The Dresden Files > DFRPG

Sell my group on the using the FATE system

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Damian Magecraft:
I am an long time gamer (30+ years) and a new fan of the Dresdenverse.
I have several friends who are requesting I run a DFRPG for them; as the resident RPG guru I have successfully translated several universes into one system or another.

I am familiar with most game systems; however my experience with FATE is limited to online discussions on various message boards most of which are extremely vitriolic against all but the system of the moment. Those discussions tend to devolve into flame wars so I thought perhaps I would get a better view of the system here. Is this going to be a system that will be easily used and welcomed by players familiar only with a small handful of systems (mostly D20, nWoD, SWD6, and GURPS)?

finarvyn:

--- Quote from: Damian Magecraft on March 13, 2010, 11:01:37 AM ---Is this going to be a system that will be easily used and welcomed by players familiar only with a small handful of systems (mostly D20, nWoD, SWD6, and GURPS)?
--- End quote ---
Short answer: no.

You are going to have to train your players a little first. The game systems you listed off are somewhat traditonal RPGs with a lot of rules and charts to work from. FATE (derived from the old FUDGE system) is more open-ended and gives both players and GM a lot more options. FATE is more "storytelling" in nature as well, and players who are used to mindlessly rolling dice based on a character sheet full of numbers will find that FATE won't make sense at first.

My training was in 1970's OD&D, before the rules explosions occured and rulebooks became encyclopedias of rules and exceptions. Many RPGs today are like legal documents and rules lawyers interpret and enforce the rules to the letter of the law. My players never really did this so the jump to FATE was a pretty smooth one, but if your players are rules-sticklers they may object at first. Traditional RPGs give you lines of data. FATE, FUDGE, and similar games tend to have you use actual words (or catch-phrases) to describe what you can do and allow the players and GM to interpret your abilities as play unfolds. Scary at first, yes, but worthwhile at the end.

Storytelling games are at their heat about trust in the GM. As a situation develops the GM has to decide on-the-fly how difficult the task or how significant the modifier, and there aren't pages of charts to rely upon. Players have to trust that the GM will make a good ruling and play can continue. At the saem time, the GM has to trust that players will run a character instead of a pile of numbers. The game becomes more collaborative as the GM gives up some control of the story and the players embrace it.

A different question would have been "will my players enjoy FATE?" and I suspect that the answer is "yes". Most players I have encountered have to be re-taught a little first, but they seem to really enjoy the FATE experience once they figure out how it works.

So ... what can you do? Go to the FATE website, download FATE for free, and give it a look-over. Or pick up a copy of Spirit of the Century, which uses a similar system, is by the same basic creative team, helps line their pockets will much-needed cash, and will give you a feel for how FATE works.

Hope that helps a little.  ;)

Deadmanwalking:
I'd advise judging for yourself. The Spirit of the Century SRD can be found here:

http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html

That's the entire system for SotC, pretty much in it's entirety, and obviously gives a very good rundown of the system (at least as used in that game), read it and judge for yourself. The Dresden Files RPG will obviously use a different system variant, but a lot of things are going to be very similar (a character being made up of Aspects, Skills, and Stunts, for example, as well as the basic system mechanics). It's also an extremely neat and fun game in it's own right.

Bosh:
Take a look at this thread: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=495619 and the links in the fourth post.

To give you a short answer, FATE is the only RPG I've ever seen that significantly improved the amount and quality of RPing in my group. Just seeing it in action for the first time was very awesome. However, FATE doesn't work for everyone and you definitely have to be in the right mindset for it to work, as it pretty much throws all attempts at being realistic (in the physics sense) right out the window and replaces them with having things make sense in terms of the story/genre that you're working with.

srl51676:
Is there anywhere we can see or hear an example of play either in written or video/audio form. I would love to see how the game runs for people with FATE experience.

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