Reddit Reddit reviews Trying to be useful

We found 1 Reddit comments about Trying to be useful. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

History
Books
Trying to be useful
Check price on Amazon

1 Reddit comment about Trying to be useful:

u/BR3AKR ยท 5 pointsr/AskGameMasters

First off I'd like to say that this is my first exposure to this subreddit. It's really cool what you guys are doing here! Secondly, I could go on about Fate forever and will happily talk anyone's ear off that has any additional questions so do not hesitate to ask.

> What does this game system do particularly well?

Fate does pulpy style action really well. The fast and loose rules allow for quick moving games where scenes keep clipping by. Thanks to its probability curve heavily favoring being near the player's stat, characters who are good at something are reliably good at something. This curve also allows "aspects" (small snippets of flavor text) to have a very strong impact on the game with their +2/-2 modifiers - constantly reinforcing the fiction.

> What is unique about the game system or the setting?

Aspects and Fate Points are generally what people will bring up talking about the system. The idea is that if there is an aspect that applies to the situation, a Fate Point can be spent to add +2 to your die roll. It's important to emphasize here that this isn't a D&D +2, think more like a D&D +8. This works the other way too, giving you a flat -2 to your roll as well, but you gain faint points for having aspects compelled against you (yay!) This sort of flow of Fate points constantly reinforcing these Aspects is the game's way of reinforcing the fiction.

Another part of the game that's quite unique is how hackable it is. If you get into it, you'll learn about this concept called "The Fate Fractal", or the "Bronze Rule" - which is that everything in Fate can be modeled like a character. Want to model armies? Great! Create a unique stress track, some skills, and give them an aspect or two. A cool gun? Toss an aspect on it! Want a spaceship that has a unique ability like cloaking? Give it a Stunt! Once you get the hang of this, it's so easy you can literally use it in the middle of a session to model things of all shapes, sizes, and scopes in a way that makes sense to everyone at the table.

> What advice would you give to GMs looking to run this?

There is loads of great advice on this particular topic in the Fate Core rulebook, and various resources online.

> What element of this game system would be best for GMs to learn to apply to other systems [Or maybe more politely, "What parts of this system do you wish other systems would do/ take inspiration from"]

Fate (and many more modern RPGs out there, Dungeon World for example) place a huge emphasis on player interaction during world building. They also emphasize that world-building doesn't stop at the start of a campaign, but rather continues as the game moves on. Ask questions of your players about the campaign world and incorporate it moving forward - you will not regret it. I've tried to incorporate this into my DMing style while playing 5e as well and I think has hugely improved the quality of the games overall.

> What problems (if any) do you think the system has?

First off the system is setting-less so it can be daunting creating a world from scratch, even with a group of friends. I would also say that character progression can feel really flat if you don't spend a good amount of time coming up with good unique Stunts to keep characters spicey (Stunts are similar to Feats, and class abilities from D&D). Make sure that you're really trying to bring out the flavor of the campaign world through these mechanics, or one campaign can end up feeling very similar to the next.

> What would you change about the system if you had a chance [Because lessons can be learned from failures as well as successes]

Fate is pretty bare-bones. Mechanically, there's not much you could change I think. The latest edition of Fate Core did a wonderful job making the system accessible and understandable for new players, but there is always room for improvement in explaining a game as abstract as Fate.

> What play style does this game lend itself to?

I would say a high-octane story driven campaign is probably your best bet. Characters are competent badasses from the start, and the pace at which players seem to move through adventures seems so much faster than in systems like WoD or D&D. Normally for D&D adventures I set aside 4 hours per session, and can expect to get in two or three encounters and a little bit of story. In Fate my sessions run shorter (2 to 2 1/2 hours) and players tend to get through more in the Fate sessions.

> What unique organizational needs/tools does this game require/provide?

Index cards are a part of almost every Fate campaign I run (and it seems most GMs). I love Campaign Coins' Fate Tokens. You can technically make Fate (aka Fudge) dice out of six siders, however I recommend just picking up a beautiful set from Evil Hat :).

> What module do you think exemplifies this system?

I've never personally run a module. However there are tons of really solid looking campaign settings available through Evil Hat (Save Game, and Venture City Stories are two personal favorites and they're pay what you want!), and The Fate Codex Patreon.

> Which modules/toolkits/supplements do you think are most beneficial to the average GM?

Honestly, the Fate Core rulebook and the plethora of resources online are just about all you need.

> From your perspective, what was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome to run this specific system successfully?

Understanding, fully, the different ways you can use (and abuse) aspects. Honestly, I'm still wrestling with it. There are always so many at your disposal and it can be easy to forget to lean on them regularly. If you fail to do that, Fate can really lose its magic.

> Can you explain the setting the system takes place? Is there some sort of "starter adventure" ? If so then how is it constructed?

Fate is generic out of the box without an assumed setting. See my answer about modules above, they're all pretty short reads so go with whatever sounds exciting. Drive Thru RPG has loads of really really cool Fate campaign settings available.

> Is there an easy transition to other adventures and/or own creations?

I've run quite a few D&D adventures myself in traditional high fantasy settings, but after learning about Fate I got absolutely stoked about running a Space Opera (think Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica) campaign. I came to the table with a general idea of the kind of campaign I wanted and worked with the players to build the campaign up from there. The Fate Core rules supply a nice structure for pulling a campaign setting together as a team. This really helps both the players and the GM be invested in the campaign you're playing. I've run two campaigns in that universe so far and it has probably been my favorite campaign setting to date.

> What cost should I expect if I want to start GM'ing this system?

Minimum - $0

This assumes you use the Fate SRD as your rules resource, or pay $0 as a pay what you want on drive thru rpg for the PDF. It also assumes you're either using your computer for rolling Fate dice or used regular six-siders to make your own Fate dice.

Usual Starter Kit (Remember to support your FLGS) - $40