Please post questions, and requests for clarification, in the "Game Mechanics OOC" thread. That way we can keep things easy to find.
Fate Dice
For each roll needed, roll four Fate Dice. Each die has two sides marked "-", two marked "+", and two unmarked. The score starts at 0, and for each "-", subtract one from the score. For each "+" add one to the score. That gives a dice range range of -4 to +4.
If you don't have Fate Dice, you can use four regular d6: for each 1,2, count it as a "-", or -1. For each 5,6, count it as a "+", or +1.
For my game, you can either use the dice roller, or physical dice. If using the dice roller, precede the roll macro with an underscore. So [_4d6].
If your score is 3+ greater than the target, then you Succeed with Style.
Mechanics
Re: Mechanics
Challenges, Contests, and Conflict
Challenges If you want to overcome something, you pick a skill you will use, the DM assigns a passive minimum roll you need, and you bring in whatever Aspects (personal, game, scene) that might be relevant. For example, if you are trying to discover a clue, then you roll Investigate. You get your skill level, plus your Fate Dice roll. This lets you Overcome the challenge.
Contests This is two or more characters with opposing goals, yet they aren't trying to kill each other. Each side rolls, and if there is a winner, that person gets a "victory". If they Succeed With Style, they get two victories. The first person to get a total of three victories wins.
Conflict This is combat, and people get hurt. It could be emotional combat; a rough interrogator breaking down a perp's will, or physical combat with sharp pokey things. One side rolls an attack, and the other side rolls defense. If the attacker beats the defender's score, the defender takes "damage" equal to the number of points the attacker won by. This is where the "Physical Stress" and "Mental Stress" check boxes come in. If you take a one point attack, you check off the one point stress box. However, if your one box is full, you have to check off the next highest open box. Or you can choose to take a Consequence, marking off that box, and working with the DM to see how your Consequence impacts your character.
At any time, you can Concede, and leave the fight. You must announce this before any dice are rolled. This removes you from the activity.
If your Stress and Consequence boxes are full, and you still have damage to allocate, you are Taken Out. You opponent decides what happens to you.
Challenges If you want to overcome something, you pick a skill you will use, the DM assigns a passive minimum roll you need, and you bring in whatever Aspects (personal, game, scene) that might be relevant. For example, if you are trying to discover a clue, then you roll Investigate. You get your skill level, plus your Fate Dice roll. This lets you Overcome the challenge.
Contests This is two or more characters with opposing goals, yet they aren't trying to kill each other. Each side rolls, and if there is a winner, that person gets a "victory". If they Succeed With Style, they get two victories. The first person to get a total of three victories wins.
Conflict This is combat, and people get hurt. It could be emotional combat; a rough interrogator breaking down a perp's will, or physical combat with sharp pokey things. One side rolls an attack, and the other side rolls defense. If the attacker beats the defender's score, the defender takes "damage" equal to the number of points the attacker won by. This is where the "Physical Stress" and "Mental Stress" check boxes come in. If you take a one point attack, you check off the one point stress box. However, if your one box is full, you have to check off the next highest open box. Or you can choose to take a Consequence, marking off that box, and working with the DM to see how your Consequence impacts your character.
At any time, you can Concede, and leave the fight. You must announce this before any dice are rolled. This removes you from the activity.
If your Stress and Consequence boxes are full, and you still have damage to allocate, you are Taken Out. You opponent decides what happens to you.
Re: Mechanics
Troubles
Troubles are an Aspect that complicates the character's life. They fall into two main catagories, "personal struggles", and "problematic relationships". They are not easy to resolve, otherwise the character would already have done so. Game wise, they are used to Compel the character to do something at the worst possible time. Note that a player can Compel his own character, if it fits the game.
Some examples from the Fate (Core) book:
Personal Struggles "Anger management issues", "Sucker for a pretty face", "The bottle calls to me".
Problematic Relationships "Family man", "Debt to the Mob", "The Scar Triad wants me dead".
Someone from Tuscany might have "The Medici family wants me dead." Or even "It's a race between the Medici and the Borgia; who will kill me first?" Troubles are like Disadvantages in the HERO system.
Troubles are an Aspect that complicates the character's life. They fall into two main catagories, "personal struggles", and "problematic relationships". They are not easy to resolve, otherwise the character would already have done so. Game wise, they are used to Compel the character to do something at the worst possible time. Note that a player can Compel his own character, if it fits the game.
Some examples from the Fate (Core) book:
Personal Struggles "Anger management issues", "Sucker for a pretty face", "The bottle calls to me".
Problematic Relationships "Family man", "Debt to the Mob", "The Scar Triad wants me dead".
Someone from Tuscany might have "The Medici family wants me dead." Or even "It's a race between the Medici and the Borgia; who will kill me first?" Troubles are like Disadvantages in the HERO system.
Re: Mechanics
Aspects
Regular Aspects are ways to define something unique or noteworthy about a character or thing. They often require a Fate point (most characters start with 3 Fate Points) to activate. For example, if a French character had "In the King's Favor" as an aspect, he could invoke it to influence a social interaction.
Aspects can also be negative, like "Sucker for a pretty face". Not only does this add flair to the character, but if the character is Compelled to do something according to a negative Aspect, they get a Fate Point. The player can even self-Compel the character, for the Fate Point and the drama. Other players can suggest compels, but they are not binding.
Here are some from the book; "Sucker for a pretty face", "Never leave a man behind", "Educated at the academy of blades", "Dressed to the nines", "In league with the Twisting Hand", "Fear of heights", "Silver-tongued scoundrel".
Regular Aspects are ways to define something unique or noteworthy about a character or thing. They often require a Fate point (most characters start with 3 Fate Points) to activate. For example, if a French character had "In the King's Favor" as an aspect, he could invoke it to influence a social interaction.
Aspects can also be negative, like "Sucker for a pretty face". Not only does this add flair to the character, but if the character is Compelled to do something according to a negative Aspect, they get a Fate Point. The player can even self-Compel the character, for the Fate Point and the drama. Other players can suggest compels, but they are not binding.
Here are some from the book; "Sucker for a pretty face", "Never leave a man behind", "Educated at the academy of blades", "Dressed to the nines", "In league with the Twisting Hand", "Fear of heights", "Silver-tongued scoundrel".
Re: Mechanics
Conflict
The links give more detailed information, and examples.
There are Four Actions in Fate
This requires some player creativity, but allows use of other skills and ideas to indirectly set the character up for a better next action. Consider that in a "Three Musketeers" style game, doing flashy indirect stuff is part of the genre. Have fun with it. Best to read the web link, to get the full story.
How Much Damage?
You can, usually, attack once during a turn. You can, usually, defend as many times as you're attacked in a turn. The amount of damage is simply the difference between the attacker's roll and the defenders, referred to as "Shifts".
Taking Damage
Each character as two Stress tracks: Physical and Mental. These reflect ephemeral damage a character can take. A character starts with two boxes in each. With a Physique of +1 or +2, add one Physical Stress box. With a Physique of +3 or +4, add two boxes. Use the same scale for Will, and Mental stress. Usually, Stress hits are removed after a rest period.
Each character has one Consequences track that is shared between all forms of conflict. Consequences are more lasting damage, these hits do not come off with a short rest period, but need medical care or a long healing event.
If you are familiar with the HERO system, think of Stress as Stun damage, and Consequences as Body.
The Stress Track boxes are numbered 1 and 2, along with 3 and 4 if you have them. Damage is done in a number of Shifts, and you mark off the Stress box for the appropriate number of shifts. You can only mark off one Stress box per hit, and you must mark off a box number equal or higher to the number of Shifts of damage. For example, in the first turn, a character takes a 1 Shift hit from a sword, and marks off Stress box marked 1. In the next turn, the character takes another 1 Shift hit. Since the box marked 1 is filled, the character must check off the box marked 2, even if it's just a 1 shift hit. Even small hits add up. On the other hand, a character with 3 Stress boxes who takes a 3 shift hit in the first turn can still take a 1 Shift hit and a 2 Shift hit.
Consequences boxes are numbered 2 (Mild), 4 (Moderate), and 6 (Severe), representing the number of Shifts they absorb. You can mix Consequences and Stress; a 3 Shift hit can check off the number 2 Consequence box, and the number 1 Stress box. You must take all the shifts of the hit, and you can only fill one Stress box per hit. Each Consequence is an Aspect that impacts play until it is resolved. Probably best not to fight on if you've taken a Severe consequence.
Ending the Fight
Concede Before the dice are rolled, you can Concede, removing your character from the fight. That could be "knocked out but left alone", "pushed into a raging river", or whatever. You might lose some gear, or have other issues, but you're alive and not in shackles. The good news is that you get a Fate Point for conceding. Further, if you have taken any Consequences, you get a Fate point for each. The NPCs can also Concede.
Taken Out This is bad for you; the winning character gets to decide what happens to you. Character Death is an option.
The links give more detailed information, and examples.
There are Four Actions in Fate
- Overcome (as you did with the window, and recovering the hope chest)
- Create an Advantage
- Attack
- Defend
This requires some player creativity, but allows use of other skills and ideas to indirectly set the character up for a better next action. Consider that in a "Three Musketeers" style game, doing flashy indirect stuff is part of the genre. Have fun with it. Best to read the web link, to get the full story.
How Much Damage?
You can, usually, attack once during a turn. You can, usually, defend as many times as you're attacked in a turn. The amount of damage is simply the difference between the attacker's roll and the defenders, referred to as "Shifts".
Taking Damage
Each character as two Stress tracks: Physical and Mental. These reflect ephemeral damage a character can take. A character starts with two boxes in each. With a Physique of +1 or +2, add one Physical Stress box. With a Physique of +3 or +4, add two boxes. Use the same scale for Will, and Mental stress. Usually, Stress hits are removed after a rest period.
Each character has one Consequences track that is shared between all forms of conflict. Consequences are more lasting damage, these hits do not come off with a short rest period, but need medical care or a long healing event.
If you are familiar with the HERO system, think of Stress as Stun damage, and Consequences as Body.
The Stress Track boxes are numbered 1 and 2, along with 3 and 4 if you have them. Damage is done in a number of Shifts, and you mark off the Stress box for the appropriate number of shifts. You can only mark off one Stress box per hit, and you must mark off a box number equal or higher to the number of Shifts of damage. For example, in the first turn, a character takes a 1 Shift hit from a sword, and marks off Stress box marked 1. In the next turn, the character takes another 1 Shift hit. Since the box marked 1 is filled, the character must check off the box marked 2, even if it's just a 1 shift hit. Even small hits add up. On the other hand, a character with 3 Stress boxes who takes a 3 shift hit in the first turn can still take a 1 Shift hit and a 2 Shift hit.
Consequences boxes are numbered 2 (Mild), 4 (Moderate), and 6 (Severe), representing the number of Shifts they absorb. You can mix Consequences and Stress; a 3 Shift hit can check off the number 2 Consequence box, and the number 1 Stress box. You must take all the shifts of the hit, and you can only fill one Stress box per hit. Each Consequence is an Aspect that impacts play until it is resolved. Probably best not to fight on if you've taken a Severe consequence.
Ending the Fight
Concede Before the dice are rolled, you can Concede, removing your character from the fight. That could be "knocked out but left alone", "pushed into a raging river", or whatever. You might lose some gear, or have other issues, but you're alive and not in shackles. The good news is that you get a Fate Point for conceding. Further, if you have taken any Consequences, you get a Fate point for each. The NPCs can also Concede.
Taken Out This is bad for you; the winning character gets to decide what happens to you. Character Death is an option.