Slagathore Mon May 18, 2020 4:09 pmSo, I know I brought up the issue of awarding Fate points and how hard it is for the GM. This is critical, because if Fate points don’t flow, they will be hoarded for rerolls (Invoking Aspects, page 98-99) which is their least interesting usage. Sitting on one Fate point makes it unlikely we will use them to Invoke for Effect (page 99).
But it turns out it is really my fault that I’m not getting more Fate pints. Yes, the GM is supposed to use compels, but the primary onus is really in the players. That’s right, page 100 and following reference the GM likely taking the lead in compels, avoid part of it is playing your character in a way that invokes compels - self compels. We can take a bit of the load off The Merlin by being clear that our character aspects are placing in a position to make decisions which complicate our situation in story-positive, entertaining ways - but which limit our responses in inconvenient ways.
From the text box on page 100:
======
GMs take note! Keeping the compels lively is your explicit responsibility during play. Staying on top of your compels and leaning in hard on them whenever the opportuni- ty’s there will keep the game exciting. Don’t be shy!
Players take note! If you “self-compel,” bring it to the GM’s attention to get your fate point!
======
So let’s start using those self compels more! Might even want to review your aspects to see if they give you opportunities to self compel. If you don’t see many options, maybe talk to the Merlin about modifying them a little? It will make the characters more interesting to us all, I think. And give us fuel to use more Invokes for Effect, making the stories richer.
Imagine if a player spent a fate point for effect, to say “I found a duffle bag in the trunk of the old Mercedes limousine” and another player invoked another compel to say, “I open the bag to discover it is filled with Heroin!”. The GM can accept the invoke or not. Even returning the FP with a bonus FP if the complication was interesting and not to the players advantage. But if the player said, “it’s full of low denomination, unmarked bills” the GM could wisely decline - or accept the invoke and figure out how to make it more interesting later. The Merlin can handle these kinds of complications very well - better than I do, I know that.
But it turns out it is really my fault that I’m not getting more Fate pints. Yes, the GM is supposed to use compels, but the primary onus is really in the players. That’s right, page 100 and following reference the GM likely taking the lead in compels, avoid part of it is playing your character in a way that invokes compels - self compels. We can take a bit of the load off The Merlin by being clear that our character aspects are placing in a position to make decisions which complicate our situation in story-positive, entertaining ways - but which limit our responses in inconvenient ways.
From the text box on page 100:
======
GMs take note! Keeping the compels lively is your explicit responsibility during play. Staying on top of your compels and leaning in hard on them whenever the opportuni- ty’s there will keep the game exciting. Don’t be shy!
Players take note! If you “self-compel,” bring it to the GM’s attention to get your fate point!
======
So let’s start using those self compels more! Might even want to review your aspects to see if they give you opportunities to self compel. If you don’t see many options, maybe talk to the Merlin about modifying them a little? It will make the characters more interesting to us all, I think. And give us fuel to use more Invokes for Effect, making the stories richer.
Imagine if a player spent a fate point for effect, to say “I found a duffle bag in the trunk of the old Mercedes limousine” and another player invoked another compel to say, “I open the bag to discover it is filled with Heroin!”. The GM can accept the invoke or not. Even returning the FP with a bonus FP if the complication was interesting and not to the players advantage. But if the player said, “it’s full of low denomination, unmarked bills” the GM could wisely decline - or accept the invoke and figure out how to make it more interesting later. The Merlin can handle these kinds of complications very well - better than I do, I know that.
