[DFRPG] Occult Toronto
Erik Weissengruber:
Fred Hicks offered a way to link compels to the Conflict mechanics way back in March 2010.
http://www.vsca.ca/halfjack/?p=479#comment-804
Quote
I’d suggest that the correct tactical play compel is not “I make you lose an action”; it’s “I reduce your list of options.” So I could see a compel taking away the ability to move, or to block, or to attack, or to maneuver in a highly tactical set-up, where you’re using Fate as your engine for something boardgame/wargame-like; and I’d regard that as more like the good compels, because they don’t eliminate the ability to do anything, they limit the choices of what to do … which could force someone to change up their tactics. That’s a more interesting story, there, than “and then they were paralyzed”. But rooted to the spot, fighting for their lives? Forced to abandon the attack and try for a tactical retreat? That’s got me.
If only it had been integrated into the Dresden book!
I would add that a rule-governed extension of compels to the Conflict mechanics makes for a lot of good back and forth detail that complements the Aspect invoking strategy. In addition to Aspects I invoke with my Fate Points to obtain +2, I can now pay a FP and limit an opponent's actions -- a complementary rather than a simple reversal of one kind of spend.
Erik Weissengruber:
Still doing aggressive scene framing, softened with FP. I am compelling things. Will take the wheel off of the accelerator in future and put it on players to propose starting scenes, etc.
I am managing 3 story streams
* hexmaster dealing with a weird client
* wizard/shapeshifter being trailed by goons
* empath dealing with a work supervisee being subject to weird influences
Crosses, weaves, and openings allow me to bring these together. These three simple techniques are keeping the action going even if an overall direction is not being pursued.
Examples of compels affecting the fiction.
* Hexmaster confronted with his "Gotta finish the job" Aspect when his client starts shrieking at him. Buys off the compel and hot foots it outta there.
* He abandons the client to a squad of baddies working with the new mayor and feels bad. Now he accepts a suggested "Gotta finish the job" compel and comes up with a way to save weird client from the bads -- pull the fire alarm. (Nice old school RPG problem solving)
* His "Dammit! I am TRYING to be a good Muslim" aspect compelled by his new mentor to try to help the client he kind of abandoned.
* The empath, Hannah, continues to get involved with a supervisee even though I compelled her "Easily Underestimated" Aspect and suggested that her mean supervisor would berate her and think her actions foolish and outside of her competence. She took the FP.
* My powerful Caribbean spirit, a "Duppy" harassed the supervisee and there was a bit of a showdown and he pulled out of the conceded and was banished, earning some FPs in the process.
The players kept coming up with creative solutions to challenges that didn't require too many FP spends. Usually they took my compels but made a few buy-offs to insist that THIS time they were going to push past any temptations or liabilities, or habits, but that at some other time they might not.
My actions with the Duppy were motivated by the FP mechanic. As an inhuman monster it has NO FP for compelling other players, invoking its own aspects, making declarations, etc. As powerful as it is, its full force as a supernatural being feeding off of guilt, striking viewers with terror, etc., will really be felt if players have obvious courses of action forbidden or ruled out during the Conflict mechanic. And for that I have to earn FP for that particular bad.
Erik Weissengruber:
Urg.
We were delayed for a week.
And when I came back I just wanted to tie up the adventure.
So the players used their FP to do some fancy declarations, like our Streetkid/Borrower paying to steal a firearm off of another PC. (Good example of using FP to obviate a die roll).
They are starting to put aspects on other characters and exploit them or leaving them for others to exploit. Cool!
They are using Assess actions to set up scenes. They found a White Court Vampire on the verge of activating her powers with her first lethal feeding. Her father and 2 other WCVs were performing some ancient Etruscan ritual while her 1st lethal mating took place. The PCs set up some good Assess moves, some cool maneuvers.
But there was a big of kluge. Or murk. I narrated the WCV's triumphant transformation into a killer. But I had totally misheard what one of the players had said her PC was doing. So I had to pull back and take the action 180 degree into a "PC's come in at the last moment and save the day" (not in a "pull the punches" kind of way" but in a mechanically-faithful and dramatic kind of way).
Here is what I wrote in a later e-mail:
"Thank you for a very enjoyable session last night.
Your clever/destructive plans were, as usual, most effective.
There are 2 areas where my performance was off
* I wasn't listening closely enough to J___ [player] and Locke's [the PC's] action to prevent the vampire transformation was cut short (a character who has been prevented from making meaningful action is said to be "deprotagonized"). That was easily fixed before things had gone too far.
* I introduced a SECOND supernatural threat right after I had been dealt with. That was dirty pool. The Fate Point economy is pretty dependable: players will amass FP through clever role play and taking in-character risks. That pile of FP will almost always be spend to resolve a major threat. Introducing a second major threat RIGHT AFTER a big blow up will catch players flat footed.
* My excuse is that I run a lot of one-shots and often feel compelled to hype up the drama and bring things to forced conclusions.
I will try to set up a more open scenario for Round 3.
Hope you all had fun."
The players seemed a little put off by the extreme effectiveness of the Duppy. But given the 3 FP I had earned for this NPC by compelling its aspects, its first punch was bound to be a big one.
And when J____ suffered a massive failure and was without FP, I felt a little bad when she had to concede. I kept trying to soften the blow but she was ready to have her character split the scene in fear.
I suppose it is because this is a new group I don't want any player to feel left out. I thought I was past that novice GM "keep everyone happy" mentality.
Erik Weissengruber:
Last night's session alowed me to clear my thoughts about chance and games:
http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=31269.msg285064#msg285064
Erik Weissengruber:
Quote from: Erik Weissengruber on January 26, 2011, 07:59:13 AM
Diaspora has a very satisfying "I'm not deprotagonizing your PC, I'm saying at this moment he or she is flummoxed/outgunned/lust-besotted/out of ammo" approach. And it bolts Compels into the resolution mechanic, and not just in the scene framing, free roleplay parts of the game.
I am overgeneralizing the Diaspora compel rules. The "you lose your action" compel is available only in the combat minigame. The social conflict minigame has a great mechanic for forcing a player to "move" closer to or farther from a currently held position, and provides a very satisfying way to represent social conflicts visually.
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