As a GM who has played D&D forever, the hardest thing to wrap my head around was the concept of an aspect. It really made sense after watching the Fate Core episode of Tabletop with Will Wheaton. Ryan Macklin, one of the designers of Fate Core, ran the game. They covered most of the questions I had about Fate Core during their game. It was also highly entertaining.
I appreciate that fate core gives you a flat definition at to how well you succeed rather than in dnd where the gm basically goes "ehhhhh you kinda succeed" and you could've rolled a 14 or 13 and your stats don't exactly contribute a fair amount at least to your rolls from what I remember. In fate it appears that if you get "average" or "mediocre" you get the "kinda succeed" based on what you're rolling for but since how well you succeed is blatantly written out it feels like it's less up to interpretation like in dnd
It's not that D&D couldn't make it happen, they just don't. Succeed levels would be every difference of 2-3 I'd assume. But yeah, FATE would have it better by default because it is much faster to calculate. (seems weird to say since subtracting stats that are 10+ and rolls on d20 isn't rocket science.) Thanks for participating in the discussion!
@@CastleArchon no problem. It's just whenever I played dnd my character's stats seem to not actually matter a whole lot when performing dice rolls. It may just be my gm tho
@@MyFunnyVids888 not so much the case mathematically. you can easily have a +7 or so for a skill check thats alot when you need to score say a 12 with a d20
You have a bad DM. Your DM wants to win and is using skill checks to force you to do things without forcing you to do things. It's okay to do it sometimes, so DMs do it constantly. It leads to minmaxing and shenanigans because it forces the players to break the game with loopholes to get around the DM
Nice summary. Fate is probably my favorite rpg system, hands down. Maybe not my favorite RPG GAME, but if I was only allowed to keep one book in my collection it would be Fate.
My biggest beef with FATE is that they don't credit Steffan O'Sulllivan as much as they should. Legally they're in the clear, because they're using mechanics so there's no Copywrite but the same could be said for Pathfinder but they give credit go Gygax and Arneson.
I wonder if it is more of a lack of thought than lack of respect. They don't gain anything from not mentioning it. They seems like a bunch of cool cats.
The system is terrific for kids! Encourages creativity to find ways to use the aspects and the system is simple and not overbearing. If they are real young you'll still have to teach it rather than have them read the book, but that is fine.
@@amroth14105 it didn't go the way I thought it would. I think it was still a bit too much. Tricube Tales may have been easier, but we landed on castles and crusades. The seige engine made everything much easier for them. I extended the siege engine to cover battles. So they aim to roll over 12 or 18, and they describe what their character does and I let that determine the results. Same for defense. I don't track any monster stats. They really like it.
Wait.. did you just state that being a Family Man was a trouble, and you "SPENT" a fate point to not go with the other characters? That is usually worth "GAINING" a fate point , because you are not part of the story. Sometimes, the GM would offer you the fate point just for that purpose and result. ...... OK.. the very next breath you stated that... :)
No, I think the first example that you had to pay for the privilege of not going with those guys if you were using "Family Guy" as the excuse. Which was weird, because you don't have to pay to do or not do stuff that you want to do anyway, you just do it.
@@SergioLeRoux A fate point would be more in keeping if one of your family members had a certain skillset or background, and you could bring them on scene.
It's addressed on page 9 of the FATE Core System rulebook: "Results can go below and above the ladder. We encourage you to come up with your own names for results above Legendary, such as "Zounds!" and "Ridiculously Awesome"."
FUDGE is an amazing concept, a vast simplification of game mechanics that is very flexible. I am not at all sure that FATE, other than the idea of character aspects, is an improvement. The rule books certainly are not, they are an indigestible mess. Still, FATE or FUDGE, these are better systems than most of what is out there.
What do you find confusing about them? To me, they are laid out about as well as most other books, but are also simple enough that most rules needed can be put on a single cheat sheet.
I've read all the Fate Core rulebooks and dozens of Worlds booklets, and played it for years. Fate Core has problems: It's innumerate, low math. For example: no falling-damage rules but apparently how much a character is hurt depends on dramatic needs rather than the raw laws of physics in relation to height fallen, with a limit due to terminal velocity. Fate Core is also a cushion for the emotions, geared for people ill-prepared to accept that sometimes their characters will have bad breaks, or even die. If you are close to running out of Consequence slots, you can Concede and somehow the universe keeps your character alive! Then the GM rewards your ineptitude into getting your character into such a bad situation, by giving you extra Fate Points so the character can spring up fighting in the next scene. It's a "Fate Point Economy" of rhythmic cinematic ups and downs in regular dramatic "beats" like a TV show, which does not happen that way in "real life". Also the benefits and drawbacks aren't scaled. Players state their intentions, and the character's action is interpreted under one of the four Actions of Fate, fine. But absolutely every Aspect is +2 or re-roll, every Stunt is +2. There's no tactical finesse, or daring to say that this factor is significantly more important than that factor. Other RPGs may have a thought-out table of different-sized modifiers rather than a blanket chunky one-size-fits-all. Now there is some effort by the GM not to allow a "weaksauce" Compel, and make sure Aspects really are grand enough to be worth a +2, but tactical finesse in Fate, the marshalling to stack odds in your favour, is so chunky as to be meaningless.
Oh it certainly is not the RPG for realism. It is meant to create a story only. Just like in TV or movies, the characters always seems to stay alive against stupid odds that would kill anyone else in the real world. It works for that. And yes, I would agree that it means there is a degree of automatic "plot armor" involved that everyone has. I think it is best to accept this going in. Thanks for the insightful comment!
For me, low math is an advantage. When I played D&D, I am troubled in messy rules and heavy calculates, so why don't I just play RPG games like Pillars of Eternity to get an exciting battles? That's why I use FATE CORE
Stunts can be so much more than just a +2 to a roll. I’d argue that’s the most boring stunt ever and not really worth expending the refresh for it unless you REALLY want your character to do this very narrow thing well
Everything you just listed as a problem is actually a strength of Fate - those things are the entire point of the system. That's why you play Fate over other games - because you want to play a cinematic, collaborative, story/drama-driven game in a way that most other systems make difficult or or don't mechanically support (obviously you could still play a cinematic D&D game for example, but the rules dont' encourage it, so it would just be a choice everyone at the table makes). And as far as low math goes, let's be honest here - systems like D&D and GURPS are not exactly "high math." Most other TTRPG systems don't require anything more advanced than simple addition and subtraction (GURPS may include some multiplication, occasionally, but not much and it doesn't come up in every game). Unless we're talking about something like the HERO system (which is an AMAZING game system if you don't mind math - like GURPS but designed from a high power level down rather than from a ground-level realism with super powers and science fiction technology tacked on as a poorly balanced afterthought like in GURPS), most TTRPGs don't require much math at all so reducing that already small amount isn't exacty a great tradgedy.
I do not like the fate coin system. That feels like it just lets GMs tell characters they can't do certain things because "it's not what your character would do." I find that aspect of Fate already happening in my other games without us needing to keep track of tokens
I don’t think that is the intention of the system. In fact, only the characters can say “no” to a compel by spending a fate point. Otherwise, you get fate points by acting on compels. Characters can ask for bonuses by spending a fate point to tag their aspects, but only if the aspects make sense in context. Aspects are also never something your character wouldn’t do. If they don’t fit the character, they shouldn’t be on the sheet. It’s why various milestones let you change aspects too, to show character growth.
Fate is very much a system for groups that want to do a very collaborative story, not for group that want to just inhabit a character. So compels are for when the GM goes "I think it would be really interesting if x happens in this scene based on your aspect" and invokes are for when players go "I think it would be really interesting if x happens in this scene based on my aspect"
If you read the Fudge rule book it lists a character system very similar to GURPS but with a "just fudge it" philosophy to the die rolls so the GM and players don't get tied down looking up die modifiers for every situation that might come up. Fate took Fudge and moved away from the "realism/simulation" of game play to play based on the mood and descriptions of the setting - and frankly even the best campaigns I have run using GURPS worked because of the focus on the mood of the setting (one type of Fate Aspect). I believe Fate is pure gaming genius, and I just purchased some Fate books for one of my nephews who loves GMing ttrpg games.
@@CastleArchon Briefly, you build a dice pool of 3 dice from qualities (e.g.: skills), powers and your health level. You roll, and mostly use the middle roll for the effect, but your super abilities can change that and/or let your other rolled dice do things as well. It's very clever. You still have your attack/defend/overcome, etc. actions, so it's still Fate underneath. The themes and fiction are very strong, so you're never struggling with the "blank page" as can happen in many Fate games.
@@PossumMedic I saw your reply in my email, and couldn’t figure out what if was about. I don’t even remember making my original post, above… also, I never did check out FATE, other than to see what books were available, IIRC… will have to follow up.
@@Wolf359inc 😂 sorry it was from a while ago. We just started playing the Atomic Robo version and it's really good if your into 80s-90s action adventure movies!
As a GM who has played D&D forever, the hardest thing to wrap my head around was the concept of an aspect. It really made sense after watching the Fate Core episode of Tabletop with Will Wheaton. Ryan Macklin, one of the designers of Fate Core, ran the game. They covered most of the questions I had about Fate Core during their game. It was also highly entertaining.
I appreciate that fate core gives you a flat definition at to how well you succeed rather than in dnd where the gm basically goes "ehhhhh you kinda succeed" and you could've rolled a 14 or 13 and your stats don't exactly contribute a fair amount at least to your rolls from what I remember. In fate it appears that if you get "average" or "mediocre" you get the "kinda succeed" based on what you're rolling for but since how well you succeed is blatantly written out it feels like it's less up to interpretation like in dnd
It's not that D&D couldn't make it happen, they just don't. Succeed levels would be every difference of 2-3 I'd assume. But yeah, FATE would have it better by default because it is much faster to calculate. (seems weird to say since subtracting stats that are 10+ and rolls on d20 isn't rocket science.) Thanks for participating in the discussion!
@@CastleArchon no problem. It's just whenever I played dnd my character's stats seem to not actually matter a whole lot when performing dice rolls. It may just be my gm tho
@@MyFunnyVids888 not so much the case mathematically.
you can easily have a +7 or so for a skill check thats alot when you need to score say a 12 with a d20
You have a bad DM. Your DM wants to win and is using skill checks to force you to do things without forcing you to do things.
It's okay to do it sometimes, so DMs do it constantly.
It leads to minmaxing and shenanigans because it forces the players to break the game with loopholes to get around the DM
Nice summary. Fate is probably my favorite rpg system, hands down. Maybe not my favorite RPG GAME, but if I was only allowed to keep one book in my collection it would be Fate.
THE BEST THING ABOUT THE FATE CORE SYSTEM IS THE BRODE SWODE!
Kid on Commercial: BRODE SWODE!
BRODE SWODE!
LOL! That video is epic!
BRODE SODE
Great video! I'm a fan of this game since 2015 but it's always nice to watch video like this!
Glad you enjoyed!
My biggest beef with FATE is that they don't credit Steffan O'Sulllivan as much as they should. Legally they're in the clear, because they're using mechanics so there's no Copywrite but the same could be said for Pathfinder but they give credit go Gygax and Arneson.
I wonder if it is more of a lack of thought than lack of respect. They don't gain anything from not mentioning it. They seems like a bunch of cool cats.
@@CastleArchon I've mentioned it to them before and they got super defensive
@@bakonon Really? Weird. We'll luckily at least I am doing my part and this is one of the hotter FATE intros...:)
Dude I love your passion, you've totally sold me on the fat system
Glad to hear it! I'm sure you'll love it!
I really hope "fat" was a typo
So you are going to over eat carbs and develop insulin resistance. Not cool.
May the carbs be with you! 😂
Great vid. I just discovered this system and I'm excited to start playing with my kids.
The system is terrific for kids! Encourages creativity to find ways to use the aspects and the system is simple and not overbearing. If they are real young you'll still have to teach it rather than have them read the book, but that is fine.
How did that work out?
@@amroth14105 it didn't go the way I thought it would. I think it was still a bit too much. Tricube Tales may have been easier, but we landed on castles and crusades. The seige engine made everything much easier for them. I extended the siege engine to cover battles. So they aim to roll over 12 or 18, and they describe what their character does and I let that determine the results. Same for defense. I don't track any monster stats. They really like it.
With the crap that WotC is pulling (OGL 1.1), now would a great time to check out FATE.
Wait.. did you just state that being a Family Man was a trouble, and you "SPENT" a fate point to not go with the other characters? That is usually worth "GAINING" a fate point , because you are not part of the story. Sometimes, the GM would offer you the fate point just for that purpose and result.
......
OK.. the very next breath you stated that... :)
No, I think the first example that you had to pay for the privilege of not going with those guys if you were using "Family Guy" as the excuse. Which was weird, because you don't have to pay to do or not do stuff that you want to do anyway, you just do it.
@@SergioLeRoux A fate point would be more in keeping if one of your family members had a certain skillset or background, and you could bring them on scene.
It's possible to roll a +9 but the ladder only goes to +8.
Is there an unofficial term for a +9?
Thanks for the video! :D
Not that I know of. :) Lemme know if you find out!
It's addressed on page 9 of the FATE Core System rulebook:
"Results can go below and above the ladder. We encourage you to come up with your own names for results above Legendary, such as "Zounds!" and "Ridiculously Awesome"."
@@arcticbanana66 right on! 🤘
If you're a "Dresden Files" fan, a FATE based RPG exists.
FUDGE is an amazing concept, a vast simplification of game mechanics that is very flexible. I am not at all sure that FATE, other than the idea of character aspects, is an improvement. The rule books certainly are not, they are an indigestible mess. Still, FATE or FUDGE, these are better systems than most of what is out there.
What do you find confusing about them? To me, they are laid out about as well as most other books, but are also simple enough that most rules needed can be put on a single cheat sheet.
I've read all the Fate Core rulebooks and dozens of Worlds booklets, and played it for years. Fate Core has problems: It's innumerate, low math. For example: no falling-damage rules but apparently how much a character is hurt depends on dramatic needs rather than the raw laws of physics in relation to height fallen, with a limit due to terminal velocity.
Fate Core is also a cushion for the emotions, geared for people ill-prepared to accept that sometimes their characters will have bad breaks, or even die. If you are close to running out of Consequence slots, you can Concede and somehow the universe keeps your character alive! Then the GM rewards your ineptitude into getting your character into such a bad situation, by giving you extra Fate Points so the character can spring up fighting in the next scene. It's a "Fate Point Economy" of rhythmic cinematic ups and downs in regular dramatic "beats" like a TV show, which does not happen that way in "real life".
Also the benefits and drawbacks aren't scaled. Players state their intentions, and the character's action is interpreted under one of the four Actions of Fate, fine. But absolutely every Aspect is +2 or re-roll, every Stunt is +2. There's no tactical finesse, or daring to say that this factor is significantly more important than that factor. Other RPGs may have a thought-out table of different-sized modifiers rather than a blanket chunky one-size-fits-all. Now there is some effort by the
GM not to allow a "weaksauce" Compel, and make sure Aspects really are grand enough to be worth a +2, but tactical finesse in Fate, the marshalling to stack odds in your favour, is so chunky as to be meaningless.
Oh it certainly is not the RPG for realism. It is meant to create a story only. Just like in TV or movies, the characters always seems to stay alive against stupid odds that would kill anyone else in the real world. It works for that. And yes, I would agree that it means there is a degree of automatic "plot armor" involved that everyone has. I think it is best to accept this going in. Thanks for the insightful comment!
For me, low math is an advantage. When I played D&D, I am troubled in messy rules and heavy calculates, so why don't I just play RPG games like Pillars of Eternity to get an exciting battles? That's why I use FATE CORE
Stunts can be so much more than just a +2 to a roll. I’d argue that’s the most boring stunt ever and not really worth expending the refresh for it unless you REALLY want your character to do this very narrow thing well
Everything you just listed as a problem is actually a strength of Fate - those things are the entire point of the system. That's why you play Fate over other games - because you want to play a cinematic, collaborative, story/drama-driven game in a way that most other systems make difficult or or don't mechanically support (obviously you could still play a cinematic D&D game for example, but the rules dont' encourage it, so it would just be a choice everyone at the table makes).
And as far as low math goes, let's be honest here - systems like D&D and GURPS are not exactly "high math." Most other TTRPG systems don't require anything more advanced than simple addition and subtraction (GURPS may include some multiplication, occasionally, but not much and it doesn't come up in every game). Unless we're talking about something like the HERO system (which is an AMAZING game system if you don't mind math - like GURPS but designed from a high power level down rather than from a ground-level realism with super powers and science fiction technology tacked on as a poorly balanced afterthought like in GURPS), most TTRPGs don't require much math at all so reducing that already small amount isn't exacty a great tradgedy.
I do not like the fate coin system. That feels like it just lets GMs tell characters they can't do certain things because "it's not what your character would do." I find that aspect of Fate already happening in my other games without us needing to keep track of tokens
Maybe some GMs would use it that way, but it is not the intent of the system.
I don’t think that is the intention of the system. In fact, only the characters can say “no” to a compel by spending a fate point. Otherwise, you get fate points by acting on compels. Characters can ask for bonuses by spending a fate point to tag their aspects, but only if the aspects make sense in context.
Aspects are also never something your character wouldn’t do. If they don’t fit the character, they shouldn’t be on the sheet. It’s why various milestones let you change aspects too, to show character growth.
Fate is very much a system for groups that want to do a very collaborative story, not for group that want to just inhabit a character. So compels are for when the GM goes "I think it would be really interesting if x happens in this scene based on your aspect" and invokes are for when players go "I think it would be really interesting if x happens in this scene based on my aspect"
i like genesys more
I have the dice and looked through the rules. What do you like about it?
If you read the Fudge rule book it lists a character system very similar to GURPS but with a "just fudge it" philosophy to the die rolls so the GM and players don't get tied down looking up die modifiers for every situation that might come up. Fate took Fudge and moved away from the "realism/simulation" of game play to play based on the mood and descriptions of the setting - and frankly even the best campaigns I have run using GURPS worked because of the focus on the mood of the setting (one type of Fate Aspect). I believe Fate is pure gaming genius, and I just purchased some Fate books for one of my nephews who loves GMing ttrpg games.
The best thing about BardicBroadcasts is too be reminded of BardicBroadcasts even when you don't watch BardicBroadcasts!
Not a big fan of Fate, but I do like the modified version used in Sentinels of the Multiverse.
Which way is it modified that is cool?
@@CastleArchon Briefly, you build a dice pool of 3 dice from qualities (e.g.: skills), powers and your health level. You roll, and mostly use the middle roll for the effect, but your super abilities can change that and/or let your other rolled dice do things as well. It's very clever. You still have your attack/defend/overcome, etc. actions, so it's still Fate underneath. The themes and fiction are very strong, so you're never struggling with the "blank page" as can happen in many Fate games.
Is the Fudge system still available?
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/327196/Fudge-10th-Anniversary-Edition
I always looked at FATE as a “poor man’s” GURPS. However, based on your comments, I will be checking it out.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Oh yeah, it is total polar opposite from that! The inverse of hyper-detailed!
Maybe the lazy mans GURPS 😝
🤷♂️ not a bad thing though. Just a differnt style
@@PossumMedic I saw your reply in my email, and couldn’t figure out what if was about. I don’t even remember making my original post, above… also, I never did check out FATE, other than to see what books were available, IIRC… will have to follow up.
@@Wolf359inc 😂 sorry it was from a while ago. We just started playing the Atomic Robo version and it's really good if your into 80s-90s action adventure movies!
@@PossumMedic I blame my 54 yo brain more than anything else… who doesn’t love action movies from then! Will definitely have to check it out now… :)
I'm happy that you're so happy with the "reasons" for skills.
Evil Hat is trash. Hope they go out of business.
What makes you dislike them so much?
Yeah, please elaborate. I've yet to see them do anything that warrants this attitude.
@@harjutapa Not shipping outside the mainland US is a turn off. Now I have to find a middle man that isn't Amazon.
@@sethseth9059 If you are in Europe, the German uhrenwerk Verlag sells the Core/Accelerated Rulebooks and some of the World books and Dice.
….by being one of the best game developers in the scene right now?