I ran FAE for maybe 6 sessions before throwing in the towel. The system is good, but I feel like it just doesn't have enough game to satisfy me on a personal level. The feel of running FAE is more collaborative story time than playing a game together. This is a feature and a bug of the game. How much it bothers you is very subjective. What I found to be the case with FAE is that my players defaulted to asking permission to do anything out of unfamiliarity and discomfort. After they got their footing and were able to move past this point, they still wanted to engage in discussions about the fiction for extended periods of time. To me, this lowered my enjoyment of the sessions a lot. For such a rules light system, we sure ended up talking about rules and what was possible a lot.
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Can you give an example of what you mean by permission? I can definitely see how that might be a problem. In D&D you have very specific things you can do. Yes, you have leeway but generally it's pretty rigid. So like, what can't you do? Anything? Like if I'm a spell caster can I just cast any spell? I can understand trying to see where the proper balance is. Because you don't want to power game and just say you do stupid crazy over the top stuff.
Sure thing. Lets say we've got a player who is playing a priest. They have a character aspect: "Priest with six guns. On a mission from God." One of the foundational things about Fate is that a character is more likely to succeed to more involved that character's fiction is in whatever they are attempting to do, but the book doesn't do a good job laying this out to the reader. The players look at their sheets. They see a number of listed actions and approaches. Feeling a little lost, they say "Can I attack in a flashy way?" I think we can both agree that this kind of classic "Mother may I" just isn't interesting during play. We want our players to embrace the fiction and act in accordance with established aspects. But the above is fine, right? It's just the players feeling a little lost and generally being new, right?
I'd be ok with the above if that's where it ended for me. However, during play, I often felt like players would want to involve aspects (as they should). So they'll ask things like: "I would like to try to shoot the chandelier that's swinging on the ceiling down, hitting General Holtz and his men. I'm a priest with six guns. Do you think that this is ok? Oh, and I know it's swinging because Otto just used it to swing from one balcony to another, so could I use the Swinging aspect here somehow? Maybe God could come into picture here somehow." And now you've got to have a full conversation about the act of shooting down a chandelier whereas in other systems you could have just called for an attack roll against object AC with a harness value based on metal or something.
This is kinda what I mean by asking permission. There is a need to have a constant, evolving conversation about the fiction to make sure everyone understands what is happening. When there's uncertainty, the players default to asking clarifying questions and mostly ask permission to do things. I have personally found the need to constantly update this conversation to be a little annoying.
It's my go-to system both for new to role-playing players and for "I didn't know I was game mastering anything five minutes ago, but here we are".
It's fast, simple and easy to learn as you go, generally the only problems I run into with Fate Accelerated are one of three kinds:
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Have to deprogram D&D players from "I attack" into "Well, I want to save the prince but the ugly elf is in the way, so I guess I'll try and shove hime away with my shield to get to him"
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Too simple for long-term campaigns (solved by using Fate Core instead)
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Sometimes there is a more specific game that does what you want but better (Blades in the Dark for heists, for example). Not a huge issue, though.
Particularly, Fate (be it Core, Condensed or Accelerated) works very well for my style of gming, which has two particularities:
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I improvise heavily, building the world as I go.
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I like weird and interesting settings. My latest campaign has a bunch of office workers stopping a Cthulhu Cult by time- traveling to prehistoric hunter-gatherer times.
As far as I'm concerned Fate is firmly in my top three RPGs that I like and recommend (the other two being Pathfinder 2e and Genesys).
Hope this helps!
What is the difference between Condensed and the others? The difference between Accelerated and Core seems to be that there are 6 "approaches" in Accelerated and 18 "skills" in Core. Rules wise I mean, obviously there are more examples in the bigger books.
The main difference between Fate Condensed and the other versions of Fate lies in their approach to character abilities and mechanics. In Fate Accelerated, you'll find a simplified approach with six broad "approaches" that encompass a wide range of actions. On the other hand, Fate Core offers a more detailed system with 18 specific "skills" that cover a variety of actions and abilities.
In terms of rules, both Fate Accelerated and Fate Core provide a solid foundation for gameplay. The core mechanics and concepts remain consistent across all versions of Fate. However, Fate Core delves deeper into the mechanics, providing more examples and guidelines for various situations.
Fate Condensed, as the name suggests, is a condensed version of Fate Core. It takes the essential elements of Fate Core and presents them in a more concise and streamlined manner. This makes it easier to pick up and play, especially for newcomers or those seeking a quicker, more accessible experience. While some of the additional examples and details found in the larger books may not be included in Fate Condensed, the fundamental rules and mechanics remain intact.
Ultimately, the choice between Fate Condensed, Fate Accelerated, and Fate Core depends on your preferences and playstyle. If you prefer a simplified and streamlined approach, Fate Condensed or Fate Accelerated might be the way to go. If you desire a more detailed and comprehensive system, Fate Core offers a broader range of options. Regardless of which version you choose, all of them capture the essence of Fate and provide a flexible framework for collaborative storytelling.
Bottom line, Fate RPG is a fantastic way to unleash your imagination, tell incredible stories, and have an absolute blast with your friends. So, if you're looking for a flexible and fun roleplaying game, give Fate a shot! You won't regret it.
I like it alot.
I've played fate core, which is pretty similar.
My main takeaway from the experience is you need more player buy-in than DND. DND lets most players phone it in with "I attack does a 17 hit?". Fate wants players that are actively engaged. They should be looking for compels, paying attention to aspects, and actively contributing to the story.
It's been described to me as a more "writer's room" approach. As a player you have more say in what's going on than just your character's in-character actions. I like this. Some people can't think like that and some people hate it.
All of that said it's my current game crush that I would like to spend more time with. Unfortunately it's hard to find good fun reliable players who are willing (and able) to learn a new system.
I think most people I play with would be able to adapt, or at least enough so that paired with players who tend to act with more autonomy can make up for it if that makes sense. Most issues I have seen in groups I play with is folks confused about what to do but in a way where they're unsure what spell or action to do (or how the spell or action works). Not so much them being unsure of what the objective is and how to pursue it. I believe the more free form approach of being able to say something like "I want to use my magic to conjure a spear to throw at the enemy" as opposed to things like "I cast Spiritual Weapon, can I cast a bonus action spell too? Wait, do I have to cast Spiritual Weapon every turn? I'm actually already concentrating, can I even cast this?" would work nicely in a lot of the groups I play with.
Most folks I play with are more on the drama side of the drama-math spectrum of roleplaying games. There are a couple of folks who love to really delve into options and make super well rounded min maxed characters but most just want to have a fun story. Even the ones who really enjoy the min maxing still do it in a way that fits their character.
I completely understand and agree with the points you've raised. It's true that in some groups, players can feel uncertain about specific spells or actions, but overall, they seem to grasp the objective and how to pursue it.
In my personal experience, the most challenging aspect of running a Fate game is getting a firm grasp on the system itself. However, I'm glad to hear that despite my own learning curve, all of my players have a fantastic time and genuinely enjoy the game. Some have even expressed a preference for Fate over D&D due to its streamlined mechanics, which eliminate the overwhelming complexity of action order and simulation.
I'm a new GM for a Fate Core game and, as someone unfamiliar with Fate until now, I've realized the importance of player buy-in. Most of my players are inexperienced with TTRPGs in general, so they struggle at times to come up with creative ideas beyond the obvious. My confidence in running Fate occasionally wavers because I feel like I'm not fostering enough ideas and creativity. However, I understand that I may be expecting too much from players who have just finished a D&D LMoP campaign.
While Fate is rules-light for players, I sometimes find it challenging to grasp certain concepts. For example, I made mistakes with Contests, Challenges, and Conflicts during my first attempt, struggling to remember their specific workings in the heat of the moment. I've had to refresh myself multiple times on teamwork rules and how to handle NPCs. Even after reading the Book of Hanz, you don't truly know how things will feel until you actually play.
Nonetheless, I adore Fate and consider it my RPG of choice. The ease of character creation is a major advantage. I can simply ask players what kind of badass hero they want to be in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer game, and when they say "a detective who can see ghosts," we have a character with a stat and a built-in trouble, ready to go.
Ironically, I find GMing Fate to be a greater challenge than playing it, at least for me. However, I recognize that I still have room for improvement as a GM due to my limited experience and skills.
but I'm not that great a gm probably.