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Messages - fantazero

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1
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 22, 2013, 05:21:39 PM »

DFRPG has social combat.  So, really, an argument can be made that the game has turned rping into a mechanic that can be min/maxed.  Why role-play when you can just roll your +7 rapport and win? 

GM: The man is asking you to leave.
Player: "I attack with Rapport"


Sorry if this has come across too strong, but I think you should leave your prejudices out of your posts.
If you rolled REALLY well you MIGHT get to a 7 Rapport, or you tagged a lot of aspects.
"I attack with rapport" if you're playing the game like that, you're doing it wrong. "I try and convince the White Court lord that our party is there to sell him Cookies /roll rapport (You fail) "My lord we're here to sell...um....cookies?"

Can you point to the social mechanic in D&D? Can you point out in D&D how you're encouraged to Role Play? So good for your group, you were able to Roleplay "around" the board game that is D&D.

2
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 22, 2013, 05:16:48 PM »

Maybe you weren't playing right...


Ad hominem attacks.

3
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 22, 2013, 04:15:24 PM »
Fantazero, you're trying hard to de-rail this thread!

I disagree.  D&D is a great role playing system.  I actually think its combat system stinks.  It's too crunchy.  Some of my  BEST rp sessions were playing D&D.  There's way more to D&D than combat.

Maybe you weren't playing right...

Then again, my group Role-Played. Even playing D&D.  I'm sorry, but Role playing is not exclusive to FATE or DFRPG.

My experience with D&D is, often, people make these long background stories which, if the GM is good, will use to add plot and excitement to the game.

What I like about Fate is that they take things like "background" and incorporate it into the mechanics of the game.

I actually think the combat system is way better in DFRPG.  Consequences are better than HP's (IMO) and so are maneuvers (instead of static bonuses and penalties that you see in D&D).

Edit:

I'd also like to add that I've played 1st/2nd ed D&D where things like SOCIAL SKILLS didn't exist.  In fact, Skills didn't exist.  We still rp'd.  When certain decisions needed to be made, sometimes we rolled our stats.  Mostly, though, we just put the dice away and played our characters.

DFRPG has social combat.  So, really, an argument can be made that the game has turned rping into a mechanic that can be min/maxed.  Why role-play when you can just roll your +7 rapport and win? 

GM: The man is asking you to leave.
Player: "I attack with Rapport"


Sorry if this has come across too strong, but I think you should leave your prejudices out of your posts.
so much fail in one post

4
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 22, 2013, 12:31:59 AM »
It's still a terrible suggestion. There are many different ways to do this--starting with compels intended to curb it while giving the player a choice rather than slapping him with, "Well, you're a Lawbreaker now because you won the fight."
No, you're not reading correctly. You don't MAKE them take it, the first time, it's a warning.
Anyway, we've gotten off topic.
As not to get too far into D&D and such, D&D is a really really great Combat system, It just loses points (mechanically) when it comes to things like Role Playing
(click to show/hide)

5
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 21, 2013, 10:05:33 PM »
Agreed with Sancta -- this is a terrible suggestion. There are dozens of better ways to enforce lawbreaker without yanking the rug out from under a PC like this.
you don't MAKE them take Lawbreaker, I meant it more of a "if your wizard is going nuts and not worrying enough about magic use, this is what you do"

6
DFRPG / Re: 1st time DM questions
« on: November 21, 2013, 02:42:13 PM »
Hello, I'm pretty green about RPGs (Level 5 of my first ever d&d campaign) but I've gotten hooked. I've been a Dresden files fan for years and knew there was an RPG but never looked into it. Basically I have two questions:

1. Are Your Story and Our World the only books I'll need to competently DM a campaign?

2. How involved should my players be in selecting a city, making faces, setting type decisions?


1. Alright, take all those lessons you learned from D&D, got them? Throw them away. You won't need them. You only need Your Story. Our World is Neat if you (Like me) work by Example, something Evil hat is um...lacking on sometimes. Like heres a bunch of "Examples" but we won't really explain how or why they work together (MAKE AN OFFICIAL VIDEO OF HOW DRESEN IS PLAYED)
2. World Creation IS PART OF THE PLAYING. Making all your characters TOGETHER avoids some common pitfalls of gaming. If everyone knows each other, you don't have to deal with "why would I help the Paladin if i'm a thief" also, it avoids having your PCs meet in a Bar. Try this, avoid having your PCs meet at a bar the whole campaign. Also, if you and your group spend 10-15 minutes making a "Night Club" it avoids this "I'm going to burn it down" really? REALLY? We spent 15 minutes making that bar, you're not going to burn it down. Really spend like 10-15 minutes on EACH aspect, like REALLY think about them. I also played in a campaign from hell where the GM had maybe 15-30 Plot threads going on at any given time, the problem? We didn't know who HALF the NPCs were, and the GM had the memory of a GOLDFISH and couldn't remember who they were. If I, as a player, have a had in making characters, it gives me a "Clue" of who they are, and why I should care about them.

Personal Tips.
*7 Aspects, are 2 too many. Start off with 5. "Unlock" aspects as you play (make it part of the major and minor milestone).
*Start off  lower refresh , like feet in the water. If this is your first Dresden game, maybe have everyone start off as pure mortal, and work from there.
*The Rules are the Rules are the Rules, expect when they're not. I personally don't like the part in character creation where you and ME have to take an aspect from the same "story" I'm fine Guest starring in your story in  a way, but you getting attacked by a troll while getting a Pizza, might not be that big of a deal to my character, but it's fine that i'm there and I helped.
*Rules Lawyering is fun for none. If theres a "rules" question, save it for the end of the game, seriously, make note of it and get back to it. But nothing "ruins the fun" like having to sit through a 45 discussion on White Court Feeding blah blah blah when you're not a White Court Vampire, and don't care.
*Scene Aspects, Campaign Aspects. Make them taggable for free the first time, it really encourages people to USE them and to PLAY THEM.
*Fate Points are a currency, that means if your characters don't spend them and horde them, they become worthless.
*Social and Mental conflicts are real things. If you DO burn down that night club, thats a social hit, think of the show Firefly, basically they had a reputation that effected them. Maybe have Social consequences clear at the end of a session instead of at the end of a scene.
*NPCS don't fight to the death. They will try and run, or call in back up.
*If you have a magic user in the group, and they are throwing shift 3 fireballs at mortals, their need to be consequences. It's been talked about, but have an NPC Concede before your wizard throws a fireball, his concession? Death. I wouldn't have your Wizard take a law breaker the first time, but I would mention, next time you're going to have to.
* Remember that Dresden is a Mystery, what makes a mystery? One of the best Mysteries? The Big Lebowski. Use it.

7
DFRPG / Re: Looking for some constructive criticism of my new character.
« on: November 18, 2013, 04:49:57 AM »

8
DFRPG / Re: New Character Joing Ongoing Campaign
« on: November 11, 2013, 09:59:00 PM »
Hey all, I am looking to join a friend's existing campaign, but obviously the character was not part of the original Chargen Group and will have no ties to existing Characters via Guest stars etc...anyone got a good method for handling the final two aspects that would normally be Guest Stars? Should they just convert to additional adventures? Or use existing NPC's as Tie-ins?
Leave them BLANK for now and then ask your GM if the next session (or two) can be about introducing your character to the group and going on an adventure with one or two of them. Then depending on what happens in those sessions, make aspects off of that.
Thats what i've done as a GM for new group members.

Real life example.
New Character showed up, had him and our Wizard run into each other at the magic shop. Shop gets robbed, due to some hilarious miscommunications they both think the other one is is cahoots with the robber.
Aspect was something along the lines of "Mistaken I.D." (its been awhile)



9
Display Case / Re: Perfect Casting, part 2
« on: October 28, 2013, 05:14:07 PM »

10
DFRPG / Re: Fun Potion Ingredients
« on: October 21, 2013, 10:54:59 PM »
Kinda on topic. but GMs, if characters want to get exotic potions, make that part of the story.
You need Depleted Uranium, or Ivory, or whatever. You don't have any, but (contacts roll) you know a guy over here... blah blah blah Troll Pops out or Blah blah blah Get mugged

11
DFRPG / Re: Need help with character concepts for people new to TDF
« on: October 15, 2013, 08:18:22 PM »
A couple of notes from our home game:
-Use Declarations. They're free, so everyone should use them whenever they're appropriate. In our game, I was literally the only one using them, and got a lot of mileage out of them.
-Use maneuvers. We had a bruiser in that game with Supernatural Strength/Speed who only ever attacked, without doing anything else. Needless to say, she failed to outperform the other characters, even though they were nowhere near that level of ability.
-Be creative. Certain skills like Scholarship and Burglary depend on proactive use to get any mileage out of them.
Don't you have to use Fate Point to declare things?

12
DFRPG / Re: GM new to FATE. Any advice?
« on: October 14, 2013, 03:08:36 AM »
Whatever you do, don't ignore the group world creation and character creation.  You'll be amazed at the problems it solves.

Yep.
Also, if you wrote out a story, and you have a beginning middle and end, go ahead and throw that away. Your story is your PC's.
Compel their Aspects (and do it in interesting and weird ways)

Go with the Flow. Listen to your characters, know when to hold them, know when to fold them. Not ever MOOK is going to fight to the death, have the concede and take an aspect of "Next time...".
Have fun.

13
DFRPG / Re: Need help with character concepts for people new to TDF
« on: October 10, 2013, 01:01:33 PM »
I see (on this board and elsewhere) where people basically want to start off as Batman and work their way up to Superman. I think few people want to start off as Robin.

Even Batman had to be Bruce Wayne Once.

14
DFRPG / Re: Need help with character concepts for people new to TDF
« on: October 10, 2013, 01:00:41 PM »
Really?

Because a Submerged mortal can be the world's greatest quantum physicist, an exceptionally-skilled medical doctor, an Olympic sprinter, a millionaire, and a skilled negotiator. They can do all that with enough room left in their build for the combat skills to kill vampires in duels. And they'll have half a dozen FP to spare.

I suspect that your standards might be unreasonably high.
I played a Singing Brothel Owner Pure Mortal. Using Fate Points, Sex Appeal, and Performance as my main Skill (that and I had few stunts and tons of Fate Points) I was rocking 1840s San Fran.

15
DFRPG / Re: Need help with character concepts for people new to TDF
« on: October 07, 2013, 06:27:07 PM »
I'd agree if they're more roll-player than role-player then Fate based systems might not work out best for them, but as far as character concepts go, I'd say keep it simple at first. Start them as Pure Mortals and introduce a new concept of the game world with each adventure, just like the books do. Ex-cops, retired military, ex-cons, hackers who suspect something, they all would work for giving a solid foundation to understand how to play the game while simultaneously giving them a good footing without assigning homework. After they start to 'see' how the world works, then open up other options for them. Maybe that retired marine has Cherokee roots and rediscovers his heritage as a shamanistic shapeshifter, learning to be a theriomorph who, over time, can learn to master many different animals using totems. Maybe the ex-con has a history of violence because he has the blood of a Winter Fae in his veins and after a run in with Summer it comes to the surface... Lots of great ways to start off as a straight and 'discover' your hidden talents.

Then play the game. Do what all good story tellers do and SHOW them how to play using NPC's. Have a Social Battle with a contact or the police to 'wear' them out, give them a taste of that VERY different battle style. Then send them off after gangsters working for the restless shade of Al Capone and the Ectomancer that he communicates through. Have some mooks for them to plough through and slip an NPC in there that keeps throwing around declarations and assessments to give the mooks a leg up, you could even make said NPC be just another simple mook possessed my the spirit and use the ghost's powers to affect the terrain. OR BETTER YET, each time they target the possessed one, a different mook takes up the reins as the spirit moves to another body... Sorry... hit a creative streak...

 Rather than tell them how to use the system to their advantage, show them.
Yep. Give them someplace to go.
I see (on this board and elsewhere) where people basically want to start off as Superman.

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