Difference between revisions of "Fate Noosphere"

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The fundamental aim of the Story Debate is to provide a vehicle for compelling narratives. FATE NOOSPHERE is intended to emphasize these elements by actualizing them as mechanics, free the player from minutiae, and even allow those feeling burnout or burdened by sudden time constraints to continuing to generating narratives that they can pick up upon later. In many ways the system is more a model of historiography than it is a wargame-lite, as other system-heavy SDs tend to be, and owes a heavy debt to the FATE system created by Evil Hat Games. One can take a look at how the sausage was made by looking up System Reference Documents for [http://fate-srd.com/|FATE CORE and ACCELERATED].
+
Story Debate attempts to provide a vehicle for compelling multi-author narratives. The mechanics they utilize flesh out and arbitrate the conflicts that those stories will center upon, they encourage and incentivize their use. The combative focuses of most Story Debates inevitably emphasize warfare above all.
  
−
FATE NOOSPHERE is highly adaptable, and should support any kind of Story Debate setting, whether a D&D-esque High Fantasy, grand space opera in the spirit of Legend of Galactic Heroes, to the hardest and grittiest Sci-Fi. It is an open system well able to accept any setting specific tweaks and concepts necessary to tailor the experience.  
+
Fate Noosphere is intended to realize social dynamics, both domestic and foreign, that drive body politics. It also intends to make more coherent settings and cooperative worldbuilding from start to finish. Most of the bedrock is derivative of the Fate system created by Evil Hat Games, particularly its most recent iteration [http://fate-srd.com Fate Core & Accelerated], with some influence from Microscope.  
  
−
'''Index'''
+
=The Basics=
−
[[Critical Concepts]] <br>
+
==Scale==
−
[[Concept Creation]] <br>
+
Scale refers ''specifically'' to the three different levels of play and the different mechanics involved in each: '''Grand''', '''Large''', and '''Small'''. Grand scale covers the mass mobilization of the most important institutions and features the weight of the rules. Large scale covers more regional-specific events such as battles between armies or specific civil projects. Small scale is the level of play at which most Story Debates are conducted, personal stories about characters. As these are social spaces, Scale is always relative to the setting. What might be Grand scale in one setting might not even qualify as a marginal backwater in another.
−
[[Gameplay]] <br>
 
  
−
=Critical Concepts=
+
==The Narrative Economy==
−
==Aspects==
+
'''Aspects''' <br>
−
An Aspect is a short phrase describing a detail of whatever subject it is attached to; anything from a situation, a zone, an army, or even a character. They are the primary means to both gain and spend Fate points, to influence the narrative by introducing new complications to a scenario, passive opposition that has to be overcome, and bonuses to various rolls. They are detrimental or beneficial, but a good aspect should be either depending on the situation. More importantly, they tell you what is important about a scenario and when to utilize mechanics.
+
An Aspect is a short phrase describing a detail of whatever subject it is attached to; anything from a situation, a zone, an army, or even a character. They are the primary means to both gain and spend Fate points, to influence the narrative by introducing new complications to a scenario, passive opposition that has to be overcome, and bonuses to various rolls. They are detrimental or beneficial, but a good aspect should be either depending on the situation. More importantly, they tell you what is important about a scenario and when to utilize mechanics.
  
−
You can '''Invoke''' an Aspect for your benefit by cashing in a Fate Point. This is called an '''Invocation'''. On the inverse, when your aspects complicate your plans in some way in exchange for a Fate Point, this is called accepting a '''compel'''.
+
'''Fate Points''' <br>
 +
''“Yes, but is he lucky?”'' <br>
 +
- Napoleon Bonaparte
  
−
There are five different kinds of Aspect differentiated by their subject and permanence: Concept, Situation, "Character", Consequences, and Boosts. In brief, <br>
+
Players have a pool of points called “Fate Points” that are the narrative currency. A well run game features an active narrative economy where Players freely manipulate circumstances to bring about victory - or even engineer their own defeats. Fate Points usually change hands in three ways: Invokes, Compels, and Declarations.  
  
−
'''Concept''' <br>
+
You can '''Invoke''' an Aspect for your benefit by cashing in a Fate Point. This is called an '''Invocation'''. On the inverse, when your aspects complicate your plans in some way in exchange for a Fate Point, this is called accepting a '''compel'''.
−
Conceptual Aspects have a variable scope but are nominally permanent, attached to a PC or NPC concept. They cover any of the near-infinite spectrum of details that set concepts apart. Whether describing institutions of government, a cultural legacy,  
 
  
−
'''Situation''' <br>
+
'''Refresh''' <br>
−
Situational Aspects are intended from the start to be temporary, lasting only for a short period until they are no longer appropriate. Various sudden crises, natural disasters, short-lived treaties or agreements, etc would fall under this umbrella. Using Situational aspects is often a very context sensitive affair.  
+
Refresh is the pool of Fate points a player begins with at the start of every narrative milestone. The total always fills up to the Refresh rating on a player's OOB, no matter how low the pool is. The only exception is if a player has saved more Fate points in their pool than their Refresh rating, in which case there is no change.
  
−
'''Consequences''' <br>
+
==Attributes and Actions==
−
Consequences have a variable permanence. They are a special aspect that is basically taken as damage to avoid '''Collapse''', a lasting difficulty that a Concept takes as a result of some effort. How long they last is usually determined by their grade of severity. The largely negative phrasing of these aspects means they are often a source of additional compels for a player, and anyone who can justifiably advantage from it can invoke them.
+
Actions with a substantial element of risk require a roll of the dice to determine success or failure. Dice always come into play when a Player is opposed by another Player or when significant obstacles stand in the way. Otherwise success is assumed as a given. Attributes are how Players go about accomplishing complicated actions on a Grand scale, deferring to the Dice. Every OOB has four Attributes and each is rated in steps from Mediocre (+0) to Great (+4). The higher the better.  There are four basic actions:
  
−
'''Boosts''' <br>
+
*'''Overcome'''
−
These are the most transient and ephemeral of aspects, lasting only a couple turns at most. Boosts are created either when a Create Advantage roll is underwhelming or as a bonus from a spectacular success. Their invocation is free, but the moment it is used the aspect promptly disappears. One can allow another Player to use a Boost if it is relevant and their explanation satisfactory. Very much use it or lose it.
+
*'''Create Advantage'''
−
===Fate Points===
+
*'''Attack'''
−
''“Yes, but is he lucky?”'' <br>
+
*'''Defend'''
−
- Napoleon Bonaparte
+
 
 +
Actions are framed as '''Dispatches!''', quick news headlines or other IC document, which are collated into a list referred to as a '''Bulletin''' at the end of every Turn. This is ''all'' that is required to participate, and it's entirely possible that a Player could finish the Story Debate doing nothing but this.
  
−
Players have a pool of points called “Fate Points” that are the narrative currency and a Refresh rating. At the start of every narrative milestone. A well run game features an active narrative economy where Players freely manipulate circumstances to bring about victory - or even their own defeats.  
+
Fate Noosphere uses four Fate (also known as Fudge) dice as the base for every roll. Results are graded according to "The Ladder", which attaches adjectives and numbers to the results of a roll. It doesn't particularly matter whether one refers to the word or the number, they are understood to have the same meaning. Results can go below and above the provided ladder, though such results tend to be extremely rare and require appropriately unique and over-the-top descriptors.  
  
−
Fate Points usually change hands in three ways: Invokes, Compels, and Declarations.
+
{|class="wikitable"
−
===Stem Points===
+
|-
−
Stem Points are the primary means of growth for nations.
+
|+ '''The Ladder'''
−
===Milestones===
+
|-
−
Powers, Movements, and Legends are not static things. On the contrary, even the most frozen of polities is always evolving, if opaquely, to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Even National identities can be altered by simple circumstance. Collectively, these opportunities are referred to as milestones.
+
| +8
 +
| ''Legendary''
 +
|-
 +
| +7
 +
| ''Epic''
 +
|-
 +
| +6
 +
| ''Fantastic''
 +
|-
 +
| +5
 +
| ''Superb''
 +
|-
 +
| +4
 +
| ''Great''
 +
|-
 +
| +3
 +
| ''Good''
 +
|-
 +
| +2
 +
| ''Fair''
 +
|-
 +
| +1
 +
| ''Average''
 +
|-
 +
| +0
 +
| ''Mediocre''
 +
|-
 +
| -1
 +
| ''Poor''
 +
|-
 +
| -2
 +
| ''Terrible''
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
There are three kinds of milestones: Minor, Significant, and Major.  
+
The aim when rolling dice is generally to roll equal to or above your opposition, which comes in '''active''' and '''passive''' varieties. The former is when someone is rolling against you, the latter when you are merely set against a fixed difficulty. Rolling high naturally results in a successful action, and wildly successful ones come with extra benefit, but a tie less so. While some of the Player's aims are achieved it is likely nowhere near what was hoped. Failure means nothing, success at a significant cost, or a dramatic twist of the outcome.
−
===Zones===
 
−
Zones are how regions of interest are represented mechanically.
 
  
−
Zones usually have a few aspects attached that describe their most important features.
+
When rolling, the difference between the Player's roll and his opposition is referred to as '''Shifts'''. A tie results in 0 Shifts. Rolling one over the difficulty is one Shift, while two would be two Shifts, etc etc.
−
=Gameplay=
 
−
===Newsflash!===
 
−
By default, you are not obligated in any way, shape, or form to write even a single longform roleplay posts in a FATE NOOSPHERE game, though there are certainly ''incentives''. You are merely required at bare minimum to present individual actions in an IC format, referred to as Dispatches. Some examples include: a newspaper headline with a one to two sentence subtitle, an internal memo, the abstract of a White Paper or Journal Article, a media soundbite, or even a "selection" from a history book or article.  
 
  
−
:'''"TIGHTEN THIS BELT AND YOU TIGHTEN A NOOSE AROUND OUR NECK!'''
+
'''Traits'''<br>
−
:''Imperial General Staff protests new budget that will slash military by 10,000 for new economic subsidies.''
+
Traits are special characteristics that change the way an attribute works for you. They indicate a special approach to situations unique to that polity, movement, or legend. Two OOBs might have the same rating in an attribute, but their traits provide drastically different benefits. Most of these will be unique to the particular game being played.
  
−
:(OOC: Roll to Reform, trade one point of Military for Stability.)
+
===Stress and Consequences===
 +
Inevitably, over the course of a Story Debate, Players will face various forms of hardship that they can't quite fully overcome and end up on the losing end of conflicts. Two options exist to mitigate this.
  
−
At the end of every turn all Dispatches are collated together into a Summary. While some kind of framing device for these Dispatches is certainly preferable, it is not necessary. This is the bare minimum effort to continue play, which is unfortunately sometimes all a player has time or the creative energy to commit. Dispatches may be as short or as long as a player pleases and a particularly well written and entertaining Dispatch or Summary is just as worthy of reward from the GM as a more traditional roleplay post.  
+
'''Stress''' is the first, and generally preferable, option. It is a holistic representation of minor and superficial crises such as contained protests, a mild economic recession, war exhaustion, etc. Every OOB has Stress Tracks which will soak these disturbances and reset at the end of each turn, assuming there are no greater crises.
−
===Actions and Outcomes===
 
−
====Concession====
 
−
The standard Story Debate conflict actually tends to be resolved through what this system would classify as Concessions
 
−
===Challenges, Contests, & Conflicts===
 
−
====Challenges====
 
−
'''Reform''' <br>
 
−
Issuing reforms
 
  
−
'''War Footing''' <br>
+
'''Consequences''' are another way a Player can stay on the field, but the cost is much greater. These are aspects that describe some lasting impact of a struggle on your OOB. Whereas Stress is cleared away each year Consequences require discrete action or vastly longer spans of time to recover from, which can snowball with other troubles.  
−
War footing represents the fact that armies and navies are tremendously expensive not just in material resources, but in more nebulous social currency, and that these costs will dissuade even some of the most militarist societies from standing up their theoretical maximum force without an actual war to fight. Normal function of the economy ceases even as it is turned to overdrive, often by heavy handed centralized control, to sustain the ravenous demands for materiel of every variety. Demographics are plundered for those of fighting age as feudal levies, by drafts. Intellectual energy is channeled away from culture or theory and monopolized by the frenzied production of propaganda, to the devising and implementation of new weapons, techniques, and ideas that will shave the margins of victory.  
 
  
−
Declaring War Footing is not a trivial task, particularly for powers with low stability and economy. Simply declaring it requires , and if you choose . Creative use of various Aspects or characters will often be the key here. e.g. "Remember the Maine!"
+
=Pregame=
 +
Story Debates tend to have two separate halves: the writing of OOBs and their actual interaction. The two often involve fairly separate processes, and like 3.5 D&D, make much of the game take place before character interaction. As players are largely uninvolved with each other's OOBs, settings become jagged and incoherent as vastly incompatible concepts are often juxtaposed directly alongside each other in vacuum of historical isolation.
 +
===Populations===
  
−
War footing has no benefit in the turn it is successfully declared, the start of the next quarter gives the player half the benefit of war footing, and the start of the quarter after that gives the full benefit. As in Real Life, it's best to put yourself on war footing before the shooting actually starts, even if it forewarns your enemies.
+
==OOB==
  
−
War footing may also be used to represent some kind of stupendous national effort, such as erecting the Pyramids or the Great Wall, which requires such absolute measures as total warfare.
+
===Elite===
−
==Damage==
 
−
===Stress Tracks===
 
−
Stress represents various minor and superficial crises and negative forces such as a mild economic recession, war exhaustion which can be quickly recovered from. If your concept takes some kind of damage, the method of choice for mitigating it is absorbing it as stress.
 
  
−
All Concepts have stress tracks, a row of three or more boxes. When some kind of damage is taken, check a stress box. The box will absorb a number of shifts equal to its number: one shift for Box 1, two for Box 2, and three for Box 3. You can only check one stress box for any single hit, but you can check a stress box and take as many consequences as necessary at the same time. The moment you are no longer facing any significant crises, you may clear any stress you have taken at the start of a new turn.
+
=Gameplay=
−
===Consequences===
 
−
===Collapse===
 
−
When you have no Stress Tracks or Consequences free to soak shifts from a hit, this triggers a collapse. Your government can no longer function. This is much more severe than a crises of confidence, a loss of territory, an economic depression, or even a coup. Such momentary difficulties pass. A collapse is the moment when the entire edifice violently self-destructs, broken up into its constituent pieces amidst the ruins of its gasping and dieing institutions, or worse, has been totally conquered. Movements face the risk of total physical and social bankruptcy. And even Legends can die.
 
  
−
If your Collapse was brought about directly by your enemies, this is particularly bad. Like in a lesser defeat, your enemy (or enemies) will get to dictate some of the circumstances and the aftermath of these events - and you don't get a veto.
+
=Advanced=
 +
[[Fate Noosphere: Pregame Mechanics]] <br>
 +
[[Fate Noosphere: Gameplay Mechanics]] <br>
  
−
However, even in this dark hour there is always hope. From toppled Empires spring successor states who may one day reclaim glory. Loyalists and patriots can go underground where they continue the fight. Canny operators may recoup some assets from a dying operation. People who are slain may have successors.  
+
==Modification==
 +
While the mechanics of Fate Noosphere may require substantial explanation for a newcomer, in practice they are fairly light. The generous headspace allows all manner of new mechanics to be added without weighing down the system.
  
−
When a Player’s Power, Movement, or Legend collapses, they are given the option of either rolling a new concept or '''''splintering'''''. Splintering is mechanically much like rolling a new concept of a lesser scale or Level of Play, however, you can negotiate with the GM to inherit certain zones, stem points, superprojects, traits, and characters from the Collapsed concept...As well as the burdens, responsibilities, and issues that come with bearing the mantle of a successor, likely forming their new Trouble and Ambition. '''Splinters''' will often start in difficult positions, but have the potential to become vastly more powerful than their original concept with a strong hand at the rudder.
+
The key is to add mechanics which capture some distinct element of the periods you are stylistically referencing or drawing upon. For example, a game mirroring the leadup to the first World War should definitely make the construction of dreadnought battleships a significant element - players will inevitably compare that information and act upon it.
  
−
=OOBs=
+
'''Example Games'''
−
[Name]<br>
+
===[[Desert of Stars]]===
−
'''High Concept:''' <br>
+
'''Polities, Movements, and Legends''' <br>
−
'''Trouble:''' <br>
 
−
'''Destiny:''' <br>
 
−
'''Refresh:''' <br>
 
  
−
'''Attributes'''
+
===[[Psalm of the Three Hares]] (potentially)===
−
'''Economy:''' <br>
+
Majorly expanding the Pregame and majorly expanding internal Elites and their interaction with Population.
−
'''Influence:''' <br>
 
−
'''Stability:''' <br>
 
−
'''Territory:''' <br>
 
−
'''Talent:''' <br>
 
−
=Modification=
 
−
While the mechanics of FATE NOOSPHERE may require substantial explanation for a newcomer, in practice they are fairly light. The generous headspace allows all manner of new mechanics to be added without weighing down the system.  
 
  
−
For example, in Desert of Stars, Unseen realm mechanics which dealt with spirits and instantaneous gate-based travel.
+
===[[Perilous Frontier]]===
  
−
=Example Games=
+
[[Category: Fate Noosphere]]]
−
===[[Desert of Stars]]===
 

Latest revision as of 04:07, 12 January 2016

Story Debate attempts to provide a vehicle for compelling multi-author narratives. The mechanics they utilize flesh out and arbitrate the conflicts that those stories will center upon, they encourage and incentivize their use. The combative focuses of most Story Debates inevitably emphasize warfare above all.

Fate Noosphere is intended to realize social dynamics, both domestic and foreign, that drive body politics. It also intends to make more coherent settings and cooperative worldbuilding from start to finish. Most of the bedrock is derivative of the Fate system created by Evil Hat Games, particularly its most recent iteration Fate Core & Accelerated, with some influence from Microscope.

The Basics

Scale

Scale refers specifically to the three different levels of play and the different mechanics involved in each: Grand, Large, and Small. Grand scale covers the mass mobilization of the most important institutions and features the weight of the rules. Large scale covers more regional-specific events such as battles between armies or specific civil projects. Small scale is the level of play at which most Story Debates are conducted, personal stories about characters. As these are social spaces, Scale is always relative to the setting. What might be Grand scale in one setting might not even qualify as a marginal backwater in another.

The Narrative Economy

Aspects
An Aspect is a short phrase describing a detail of whatever subject it is attached to; anything from a situation, a zone, an army, or even a character. They are the primary means to both gain and spend Fate points, to influence the narrative by introducing new complications to a scenario, passive opposition that has to be overcome, and bonuses to various rolls. They are detrimental or beneficial, but a good aspect should be either depending on the situation. More importantly, they tell you what is important about a scenario and when to utilize mechanics.

Fate Points
“Yes, but is he lucky?”
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Players have a pool of points called “Fate Points” that are the narrative currency. A well run game features an active narrative economy where Players freely manipulate circumstances to bring about victory - or even engineer their own defeats. Fate Points usually change hands in three ways: Invokes, Compels, and Declarations.

You can Invoke an Aspect for your benefit by cashing in a Fate Point. This is called an Invocation. On the inverse, when your aspects complicate your plans in some way in exchange for a Fate Point, this is called accepting a compel.

Refresh
Refresh is the pool of Fate points a player begins with at the start of every narrative milestone. The total always fills up to the Refresh rating on a player's OOB, no matter how low the pool is. The only exception is if a player has saved more Fate points in their pool than their Refresh rating, in which case there is no change.

Attributes and Actions

Actions with a substantial element of risk require a roll of the dice to determine success or failure. Dice always come into play when a Player is opposed by another Player or when significant obstacles stand in the way. Otherwise success is assumed as a given. Attributes are how Players go about accomplishing complicated actions on a Grand scale, deferring to the Dice. Every OOB has four Attributes and each is rated in steps from Mediocre (+0) to Great (+4). The higher the better. There are four basic actions:

  • Overcome
  • Create Advantage
  • Attack
  • Defend

Actions are framed as Dispatches!, quick news headlines or other IC document, which are collated into a list referred to as a Bulletin at the end of every Turn. This is all that is required to participate, and it's entirely possible that a Player could finish the Story Debate doing nothing but this.

Fate Noosphere uses four Fate (also known as Fudge) dice as the base for every roll. Results are graded according to "The Ladder", which attaches adjectives and numbers to the results of a roll. It doesn't particularly matter whether one refers to the word or the number, they are understood to have the same meaning. Results can go below and above the provided ladder, though such results tend to be extremely rare and require appropriately unique and over-the-top descriptors.

The Ladder
+8 Legendary
+7 Epic
+6 Fantastic
+5 Superb
+4 Great
+3 Good
+2 Fair
+1 Average
+0 Mediocre
-1 Poor
-2 Terrible

The aim when rolling dice is generally to roll equal to or above your opposition, which comes in active and passive varieties. The former is when someone is rolling against you, the latter when you are merely set against a fixed difficulty. Rolling high naturally results in a successful action, and wildly successful ones come with extra benefit, but a tie less so. While some of the Player's aims are achieved it is likely nowhere near what was hoped. Failure means nothing, success at a significant cost, or a dramatic twist of the outcome.

When rolling, the difference between the Player's roll and his opposition is referred to as Shifts. A tie results in 0 Shifts. Rolling one over the difficulty is one Shift, while two would be two Shifts, etc etc.

Traits
Traits are special characteristics that change the way an attribute works for you. They indicate a special approach to situations unique to that polity, movement, or legend. Two OOBs might have the same rating in an attribute, but their traits provide drastically different benefits. Most of these will be unique to the particular game being played.

Stress and Consequences

Inevitably, over the course of a Story Debate, Players will face various forms of hardship that they can't quite fully overcome and end up on the losing end of conflicts. Two options exist to mitigate this.

Stress is the first, and generally preferable, option. It is a holistic representation of minor and superficial crises such as contained protests, a mild economic recession, war exhaustion, etc. Every OOB has Stress Tracks which will soak these disturbances and reset at the end of each turn, assuming there are no greater crises.

Consequences are another way a Player can stay on the field, but the cost is much greater. These are aspects that describe some lasting impact of a struggle on your OOB. Whereas Stress is cleared away each year Consequences require discrete action or vastly longer spans of time to recover from, which can snowball with other troubles.

Pregame

Story Debates tend to have two separate halves: the writing of OOBs and their actual interaction. The two often involve fairly separate processes, and like 3.5 D&D, make much of the game take place before character interaction. As players are largely uninvolved with each other's OOBs, settings become jagged and incoherent as vastly incompatible concepts are often juxtaposed directly alongside each other in vacuum of historical isolation.

Populations

OOB

Elite

Gameplay

Advanced

Fate Noosphere: Pregame Mechanics
Fate Noosphere: Gameplay Mechanics

Modification

While the mechanics of Fate Noosphere may require substantial explanation for a newcomer, in practice they are fairly light. The generous headspace allows all manner of new mechanics to be added without weighing down the system.

The key is to add mechanics which capture some distinct element of the periods you are stylistically referencing or drawing upon. For example, a game mirroring the leadup to the first World War should definitely make the construction of dreadnought battleships a significant element - players will inevitably compare that information and act upon it.

Example Games

Desert of Stars

Polities, Movements, and Legends

Psalm of the Three Hares (potentially)

Majorly expanding the Pregame and majorly expanding internal Elites and their interaction with Population.

Perilous Frontier

]

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