No, I do not think so.

What makes it alright that you can get higher bonuses (Weapon values for example) due to certain equipment and not get higher bonuses due to other equipment?

If you have a handgun and load it with hollowpoints to do more damage(for example), why should you have to invoke the hollowpoints every time you fire the gun? How does a scope aid in hitting a distant target when you spent a Fate point and how does it suddenly not when you don't?

*sigh* If you're really that bothered about it, house rule it - up the base damage of the weapon by one level or something similar and stop worrying about the fine details. The weapons damage ratings are hazy and not really meant to model reality, I assume because the game writers didn't really want to have people bogging down the story obsessing the finer details of one hand gun over another, and one type of ammunition over another.

Given that you don't actually hit an opponent until you've inflicted a consequence, you could probably just word the consequence appropriately to the type of ammunition used. Like I said, the weapons base damage are hazy and meant to represent an average weapon of that type. I don't see the need to complicate the system by bringing in extra rules to cover variations on each weapon.

My view is that what you're trying to put in there is a situational modifier, which in Fate is replaced by aspects. By all means do what you like, you'll never play in one of my games I'll never play in one of yours, so does it really matter? But if you're after all those juicy modifiers due purely to bits of equipment then you're probably actually wanting a different system. Fate's designed as a very basic system that puts story over intricate combat mechanics that account for every eventuality and piece of equipment. Maybe you'd be better off with something with weapons tables, accuracy modifiers and recoil penalties.

To answer how a scope aids your shot when you use a fate point and doesn't when you're not - the simple justification is that if you don't invoke the scope aspect, you're either not using it effectively, or not using it at all. Given that it's laughably simple to justify use of the sight giving you a bonus by simply using maneuvers to place the aspect 'IN MY SIGHTS' on a target - which gives you a free tag on your first shot every time you do so, I still don't see the need for adding in any extra bonuses.

Well the book mentions effects similar to entropomancy as falling into the realm of winter. Other possible ones include Sleep spells, darkness spells, effects cause by cold (damaging buildings and roads by freezing water in the cracks; making a surface slippery with frost; fog and blizzards to obscure vision), bringing out the wilder more survival based nature of people and animals (or even to physically transform a person into a beast), arguably you could use magic to summon or exert control over those types of animals associated thematically with winter. Potentially some sort of communication spell using the medium of frost on glass. Wind Blasts are a viable spell too. You just need to remember that the nature of winter will infest all effects using the sponsored magic as a thematic thing.

As the previous posters posited (aliteration is indeed awesome) take a look at the effects you want to achieve then think how they can be thematically applied to winter. The only restriction I can see is that winter doesn't generally deal with growth and heat. And even those can be gotten round - cold can burn and certain things thrive on cold.

I'm not sure that the Winter Court would keep a knight who actually an alcoholic though - one who gets drunk on a fairly regular basis, fair enough, but there's a big difference between regular drinking and alcoholism.

As I understand it:

An aspect placed on your character by a maneuver can either be used by your opposition to aid their actions against you (invoking for a +2 on their roll), or may be compelled. If it's compelled then your options are limited based on the aspect in question. For KNOCKED PRONE that means taking an action to get back up before you can do anything that would require you to be in any other position than lying on the floor. For PINNED it would mean that you couldn't reasonably attempt any action that being pinned would prevent you from doing - theoretically what you should be doing at this point is trying to use Might to shift the thing that's pinning you down. If your opponent doesn't invoke the PINNED aspect when attacking you, they simply aren't using the fact that you are pinned to best effect. Arguably if someone used a bookcase to put the aspect of pinned on you it should be possible to maneuver to add another aspect or change that one to 'behind cover' in a subsequent action.

Things like drowning and being on fire are possibly best handled like grapples rather than maneuvers or blocks.

sounds reasonable but how would that work mechanically

Hawthorn would just require something made of hawthorn wood to be used as a weapon against them (I'll clarify by saying that the hawthorn would have to actually touch them for the effect to happen - no saying "well, my handgun grip is carved hawthorn so it bypasses the valkyrie's catch when I shoot her", but you could bypass the catch by pistol whipping).

Fear - if some one places the aspect of 'afraid' on them via intimidate or the incite emotion power then their toughness powers stop working until they can shake that aspect, and any consequences caused to them during that time are healed as a normal person would have to. This is only a very rough idea, which I don't really intend on fleshing out further as it's completely inapplicable to my own game.

Alright, then a person with a gun should not get bonuses to his Weapon due to his having a gun without paying for it with Refresh or invoking an Aspect.

Sorry toturi, but that seems to be a deliberately obtuse reading of my post. I was talking about above and beyond the base damage score for the weapon (which I think was fairly damned obvious taking into consideration the context of the original question).  

I think the point here is that having a scope add a bonus to your shot just because it's a scope would be a situational modifier. Something that doesn't exist in the Fate system. House-rule it by all means. Fate is all about aspects as far as that sort of thing is concerned. Frankly my view is that characters shouldn't be getting bonuses based on equipment without paying for it either with Refresh to make it a stunt or by invoking an aspect. I agree with Tsunami and Papa Gruff here - if you want something more situation based rather than a character aspect use a manouever or declaration to mount the sight and get a free tag. If your sight has extras like low light or Infra-Red then it just means that the GM can't compel scene aspects that would be negated by those things.

In addition, there is nothing holy about doing sex in order to fill it up faster. At least, not in the way most people think.  

huh? not sure where you pulled that from - unless you misread charity as chastity.

Other than that I'd agree that the books don't seem to support the catch aspect. And I can't remember off-hand Harry doing anything with it except adding more oomph to a spell by fuelling it with a piece of his soul, but I'm quite possibly just not remembering the specific instances where he did. I also can't remember any instances of Soulfire being used by someone without magic - that wouldn't already be covered by the Faith powers - I'd argue that if any mortal should be in possession of Soul-Fire without casting ability it would be a Knight of the Cross, and they don't get anything extra to the standard Faith powers other than the sword. Again, I may just not remember the appropriate instance when this has been brought up.

I'd also say that charitable acts and forgiveness etc seems a little wishy washy to clear a hunger track for Soul Fire. I think it needs to be something stronger and more difficult.