114
votes
Accepted
Should I prohibit a player from having a character goal that makes me uncomfortable?
Yes.
There really isn’t anything more to say; you are playing a game. The goal is to have fun. Being uncomfortable isn’t fun, so why would you agree to spend your playtime on that?
This is simply the ...
- 345k
40
votes
How can I word an aspect that I can potentially veto being compelled without using an X-Card?
What you want is impossible
You wrote a lot on the topic while taking great pains to not mention anything material about the aspect which makes it very difficult to provide any real advice. However, ...
- 9,422
30
votes
Accepted
How do I handle players brute-forcing a skill until they succeed?
Brute forcing is going to be solved by application of two principles.
Neither of them are totally rules-oriented. The rules aren't interested in stopping brute-forcing, because sometimes it's fun: you'...
- 36.3k
27
votes
Should I prohibit a player from having a character goal that makes me uncomfortable?
Should You?
"Should you" is a question we can't answer-- only you know your level of discomfort, the social consequences of saying no to your player, etc.
Can You?
"Can you" is a ...
- 42.4k
25
votes
Accepted
Do Fate's licenses allow including core rulebook text in a for-profit expansion?
I run Evil Hat and am one of the originators of Fate, so I've got some XP to spend on this one. :)
In either case you can include the entire content of the SRDs available on the Fate licensing site (...
- 1,786
25
votes
Accepted
Can aspects in FATE have superposition?
Attacks do not usually have Aspects. Casting a Fireball (or whatever) usually just means rolling your Magic skill (or whatever you're using) and you can tag the Troll's "Vulnerable to Fire" aspect. ...
- 80.2k
25
votes
How to make conflicts in Fate Core less boring?
Washed-out action in FATE Core often points to a problem with your table's agreement (or lack thereof) about what aspects mean.
Let me start by saying I share your frustration. I confess a love/hate ...
- 8,652
24
votes
Why does Fate Accelerated Edition cost so little?
Economies of scale.
From Fred Hicks of Evil Hat, publishers of FAE:
We printed like 13,000 copies of those. Because we hit that economy of scale, our actual cost (not counting up front costs of ...
- 54.3k
24
votes
Accepted
Is a Red Court Vampire's addictive saliva useless in combat, or am I missing something?
No, you're not missing anything, as far as the rule goes.
Red Court vampires use the narcotic saliva to manipulate people, not to injure them. That's according to the rule you cited, and that's ...
- 2,806
23
votes
Accepted
Fate conflicts are taking too long due to players stacking advantages
Advantages shouldn't just be mechanical gatherings of numbers, they should meaningfully advance the story.
Aspects, created by that move, are always true. which means they have narrative weight in the ...
- 18.7k
22
votes
Are Fudge/FATE skills swamped by the dice?
It's been my experience that the curve on 4dF is pretty much a sweet spot for "predictable unpredictability."
Because most of the time the raw dice come in between -1 and +1, even a +1 on a skill ...
- 53.2k
20
votes
What is the purpose of differently-sized stress boxes as opposed to flat stress or same-sized boxes?
Fate is all about creating interesting stories. Progressive stress box values are designed to do exactly that.
The rules say that to absorb Stress, you have to mark off a box that has equal or bigger ...
- 17.1k
20
votes
Accepted
Is using compels to create aspects precedented and balanced?
What Ryan did in that video was suggest that there was an Aspect in the game that wasn't written down but was obviously there based on what was being roleplayed. Wil and the others at the table agreed,...
- 1,176
19
votes
Accepted
Can an aspect contain too much information and therefore be "too good"?
Does a good Aspect say one thing? Or more than one thing?
We see in much Fate material the advice that a good Aspect says more than one thing. OK: sort of. It should say one thing and then say more ...
- 2,806
19
votes
Accepted
How can I show that a character knows how to handle only one specific weapon?
This is a thing about your character which improves their use of a skill in a certain situation, so that's a character stunt. Perhaps...
There are many like her, but she's mine. You get +4 to ...
- 53.2k
19
votes
Accepted
Taking out main NPCs without exhausting all their stress and consequences
Yeah, there's options here. One of those is actually conceding; your group has misunderstood how that mechanic works.
Option 1: Get Taken Out without taking consequences.
When you have to resolve an ...
- 36.3k
19
votes
Accepted
How do the Fate Points work when players compel other characters?
When you pay to propose a compel, the point you paid returns to the GM's infinite pool of fate points.
The proposed compel is then negotiated with the target of the compel.
Once the compel is agreed,...
19
votes
How to Fairly and Consistently Handle Silent Sentry Removal / Assassinations / etc.?
Taking out nameless sentries and guards is honestly best modelled as a single Overcome roll, when they're not worth zooming in on for a full Conflict scene. The single sentry on the balcony is simply ...
- 36.3k
19
votes
Accepted
Nonviolent "social conflict" in Fate - which skills opposes rapport?
In a conflict, you intend to harm your opponent
A conflict isn't simply conflicting goals; instead, the Fate SRD section on conflicts says:
In a conflict, characters are actively trying to harm one ...
- 18.1k
18
votes
How do I deal with too many NPCs in my campaign?
Side Quests
Surely the BBEG has many flanks on which he is either attacking or can be attacked. Perhaps one group of NPC's is off to stop the Corsairs of Umbar from landing on the Seas of Fate, while ...
- 3,284
18
votes
How can I word an aspect that I can potentially veto being compelled without using an X-Card?
It sounds like you’re opposed to prejudice from the real world applying to the game
In light of clarification in the examples given in the question, I actually think the answer is straightforward, if ...
17
votes
Accepted
How can I replicate the native look & feel of Fate documents?
Fonts
The manual uses Gotham (usually bold) for the sans serif titles and callouts, and Garamond for the main text. The example gameplay passages use GFY Thornesmith. Evil Hat have their own font for ...
- 3,169
17
votes
Accepted
When playing NPCs who are hiding something, how much should I reveal (mechanics-wise)?
Fate says that you keep everything out in the open. Even that hidden aspect itself. Players are expected to keep their knowledge apart from their characters and play as such.
If a character takes a ...
- 17.4k
17
votes
Can a White Court Vampire heal Hunger Stress with Inhuman Recovery?
Inhuman Recovery allows the recovery of a single physical mild consequence.
Feeding Dependency inflicts hunger consequences, not physical consequences.
The only way to restore those is going to be ...
- 2,883
16
votes
Accepted
Dresden Files: what is the long-term endgame potential of Mere Mortals?
Mortals do lose out in combat against the supernatural, but they gain majorly in other aspects, and are excellent to have for storytelling purposes.
We've had a two-year campaign running, starting ...
- 461
16
votes
Accepted
Are Fudge/FATE skills swamped by the dice?
Actually the problem is the opposite of what you stated. A +1 bonus with 4DF when you are dealing with opposed rolls has a far greater impact than a +1 with 3d6 and 1d20.
To see this, take a look at ...
- 39.6k
16
votes
Accepted
Is there an expiration time for free invocations?
There's no time limit per se, but if an aspect is no longer applicable then it can't be used.
That said, a GM would be well within their rights to respond to your sharpening of daggers with "Very ...
- 14k
15
votes
Accepted
How can stealing be done for fun and profit?
There are a number of parts to this. First of all, the pure mechanics of looting stuff.
Stealing things would often come under the Burglary and Stealth skills, but other skills might get involved ...
- 14k
15
votes
Should I prohibit a player from having a character goal that makes me uncomfortable?
At a minimum, a discussion should occur
You are entitled to have fun. If the game isn't fun because of the content then it's not a game it's some sort of torture. Don't do that.
I would advise talking ...
- 33.5k
14
votes
Is it true that Fate Core 'Replaces updates and revises' 1st and 2nd edition FATE?
It's both: Fate Core is its own system, and it's also one that's an update/revision to the Fate mechanics. In Evil Hat's Fate Core kickstarter, they write:
Today, Evil Hat is proud to bring you Fate ...
- 36.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible