this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2023
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Another shoutout for Fate! It's great

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Fate is much more my jam when it comes to "rework for everything" systems. It fits narrative elements with mechanics without being constraining.

Whenever I play PBTA I keep bouncing against the limits of the system because most of them are laser focused on emulating some sort of narrative genre, and often I want more from my characters than to just play out a selected arrangement of tropes. And as a GM I occasionally feature quests that pull from entirely different genres.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I haven't played Thirsty Sword Lesbians but "a selected arrangement of tropes" hits the nail on the head when it comes to Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark. At least The Sprawl (also PbtA) offered multiclass options and enough lateral advancement that playbooks were more a theme than a rigid dichotomy.

Going back to Fate, this system has become my go-to for "I have a story I want to tell with my party and I just want the rules to, basically, function". Great for those games where the storytelling matters and the rules almost don't.

Cypher is another good one if you need linear (or at least, level-like) progression, and an emphasis on finding and using cool loot

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I really like Fate and hope to one day find a group that clicks with it. It avoids many of the tropes I'm tired of in D&D.

But in my experience it does need players who are going to do more than phone it in. Passive players can really drag it down. "I dunno I hit him with my sword" kind of works in D&D but not very well in Fate.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Having played Monster of the Week, I think I agree with you about PbtA systems. They're fun, but I tend to get a little bored with them after a few sessions, especially since I like to make characters who don't really fit into any of the playbooks. The best fit of a playbook at character creation rarely has more than a few plays I would want to spend experience points on.

I will say, though, that I like the experience system in PbtA games. It does a good job of helping players feel like they accomplished something each session.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Whenever someone talks about fate there's this moment of fear, because it's so close in name to FATAL. It's only for a moment though.