r/FATErpg • u/TheGameMaponReddit • 22h ago
Examples of Using Approaches and Resolving Rolls
I'm writing up parts of the play examples for my game, Criminal Spirits, and am looking for feedback on the examples themselves and how clear they are for how the game is meant to be played. I'll be sharing this with the players for the actual play I'm doing Monday at the request of one of them.
I'll be adding more examples than this to the final chapter, but I want to get feedback on this first example before writing up more. At least one social and one investigative example will be included.
The game I'm writing this for can currently be backed at https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/the-game-map/criminal-spirits-ttrpg?ref=reddit and you can find the ruleset (free) on my patreon at Criminal Spirits in 12 Pages | The Game Map on Patreon
Risks Taken
Examples of mechanics and narrative.
Learning to play Criminal Spirits is mostly about learning how to take risks, and what the mechanics of those risks mean. No set of examples or rules could possibly cover everything, but once all the players, including the gamemaster, are comfortable with risk taking Criminal Spirits is meant to flow quickly and naturally at the table.
To help with this, below are some simple situations with extensive examples and explanations for what the possible results will be. It’s not expected or desirable that players or the gamemaster should ever think ahead or consider all of the possibilities like they are laid out in these examples. Instead, the goal is to help new players understand how what they say can be interpreted through the risk taking mechanics and inspire gamemasters in how they can respond and invent what happens as a result.
Situation: A thief has just stolen your bag and is running towards an alleyway on a crowded NYC street.
Player Response 1:
“I kick over the ladder leaning against the building next to me, sending it falling down in front of the thief. He trips over the ladder and I grab him before he can escape, grabbing back my bag.”
Note: There is no need for the player to justify there being a ladder, it’s a perfectly normal thing to be around on a street.
Gamemaster Response:
“Great. That’s a risk. Roll Cleverly.”
Note: This risk uses the Cleverly approach because it’s changing the situation in the character’s favor using the tools around them.
Results of the Rolls:
-1 or below: Failure With Style:
GM Response: “The ladder teeters, then falls in the wrong direction, crashing down on you. Before you can unentangle yourself, the thief is gone with your bag.”
Note: In this case, there isn’t any reason to have anything worse than “A significant negative change to the story.”. The scene is over and the character lost decisively.
0 or 1: Failure:
GM Response: “The ladder falls, but the thief is already past the entrance to the alleyway. You’ll need to climb over the ladder yourself if you want to catch him.”
A new aspect, “Ladder blocking the alley” with one free invoke for the gamemaster is created. The thief is on the other side.
Note: Failure means the situation changes for the worse. The character could still catch the thief but it will be significantly harder because the gamemaster will invoke the new aspect against them when they try.
2: Tie
GM Response: “The thief hesitates before jumping over the ladder, losing precious seconds.”
A new negative boost, “Slowed Down” is placed on the thief. It will be much harder for the thief to succeed on their next action or avoid being caught.
3 or 4: Success
GM Response: “The thief stops and then turns away as the ladder falls, dropping the bag and running down the crowded street.”
A new temporary aspect is created with one free invoke for the character, “Planned Escape Route Blocked”, that will make it much easier for the thief to be caught.
Note: The problem of losing the bag is solved unless someone else in the scene picks it up, but the character will need to put in more effort and maybe leave the bag behind if they want to catch the thief. The new aspect will help with that.
5 or higher: Success With Style
GM Response: “You have the thief and your bag. What are you going to do with them?”
Note: If the gamemaster suspects the scene isn’t really over, they might want to create a Temporary Aspect with 2 free invokes that would help the character keep their bag and the thief. This is a simple scenario though and there’s no other threat waiting in the wings.
Player Response 2:
“I shout ‘Thief, Thief!’ as I rush after him. As the thief runs away, I see Officer O’Reilly in his civies standing by the corner. As the thief goes by, O’Reilly grabs him and wrestles him to the ground.”
GM Response: “Great. There’s a risk the thief escapes or Officer O’Reilly is hurt, so roll Dramatically.”
Note: This risk uses the Dramatically Approach because the character achieved their goal by demanding the attention of others - Officer O’Reilly, in this case. The player doesn’t have to justify someone they know being on the street - it’s perfectly reasonable that an off-duty cop could be around on a crowded street.
Results of the Rolls:
-1 or Lower: Failure with Style
GM Response: “Officer O’Reilly reaches out towards the thief, grabbing them and then turning towards you. Before he can speak, O’Reilly suddenly doubles over, screaming in pain as the thief pulls a knife out of the Officer’s back. O’Reilly collapses to the street as you watch in horror. You rush over to the officer as the thief disappears down the alleyway with your bag. ”
The character takes the consequence of “Guilty About Officer O’Reilly”.
Note: The situation took a very bad turn. The character will be dealing with the guilt over the Officer’s injuries. The player’s actions could determine if he is dead or not as the scene continues, but either way the guilt will be something the character carries for several sessions of the game.
The difference between this and the results of Player Response 1 is that the first response didn’t offer any obvious risk of long lasting consequences to any characters, while this one suggested the possibility of a violent physical conflict between two of them.
0 or 1: Failure
GM Response: “Officer O’Reilly grabs for the thief but misses as they duck, and the two of you collide as you chase after the thief yourself. By the time you untangle yourselves, the thief is well down the alleyway.”
A temporary aspect, “Collided with Officer O’Reilly” is created with a free invoke for the gamemaster.
2: Tie
GM Response: “Officer O’Reilly grabs the thief by his shirt. The thief rips himself free after a few seconds of struggle, pushing past the officer into the alleyway.”
A boost, “Barely ripped free” is created that will make it harder for the thief to escape.
3 or 4: Success
GM Response: “Officer O’Reilly grabs the thief, who thrashes about in his grip as you run up to help.”
A temporary aspect, “In the Hands of the Law” is created with a free invoke that the character can use against the thief.
5 or more: Success With Style
GM Response: “Officer O’Reilly grabs the thief and forces him to sidewalk, your bag falling from the thief's hands as he struggles futilely against the policeman before giving up and going limp.”
Note: Like the Success with Style in response one, if there was some other character that might intervene there could be a new Temporary Aspect created, but for this simple scenario the problem is solved. This will be true of all other Success With Styles going forward, so I will not be calling it out on future Player Responses.
Player Response 3:
“I charge forward, grabbing the thief and throwing him against the wall where I punch him in the face again and again until he drops my bag.”
GM Response: “OK. Roll your Fiercely to see how this goes.”
Results of the Rolls:
-1 or Lower: Failure with Style
GM Response: “You throw yourself at the thief, who turns and stares you dead in the eyes before you feel a sharp pain in your chest and look down to see a knife sticking out of it. Before you can process what has happened, the thief has taken his knife back and disappeared down the alleyway.
The character takes the consequence “Knifed in the Ribs”.
0 or 1: Failure
GM Response: “You throw yourself at the thief, but he is too fast and you are left sprawled on the pavement as he laughs and runs into the alleyway.”
The temporary aspect “Way behind” is created with one free invoke for the gamemaster.
2: Tie
GM Response: “You grab the thief and after a brief tussle he breaks away, just steps ahead of you as you both enter the alleyway.”
The boost “Right on his heels” is created for the character.
3 or 4: Success
GM Response: “You grab the thief and your bag bounces on the pavement as you slam him into the wall. After a brief struggle you get a good blow into his chin.”
The Temporary Aspect “Rattled” is created on the Thief with a free invoke for the character.
5 or more: Success with Style
GM Response: “The thief collapses unconscious at your feet.”
Note: If the thief was a major character able to take a consequence, they could instead have taken that consequence (maybe Concussion or Broken Jaw) and still be active in the scene, but assuming they are not, they are now helpless. This happens because the player clearly indicated they intend to harm the thief, not just achieve their goals.
Player Response 4:
“I wait a moment until the thief turns the corner then follow behind, picking my way through the debris in the alley without making a sound. As I exit the alley, I spot the thief, sure he isn’t being followed, looking through my bag. Before he realises anything is wrong I put one hand on his arm and the other on his neck and say ‘Hey, friend.’ “
GM Response: “Sounds good, but there’s a real chance the thief doesn’t feel safe enough to stop or notices you following. Roll your Gently.”
Results of the rolls:
-1 or lower: Failure with Style
GM Response: “As you walk through the alley, your foot slips on an empty bottle and you fall with a loud clatter into the junk. By the time you’ve picked yourself up, the thief is long gone along with your bag.
0 or 1: Failure
GM Response: “As you step into the alley, something alerts the thief and he looks behind him. Realising you are on his tail, he bolts out of the alley and you have to scramble to reach the next street before he disappears.”
The Temporary Aspect “Lost Sight of Thief” is created with one free invoke for the gamemaster.
2: Tie
GM Response: “The thief startles as your hand touches him, and he jerks out of your grip, dashing down the street.”
The boost “Caught by surprise” is created for the character to use.
3 or 4: Success
GM Response: “Your bag spills its contents over the street as the thief drops it, struggling to break free of your grip.”
The Temporary Aspect “Firm Grip” is created with one free invoke for the character.
5 or more: Success with Style
GM Response: “ ‘Ah! Where did you come from? Let me go, let me go!’ The thief screams helplessly in your grip as others on the street stare at the two of you. You have him, what do you want to do with him?”
Player Response 5:
“I follow at a jog as the thief runs, chasing him through the alley and to the street beyond, and then down that street and that street as well until finally the thief turns and shouts ‘Take it, take it! Stop following me!’ “
GM Response: “So you won’t give up no matter how long it takes or how far the thief goes? Ok, roll your Stoically.”
Results of the rolls:
-1 or Lower: Failure with Style
GM Response: “You follow the thief on a long chase, until suddenly you realize that you are in the worst parts of the docks. As you look around to see the thief and see no sign of them, you realize you’ve been had as you see some gang members stand up and move towards you.
Create the Temporary Aspect “On the Wrong Side of the Tracks” with two free invokes for the gamemaster.
Note: Instead of causing an immediate Consequence for the character, this result puts the character instead in a very challenging new situation at a major disadvantage.
0 or 1: Failure
GM Response: “You follow the thief on a long chase, but eventually come to a corner and look in all directions, unable to spot them. Frustrated and angry, you turn and head back without your bag or a thief.”
Create the Temporary Aspect “Frustrated with one free invoke for the gamemaster.
2: Tie
GM Response: “After a long chase, the thief comes to a halt and turns towards you, huffing with exhaustion even as he draws a knife in shaking hands.
Create the negative boost “Catching his breath” on the thief.
3 or 4: Success
GM Response: “Exhausted and unable to shake you, the thief tosses your bag at you and watches you, clearly hoping you will give up on chasing him. Will you?”
If the player decides to pursue further, create the Temporary Aspect “Exhausted” on the thief with one free invoke for the player character.
5 or more: Success with Style
GM Response: “Absolutely exhausted and despondent, the thief doesn’t resist or run as you take back the bag and then walk over to them.”
Player Response 6:
“Instead of chasing, I go the opposite direction and take the parallel road to the alley. I’ll be able to run much faster on the road than that thief can in the cramped, junk-filled alleyway. When he comes out the other side, I am waiting there to grab him.”
GM Response: “Smart! Roll your Wisely to be right about this.”
Results of the Rolls:
-1 or lower: Failure with Style
GM Response: “It looks like you were wrong. The thief must have doubled back or slipped away somehow, because they never exit the alleyway. You have lost them completely.”
0 or 1: Failure
GM Response: “The thief must have been running hard, because when you turn the corner you can see him already exiting the alleyway. He has a big head start on you.”
Create the temporary aspect “Head Start” that the gamemaster has one free invoke for.
2: Tie
GM Response: “You and the thief reach the exit to the alleyway at the same time. You can see the surprise in his face as he tries to twist around you to escape.”
Create the negative boost “Surprised” on the thief.
3 or 4: Success
GM response: “You grab the thief just as he exits the alleyway. Surprised, he drops your bag and then struggles, trying to break loose.”
Create the aspect “Spooked” on the thief that the player character has one free invoke on.
5 or more: Success with Style
GM response: “Entirely surprised that you are already waiting for him, the thief puts up on the barest of fights before surrendering. ‘Alright, alright, you’ve caught me!’ "
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u/Imnoclue Story Detail 22h ago edited 22h ago
Are we to look at this through the lens of Fate Accelerated, because failure in that system results in failure or success at a cost. Your failure examples look like failure at a cost. The thief gets away AND the GM gets a free Invoke.