Just to be clear, we have landed? Or are we still careening through the atmosphere?
You have landed - if that wasn't clear, my bad!
GM, I kinda think all my aspects skew negative and could be compelled against me toward self-destruction. Even Utterly Fearless is not always a good thing. That is by design for rp but doesn't give me a lot to invoke on my behalf. Could I add an Aspect called "Lucky" to create balance and give me something positive to invoke? Or should I replace one of the current aspects?
We're all discovering this game as we go, so aspects are definitely NOT set in stone - if you think you would like to replace/re-write one of your aspects, that's absolutely fine. As you say, I think on reflection your aspects are skewed more against you than for you. Maybe if you want to replace "Go Ahead, Make My Day" with something like "I've Survived Worse Than This, I Will Survive This" - but I'm sure you can come up with something more creative :)
One quick question, I'm curious how you are handling Refresh? Since it is typically based on game 'sessions' and PbP doesn't really have those, what's the alternative? Something similar to a 5e long rest or beginning of a new 'chapter' in the gameplay? Just curious more than anything at this point.
My current plan - which is subject to change as we see how it pans out - is to divide the game up into the "adventuring phase" and "downtime" (unoriginal, but I'm not looking to patent any of this). If this were a Kingmaker-type game with a long story arc, downtime would be measured in days or possibly weeks. This is a much shorter compressed story so downtime is when you get an hour or so in comparative safety to relax, bind wounds, clean weapons and so on.
ALSO: don't be afraid to fail dice rolls (except in combat. That really does matter). In most cases it won't mean you actually fail, it will just mean that you get what you want at a price. That too can drive the story forwards.
The squad members have Shoot at +2 and Fight at +1 and they can work as a mob in combat, adding +1 to those skills for each additional member. So a full squad of five will have Shoot at +6 and Fight at +5. It saves making 5 separate dice rolls :)
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I'm going to spend a fate point to declare that i went over the maps of the planet in advance and gave a breifing to the rest of teh team about landmarks and plan of attack and so on. Obvously that plan is screweed but some of the breiifing should still be useful.
One quick question, I'm curious how you are handling Refresh? Since it is typically based on game 'sessions' and PbP doesn't really have those, what's the alternative? Something similar to a 5e long rest or beginning of a new 'chapter' in the gameplay? Just curious more than anything at this point.My current plan - which is subject to change as we see how it pans out - is to divide the game up into the "adventuring phase" and "downtime" (unoriginal, but I'm not looking to patent any of this). If this were a Kingmaker-type game with a long story arc, downtime would be measured in days or possibly weeks. This is a much shorter compressed story so downtime is when you get an hour or so in comparative safety to relax, bind wounds, clean weapons and so on.
ALSO: don't be afraid to fail dice rolls (except in combat. That really does matter). In most cases it won't mean you actually fail, it will just mean that you get what you want at a price. That too can drive the story forwards.
Sounds good on the Refresh.
As for failing rolls I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for me to do so. I just really wanted to succeed on that first challenge. :)
Heh, that's perfectly understandable!
I've put a map together and will place you all on it in due course.
Hey Karina, since you're keeping Hozelbruck Bridge in your back story, can we maintain that it's cannon and we met there?
I'm glad i wasn't jsut amusing mysefl when I wrote that! Go for it :D
We're all discovering this game as we go, so aspects are definitely NOT set in stone - if you think you would like to replace/re-write one of your aspects, that's absolutely fine. As you say, I think on reflection your aspects are skewed more against you than for you. Maybe if you want to replace "Go Ahead, Make My Day" with something like "I've Survived Worse Than This, I Will Survive This" - but I'm sure you can come up with something more creative :)
Swapped that out with Fortune favors the brave.
Karina, love your dialog. I immediately started reading that with the Natasha voice in my head from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
We're all discovering this game as we go, so aspects are definitely NOT set in stone - if you think you would like to replace/re-write one of your aspects, that's absolutely fine. As you say, I think on reflection your aspects are skewed more against you than for you. Maybe if you want to replace "Go Ahead, Make My Day" with something like "I've Survived Worse Than This, I Will Survive This" - but I'm sure you can come up with something more creative :)Swapped that out with Fortune favors the brave.
That's fine.
[dice=Perception]4+1d4-1d4
I can work with that this time, but please can you let me do the GMing? ;)
[dice=Perception]4+1d4-1d4I can work with that this time, but please can you let me do the GMing? ;)
Happy to, of course. I think we'll figure out as we go where the line is given how rp drives the story. What details we create vs what you create, etc.
Agreed! This game has a much more permissive structure which is great and I definitely want to encourage spending Fate points to declare narrative details, like the inside of the escape pod or Karina's retrospective briefing (shades of a BitD flashback, there).
I'm just keen to make sure that you all end up at different points on the map, for now; so I want to retain some editorial control over that. Like I said, i can work with what you've done :)
Attero and Malakai: I realise those posts of mine don't give you much to get your teeth into, for which I'm sorry. All I can say is that your time will come.
Karina, love your dialog. I immediately started reading that with the Natasha voice in my head from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Agreed! I totally heard "even power armour will snap like twig" in Stana Katic's voice when she put on that accent in Castle.
Karina, love your dialog. I immediately started reading that with the Natasha voice in my head from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Aw, thanks! One of my ealriest memories is my grandfather (bron in the UK) doning an impression of *his* grandfather (born in Russia). It has stayed with me and this charcter is my attemtp at an homage to someone I never met but whose genes/heritatge I share :)
As it crests the last slope between your position and itself, you see a brief glimpse of it amid the furious dust cloud it is kicking up - although kicking might be the wrong word. It is some sort of artificial drone, that much seems clear. Perhaps half a meter long, the same again as wide and a handspan thick. It is a mishmash of thrown away parts and scraps. Symmetry and elegance are completely unknown to the device. It is all sharp angles, abrupt endings, and forced fittings. A frankendrone brought into being through the ingenuity and somewhat heretical mind of its creator. Adding to the thing's unsettling look are the hundreds of tiny runes etched onto every square inch of its exterior surface. These runes might once have been silver, and some still are, but most are now glowing with the furious red that indicates the presence of Chaos. It has no arms or legs, but an assortment of evil-looking limbs (some unpleasantly organic-looking and coated here and there with the white of Imperial Navy uniforms) thrash and propel it along. Two red-glowing cameras serve as its eyes, staring at you malevolently as it claws its way forward with an unnerving speed...
Oh Malakai, what haeve you done?
Who me? It isn't my fault. I'm innocent I tell ya. Innocent. :)
"Wastrel, are you just using this game as an excuse to post your favourite sci-fi quotes?"
"...Yes. No. Maybe. shuttup."
Absolutely, you can use as many FP as you like - but you can't use the same aspect more than once. So you could stack 3 separate aspects and pay 3 FP and get +6 to the roll (or a re-roll of the dice and +4). Remember you can use ANY aspect if it is relevant, even an enemy's aspects (e.g. "Because ogres are Strong But Not That Bright, I feint with my sword in one direction before hitting it where it's not looking" - pay a FP and get +2 or a re-roll). I've listed the enemy aspects in the status spoiler. If you prefer I will start putting them in my narrative so they're easier to spot.
Not a problem! If you have questions I will do my best to provide an answer. Because we're all learning this as we go, it might not be the right answer, so if someone wants to chip in at any time with their interpretation of the rules I promise I will listen :)
EDIT: one more thing. You know I said you can't stack aspects when you pay FP? That is still true, but you CAN stack "invokes" of an aspect. So Ansgar (and Karina) have 2 free invokes - both invokes could be stacked onto a single roll, to add +4 to that roll.
So Ansgar, if you wanted to use your other free Terrain Mastery invoke that would get you to +8, which would beat the attacking roll by 1. Otherwise you lose by one, and take 1 point of stress.
(for those playing BitD, stress here is much less serious than it is in the other game. In Fate, it represents cuts, bumps and bruises; it refreshes back to zero at the end of every fight. Once you run out of stress you start taking consequences, which are more serious and long-lasting.)
Once you've resolved that, it's your turn to attack! You can roll for Silver squad as well, either to Shoot or Fight or something else. They don't have to Attack, of course - they could Create an Advantage and do something like Covering Fire to provide you with more of those sweet free invokes :)
EDIT part the second: Don't forget about your Stunts! Some of you have Stunts that are well-suited for combat.
I've listed the enemy aspects in the status spoiler. If you prefer I will start putting them in my narrative so they're easier to spot.
That wuould help a lot, actually. Thanks :)
EDIT: one more thing. You know I said you can't stack aspects when you pay FP? That is still true, but you CAN stack "invokes" of an aspect. So Ansgar (and Karina) have 2 free invokes - both invokes could be stacked onto a single roll, to add +4 to that roll.
So Ansgar, if you wanted to use your other free Terrain Mastery invoke that would get you to +8, which would beat the attacking roll by 1. Otherwise you lose by one, and take 1 point of stress.
Sweet! Yes, I will definitely use both invokes in defense on that first round.
I prefer having a list I can look back at, so maybe do both?I've listed the enemy aspects in the status spoiler. If you prefer I will start putting them in my narrative so they're easier to spot.That wuould help a lot, actually. Thanks :)
Noted! I will do both.
She almost hopes there are enemies out there. Yes, things are bad enough as they are, but having something to shoot at would maek her feel a *lot* better.
I can't help wondering if you and Malakai are having some sort of competition as to who can say the most GM-provoking thing...
@Ansgar: what are Silver squad doing? Is it an Attack action, or are they trying to Create an Advantage? I can't tell from the roll.
@Ansgar: what are Silver squad doing? Is it an Attack action, or are they trying to Create an Advantage? I can't tell from the roll.
They are attacking. If I were to use them to create an advantage, is that also opposed?
It's generally passive opposition at Fair (+2). If you're trying to create an advantage and someone is in a position to stop you (like you're trying to knock them prone while you're fighting them) then it can be actively opposed and/or the DC goes up. (Not that Fate calls it a DC but you know what I mean.)
In this case, Silver squad aren't close enough to the drone for it to stop them shooting so it would be passive opposition at +2.
In combat, does the enemy get to Defend against all incoming attacks at no penalty? And in this case I made myself the target of its attack, but otherwise would it attack one of us randomly? Or is the PC involved in an engagement like this always considered the target?
@Malakai: Sergeant Paxton's aspects are Winning is Getting Back Alive; I Run This Platoon; and Ansgar Would Be Dead If Not For Me (see my post here). I guess his high concept is "A Soldier's Soldier" so I'll let you leverage that for a +2.
Honestly though I think you're looking at much more than Fair (+2) opposition here. The guy saw a psyker kill 2 of his troops in a violent and messy way, and - all due respect to an Inquistorial kill team - you're here without the rest of your squad and there's nothing about you personally that screams "I kill psykers for a living." I really like the RP so I'll take that into account but I still think you need to get to a +5 (Superb) result here, a real game-changing bit of oratory. He's not wrong that if the bad guys take the escape pods then you're stuck here essentially forever. The sensible thing in the face of overwhelming odds is to retreat to a more defensible position. It's going to take something amazing to talk him out of that.
However, if you can't get to a +5 then I'll give you a partial success in that he agrees not to retreat to the escape pods but instead to go for the secondary rally point at Crater Sea. You're welcome to accompany him :)
Let me know what you think.
In combat, does the enemy get to Defend against all incoming attacks at no penalty?
Yes, Defend is a free action you can take as many times as necessary on your turn. I'm still working out how this game plays, but in the interest of keeping things simple I will let you "stack" the Silver squad roll of +1 onto your own attack. If that ends up resulting in stupidly high numbers I will re-think.
And in this case I made myself the target of its attack, but otherwise would it attack one of us randomly? Or is the PC involved in an engagement like this always considered the target?
The answer to this is it depends. Ansgar is built for close combat so it makes sense he would intercept it before it can mangle the squad. Karina is a sniper so maybe she would take it down from a distance. Also, it depends on the intelligence of your enemies: frankendrone just wants to kill stuff but more intelligent enemies (hypothetically, the psyker Malakai wants to go after) will target the weaker opponents first.
Like I say, I'm still working a lot of this stuff out so if I do something one way now that doesn't mean it's set in stone for how I do it later. What I will try and do is explain any changes in my approach so you can offer your comments.
Ah, sorry. I missed that post where you filled in his other aspect.
And fair enough. I wasn't sure how much influence the team had. But totally agree that Malakai isn't going to be a Command and Lead type. Thus trying to appeal to something else. It was worth a shot, but I don't think I want to burn another FP here.
Would my +3 at least get one or two mooks to head back up the mountain with me? Perhaps the one private that actually likes the Lieutenant. There's got to be at least one, right? ;)
Gah, I really want to be a GM who says "yes" to things, it's much more fun to see what players will do than it is to put them on railroad; but in this case I think the DC to get one of them to disobey orders from the sergeant who has "I run this platoon" as one of his aspects might actually be even higher than the DC to influence the sergeant...
Let me think about it.
Oh! I didn't mean for them to disobey an order. I was thinking more of Paxton saying 'sure you can have Charlie over there, he was already aching about leaving the others behind. The rest of us are heading back to the pods. Good luck to you both.'
I'm totally fine either way. Yes or No. I'll still head up the mountain because, you know, I can't leave well enough alone. :)
Ah, I'm with you! Yes, we can definitely do something like that. I'll put up a gameplay post later today.
In combat, does the enemy get to Defend against all incoming attacks at no penalty?Yes, Defend is a free action you can take as many times as necessary on your turn. I'm still working out how this game plays, but in the interest of keeping things simple I will let you "stack" the Silver squad roll of +1 onto your own attack. If that ends up resulting in stupidly high numbers I will re-think.
Are you allowing for an automatic +1 to my Fight roll on Attack, in lieu of an attempt to Create an Advantage against passive opposition?
Also, is that Fate point from Paxton's aspect permanent?
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I just wanted to mention this to anyone who doesn't obsess over Space Marines as much as I do. (Why someone wouldn't want to do that is beyond me, but whateves.)
The current answers for "Just what is all this Space Marine nonsense about anyway?" is summed up in a _very_ tightly packed video simply called Astartes. (The technical name for Space Marines is Adeptus Astartes. Hence.)
It kinda set the internet on fire and the original creator was put in charge of significant resources at GW to make more of this. And more of this is exactly what GW needs right now. So high hopes.
Are you allowing for an automatic +1 to my Fight roll on Attack, in lieu of an attempt to Create an Advantage against passive opposition?In combat, does the enemy get to Defend against all incoming attacks at no penalty?Yes, Defend is a free action you can take as many times as necessary on your turn. I'm still working out how this game plays, but in the interest of keeping things simple I will let you "stack" the Silver squad roll of +1 onto your own attack. If that ends up resulting in stupidly high numbers I will re-think.
I'm not sure - maybe? Here is my understanding of what's going on, let me know if it helps and/or you agree/disagree:
You rolled a 1 Shoot for Silver Squad and a 9 for Ansgar's Fight.
It's clear your Fight roll is an Attack, and I asked whether the Shoot was an Attack or a Create an Advantage.
You replied that it's an Attack, which means that you have a roll of 1 and a roll of 9 currently in play.
Instead of rolling two separate Defend rolls for frankendrone, I suggest that I combine your two Attack rolls into a single result of 10 and then I roll a Defend roll against that.
Hope that helps?
Also, is that Fate point from Paxton's aspect permanent?
I'm afraid I don't understand this question.
I just wanted to mention this to anyone who doesn't obsess over Space Marines as much as I do. (Why someone wouldn't want to do that is beyond me, but whateves.)
The current answers for "Just what is all this Space Marine nonsense about anyway?" is summed up in a _very_ tightly packed video simply called Astartes. (The technical name for Space Marines is Adeptus Astartes. Hence.)
It kinda set the internet on fire and the original creator was put in charge of significant resources at GW to make more of this. And more of this is exactly what GW needs right now. So high hopes.
That.Is.Awesome! How have I not seen it before?!
BTW, Attero, that was your Defend roll. Now you get to make an Attack roll (Shoot or Fight, your call).
Instead of rolling two separate Defend rolls for frankendrone, I suggest that I combine your two Attack rolls into a single result of 10 and then I roll a Defend roll against that.
I'll take that. Although I think that it only makes sense to have a single such bump, meaning we couldn't have each NPC shoot individually and then take the sum of their individual attacks. And of course the door swings both ways.
Also, is that Fate point from Paxton's aspect permanent?
I'm afraid I don't understand this question.
You gave me a Fate point. I don't know if that means I now have 6 total FP, or what that represents.
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Instead of rolling two separate Defend rolls for frankendrone, I suggest that I combine your two Attack rolls into a single result of 10 and then I roll a Defend roll against that.I'll take that. Although I think that it only makes sense to have a single such bump, meaning we couldn't have each NPC shoot individually and then take the sum of their individual attacks. And of course the door swings both ways.
Absolutely - I'm very much making this up as I go along and working out how the game plays. If we find something doesn't work/is OP or underpowered we can discuss and fix.
You gave me a Fate point. I don't know if that means I now have 6 total FP, or what that represents.Also, is that Fate point from Paxton's aspect permanent?
I'm afraid I don't understand this question.
Ah, gotcha!
You started with 3 FP in chargen from your "Refresh" (i.e. the default no. of FP you start with). I gave you an additional 1 FP for your relationship with Sgt Paxton and then 1 more for your starting position. You therefore started the game with 5 FP, but that was a one-time thing. It's not permanent and it's already been accounted for.
Hope that makes sense (I seem to be writing that a lot)
OK, let's talk about conceding.
On your turn, once you've made any Defend rolls that were needed, you can opt to Concede instead of roll the dice for any actions. The bad guys can do it too, which is what happened with Frankendrone. When the bad guys do it, it's an "I'll get you next time, Gadget. Next time..."
When the PCs do it, it's more of an Empire Strikes Back thing: yes we got our backsides handed to us but we're still free and we're going to regroup and come back stronger.
Either way, the mechanics are the same: you make a getaway somehow and you gain 1 Fate point, plus 1 more for each Consequence you took in the combat. Frankendrone took a minor Consequence (inner wiring exposed) so it gains 2 FP which I can use as and when it makes its next appearance.
I mention this because Malakai, you are seriously overmatched. This is the BBEG of the game and - while you might get lucky and take him down - it's not a given that you'll win this one on your own.
(If you're wondering what Sa'vere sounds like, it's a sort of cross between Count Rugen from Princess Bride and Scar from the Lion King)
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Yes, sorry if that wasn't clear!
For avoidance of doubt: You can defend against melee attacks with Fight, Toughness or Athletics, and you can defend against shooting attacks with Toughness or Athletics (provided you're aware of the shot being fired).
You defend against psychic attacks with Will, though.
You defend against psychic attacks with Will, though.
Doh. Zeal, even.
I've jsut realised that my roll of 4 isn't going to do antying given she's defdning with a 6. Can I change my action to conceding instaed?
Malakai, you don't need to spend a FP to escape - you gain 1 FP for conceding.
Karina, yes that's fine.
You've probably all worked out that I'm experimenting with the game, working out what tolerances it has and how balanced conflicts are. Thank you for being my patient guinea pigs :)
Malakai, you don't need to spend a FP to escape - you gain 1 FP for conceding.
Karina, yes that's fine.
You've probably all worked out that I'm experimenting with the game, working out what tolerances it has and how balanced conflicts are. Thank you for being my patient guinea pigs :)
Thanks for running it. It's been a blast so far. I've had the FATE books since their kickstarter several years ago and this is the first chance I've actually had to play it. (My local group is still pretty much PF 1.0 oriented.) And you can bet I'm taking my own GMing notes since I'm really starting to lean toward the less crunchy and more narrative systems.
One thing I've been surprised by, is how quickly one can get to +8 or more on any reasonably good roll. Those Boosts add up quick.
Quick question, when you say the headaches go away, I'm assuming that means I've had enough time for all of the mental stress boxes to clear? So essentially I'm back to 0/4 mental stress, correct?
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Apologies but I'm wholly confused by combat.
I tried to download the rules from your first link, but when I click the zipped files nothing seems to happen.
So, what are stress points, how many different types are there, and how do they work re: combat?
Like, I lost my defend roll by 2. What happened then?
Do we all effectively heal fully after a combat scene?
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Also, it seems like everyone got a lot of candy-coated +2s that came in handy. I want to see if I can get in on that hot action.
Also also, as a GM'ing note, I'm a big believer that if a PC wins a fight, they should get candy. Otherwise you're just running survival horror which is totally depressing.
Also also also, in a book in the Horus Heresy series, on the planet Murder one of the space marines takes a Xeno arm and uses it like a sword for awhile.
Hence, my idea is to take one of the beast's huge teeth for a "+2 to a Fight roll" thingy.
Also also, as a GM'ing note, I'm a big believer that if a PC wins a fight, they should get candy. Otherwise you're just running survival horror which is totally depressing.
As long as we don't have to have the conversation, "Who's keeping track of loot?" Ugh. Thematically, Fate seems perfectly suited to survival horror.
In combat I used one stunt to turn a successful Defense into a boost, used a fate point to compel an enemy aspect against it, and was granted two free invokes for a prior non-combat role. Seems like the name of the game is to try to be creative when exploiting the environment with skill checks. They seem to be free.