Wednesday 16 May 2012

Fate Points.


As not all of us have the rules I though it prudent to mention fate points. Each PC has some, they are what truly separates the hero from the inconsequential. What are they and what can you do with them?

A fate point is a measure of interest that fate, destiny, our story has in you being an active participant in the ongoing narrative. Spending a fate point keeps you in the game, figuratively and literally.  It ensures not only that you don’t die immediately but that the chance remains to keep that a permanent arrangement.

Lets say you are fighting a gang of mutants and one with a lucky swipe of his razor edged claw gets a +10 critical on your head and decapitation is the result. But wait you have a fate point, by sending it you can ensure you are kept alive. This is more than just saying, OK the hit doesn’t connect, indeed this may just leave you having to spend yet another fate point to stay in the game after the next combat round. What actually happens is fate steps in and ensures you are kept alive, nothing more or less. So in this case the decapitation doesn’t happen, perhaps a non lethal but very bloody cut on the face leaves you sprawled on the floor looking very dead. Some hours later you come round, stripped of all equipment but alive, how you survive being wounded, alone and weapon less is up to you.

3 comments:

  1. One important thing to remember: Once they're gone, they're gone forever. You can earn more, but it usually requires an exceptionally heroic feat -such as defeating a plot that would leave a city in chaos, saving someone very important from assassination, negotiating an alliance between two powerful factions or killing a major campaign villain.

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  2. One of the things that the 2nd edition did is it created a dice re-roll pool out of the fate points as well (ie 3 fate points gave 3 rerolls). Ever interval of time (can't remember if it was a session or a game day) you refreshed those rerolls.

    You could also burn/lose a fate point to avoid certain death (horrible critical result, etc). This way characters start circling the drain as they lose their fate points. Given the lethality of this game you may want to consider a reroll system. It may be problematic with PBEM though......Arguably it does attenuate the dark setting and add more heroic nature (whether that is desirable or not).

    Something to ponder.

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  3. Yep I have 2nd, I quite like it, I must do I have the complete collection. I'm running this old school though so no re-rolls and death is always possible.

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