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11:32, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core.

Posted by theBathrobeWizard
theBathrobeWizard
member, 1 post
Sat 26 Jan 2019
at 19:10
  • msg #1

IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

Honestly... the title pretty much says it all. lol I'm new here to Rpol and want to get my feet wet with a system I know well and a setting I really enjoy... or, at least did until Disney got a hold of it.

Anyway, I love the original trilogy. I like the the idea of the prequels, if not their execution. But I really have my heart set on an Alternate Universe setting, probably set a few decades or so after the end of RotJ. Luke Skywalker has become a Jedi Master in his own right, rebuilt the Jedi Academy, and established a new Jedi council; the Republic is back up and running, and a relative peace has fallen over the galaxy.

This is the universe our game will take place in, however, this will NOT be an all Jedi game. I'm more than happy to have a Jedi Knight or two, or a Knight and their apprentice, but I think that's where the Jedi-ness of the group will top out. As we'll be playing with the Fate Core rules the main focus of the game will be on creating a cool, fun story that we all enjoy.

Thoughts? Ideas? Interest? Just think I'm plain crazy?
evileeyore
member, 143 posts
GURPS GM and Player
Sat 26 Jan 2019
at 20:27
  • msg #2

IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

I don't know FATE all that well... but I'm game.  My only real issue is the balance between jedi and non-jedi...  which has been an issue in the few Dresden Files games I've played in, wizards radically over-shadow normies.
theBathrobeWizard
member, 2 posts
Sun 27 Jan 2019
at 01:52
  • msg #3

IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

evileeyore:
I don't know FATE all that well... but I'm game.  My only real issue is the balance between jedi and non-jedi...  which has been an issue in the few Dresden Files games I've played in, wizards radically over-shadow normies.


I can see this being an issue. I have an idea to lessen the PHENOMINAL COSMIC POWERS... of jedi characters. I'm thinking it might actually work best to switch over to Fate Accelerated. It would be essentially the same, only we'd use six approaches instead of skills. Force sensative characters would gain an additional approach simply called "The Force." This would be the approach they use any time they want to do something with the force, however, every time they use it they take 1 shift of mental stress. If they run out of mental stress they're taken out the same as usual.

This will limit a force sensative character's use of their highest approach (let's face it, what Jedi isn't going to make The Force their strongest approach) while non-force sensative players will have free access to use their highest approach at any time.

If that proves to make them still way too strong, we can see about tacking on a mechanic that a force sensative character has to meditate to recover mental stress. A few minutes meditation recovers 1 box; a few hours recovers 2 boxes, and a full 8 hours meditation/sleep recovers all boxes. But again, we'll wait and see how things go before implamenting this mechanic.


I REALLY hope we get more interest in this. I've been writing and plotting furiously since posting this thread. :)
jstabel
member, 71 posts
Sun 27 Jan 2019
at 02:06
  • msg #4

IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

I'd be interested in this, though I've never played Fate Accelerated or Fate Core before. So long as that isn't a problem, I'd be interested.
theBathrobeWizard
member, 3 posts
Sun 27 Jan 2019
at 02:42
  • msg #5

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

jstabel:
I'd be interested in this, though I've never played Fate Accelerated or Fate Core before. So long as that isn't a problem, I'd be interested.


This is not a problem at all, in fact, every group I've played Fate with have all been new groups!
dlantoub
member, 248 posts
Anime Fan
Virtually all genres
Sun 27 Jan 2019
at 12:48
  • msg #6

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

Tentatively interested but likewise no experience with FATE
spectator
member, 194 posts
Mon 28 Jan 2019
at 03:14
  • msg #7

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

I think the balancing of Jedi might be more simple than it might seem for at least some versions of Fate. With just straight Fate Core, the simplest way to do your typical Fightin' Jedi might be to have something like this:

High Concept: Typical Fightin' Jedi
Trouble: Must Follow the Jedi Code
aspects, aspects, aspects...

Great (+4): Fight
Good (+3): Athletics, Will
etc.

Stunts:
Use the Force - You can spend a fate point to use Will in place of any other skill for one roll or exchange, as long as the action is accomplished by using the Force.


And then if there are applications of the Force you want to use frequently or be particularly good at, add them as stunts too.
Jedi Mind Trick - You can use Will to Create Advantages to making someone believe or want something, just by suggesting it to them.
Force Throw - You can make Shoot attacks using Will, as long as there is something you could telekinetically hurl at your target.
Force Jump - Gain a +2 bonus to any Overcome rolls with Athletics that involve leaping or falling.
Deflect Blaster Shots - If you succeed with style on a Fight defense using a lightsaber against a blaster attack, you can inflict your shifts as stress rather than take a boost.

... And so on. Jedi are likely candidates to trade in refresh for more stunts, but that's still just standard rules.

Now, the slightly more complex way is to make the Force an extra. It'd take a little longer to build that than just think of some stunts, but you could have it involve using Will (or skill of your choice--plus, the skill list in Core is just default, you can always include other skills); it might have some kind of Dark Side stress track if that's a thing you want to have a lot of attention; probably it involves aspects, which give Jedi ways to spent fate points on making Force stuff happen; etc.

I can see Fate Accelerated working well for Star Wars, switching to approaches alone makes characters of different "power" levels more feasible together (because sure you're a kickass Jedi, but you're still just getting +2 on mechanical rolls for being Flashy or whatever). I would strongly suggest that a "Force" approach is not the best way to go adding those abilities in, however. An approach that costs fate points to use kind of breaks down how they're meant to function--why not just use Forceful? Or Flashy, or...? They're the how, not the what, and "lifting my X-wing" is definitely a what. Allowing some characters to use Force powers and not others is probably the realm of permissions (through aspects), or stunts/extras as with Fate Core. I understand the Dresden Files Accelerated game does some really interesting things with people using various powers, but I don't have it.

The game I do have that is straight-up designed to accommodate all kinds of power level variance and strange abilities and whatnot is Atomic Robo. It would do Star Wars, including Jedi, without missing a beat. Even just swiping the "mega-stunt" rules might help if you really want to put mechanical weight on Force powers.
theBathrobeWizard
member, 6 posts
Mon 28 Jan 2019
at 08:27
  • msg #8

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

Evileeyore and Spectator both make good points, handling Jedi seems like it could get a bit sticky, but I think the operative word there is COULD. I mean, coming from D&D I totally see the ability to bend the rules and make an OP Jedi character.

But that doesn't make for a good story, and THAT is what Fate is about. I think, to start, I'm going to drop all the special rules concerning Jedi. No special approach, no mental stress to use powers, any of that. Jedi character will be built the same way every character is built. This makes things easier, because it seems like most of the interested parties are new to Fate and adding noodly bits is just going to make things more complicated and overwhelming.

Besides, in the last 48 hours I've read a dozen blog posts and post-game recaps of groups playing Star Wars, with Jedi characters, using just the straight up Fate Accelerated system without any problems. So, at least at first, that's what I want to do. This is going to be a grand experiment and there's no telling if it's going to work or not. But if need be changes can be made as the game progresses.

I will however be adding in a Light/Dark side stress track to Jedi characters though; that's a major aspect of star wars and it will mean that Force users have some kind of possible negative that other, non-Jedi characters do not.


I just want to let everyone know that I am in the process of working on the game as we speak. As soon as I have something presentable made up I will let you guys know.

Spectator - Were you interested in participating or just swung by to drop some truth on us?
spectator
member, 195 posts
Mon 28 Jan 2019
at 13:02
  • msg #9

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

I have interest for sure, assessing my work schedule to make sure I can commit (I've made that mistake once or twice before), but definitely interest.

A Dark Side stress track certainly wouldn't go wrong, but you could also consider just doing regular stress for Dark Side things. Especially since FAE has just the one stress track, it sort of does give some balance against the "powers" that Jedi can access. Their Jedi/Force aspects give them permissions to do things others can't (although they still use the same approaches to do it, so they're not rolling any better, just accessing certain narrative options), while also opening them up to compels and stress from additional sources. That does work with a separate stress track, it just makes it tougher if it hits the same stress track they use for everything else. Either way, compels seem like a great tool for making the Force more than just superpowers.
theBathrobeWizard
member, 9 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 06:08
  • msg #10

Re: IC: Star Wars AU Fate Core

The game is up! You can find it by looking for Star Wars - Fate of the Galaxy (FAE) or by going HERE.
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