Author Topic: Brilliant!  (Read 2081 times)

Wzrd

  • Guest
Brilliant!
« on: May 16, 2010, 06:26:07 AM »
I was sitting on the fence for a while. I heard that a Dresden Files RPG was coming out, and with the whole family loving the novels, I thought I would be curious and check it out.

Initially I was a bit sceptical. What's this Fate system all about? I have been role-playing on and off for around 25 years now. Traveller was my first GM experience all those years ago. I have played with lots of systems and eventually settled on GURPS ('scuse me) for the past few years. I was into war games when I was a kid, and to me all the 'good' role-playing systems needed to feel like, well, a war game.

I checked out the SRD for Spirit of the Century and found it interesting but was sceptical. What you don't measure ranges, instead you use zones? Dice that have no numbers, just +'s and -'s, huh? I pondered the zone concept and found it interesting. Analysing the dice probabilities I found that yeah, +'s and -'s make a great game mechanic due to the bell curve and the visibility and ease of use.

Then I read that you get the PDFs for immediate download when you pre-order the books. So my curiosity got the best of me and I pre-ordered.

Damn am I glad I did. I find myself well and truly hooked by the system. I believe it goes in a direction I have wanted to go in lately. Into role-playing (where the story matters) instead of rule-playing (where the war game simulation matters). I still enjoy rule-playing but these days I can satisfy my rule-play needs by buying an Xbox game. I have grown tired of needing to keep track of all the numbers and rules mechanics at the gaming table.

Now the DFRPG has pleasantly shown me a new approach to how to run a role-playing game. I realise I could do something similar with another system but with the Fate system, it’s all built into the core of the game rules. I feel the abstraction level is just right, and needed, to run modern day adventures. At the same time with all the abstraction it still allows for an extremely detailed personalized write up of characters, but without all those numbers.

I would like to thank all those involved in developing the DFRPG and Fate. You have awakened a creative spark in me that I lost many years ago. Well done!
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 10:48:25 PM by Wzrd »

Offline Papa Gruff

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 536
  • in omnia paratus!
    • View Profile
Re: Brilliant!
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2010, 09:57:23 AM »
I'm with you. DFRPG & Fate are totally fantastically awesome! If you are hooked now, wait until you have played for a couple of hours ... It gets better!!

I can honestly say I never hat that much fun GMing any system that I have ever played, and there have been a few. Fate is so good even, that I'm thinking about buying "Spirit of the Century" too, just because the system is so bloody brilliant.
in omnia peratus! ... wait a minute! ... to give anybody a rucksack? ... DAMN CORRESPONDENCE COURSE!

Offline KOFFEYKID

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 776
  • Im BLEEDING Caffeine!
    • View Profile
Re: Brilliant!
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2010, 09:59:12 AM »
What I like about it is how its so damned free flowing. There is no need to really worry about what direction the players will take because its so freaking easy to just roll with it.

Wzrd

  • Guest
Re: Brilliant!
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2010, 12:03:51 AM »
Fate is so good even, that I'm thinking about buying "Spirit of the Century" too, just because the system is so bloody brilliant.

As the campaign I will be running isn't pure Dresdenverse (but heavily based on it) I wanted some more ideas so I ended up buying "Spirit of the Century", "Diaspora", "Starblazer Adventures", "Mindjammer" and "Legends of Anglerre". Now I'm broke, but happy ;D.

After a quick browse, they all offer inspiration of what can be done with the Fate system. Basically a set of optional rules. The more I read about Fate, the more I am impressed by the flexibility of the system.

Offline TheMouse

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 733
    • View Profile
Re: Brilliant!
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2010, 12:32:29 AM »
Welcome to the fold, man. FATE is a really good, fun game. I've enjoyed every single session of it I've ever played. My players have all told me that they feel the same way.

When I was reading your introduction of how you started gaming, I was going to suggest Diaspora. It's basically Traveler using FATE. If you still think Traveler is cool, and you like FATE, I can't imagine how you won't love Diaspora. It's a really slick version of FATE that's really tightly tuned to do what it was meant to do.

I'm not saying the others aren't cool, because they are. I'm just saying that it jumped out at me.

Again, welcome. Have fun, and remember to share your experiences with the online community.

Wzrd

  • Guest
Re: Brilliant!
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2010, 10:48:11 AM »
...I can't imagine how you won't love Diaspora. It's a really slick version of FATE that's really tightly tuned to do what it was meant to do.

Yeah, I have had a quick skim over Diaspora. It has a very clean, no nonsense, to the point style. And, yeah, it does appeal to the wargamer side of me as it has some interesting ideas in it such as it's take on borders and the weapon tables that add a few more details. I am sure it will inspire me to add some customization to the DFRPG core rules.