[FATE]Running a WW2 game [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Jacque

2013-12-27, 07:52 AM

Hello Playground,

Me and my gaming group are trying out new systems and settings and I chose to give FATE a try. It is only for a single adventure lasting up to 3 sessions (about 10 hours). We usually play medieval fantasy so I also settled on giving it a try in a world war 2 setting.

In order to make it somewhat different than the usual heroic American/British forces vs. the nazi scum I have decided to place the action on the Eastern Front. The characters are all German soldiers and they are caught in the aftermath of the Battle of Kursk after the German failed offensive. This way, they can play a common soldier, a panzer operator, intelligence officer, crashed pilot, etc. instead of having to be from the same unit. As long as they are caught behind the advancing Russian lines.

The adventure is then to attempt to return to the friendly lines. This is where it becomes tricky for me. Does anyone have any good ideas for what challenges they could encounter on their way? And perhaps a way to encourage them to interact with the challenges instead of always picking the sneak-around solution (which, in all fairness, is a rather sensible solution).

And then another thing for the more experienced FATE players. We are all new to the system and I'm still debating if we should just stick to the light version of the rules. But none the less, I have the idea that I want to introduce a couple of props to the players that they can start with or perhaps obtain during the adventure. Can I give these props aspects? For example, I want them to obtain a map which shows the Soviet patrol routes and let the players actually sit with the map. Could I give this map the aspect "oh ****, its in Russian"?

CombatOwl

2013-12-27, 10:06 AM

The adventure is then to attempt to return to the friendly lines. This is where it becomes tricky for me. Does anyone have any good ideas for what challenges they could encounter on their way?

Not freezing to death, frostbite, having to make the trip on foot, no help from locals--who may well try to kill them. The advancing Russian army. An officer in charge who keeps issuing stupid orders likely to get them killed. Maybe some sort of failing building they have to traverse, presenting physical dangers from falling debris. Maybe throw in some sort of psychological difficulties by making them reflect on what's happened--or just scenes of horror.

If you want to do what Fate is best at, try mixing it up with some other genre and throw in something completely off the wall or paranormal. Ghosts that haunt them the entire way, not sure if they're real or just int heir heads, etc. Peg weird events to their mental stress track.

And perhaps a way to encourage them to interact with the challenges instead of always picking the sneak-around solution (which, in all fairness, is a rather sensible solution).

Let them sneak around, but make it harder than the other way. More tense, slower paced. If they choose to go the sneaky way, don't timeskip, don't assume they succeed, make them sneak through every zone, and make them use their stealth skill against every soldier in their path. A simple way to do this is to have more zones for the sneak-around path, but have a simple zone layout for the straightforward approach.

Remember: Fate skills aren't just about doing something all at once. In many cases, you need to use the skill a few times in advance to Create an Advantage to let you tag enough aspects to succeed. It's not like D&D, where you roll once on your Stealth skill and somehow you stealth your way completely through the problem in one test.

For example, say you want to sneak past some Russian guard. Before you move, you might pick up a stick and throw it, using that to Create an Advantage. The Russian guard tests an appropriate skill, and if the player wins, the guard gains the "Looking The Other Way" aspect... which can be tagged the next round for a +2 bonus when the player actually tries to move past him. In FAE, you'll often make use of different approaches. In Fate Core, you may need multiple skills. Advantages created by one skill or approach can help with a test for a different skill or approach. Depending on what the party as a whole has planned, "Looking the Other Way" can actually be a complication for a different player, because it means they're looking in that player's direction. Aspects don't have to be entirely good or entirely bad, they can be both depending on the situation. Even if they are created with Create an Advantage.

And then another thing for the more experienced FATE players. We are all new to the system and I'm still debating if we should just stick to the light version of the rules.

For a three session game? Sure. Fate Accelerated Edition is a fine version of the game. So is full Fate Core. They both work. If you have an actual book copy around, use that version. If you have both in book form, probably Fate Core. If they're both on PDF, probably FAE is the better choice (less looking up rules, more playing).

Honestly Fate's pretty easy to learn. FAE vs. Fate Core is more of a tone issue. If everyone in the game ought to be expected to have roughly the same training, but different personal talents at using it, then FAE is the right choice. If everyone is a specialist in something different, then Fate Core is probably a better choice. FAE is great for pulp action games, not so good at games where people shouldn't be competent at most things. It depends on what sort of game you want to run.

But none the less, I have the idea that I want to introduce a couple of props to the players that they can start with or perhaps obtain during the adventure. Can I give these props aspects?

Yes. You can give anything, both on the table or off, aspects. If you wanted, you could just put a token on the table and give it the "Has the Initiative" aspect. Whomever is holding the token, has that aspect available. It's technically a house rule, but Fate explicitly encourages that. It doesn't break anything by letting OOC props provide IC aspects.

For example, I want them to obtain a map which shows the Soviet patrol routes and let the players actually sit with the map. Could I give this map the aspect "oh ****, its in Russian"?

Yes, you can give it as many aspects as you want.

Example:

Battlefield Map; Prop
"Oh ****, It's in Russian!"
"Commanding View of the Battle"
"You Are Here"
"Patrol Routes Outlined"

Players can tag any of those. You can also tag them to provide a penalty or bonus to what they're doing (or a bonus for their enemies in opposed map-related tests, in theory. Not sure what that would actually be in practice.). If they're trying to read the map, you can use "Oh ****, It's in Russian" fairly liberally for some amazingly good compels or complications. Basically a -2 on their test whenever they really need that map.

How this works; they try to read the map. They make whatever test you determine to be appropriate for the map, using whatever aspects they tag to help them out. They think they've succeeded. You would then have the option of offering them a compel (from "Oh ****, It's in Russian") to have misread what they're heading towards. Want to send them to a brothel? They misread "cat house" as "hen house". Want to send them into a Russian formation? They misread "russian fortification" as "german fortification". You can do this without bothering to offer them the fate point by calling it a complication following from the aspect--which they have to spend fate points to avoid.

Bear in mind, in Fate, props like that don't solve problems in their own right. You should instead create aspects for the map that represent everything plot-important about it. If you want them to find their way around with it, make sure it has an aspect that reflects that.

Also note; might want to read up on how weapons and armor works. The normal system is discussed in the back of the book. Remember, weapons and armor can also have their own aspects--and stunts! That's one of the key methods of distinguishing between equipment. You give different pieces of equipment different aspects and equipment stunts to let them perform differently. Want to make an MG42 distinct from a DP-28? You don't give them different weapon ratings, you give them different aspects and stunts that let them do different things, or do certain things better. You can even give a specific MG42 it's own aspects that are unique to that particular gun (not the model as a whole), like "My Brother's Gun" that could be tagged by the surviving brother when attacking the Russians who killed the original owner.