frozenscv
Initiate Douchebag
... Yeah... My name's John Sextro...
Posts: 34
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Post by frozenscv on Mar 2, 2012 9:38:10 GMT -8
Alright I picked up the Dresden files rpg books really interested in the system but what i'd like to find out is if there was some sort of premade module or adventure I could run before I get into the full on making of cities, characters, etc.
I get the feeling that if I just shove my players into not only a game but a system they've never tried before then it could end badly with their wanting to change decisions because they don't like how a mechanic worked or something. So any suggestions?
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willh
Journeyman Douchebag
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Post by willh on Mar 2, 2012 10:33:48 GMT -8
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kevinr
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Post by kevinr on Mar 2, 2012 10:34:41 GMT -8
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2012 13:35:07 GMT -8
Shiny, will have to look at them myself having just picked up the books. Of course before I do that I've got to actually read the rest of the novels the RPG covers, don't want any spoilers if I can avoid them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2012 9:29:40 GMT -8
Beat me to it, willh. I was just looking at those the other day.
I'm personally thinking of creating a one-shot with pre-gens, myself, to introduce my players to the system and mechanics, and *after* that, do city creation and character creation for *their* campaign. Not sure yet, though..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2012 9:47:03 GMT -8
Highly recommend a oneshot to introduce the system. The whole aspect system tends to throw people off if they are used to tradition D20 style games. I recommend a pregen one shot, then a one shot where they make the characters, then jump into creation for a campaign. That way they get to use aspects, then create aspects, and then make the character they will campaign with.
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HyveMynd
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Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
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Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
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Currently Running: The Sprawl
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Post by HyveMynd on Mar 6, 2012 3:05:16 GMT -8
As one of those people who was used to the traditional d20 systems and then tried FATE, yeah. It definitely threw me for a loop. I think it threw our whole gaming group for a loop.
We didn't play Dresden Files though. Instead we played a two-shot Weird War game where the PCs were a military unit. It was supposed to be a horror game, but as we didn't really understand Aspects all that well we sort of came up with comical catch phrases instead. It killed the tone of the game.
FATE seems like an awesome system and I'm keen to try it again, but it is a lot to twist your head around if you're used to other styles of RPGs.
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willh
Journeyman Douchebag
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Post by willh on Mar 6, 2012 14:14:13 GMT -8
FATE doesn't do straight horror very well. It can be good for action adventure with horror tropes added on, but not straight horror.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2012 17:06:42 GMT -8
I disagree, Fate can do horror just as well as any other system. To run good horror it has less to do with the rules system your using then it is the tone and as JiB likes to say "lurid, evocative descriptions". In fact I think Fate does horror better then many systems because imagination is so important. And by using compels the GM can pull the party ever deeper into the dark story they are trying to tell.
But the most important aspect of running a horror game is that the GM and the players must all be invested in the horror. No matter what system you use if you have even one player who spends the whole game cracking jokes then the tension and horror are broken. Even Call of Cthuhlu, which is kind of the standard for horror RPGs, can't keep horror alive if the players are to busy laughing at each other to be afraid of the boogie man the gm has lurking in the shadows.
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willh
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Post by willh on Mar 7, 2012 7:07:33 GMT -8
I disagree, Fate can do horror just as well as any other system. First any one system can't do horror, or any other genre, just as well as any other. The system does matter. Rules reinforce genre and setting. True, with a big enough hammer you can force a square peg through a round hole. But, it's better to use the round peg. Or to put it another way, I can start a fire with two sticks, but I'd much rather use a Zippo. Second, FATE is a particularly poor choice for horror because of the FATE point economy. Theoretically, it may seem like compels make FATE a great choice for horror. In practice they do not.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2012 18:33:25 GMT -8
I'm rather curious why you feel that way? I have found that with my group at least the FATE point economy adds tnesion to the game regardless of genre, I have run pulp, fantasy, and horror games with the system so far and the FATE points aren't something my players actively think about, they have been to busy getting in to the stories and doing cool stuff.
I'm really curious what experience you have had that make you dislike FATE for Horror, and what systems you prefer for it?
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willh
Journeyman Douchebag
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Post by willh on Mar 8, 2012 6:44:56 GMT -8
FATE points empower characters. They let characters achieve extraordinary feats of badassitude*. Compels will put them in spot for the moment, but there is a payoff for the character later on. That's problematic, but not necessarily a deal breaker. The real is FATE points give players a lot of control of the situation the characters are in and the story in general through declarations and invoking aspects for effect. This sort of empowerment works against the GM trying to ratchet up the tension.
The fate POINT economy creates a peak and valley cycle of character's ability to handle a situation in FATE. In a horror game players** shouldn't be sure that an uptick is around the corner for their characters.
* If that's not a word it should be.
** This is slightly off topic but it's important to note. Horror needs to deal with the player's emotions and tension as much, probably more than, as what the characters are going through.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2012 15:42:14 GMT -8
FATE doesn't do straight horror very well. It can be good for action adventure with horror tropes added on, but not straight horror. Sorry to engage in potential thread necromancy, but I must completely disagree with Will that Dresden/FATE doesn't do horror. All you need to do to turn it into a horror game is to make sure that the aspects chosen by characters are thematically dark, as well as bumping difficulty ratings by +2 so that characters MUST spend fate points in order to succeed, and it gets scary, real fast. In fact, if you read in Butcher's books, the only thing separating them from being a Horror genre is that Harry manages to somehow "win" at the end of each book. Yet in the overall arching story, there is no real "winning" for Harry, as each "success" just generates 5 new things that are going to ruin his week. Joe Harney
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willh
Journeyman Douchebag
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Post by willh on May 10, 2012 7:47:26 GMT -8
There are several problem with you proposed solution. First, the GM has zero say on what aspects players choose for their characters. There is no way to enforce choosing dark themed aspects. Any way the protagonists are not usually what is dark about a horror story. Often they're innocents thrust into a situation.
Simply adding two to all difficulties does not change the fundamental problem the FATE point economy causes. Stuff being hard and deadly, or protagonists being less competent than your typical PC doesn't make horror.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2012 15:50:13 GMT -8
Will, You can't "make" anyone do anything in FATE. However, it is entirely a collaborative endeavor, and when your player says "I want my high concept to be BAD ASS AT EVERYTHING!" you quirk your eyebrow and say "That really doesn't fit into the disempowering horror genre, perhaps you should select something else."
Being less competent than the threat you are facing is in fact a component of horror. By increasing target numbers, you force the players to drain FATE points out of their refresh pools in order to succeed WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS.
Do not forget that one of the hallmarks of FATE is that failure on the die roll does not mean that you fail at the task, just that you failed to accomplish it as you intended.
Lastly, the players ability to make thematically appropriate declarations and maneuvers increases player buy in. As is stated right there in the rulebook, GM has veto power over declarations/compels.
It all comes down to buy in. There is nothing a GM can do to get a group to "play horror". Horror almost transcends genre and becomes a style of engagement with the fiction. Characters created with thematically appropriate aspects, facing skill challenges you are unlikely to succeed at without additional complications, as well as the players abilities to make thematically appropriate declarations will all come together to form a multiplicative effect in creating the horrific story.
Joe H
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