Game designer and Fate enthusiast wendi yu discusses the Fate Point economy, the balance between mechanics and narrative in role-playing games, the challenges of crafting aspects in Fate RPG, and the importance of specificity in game design and art. They also explore the concept of trying out new identities and discuss a game that served as a gateway to story games.
Fate Points in the Fate RPG system serve as a currency, allowing players to gain narrative control by invoking character and situation aspects.
The generic nature of Fate allows for flexibility and easy adaptation to different genres, but can sometimes lack specificity and flavor compared to more specific games like belonging outside belonging games.
Deep dives
The Power of Fate Points and Aspects in Fate RPG
In this episode of Dice Exploder, co-hosts Sam Dunewald and Wendy Yu delve into the mechanics of Fate Points and Aspects in the Fate RPG system. They discuss how Fate Points serve as the currency of the game, allowing players to invoke their character aspects or situation aspects to gain narrative control. Wendy highlights the freedom and creative possibilities that come with using aspects to define characters and objects. They also explore the concept of compels, where players are compelled to act in ways that align with their character's aspects, offering a chance to earn more Fate Points. Despite some reservations about the generic nature of the system and its potential for becoming repetitive, they appreciate the emphasis on cool and interesting characters and the ability to tell pulpy, action-packed stories.
The Pros and Cons of Fate as a Generic System
Sam and Wendy dive into a discussion about the pros and cons of Fate as a generic system. They acknowledge that Fate's generic nature allows for flexibility and easy adaptation to different genres and settings. However, they also note that this generality sometimes leads to a lack of specificity and flavor, making it more challenging to create unique and memorable gaming experiences. They compare Fate to more specific games like belonging outside belonging games, which excel at providing unique settings and mechanics that seamlessly integrate with the theme and flavor of the game. Wendy emphasizes the importance of the text and writing in games like Here There Be Monsters, which provoke players to think differently, explore new ideas, and bring new perspectives to the table.
The Difficulty of Writing Aspects and Exploring New Settings
Sam and Wendy discuss the challenges of writing aspects in Fate and the importance of bringing new and specific settings to the table. They acknowledge that writing compelling and double-edged aspects that evoke both positive and negative effects can be difficult but also rewarding. In contrast, they praise games like Dream Askew and Here There Be Monsters for providing players with specific and unique settings that inspire creativity and steer away from generic conventions. They highlight the value of provoking players to go somewhere new and embrace new gameplay experiences that are distinct and memorable.
The Value of New Specificity in RPGs
Sam and Wendy share their belief that the value in role-playing games lies in the new specificity they offer. They argue that the scarcity in the hobby is not new systems, but rather new settings, modules, and flavors that bring unique and compelling experiences to the players. Wendy emphasizes that games should provoke thoughts and feelings, provide direction, and resonate with players, rejecting the notion of generic systems that require players to fill in the gaps. They reflect on the power of gaming as an art form that allows players to step into new identities, explore new possibilities, and experience something in a unique and interactive way.
This week, Sam talks with wendi yu about the Fate Point economy, a meta currency system from Fate by Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue and published by Evil Hat. Some topics discussed include:
* Getting into storygames
* “Generic” RPGs
* When crunch kills the vibe
* The Hero’s Journey
* The (lack of) difference between rules and flavor
* Writing good aspects: it’s hard!
* wendi’s game here, there, be monsters!
You can find wendi on Twitter @wen_di_yu, and you can buy here, there, be monsters!digitally on itch or physically from SoulMuppet.
You can find Sam @sdunnewold on Bluesky, Twitter, dice.camp, and itch.io, and by subscribing to the Dice Exploder newsletter.
