This game pushed so many ideas that i had never thought of or considered in my 40 years of running/playing rpgs. It has fundamentally changed how I approach running games, how I think of success vrs. Failure, etc. It is in the "storygame" realm of rpgs... But I still run it as a GM with a fairly standard (or Trad) style of play (not so much a "writers room" style). And that is the way my players like it. They say that this game gives them more freedoms in the world and really does allot to help them play as a character in the world, rather than just pressing buttons on their character sheet.
Thanks for the concise explanation! I wanted to learn more about Fate, but all the other videos were a couple hours long and I don't have that kind of energy to invest in a system I don't know yet if I'll be interested in. You are to the point, and give all the core points I needed! I'll definitely look up you other videos, soon.
I have played the Atomic Robo RPG and it has a great Fate implementation that I really enjoyed. Dresden Files accelerated looks very cool and versatile too.
That means a lot, so thank you. I've tried to keep it short but its really captured my imagination. I think by running it i'm going to develop as a gm and thats always the goal.
They hype is worth it. The first 12 years of my RPG life was spent initially learning Dungeons and Dragons and it's ilk, and quickly homebrewing for a little more mechanical control; then I launched out to things like GURPs and other class-less RPGs where there was more character development control as well as genre flexibility. I didn't know until I'd met Fate that I'd been looking for something decisively narrative based and rules light as opposed to tactical and crunchy. After I stopped trying to make it more "crunchy-like" and just let it be itself, all the hidden gems and nuances of the system started emerging. Once you're able to break through the crunchy/tactical calcification in your heart, for many, you'll find that the heart of a true story craftsman lives and breathes in your little group. 😊
I don't think its a game I would like but it does sound cool. Love to see more talk about diffirent games and systems! Is the Eathersea setting based on The Adventure Zone podcast?
I have no idea, the Aether Sea came out in 2014 so it's been around for a while. I've only recently found The adventure zone podcast and am currently listing to their Monster of the week campaign. Monster of the week is on my games to play and cover this year.
@@fumbletable Nice. I love TAZ because I am a big fan of the McElroy's but don't totally love their take on D&D. I would love to see these guys play something more OSR and true to the game table expereince. That being said, all of their settings/worlds are fantastic. Their Ethersea setting is something I hope they actually publish.
Thanks for this and happy belated birthday. I'd enjoy seeing some world building with Fate, maybe you and a player creating aspects and riffing off of one another to create a setting.
Thank for the birthday wishes. The more i've read fate the more i really like the idea of starting an arc with zero pre. Just a group of good players and building the entire thing in session zero. I think i'd like to get a better handle on the game first. But that is something i would 100% stream.
Hello thank you for the short introduction this might be a good video to send to my players. I have discovered fate about 2 weeks ago and basically binged the content. Watched most of the life plays and read through fate core, accelerated and condensed. I will be running condensed for a small group this weekend. I am very excited for the system it seems to really lean into my favorite aspect of ttrpgs, the cooporative narrative. I have run games in 5e and dsa and always had this issue that my players had great ideas but it just didnt fit the rules. I started bending and homebrewing these systems a lot but at some point I just asked myself whats the point of the rules if im ignoring 70% of them? From what im seeing and reading this system might be my perfect fit. I do have some concerns. The system is very different to all other systems i have ever seen so i wonder how easy it will be for players to grasp the core concepts. Taking this amount of narrative control over the scenes and worldbuilding comes with a responsibility, that my players might not be comfortable with. As players of digital and ttrpgs we are very much trained on choosing from predifined lists. Having a player, that wants to do magic and asking what can he do, seems a bit daunting. The focus on beeing thematically appropriate and willing to place your character in difficult situations by choice is counter to all of the mechanical optimisation we have been doing all this time in other games. So i fear i might meet some resistance from my players to this system, but I also see a huge potential for a powerful freeform narrative framework that could fit my gming style very well. Did you end up running the game? what were your take aways? Do you have some tipps how to encourage players to help develop the scenes and worldbuilding? Also fate seems really niche, which surprises me. The rules are very easy to pick up and it is free. Yet i have never heard of it before i went out purposely looking for narrative based genre agnostic systems. I understand that people looking for simulation based games, were they express their character through mechanical system choices wouldnt like it. But in my experience most players just want to live a specific fantasy. something for which the system seems very well built. Do you have theories why the system isnt better known given its unique approach and many years on the market?
Ok Simon, thank you for the epic comment! Let me cover what i can. I think with the right group of people it would be a blast. But switching from 5e playing a completely new setting would be advised. Its framing it a completely different game and making sure you players are signed up to that before hand. I would also run a small arc to get them used to it. I 100% agree that 5e is confining. Which is one of the many reasons i don't run it anymore. But since i stopped playing it i've always let my players have a say in world building. When they make characters they are literally building the world. I let them build the towns where they are from and anything else they want to. Although i'm ready to vito if it doesn't fit which i don't think I have had to do. One of the best starters has been asking them what do they see, so that helps build out the scenes. I have not ran fate yet, as life got in the way but i absolutist adore the system. I love the idea of running it at a table with a bunch of index cards. The reason i think its not better know is the lack of clear fantasy rules, especially around magic. Fantasy is by far the biggest genre and I think not having that has been an impact. Dungeon Masterpiece did a great video on it. ua-cam.com/video/jmkIUkbmuwE/v-deo.html It also took me a little while to get my head around all the editions.
@@fumbletable Thank you for your answer. I have now run 2 sessions with my group although the first one was mainly character creation. We had a good time with the system though one player said that the lack of concrete option for character creation(spell lists, races, feats etc) was difficult for him. I invested a lot of time inbetween session to have one on one discussions with my players about their characters and backstory. This was a lot of fun for me and the players but it did take quite some time to really nail things down. I am very pleased with the freedom that comes from these open rules my players made some very unique and interesting characters as a result. My players also seem to have good time beeing more proactive in the worldbuilding process and are very creative and relaxed during play. Combat is still a bit clunky, we all have trouble finding interesting actions in combat, using aspects and creating advantages. This goes for me as the gm aswell it is a very diffent way to handle combat scenes from what i am used to. the social roleplay and exploration however is very fluid and satisfying. I will be sticking with the system for quite some time. I feel a lot more relaxed and in control as a GM ( even though i gave up a fair bit of control) because i can let my players come up with worldbuilding ideas as well (sharing the creative burden so to speak) and i feel very comfortable with the rules since they are so straight foreward. I have seen the videos by Dungeon Masterpiece and i agree with his points. The presentation isnt accesable and there is a distinct lack of support for the kind of setting most people want to play. It is really unfortunate because i feel the system empowers the players to be way more in control of the narrative then other systems. I always prefered narrative based games instead of very mechanincal ones and i have not seen a system that does allow for that with such flexibility. I hope everythings alright on your side and you get the chance to run the system I think it is definetly worth a shot if you enjoy this style of play. It is definitely very focused on a singular aspect of ttrpgs but it really nails that one i think
Fate Accelerated is incredible for that, for both player and GM. It just doesn't take long to learn the rules because there aren't many. Just don't be fooled and think that Fate Accelerated is a "rules-light" version of Fate Core - it has as much depth and firepower as Fate Core - maybe more since it keeps things simple. The most important part is the GM needs to be familiar with the system, especially if he has any real experience in crunchy/tactical systems (like AD&D). Because they are both RPGs, the temptation (for me) is to implement something the group may be more familiar with and just seeing it as a variation of that system. It took years for me to realize how much Fate is its own kind of beast; if you accept it as that from the beginning, it's smoother, cleaner. Task and conflict resolution is both simple and versatile and cover anything from jumping over a ravine, to a sword fight, to assaulting a financial tycoon through a hostile takeover - and it all uses the same mechanics. Because conflict is so simple, and characters in RPGs are specifically designed to tackle the, "what's my input into conflict" question (i.e. sword, and how powerful; fireball and how powerful; starship and how powerful; etc...), the character generation is simple is as well - deceptively so - because you still wind up with an incredible potential of depth. All of this was done to make it kind of easy to both get in character and explore story. I hope you have already tried it or are ready to - go have fun! 😄
Role Playing Game is a pretty broad category. If you look at D&D historically and mechanically it's been built around combat. With fixed character classes, races, hp, ac... that type of things. Still a role playing game where you jointly create story but the mechanically had certain design criteria. With Fate, a player can create truths in the world just creating a characters primary aspect. By creating aspects in play you use narrative to create mechanical advantages. Its like a pickup and a sports car are both vehicles. Both can get you from A to B but have very different design intents. One's not necessarily better than the other.
@@fumbletable the "story" is byproduct , each player will tell their "story" of what happened to them in the adventure. When you go to a hike, you are not thinking on "creating a story" out of your hike in advance oe during the hike. You are experiencing It. The same with roleplaying. You experience the adventure on the shared imaginary world, from the point of view of your characters In storygames,.you mayo control a carácter, but also his/her fate ;) with dissociated mechanics that allow the "player" to change the outcome or even the world for the sake of the "story". In those cases, you are playing more as a scriptwriter than your own character, with an eye in the oveerall narrative arc. And that is a different kind of gaming than Roleplaying. I don't say better or worse, just different. Both kind of games share the same conversacional dynamic st the table, so I call them "conversational games".
The idea of Role Playing Game is adapted from the concept of playing roles and hails from combination of aspects of acting and gaming. Fate is most definitely a ROLE Playing Game. FT, does a good job here of describing what it is and why it is that. Though games such as Dungeons and Dragons set the tone for RPGs, players such as myself, find more narrative oriented Role Playing Games enjoyable as opposed to more tactical and/or crunchy systems. I truly enjoy the Role Playing Game, Fate. It leaves me with more time to play my role in the game, and less time turning pages through books.
This game pushed so many ideas that i had never thought of or considered in my 40 years of running/playing rpgs. It has fundamentally changed how I approach running games, how I think of success vrs. Failure, etc.
It is in the "storygame" realm of rpgs... But I still run it as a GM with a fairly standard (or Trad) style of play (not so much a "writers room" style). And that is the way my players like it. They say that this game gives them more freedoms in the world and really does allot to help them play as a character in the world, rather than just pressing buttons on their character sheet.
That's fantastically put! For me it was a real eye opener leaving me really thinking about what you can do with the role playing game.
Thanks for the concise explanation! I wanted to learn more about Fate, but all the other videos were a couple hours long and I don't have that kind of energy to invest in a system I don't know yet if I'll be interested in. You are to the point, and give all the core points I needed! I'll definitely look up you other videos, soon.
Hey McFlayFlay. I'm glad you got something out of it.
I have played the Atomic Robo RPG and it has a great Fate implementation that I really enjoyed. Dresden Files accelerated looks very cool and versatile too.
Dresden files accelerated looks great.
Thanks for this video! I never tried Fate, but you really managed to get me interested in 10 mins.
That means a lot, so thank you. I've tried to keep it short but its really captured my imagination. I think by running it i'm going to develop as a gm and thats always the goal.
It's worth it! Did you ever get around to trying it? What did you think?
They hype is worth it. The first 12 years of my RPG life was spent initially learning Dungeons and Dragons and it's ilk, and quickly homebrewing for a little more mechanical control; then I launched out to things like GURPs and other class-less RPGs where there was more character development control as well as genre flexibility. I didn't know until I'd met Fate that I'd been looking for something decisively narrative based and rules light as opposed to tactical and crunchy.
After I stopped trying to make it more "crunchy-like" and just let it be itself, all the hidden gems and nuances of the system started emerging. Once you're able to break through the crunchy/tactical calcification in your heart, for many, you'll find that the heart of a true story craftsman lives and breathes in your little group. 😊
That is one of the greatest comments I've ever had. Do you have a blog? I would read it after "crunchy calcification in your heart". Thank you!
I don't think its a game I would like but it does sound cool. Love to see more talk about diffirent games and systems!
Is the Eathersea setting based on The Adventure Zone podcast?
I have no idea, the Aether Sea came out in 2014 so it's been around for a while. I've only recently found The adventure zone podcast and am currently listing to their Monster of the week campaign. Monster of the week is on my games to play and cover this year.
@@fumbletable Nice. I love TAZ because I am a big fan of the McElroy's but don't totally love their take on D&D. I would love to see these guys play something more OSR and true to the game table expereince.
That being said, all of their settings/worlds are fantastic. Their Ethersea setting is something I hope they actually publish.
Thanks for this and happy belated birthday. I'd enjoy seeing some world building with Fate, maybe you and a player creating aspects and riffing off of one another to create a setting.
Thank for the birthday wishes. The more i've read fate the more i really like the idea of starting an arc with zero pre. Just a group of good players and building the entire thing in session zero. I think i'd like to get a better handle on the game first. But that is something i would 100% stream.
Hello thank you for the short introduction this might be a good video to send to my players.
I have discovered fate about 2 weeks ago and basically binged the content. Watched most of the life plays and read through fate core, accelerated and condensed. I will be running condensed for a small group this weekend. I am very excited for the system it seems to really lean into my favorite aspect of ttrpgs, the cooporative narrative.
I have run games in 5e and dsa and always had this issue that my players had great ideas but it just didnt fit the rules. I started bending and homebrewing these systems a lot but at some point I just asked myself whats the point of the rules if im ignoring 70% of them? From what im seeing and reading this system might be my perfect fit.
I do have some concerns.
The system is very different to all other systems i have ever seen so i wonder how easy it will be for players to grasp the core concepts.
Taking this amount of narrative control over the scenes and worldbuilding comes with a responsibility, that my players might not be comfortable with.
As players of digital and ttrpgs we are very much trained on choosing from predifined lists. Having a player, that wants to do magic and asking what can he do, seems a bit daunting.
The focus on beeing thematically appropriate and willing to place your character in difficult situations by choice is counter to all of the mechanical optimisation we have been doing all this time in other games.
So i fear i might meet some resistance from my players to this system, but I also see a huge potential for a powerful freeform narrative framework that could fit my gming style very well.
Did you end up running the game?
what were your take aways?
Do you have some tipps how to encourage players to help develop the scenes and worldbuilding?
Also fate seems really niche, which surprises me. The rules are very easy to pick up and it is free. Yet i have never heard of it before i went out purposely looking for narrative based genre agnostic systems.
I understand that people looking for simulation based games, were they express their character through mechanical system choices wouldnt like it. But in my experience most players just want to live a specific fantasy. something for which the system seems very well built.
Do you have theories why the system isnt better known given its unique approach and many years on the market?
Ok Simon, thank you for the epic comment!
Let me cover what i can. I think with the right group of people it would be a blast. But switching from 5e playing a completely new setting would be advised. Its framing it a completely different game and making sure you players are signed up to that before hand. I would also run a small arc to get them used to it. I 100% agree that 5e is confining. Which is one of the many reasons i don't run it anymore. But since i stopped playing it i've always let my players have a say in world building. When they make characters they are literally building the world. I let them build the towns where they are from and anything else they want to. Although i'm ready to vito if it doesn't fit which i don't think I have had to do. One of the best starters has been asking them what do they see, so that helps build out the scenes.
I have not ran fate yet, as life got in the way but i absolutist adore the system. I love the idea of running it at a table with a bunch of index cards.
The reason i think its not better know is the lack of clear fantasy rules, especially around magic. Fantasy is by far the biggest genre and I think not having that has been an impact. Dungeon Masterpiece did a great video on it. ua-cam.com/video/jmkIUkbmuwE/v-deo.html
It also took me a little while to get my head around all the editions.
@@fumbletable Thank you for your answer. I have now run 2 sessions with my group although the first one was mainly character creation. We had a good time with the system though one player said that the lack of concrete option for character creation(spell lists, races, feats etc) was difficult for him.
I invested a lot of time inbetween session to have one on one discussions with my players about their characters and backstory. This was a lot of fun for me and the players but it did take quite some time to really nail things down. I am very pleased with the freedom that comes from these open rules my players made some very unique and interesting characters as a result.
My players also seem to have good time beeing more proactive in the worldbuilding process and are very creative and relaxed during play.
Combat is still a bit clunky, we all have trouble finding interesting actions in combat, using aspects and creating advantages. This goes for me as the gm aswell it is a very diffent way to handle combat scenes from what i am used to. the social roleplay and exploration however is very fluid and satisfying.
I will be sticking with the system for quite some time. I feel a lot more relaxed and in control as a GM ( even though i gave up a fair bit of control) because i can let my players come up with worldbuilding ideas as well (sharing the creative burden so to speak) and i feel very comfortable with the rules since they are so straight foreward.
I have seen the videos by Dungeon Masterpiece and i agree with his points. The presentation isnt accesable and there is a distinct lack of support for the kind of setting most people want to play. It is really unfortunate because i feel the system empowers the players to be way more in control of the narrative then other systems.
I always prefered narrative based games instead of very mechanincal ones and i have not seen a system that does allow for that with such flexibility.
I hope everythings alright on your side and you get the chance to run the system I think it is definetly worth a shot if you enjoy this style of play. It is definitely very focused on a singular aspect of ttrpgs but it really nails that one i think
Nice one. Never played fate , but will look to change that soon. Would you say it suits one shots well?
100% my first arc/mini campaign will be using Fate Accelerated which would be super easy to use for a oneshot
Fate Accelerated is incredible for that, for both player and GM. It just doesn't take long to learn the rules because there aren't many. Just don't be fooled and think that Fate Accelerated is a "rules-light" version of Fate Core - it has as much depth and firepower as Fate Core - maybe more since it keeps things simple.
The most important part is the GM needs to be familiar with the system, especially if he has any real experience in crunchy/tactical systems (like AD&D). Because they are both RPGs, the temptation (for me) is to implement something the group may be more familiar with and just seeing it as a variation of that system. It took years for me to realize how much Fate is its own kind of beast; if you accept it as that from the beginning, it's smoother, cleaner.
Task and conflict resolution is both simple and versatile and cover anything from jumping over a ravine, to a sword fight, to assaulting a financial tycoon through a hostile takeover - and it all uses the same mechanics. Because conflict is so simple, and characters in RPGs are specifically designed to tackle the, "what's my input into conflict" question (i.e. sword, and how powerful; fireball and how powerful; starship and how powerful; etc...), the character generation is simple is as well - deceptively so - because you still wind up with an incredible potential of depth. All of this was done to make it kind of easy to both get in character and explore story.
I hope you have already tried it or are ready to - go have fun! 😄
If the goal of this game is to build a story, then is, by definition, a storygame, something different than a RolePlaying Game
Role Playing Game is a pretty broad category. If you look at D&D historically and mechanically it's been built around combat. With fixed character classes, races, hp, ac... that type of things. Still a role playing game where you jointly create story but the mechanically had certain design criteria. With Fate, a player can create truths in the world just creating a characters primary aspect. By creating aspects in play you use narrative to create mechanical advantages.
Its like a pickup and a sports car are both vehicles. Both can get you from A to B but have very different design intents. One's not necessarily better than the other.
@@fumbletable the "story" is byproduct , each player will tell their "story" of what happened to them in the adventure.
When you go to a hike, you are not thinking on "creating a story" out of your hike in advance oe during the hike.
You are experiencing It.
The same with roleplaying. You experience the adventure on the shared imaginary world, from the point of view of your characters
In storygames,.you mayo control a carácter, but also his/her fate ;) with dissociated mechanics that allow the "player" to change the outcome or even the world for the sake of the "story". In those cases, you are playing more as a scriptwriter than your own character, with an eye in the oveerall narrative arc.
And that is a different kind of gaming than Roleplaying.
I don't say better or worse, just different.
Both kind of games share the same conversacional dynamic st the table, so I call them "conversational games".
The idea of Role Playing Game is adapted from the concept of playing roles and hails from combination of aspects of acting and gaming. Fate is most definitely a ROLE Playing Game. FT, does a good job here of describing what it is and why it is that. Though games such as Dungeons and Dragons set the tone for RPGs, players such as myself, find more narrative oriented Role Playing Games enjoyable as opposed to more tactical and/or crunchy systems.
I truly enjoy the Role Playing Game, Fate. It leaves me with more time to play my role in the game, and less time turning pages through books.