5 ms·

This is much more explicit in a different, much simpler RPG called Fate, which is my new favourite. GM'ing (Game, rather than Dungeon Master) is nearly as hard

This is much more explicit in a different, much simpler RPG called Fate, which is my new favourite. GM'ing (Game, rather than Dungeon Master) is nearly as hard because of the improv story authorship, but the lack of rules-lawyering judgement that is required of you in a D&D game (even in a good edition like 5th, sadly) is not missed.

StavrosK 9y ago
A friend of mine is a very good DM in D&D, wrote his own stories, world, etc, and we got a group of 5 people together and played two games before he had to leave, so we disbanded. We very much liked the vibe, though, so I want to get the group together again. Is Fate a good game for inexperienced players (especially with an inexperienced DM)? If not, what would be a simple system to start with and play, but still enjoyable? Fate Accelerated seems to be what I want (I'm not even sure what the differences are with Core, even having read the comparison), but the site doesn't really do a good job selling you the system. EDIT: Man, this site is terrible. It links you to a store where I can't figure out where to buy Fate Core stories, it doesn't tell you what equipment you need, where to get it, jeez.
- tehwalrus 9y ago
  I don't know much about the difference between Core and Accelerated, I just bought the Fate Core rule book (amazon?) and workout out of it. This is how I run pretty much all my games, buy the book and read it. A new DM should (IMHO) try playing in a game of the specific system run by someone else first, even in a minimalist system like Fate. The thing about Fate is that the jargon is generic fiction terms, rather than medieval fantasy or whatever. So you have to read the rules cover to cover before DMing, and make sure to jump forward and back to remind yourself of definitions etc. Once you get going, and are familiar with the two or three mechanics you can use, it's very liberating though! If it's what I think it is, you should be able to start with Accelerated and then convert to Core if some things aren't working (i.e. it's too simple).
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    I see, thank you. Do you only need the book? The site mentions cards, dice, and various other things, but it doesn't tell you if you actually need those things. > A new DM should (IMHO) try playing in a game of the specific system run by someone else first, even in a minimalist system like Fate. That's going to be impossible, it's already hard to find D&D people in my city, something like Fate is just going to be nonexistent, unfortunately.
    - tehwalrus 9y ago
      I recommmend an online game then - Reddit "looking for group" is quite good as a hub. You need "fudge dice", but these are mappable from D6s. I recommend getting the dice though, as this is th table: 1 => -1 2 => -1 3 => 0 4 => 0 5 => 1 6 => 1 So it can get pretty confusing to do in your head.
      - StavrosK 9y ago
        Ah, thanks. I was thinking of doing the same with D6es. Good to know that you don't need the cards or anything else, I'll buy the book and read it. The online idea is also pretty interesting, thanks for the recommendation!
        tehwalrus 9y ago
        Ah, "cards" may mean index cards. I just use notepaper, but the book recommends writing stuff on index cards so you can "publicly display" them to the players and remind yourselves of the state of the world at that point in play. I didn't do that yet though in my game!
        StavrosK 9y ago
        Ah, I downloaded the "free" version of the PDF and it does have a list of what to get in the first few pages. Too bad this isn't front and center on the site. By "cards" I mean the "Deck of Fate": > The Deck of Fate is an alternative to Fate Dice. It’s a deck of cards that mimics the probability of Fate Dice, and it’s designed to be used in the same way Fate Dice are. I'm watching a video of Wil Wheaton playing with friends, and it looks like Fate doesn't even use a board, and you make the story up as you go along. It looks pretty interesting, I think I'll give it a shot!
- groovy2shoes 9y ago
  In my experience, the contents of the Accelerated Edition are nigh incomprehensible without a prior understanding of Core. I'd recommend that if you choose to play Accelerated, the GM be familiar with Core. It'll also be a lot easier to understand if you watch some "actual play" on YouTube beforehand. Note that the text of both editions (as well the Fate Toolkit and some other goodies) is dual-licensed under CC-BY or OGL: http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/licensing-fate-cc-by/ http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/licensing-fate-cc-by/ The Fate SRD site is a third-party creation that presents the texts in a more convenient/organized way: https://fate-srd.com/ https://fate-srd.com/ There's really no need to buy any books, but they're very reasonably-priced; the Core and Toolkit books are also very well-constructed and can withstand a good deal of usage. Though you can technically play with standard d6's, I'd recommend picking up some Fate (or Fudge) dice; I got a couple sets on Amazon, each set having enough dice for 3 players. For stories/settings, there are loads of freely-available "Worlds of Adventure" on DriveThruRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2152/Evil-Hat-Productions-LLC?pwyw=true http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2152/Evil-Hat-Product... -- You might also like to check out Dungeon World if you haven't already: http://www.dungeon-world.com/ http://www.dungeon-world.com/ It similarly is CC-BY and has an "SRD" site: http://book.dwgazetteer.com/ http://book.dwgazetteer.com/ IMO it's considerably easier to grok than Fate, especially for people new to RPGs, but YMMV. It also has a pretty expansive section of "rules" for the GM, which leaves room for little doubt about what the GM should be doing (and is, in large part, applicable to other games as well). It also uses standard d6's, so there's no need to invest in special dice (though the Fate dice sets aren't terribly expensive anyway). I'll also plug Open Legend (I'm unaffiliated other than being a KS backer): http://www.openlegendrpg.com/ http://www.openlegendrpg.com/ -- No matter what you decide to play, I highly recommend spending some time watching some "actual play" videos beforehand. I've found the Rollplay R&D series enjoyable: https://youtu.be/ooa-apRt2wk https://youtu.be/ooa-apRt2wk
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    > In my experience, the contents of the Accelerated Edition are nigh incomprehensible without a prior understanding of Core. Oh, really? That's too bad, accelerated seems to be a way to get up to speed with Fate in a very short time without knowing anything about the game, shame that that's not so much the case. > The Fate SRD site is a third-party creation that presents the texts in a more convenient/organized way: https://fate-srd.com/ https://fate-srd.com/ I browsed through that a bit and it seems to have the exact same text as the guide, so I'm a bit confused. Is it just the guide in HTML format? > For stories/settings, there are loads of freely-available "Worlds of Adventure" on DriveThruRPG That's a fantastic suggestion, thank you! I'll definitely check that out. > IMO it's considerably easier to grok than Fate, especially for people new to RPGs I've been playing D&D for a while, I just haven't DMed, so I'm not completely new to RPGs. I'll have a look at Dungeon World too, though, as it may fit our group better, thank you. > I've found the Rollplay R&D series enjoyable Good call, I'm going to watch a few to get a feel for how the game is played, thanks again.
msabalau 9y ago
I'll note that there are great, thriving G+ communities for both Fate Core and Fate Accelerated, with the designers engaging. Also the Book of Hanz is a great free resource that highlights what makes Fate distinct, and offers good advice on running the game.

StavrosK 9y ago

A friend of mine is a very good DM in D&D, wrote his own stories, world, etc, and we got a group of 5 people together and played two games before he had to leave, so we disbanded. We very much liked the vibe, though, so I want to get the group together again. Is Fate a good game for inexperienced players (especially with an inexperienced DM)? If not, what would be a simple system to start with and play, but still enjoyable? Fate Accelerated seems to be what I want (I'm not even sure what the differences are with Core, even having read the comparison), but the site doesn't really do a good job selling you the system. EDIT: Man, this site is terrible. It links you to a store where I can't figure out where to buy Fate Core stories, it doesn't tell you what equipment you need, where to get it, jeez.

tehwalrus 9y ago
I don't know much about the difference between Core and Accelerated, I just bought the Fate Core rule book (amazon?) and workout out of it. This is how I run pretty much all my games, buy the book and read it. A new DM should (IMHO) try playing in a game of the specific system run by someone else first, even in a minimalist system like Fate. The thing about Fate is that the jargon is generic fiction terms, rather than medieval fantasy or whatever. So you have to read the rules cover to cover before DMing, and make sure to jump forward and back to remind yourself of definitions etc. Once you get going, and are familiar with the two or three mechanics you can use, it's very liberating though! If it's what I think it is, you should be able to start with Accelerated and then convert to Core if some things aren't working (i.e. it's too simple).
- StavrosK 9y ago
  I see, thank you. Do you only need the book? The site mentions cards, dice, and various other things, but it doesn't tell you if you actually need those things. > A new DM should (IMHO) try playing in a game of the specific system run by someone else first, even in a minimalist system like Fate. That's going to be impossible, it's already hard to find D&D people in my city, something like Fate is just going to be nonexistent, unfortunately.
  - tehwalrus 9y ago
    I recommmend an online game then - Reddit "looking for group" is quite good as a hub. You need "fudge dice", but these are mappable from D6s. I recommend getting the dice though, as this is th table: 1 => -1 2 => -1 3 => 0 4 => 0 5 => 1 6 => 1 So it can get pretty confusing to do in your head.
    - StavrosK 9y ago
      Ah, thanks. I was thinking of doing the same with D6es. Good to know that you don't need the cards or anything else, I'll buy the book and read it. The online idea is also pretty interesting, thanks for the recommendation!
      - tehwalrus 9y ago
        Ah, "cards" may mean index cards. I just use notepaper, but the book recommends writing stuff on index cards so you can "publicly display" them to the players and remind yourselves of the state of the world at that point in play. I didn't do that yet though in my game!
        StavrosK 9y ago
        Ah, I downloaded the "free" version of the PDF and it does have a list of what to get in the first few pages. Too bad this isn't front and center on the site. By "cards" I mean the "Deck of Fate": > The Deck of Fate is an alternative to Fate Dice. It’s a deck of cards that mimics the probability of Fate Dice, and it’s designed to be used in the same way Fate Dice are. I'm watching a video of Wil Wheaton playing with friends, and it looks like Fate doesn't even use a board, and you make the story up as you go along. It looks pretty interesting, I think I'll give it a shot!
groovy2shoes 9y ago
In my experience, the contents of the Accelerated Edition are nigh incomprehensible without a prior understanding of Core. I'd recommend that if you choose to play Accelerated, the GM be familiar with Core. It'll also be a lot easier to understand if you watch some "actual play" on YouTube beforehand. Note that the text of both editions (as well the Fate Toolkit and some other goodies) is dual-licensed under CC-BY or OGL: http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/licensing-fate-cc-by/ http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/licensing-fate-cc-by/ The Fate SRD site is a third-party creation that presents the texts in a more convenient/organized way: https://fate-srd.com/ https://fate-srd.com/ There's really no need to buy any books, but they're very reasonably-priced; the Core and Toolkit books are also very well-constructed and can withstand a good deal of usage. Though you can technically play with standard d6's, I'd recommend picking up some Fate (or Fudge) dice; I got a couple sets on Amazon, each set having enough dice for 3 players. For stories/settings, there are loads of freely-available "Worlds of Adventure" on DriveThruRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2152/Evil-Hat-Productions-LLC?pwyw=true http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2152/Evil-Hat-Product... -- You might also like to check out Dungeon World if you haven't already: http://www.dungeon-world.com/ http://www.dungeon-world.com/ It similarly is CC-BY and has an "SRD" site: http://book.dwgazetteer.com/ http://book.dwgazetteer.com/ IMO it's considerably easier to grok than Fate, especially for people new to RPGs, but YMMV. It also has a pretty expansive section of "rules" for the GM, which leaves room for little doubt about what the GM should be doing (and is, in large part, applicable to other games as well). It also uses standard d6's, so there's no need to invest in special dice (though the Fate dice sets aren't terribly expensive anyway). I'll also plug Open Legend (I'm unaffiliated other than being a KS backer): http://www.openlegendrpg.com/ http://www.openlegendrpg.com/ -- No matter what you decide to play, I highly recommend spending some time watching some "actual play" videos beforehand. I've found the Rollplay R&D series enjoyable: https://youtu.be/ooa-apRt2wk https://youtu.be/ooa-apRt2wk
- StavrosK 9y ago
  > In my experience, the contents of the Accelerated Edition are nigh incomprehensible without a prior understanding of Core. Oh, really? That's too bad, accelerated seems to be a way to get up to speed with Fate in a very short time without knowing anything about the game, shame that that's not so much the case. > The Fate SRD site is a third-party creation that presents the texts in a more convenient/organized way: https://fate-srd.com/ https://fate-srd.com/ I browsed through that a bit and it seems to have the exact same text as the guide, so I'm a bit confused. Is it just the guide in HTML format? > For stories/settings, there are loads of freely-available "Worlds of Adventure" on DriveThruRPG That's a fantastic suggestion, thank you! I'll definitely check that out. > IMO it's considerably easier to grok than Fate, especially for people new to RPGs I've been playing D&D for a while, I just haven't DMed, so I'm not completely new to RPGs. I'll have a look at Dungeon World too, though, as it may fit our group better, thank you. > I've found the Rollplay R&D series enjoyable Good call, I'm going to watch a few to get a feel for how the game is played, thanks again.

msabalau 9y ago

I'll note that there are great, thriving G+ communities for both Fate Core and Fate Accelerated, with the designers engaging. Also the Book of Hanz is a great free resource that highlights what makes Fate distinct, and offers good advice on running the game.