| A mystery in FATE? I would typically be uninspired by this sort of thing. It is not that you could not run an investigation using this lighter rules system, rather that the system does not explicitly support it like systems such as Gumshoe. However, I'm pleased to be disproved by The Demolished Ones by Brian England and Rite Publishing. This setting creates a compelling cinematic Victorian-themed Noir mystery by playing to FATE's strength, character backgrounds, by making who your characters are the true mystery. |  |
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This product has a clean two-column layout with unobtrusive background art inlaid. The evocative art sprinkled throughout the book meshes well with the gaslamp aesthetic as well as the black-and-white format. The handouts in particular are well-executed. The whole thing comes to 88 pages which is packed with to-the-point content and an accessible brevity.
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| The base mechanics follow the same sort of lighter bent, much like the recently released FATE Core. Resolution, for those unfamiliar, is based on rolling 4 fudge dice, which have blanks, plusses, and minuses, yielding a result of -4 to +4 biased toward +0. This is added to a skill value, which is then compared against a difficulty. Beyond this mechanic, the true engine of the game is FATE points and aspects. FATE points are an economy which rewards accepting poor choices based on aspects which describe character background or unfortunate circumstances. These are then spent to allow PCs to influence the plot at times of their choosing based on character background or fortuitous circumstances. This product provides a clean, uncluttered, and nicely brief explanation of the rules, and the light mechanics seem to fit well with the setting. |
| The flavor of this product is reflected in mechanics through the Stress tracks (here Health and Composure), Skills (Engineering, Science, Slight of Hand), the use of aspects to reflect temporary and permanent Gear, and some especially powerful aspects that can have special features at extra cost. However, the real innovation is how characters are made. This game is about discovering the mystery of yourself, and using a re-imagining of the on-the-fly character generation to build, rebuild, and perhaps destroy who you thought you were, all based on progression in the plot. This is where the mystery lies, and is reflected eloquently in how you build your character as you move along. |  |
 | As a mystery is the key to this neat campaign, I feel the need to avoid spoiling the fun. In broad strokes, the story is broken into a three act structure. The players have leeway, but there is definite structure and a sequence to the game. Character development is key, but there is a narrative and a progression to the game which makes it compelling. This product's plot does require a bit of trust from the players, things could go awry if they are not expecting some twists or the GM to alter aspects of their character. That said, it is worth these concessions to keep the mystique of the game. Speaking of twists, they are numerous and like any good thriller or investigation novel, the biggest come at the dramatic conclusion. |
| Overall, the tightness of the narrative is reminiscent of other great games and novels of self-discovery, notably Aletheia, another great mystery game. This is a well-thought out product which targets a particular play style and is incredibly accessible, the kind of game which could bring in new players that are huge mystery fans. I'm left with the lingering impression that with the right type of group, this could be the kind of campaign which can help shape a very memorable experience. |  |
 | A bit of background on my personal experience. Time travel back to 2007. Spirit of the Century had just come out and was starting its glory as an rpg.net darling. I heard nothing but praise, so I tore the PDF off its digital shelf with abandon. Then I read it. Special dice? Non-numerical resolution? Piles of notes everywhere? At the time it was my personal gaming nightmare. I had a few misconceptions, sure, but mostly I couldn't get past these caveats. It was a tragedy, because I loved the pulpy feel and missed all the best parts. I never really brought it to the table. Dresden Files made huge strides toward correcting some of these issues, but I still had a hard time teaching it and found it a lot of work to run. |
| Five-ish uses of FATE points (FP) was a little convoluted in the past. While many of these old uses reveal themselves other places, the real point of FP has been highlighted. FATE points are for Aspects, you get better when using FP to power actions based on drawing on a character's back-story and gain FP when that same backstory gives you a karmic backlash. Extensive workups of FP uses have fallen away in favor of a clear indication of the design goal of this system. |  |
| The downside of greatly simplifying an existing system is that you throw the a great rules baby out with the unnecessary complication bathwater. The flavorless generic RPG is why there are so few that persist. Sure setting splat books with optional rules can solve this problem, but many first-time players will be unwilling to invest any further than a core book. FATE Core provides a DIY process by which you can add flavor to match a setting, and there is a whole system toolkit planned if you need more help. |  |
| Most of the stretch goals in the Kickstarter campaign were to unlock custom settings built for the game by other great designers. When these are compiled it will vastly increase the value of the core book. Sometimes the biggest trick of a game which can be customized is a suffusion of choices, our old friend analysis paralysis can make it hard to pitch a game with a new flavor. Fortunately FATE Core has a slew of pick up and play settings, which are also great tools for crafting a new game with just parts you like. |  |
| There is an even simpler version of FATE Core, FATE Accelerated Edition. This is a love letter toward super-light gaming systems and the GM that is trying to recruit new players or change the minds of crusty gamers. Basically the core of Aspects and Actions remains the same, but skills and some rule intricacies are hulled out of FATE Core to create this sleek little beauty. It enables FATE to be truly pick up and play. I could teach this version of FATE in five minutes. |  |
| Stunts can be a lot of fun, but many players slam up rapidly into the aforementioned analysis paralysis. There is no list and you not only have to come up with a snappy phrase like aspects, you also have to make up the mechanics. This adds a ton of time to character generation. Taking a page from the stunts in the Dresden Files RPG, we are given an even clearer framework of how to build stunts (especially in the Accelerated edition). Unless I really want to do something out there, I need only pick an action or a rule to bend and an applicable circumstance and I'm done. |  |
| Gone are the days of the massive examples for every permutation of a skill, a la Spirit of the Century. These were great examples, don't get me wrong, but they made it difficult to consult a skill and promoted dwelling on how exactly to use which skill to accomplish your goal. The FATE Core version, by contrast, fits into about 10-15 lines at most with nice reference icons. Even this need not be referenced in play, it just shapes actions and provides suggestions. |  |
| Spirit of the Century's system of spin and other momentary advantages in practice worked decently well, but it really defied explanation to new players. While boost takes a touch of explanation, it is one word to represent a lot of jargon phrases. It is also really easy, if someone baffles easily, to say temporary aspect instead of boost. An elegant solution to keeping a mechanic that should be there but that can edge toward fiddly. |  |
| This is another area where all of the mechanics and layout were there in past FATE outings, but is far more clearly explained. We've had rules for the lesser henchman and baddies for some time now, and Dresden Files nicely detailed tuning the power of a foe. However, FATE Core brings it all together, and gives much neater rules for various kinds of thugs and lieutenants in a simple and easy to understand manner. |  |
| Another great incorporation learned from the Dresden Files RPG and hinted in previous products. By shaping the selection of two aspects toward things players will benefit from in play is nice. There is nothing worse than a player coming from a different gaming system making a perfect character and being depressed at how little they can do without compels. Trouble helps with this goal, and along with High Concept, ensure that every character has a tie-in to the economy of Fate points that drives this system. |  |
| *Drum Roll* The number one addition that makes me a true convert is this tweak. All of the little specific skills text I felt I had to reference in Spirit of the Century (which in retrospect I shouldn't have worried about) are rendered simple and direct with this one change. Four actions are amazingly easy to teach to new players, which in practice will be most people encountering FATE in your friendly local game stores. Skills will still give you tips for how they can be used, but they are clearly advice and solidly prescriptive rather than proscriptive. Finally, as a GM running a game, it gives me easy ways to categorize an unspecified player action, instead of deciding whether reading a musty tome is a declaration or spouting lore or somesuch action, it is just Create and Advantage. The dice come out, then the little gaps are filled in. |  |
In the Trellborg Monstrosities by John Houlihan and the folks at Modiphius, A crack team of the British Special Boat Section and vetted experts journey into the far north to unravel the Nazi's interest in the town of Trellborg. They will uncover the dark mysteries in a set of 5 adventures which form the arc of this adventure supplement. Each has enough material for a session, more if you run at the slower speed I usually work through published materials.
A major objection I had in the first Achtung Cthulhu! adventure, Three Kings, was that run straight from the Call of Cthulhu rules the encounters seemed combat heavy and likely quite deadly given that the system is oriented away from combat at its core. It's night and day with a Savage Worlds conversion with the Realms of Cthulhu setting book rules, which really highlights the pulpy aspects and relishes the combat encounters.
The plot and setup is the thing that will make this adventure or break when you sit down to the table. I don't want to touch the sandbox vs. railroad debate because its rather moot, these are just tools in the GM kit (See Monte Cook's recent post for a well-articulated discussion). This is a structured adventure, it will take you to some awesome places if you go along for the ride. It has some elements, like redirecting contingencies and an NPC that is nudging a little toward a powerful GM PC.
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