I don't know is there's anyone still reading this, but in 24 hours I'm supposed to run a Fate game for some rookies (I was kind of surprised, but there's no way I admit I'm not ready), so I could use some ideas.

There are definitely people still reading, but that's a little vague. You have 24 hours to run a game and nowhere to start? Usually the first step is to have a premise of some kind.

What sorts of adventures do they want? What about setting? If you don't have that stuff yet, it might be best to ask /them/ for ideas, pretty much just using the game creation worksheet from Core. Though we can just start throwing ideas out there to see what sticks. What are you looking for?

Nintaku is right. You need an idea. Provided you can't ask your players what they want, just go to DriveThruRPG, pick your favorite Pay What You Want FATE World of Adventure, and voilà!

Unfortunately, I cannot ask players what they want (for reasons I'd rather not discuss ATM) and I don't think we'll have time to do the proper worldbuilding.

So I was thinking like perhaps you guys would either recommend me something from like Words on Fire / in Shadow or some World of Adventure which is rookie friendly, or throw me your world idea that I could expand.

Also worth noting is that majority of the players will be female and I am pretty much guys' guy.


So I would appreciate for a rookie friendly and female friendly suggestion I could pick up to run quickly from:

• Worlds on Fire
• Worlds in Shadow
• Worlds of Adventure

or hit me with your pitch that I could quickly expand.

I would suggest White Picket Witches, The Secrets Of Cats, or Romance In The Air.

Now that's the kind of info we need to help you. :D

Along with Alyse's fantastic suggestions, I'd like to recommend Court/Ship from Worlds in Shadow. For a less stereotypically "girly" couple suggestions, you might try the Ellis Affair, CrimeWorld, or No Exit. Also CAMELOT Trigger can have neat concepts for everyone's interests.

Have I mentioned that I love Fate so very much?

I haven't read Romance in the Air, but the other two are great setting. If the Ladies you're running for really dig action, then CAMELOT Trigger is amazing. It's in Worlds of Shadow and it's pretty much King Arthur meets Gundam.

Part of my point with CT is that it doesn't have to be action if the players aren't into that, but it can totally be if they are. Being part Gundam in tone, it's easy to have giant robots punching other giant robots in the face focusing on explosions and zoom and pewpepew, or dramatic sword duels focusing on the personal drama between rivals, or big sweeping battles focusing on the horror of war. It's just as easy to have the big robots be a backdrop, and focus on courtly romance, or political rivalry, or espionage, or literally anything the players want to see. It's kind of the only one of the settings I've seen that's quite that versatile.

We've been playing a game of it that focused on a knightly tournament. Politics, intrigue, social prejudice, romance, anime-style mecha duels, horror, mystery. We've got it all.

Yea, great point. I didn't mean to make it sound like it had one note. It just seems like a waste to ignore the giant robot fights in their entirety.

Alyse, I read through Face-Off rules from White Picket Witches and frankly I couldn't figure them out. They seem complicated, discretionary, unclear (especially in terms of Fate point expenditure) and largely unworkable. Have you tried it or can you explain the Face-Off system in brief? Or did you mean just the setting without custom rules?

In reply to Tzuppy (msg # 71):

Face-Offs are just a slightly tweaked variant of FATE Core conflicts, with more of a narrative emphasis. Consider them as Swashbuckling Duels (FATE System Toolkit, pp. 168-9) and they may work better for you.

Will look it up. The event, however got cancelled and now I can go back to my scheduled program.

Thanks for the suggestions, though, the prepping was fun enough for me.

In reply to Tzuppy (msg # 73):

Prepping sometimes has to be enough. It certainly happens a lot on RPOL.

(Like)

Alyse, first time I do a Fate game, I'm inviting you. Do you do hangout games?

In reply to Tzuppy (msg # 76):

Currently am without internet at home, so I can't really do hangout games. Sorry...

Tough. Lemme know when that changes.

Will do.

So...

I'm considering running a FATE Core game set in the late 1930's starring a band of globe-trotting adventurers looking for a lost map, and (assuming the game goes on long enough) then following said map to...

Well, that'd give a lot of the game away. ;)

The reason I'm putting this here is 1) to check interest (though I'm going to put it up on the Game Proposal board as well), and 2) to ask a question for GM's and players.

To wit: Every single FATE game I've been in on RPOL (save one) has died almost immediately after character generation. Players post their "I am here" posts, do a little socializing, then either the GM never comes back, or they officially shut down the game. My question is: How do I avoid this? From either a GM or a player perspective, have any of you noticed this as well, and if so, what sort-of warning signs have you seen?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Well, if it's post character generation, then I would say that it's just a problem with PbP in general. I'd say if my experience half or more of my games as a player die before launch or soon thereafter.

As for ways to prevent that well... as the GM you have all the power there. Just don't disappear and make sure to address any slowdown quickly so you don't stall.

I will say I have noticed a strong correlation between games that last and the comradery/friendliness of OOC chat. I'm not sure if it's that forming player relationships keeps games going or if the game lasting naturally encourages friendships to form between players. It's probably a bit of both. All I know is that in the games that I am in that have lasted a while most people are open to shooting the breeze in OOC chat as much as they are to posting in character, which is a lot like actual face to face play in my experience. Maybe food for thought?

Makes sense!

Thanks for the advice, folks. Now I'm pondering. I know that momentum is the factor, and while I'm itching to start something up, I know that in less than two weeks I'm going to be heading out for GenCon, at which time my ability to connect will be limited. I'm thinking perhaps I'll have to wait til the con is over, then fire up the new adventure. That make sense?
(Of course, I'd give folks here first crack at things!)

I really want to run a FATE game. I played in a SOTC campaign a few years ago and I've loved the system ever since, but I feel like I need to GM for a while to really understand the mechanics better.

I also love Ken Hite's "Day After Ragnarok", and there is now finally a FATE book for it, so everything seems great, so that is definitely what I would choose for a setting for my first game.

My only concern is how slow online games can be. I am thinking of doing the quick-start options where you just begin with a name, a concept and a skill. That way we can jump into the fun parts directly, and character creation gets folded into gameplay.

Any thoughts or suggestions on best ways to run online games? How does FATE Core work out here on rpol? Should I be considering FAE?

Thank you for any advice you have!
This message was last updated by the player at 03:41, Wed 12 Aug 2015.

Last night, with a friend who needs to practice his English, I started a campaign based on True Detective in science fiction environment. Most of the things in the game are still undetermined (including whether we'll be using Core or Accelerated), but we did collaborative setting creation, we have our protagonists and we have our victim.
The setting will be called the Refuge, because a refugee ship crash-landed on almost uninhabitable planet some centuries ago. The planet has a thin atmosphere at ground level, but the refugees eventually managed to start tunneling underground towns (they're called cities, but in reality these are towns) where they could live. Since they have created a mini civilization, where normal human activities, such as trade, police, government etc. were reestablished.

Initially twelve sentient robots were present aboard. Robots vary in shapes, sizes, hardware and processing power, but as long as they are sentient, they are awarded a full set of human rights, including the rights to vote, own property and procreate. In centuries since the fall, number of robots has changed somewhat from initial twelve, but not by much.

Most powerful and influential of robots is called Teletron. It is the central processing unit of the original ship.

Our protagonist is called Johnny Stark and his stats are below.

Johnny Stark, a murder detective
Ladies' man
Social drinker
Stunt:
Gun in a sleeve.

As my primary character, I'll be playing his robot partner, the first of the new generation of robots which are visually indistinguishable from humans.

Mileena Stone, his robot partner
"Should I make myself less beautiful?"
"Below this latex is military grade titanium"

Our victim is Richard Armstrong, wealthiest person in the city.

Richard Armstrong, trader in rare minerals
"His head is in the adjacent room and his genitals are missing"
"His safe is emptied and some art is missing"
His house is so expensive that it has a window (that is to outside, not other tunnels)

He is succeeded by a wife, three sons and a daughter, mother and mother-in-law. His oldest son is crying and his daughter is too young to be interviewed by the police.

Politically, two factions may be involved in his death. Moles believe people should dig deeper and appreciate more peace and prosperity the Refuge has brought, while Roosters want to start broadcasting distress calls and hope for the best.

What refugees were fleeing from is referred only as "Saracens", but who or what they are is still undetermined.

Anyway, I am confident I can pull this game off, but none the less I would appreciate suggestions. This applies especially to creating story aspects (and rule modifications if needed) that would drive the feeling that this is a True Detective game, not just plain vanilla police procedural.

That's a really cool idea. Bits of it remind me of Transformers, Arx Fatalis, Asimov's Caverns of Steel, Millennium...

For me, the most distinct elements in True Detective were the allusions to a fairly obscure occult work and the lingering atmosphere of desolation. With the post-apoc set up you've got the latter should be easy; emphasise the ruins visible through the victim's window, how people now live the shells of mines, bunkers, cellars in tunnels, etc. As for the former... perhaps pick a favourite horror/supernatural novel, movie or mythos and work in some subtle references to it in character names, plots and adversaries.

I can't believe someone actually caught Millennium reference.

Teletron was obvious since I'm the right age, but Millennium is obscure off the chart.

The rest, I never heard of. Must be a coincidence.


As for occult, I was planning on sleeping through that one, but no such luck. My player is pushing crazy cultists angle real hard.