events

Roll random events at the beginning of a turn for any region you like. Random events affect the whole region. Roll 2d6 and 1d6 of another color. Read the 2d6 on the following table. If the final d6 is 5+, the event is considered major.

2	Catastrophe. A natural asset expires, if exists. If major, this region’s population limit shrinks by 1.
3	Population lost. The currently largest Organisation looses 1 Pop. Again, if major.
4	Bad Season: Population and Trade assets have 50% chance of producing 0.5 Money less. Or nothing, if major.
5	Unrest. One Pop from the Organisation with currently largest number of non-rioting Pops riots. Again, if major.
6	Asset damaged. Choose an asset in the region at random. Twice, if major.
7	Same as last time. Determine minor / major anew.
8	Harmony. Each Organisation with an Authority Asset gains an Authority Boost. If major, each Organisation with Research also gains a Research Boost.
9	Economy boom. Trade Assets have 50% of trading for another 0.5 Money. 1 full Money, if major.
10	Good Production. Pops have a 50% chance of producing another 0.5 Money. 1 full Money, if major.
11	Natural Asset found. It initially takes 4 Money to develop it. Free, if major.
12	The largest Organisation in the reason grows 1 Pop. If major, the second largest does as well.

Random events

This table is somewhat pessismistic. That’s because Organisations can burn Research to mess with the roll and of course PCs may attempt to avert disaster. Therefore make sure to frame events in a way that PCs may tackle them.

Natural Assets

Natural Assets do not require upkeep and therefore very attractive. Some kinds might be damaged, meaning the means of extraction are damaged. They cannot be destroyed however. Some natural assets might be limited to specific actions, like steep cliffs are Military, but only for defense. Natural assets cannot usually move to other regions.

Treaties

You can trade anything. Money, Actions, Assets. You can share ownership with another Organisation. Some organisations might depend on it. A mercenary band might be a single Military asset, requiring contracts for upkeep.

War

War is special action with Range 0. You must commit some Pops that will not produce this turn. You must have an equal or greater rating of Military in the region. You do not have to tap your Military assets or boosts for the war. Your enemy might do likeweise. Then roll 1d6 for each warring Pop.

1	This Pop dies.
2-3	Nothing happens.
4	Damage an Asset or kill one Pop.
5	Damage an Asset or conquer a damaged Asset.
6	Conquer 1 Pop. It is rioting now.

War result

The next and final installment will include Precepts as another way to individualize Organisations.