Just a different point of view

So Sponsored vs Sorcerer (Evocation/Channeling/Thaumaturgy/Ritual)

a) Sponsored gains a reserve of Fate Points independent of the Spellcaster's own Fate Point pool
b) Sponsored costs less than full Thaumaturgy plus Evocation
c) Sponsored is able to do both Evocation and Thaumaturgy within a thematic subset (which, after 2+ years of playing this game regularly... rarely hinders even a somewhat slightly creative player from doing whatever magical effect they wish... though admittedly from time to time they've been completely unable to creatively shoehorn their desired effect into a thematic/sponsored element... it does happen, just rare)
d) Sponsored gains a free boost effect of some kind (reduce Winter/Summer catch or whatever)
e) Sponsored still gains Focus Items / Enchanted items
f) Sponsored can still take Refinements*

...and... all you lose is Specializations (yes, Specializations are sweet... but still having Focus/Enchanted Items mitigates the loss)

... and if your table decides a PC controlled caster doesn't hex either... you don't even have to worry about the in-game ramifications of hexing your favorite toys and widgets.  Woohoo! Fireballs AND iPhones!

Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me - both fluffwise and crunchwise.

Just something to consider. I'm not saying it's "wrong" to say Sponsored doesn't hex, far from it. Each table must choose for themselves.

With the above list, I'm just saying do consider the other side of the argument when your table makes the call. The rules support EITHER position, but I am just positing that there *is* some game mechanical merit in saying "PCs must deal with Hexing" (as a GM, leaving your NPCs free to have "fireballs and iphones")

... final point, fluffwise and campaign wise, I also posit that having "PCs Hex" is yet another reason for the PC Changeling to "Make the Choice" to become a Full Fae. To bring his/her will and Fae Nature in harmony (again referencing something the game designers put in on pg. 288) and finally be able to cast earth shattering magic and use all the gadgets of modernity again. If you choose to give that up, you lose another element of internal conflict on those Changeling character concepts. ... and really, it's a better story if "the Choice" is actually a hard one.

*Note - Officially Refinements are mentioned as only possibly taken once per spell ability - pg. 81 - the Russell Carson NPC in the core rulebook shows that even the game designers broke these "rules" (the NPC stays under the White Council's Radar, thus not white Council trained fluffwise and has Channeling and Thaumaturgy and 3 Refinements which breaks the 1 per spell ability "rule" crunchwise as otherwise he'd only have 2).

Your table/GM may have a different take, but in our game we roll with this from page 228

When it comes down to it, magic is a powerful force that can be directed like a laser in the hands of an unconflicted being. Creatures from the Nevernever usually fit this bill. Their nature and their will are in unity—in other words, they don’t have a “free will” or consciousness that’s separate from their nature.

So long as a Player's Character retains "free will" (unspent Refresh and in the hands of a PC and not an NPC character) then no matter the source of the spellcasting, it hexes tech. So a Changeling with Sponsored Spellcasting still hexes, but once they make "the choice" and go fully fae, then they no longer do so.

We did this because we observed that, prior to this, we had a lot more Sponsored character concepts and very few full on Wizards. Again, your table/group may be different.

Concessions are one of my favourite rules in the game. I like recurring antagonists, and this offers me a way to have opposing characters stay in the game long enough to develop engaging relationships with the PCs.

Yes. This.

And I feel a related point, story arcs where I finally allow the PCs to finally "put down" a long running EBG (Evil Bad Guy) naturally flow into the Significant and Major Milestone advancement structure.

Correct me if I am misunderstanding your point. You are saying that since the player has chosen how his character can be Compelled, then when he decides to decline the Compel, therefore he is the one responsible? I would say that if the player has chosen for his character to be susceptible to Compels, not just the how but for the GM to be able to Compel the character in the first place, then he would be responsible.

Indeed. The mechanic for the 'flexibility' to now decide to not have the chosen Aspect be used against his/her character ... is the Fate Point that now must be paid to the GM.

If you are going to be killed, choosing how you are killed is pretty much a moot point.

Well, let's not let hyperbole enter into this. Death in FATE in an agreed upon situation between the GM and the players.

Rather "If you have chosen to be 'a hothead,' choosing how being 'a hothead' complicates your character's life is pretty much a moot point - it's going to happen. All that remains is negotiating with the GM as to how that complication manifests."

Also you are assuming that an Aspect on a character is the direct result of a player decision. This is not necessarily true. A scene Aspect placed there by a GM can be Compelled. An Aspect placed on the character by an NPC can also be Compelled.

I would highly encourage a quick review of pages 100-105 here. Strictly speaking the verbiage for "Compel" is used for and in regard to Character Aspects.

A Scene Aspect can be "Tagged" and if it's Sticky, a Fate Point can later be spent to Invoke it again.

An Aspect placed on a character by an NPC is a "Maneuver" and likewise can be "Tagged" or, if Sticky, a Fate Point can be later spent to Invoke it again.

That depends entirely on your GM I'm afraid

Thanks anyone and everyone from this forum that helped make DFD one of a handful of Campaigns on the Obsidian Portal to break the "200 Fans" mark yesterday (depending on your count only 6 or 7 campaigns have that many).

Thanks y'all.

I've loved this thread actually, it makes me very glad we put in the Thaum Houserules and Rules of Thumb we did for Dallas (basically a thematic nerf). Our house rules design focused on the Powering Phase.... and then retroactively worried about the Declarations Phase afterwards.

I know with Houserules, everyone has their own preferences, but ours have bene worked out / tested over 2+ years of play and we're very happy with them. The only reason I bother to post them is because I think it might be directly relevant to the OP's question and this discussion.

For the curious - a high level summary of our House Rules/Rules of Thumb.
Phase 2 - Spell Preparation/Meeting Complexity
0) The Given - The GM is responsible for making sure any Declaration is Thematically Appropriate
1) Declarations have to be thematically unique as well as capped to one Skill/one character contributing it. (I.e. for the casting of a single spell, only one character gets to claim a Resources Declaration: "High Quality Spell Components" - if an Assistant also wants to lend a Resources Declaration it has to be different, like "Upgraded Your Lab With Better Trappings")
2) All Declarations from a single character are slaved to the Time Increment table on page 315 starting with the "No Prep" Complexity value at "Instant" and the first Declaration at "A Few Moments." Declarations from Assistants happen in parallel and don't add additional increments. Time Increments determined from the Character with the most declarations (usually the caster). If the character needs fewer Time Increments than what this system determines - Fate Points required, 1 per reduction. Any skipped scenes or "extra time" is added after the base Time Increments is determined. Invokes and Sacrificed Consequences usually add no Time Increments.
3) Total number of "Assistants" that can add Declarations/Consequences is limited by the caster's skill level in a handful of skills (i.e. skill cap) - we use Rapport (how charming you are), Lore (you know the magical rules of using more folks effectively) or Discipline (you're just organized enough to run with a group of helpers).
Phase 3 - Casting/Powering the Spell
1) Exchanges slaved to the Time Increments table on pg. 315 starting at Exchange 1 with "A Minute." To take Fewer Time Increments requires Fate Points. Adding Additional Time is not applicable during Powering Phase. This only applies if the Spellcaster claims "Unhurried" / "Doing it in Downtime" - if the Spellcaster is willing to make Control rolls in-scene/during game (subject to GM compels and in-scene complications and interference), then each Exchange is "A Few Moments" but still limited by #2 below.
2) Caster limited to Discipline (how long he/she can focus) in Exchanges. Anything more requires Invoking an Aspect to gain an additional Exchange.
3) Any sacrificed Consequences for power, assistants lending power (Assistants must come from same group and limits determined during the Prep Phase), power boosts for Environment, power taken from objects that store power, or power provided by deals with Outsiders must specify which Exchange the "whatever" bonus is gained (this list of power sources taken from page 248 "Other Power Sources")

We found that by basically "capping" the Powering Phase and slaving it thematically to the Time Increments table... the rest takes care of itself. Yes, absurdly high Complexity spells are still possible (there's an evil fae in our campaign who kills 3 humans during the course of her highest forms of magic, with 2 assistants, that hits 75 Complexity)... but it's very, very easy for us to "Tell The Story of the Spell" now. We know *exactly* what the spell "looks like" due to the uniqueness requirement of the declarations.

(for example, the evil fae above, I can describe exactly how she does her spell, what it looks like - the description of each declaration - and how long it takes - a week for the prep phase - including kidnapping and torturing the victims, half an hour for the actual powering - including the actual slaying - which means I can also as GM exactly describe the effects in the campaign whenever she starts up one of her big spells and give clues to the PCs of what's going on .... kinda like in Storm Front - Harry vs Victor Sells. So long as I gain "Story" ... I'll put up with big numbers.)

Your table's mileage may vary

Money where my mouth is - Recently I took our house rules, worked up a spell, then wrote a piece of fiction based on a single spell so that I could visualize an implementation of "Norse Magic" I wanted to put in the hands of a handful of our NPCs (including some Norse themed bad guy Fae). So, using the declarations and time increments we worked up by the formula of our house rules, I actually set the scene. Basically... my "GM Notebook" exploded into crappy fan-fic. 

If you don't speak Irish the story title is simply "The Story of the Spell" (brón orm, ach b'fhearr liom an Ghaeilge )
http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/dfd/adventure-log/an-sc-al-ar-an-t-ortha