As noted in my previous post, I’ve decided to run my
campaign with a base D6 rule set, but with some good stuff from FATE grafted
on - a beast I like to call D6F. The main thing I’m taking from FATE is the use of Aspects, which describe
what a character is like, and give bonuses for using them in relevant
situations.
The D6 system does have a similar mechanic in its use of
Advantages and Disadvantages, but I find it unsatisfying. There are a lot of
systems that incorporate the idea of character flaws into the game, but do so
for the purposes of character depth only. FATE, on the other hand, makes
disadvantages a critical part of game play and players are rewarded with FATE
points for making their lives more difficult. So there’s a payoff beyond plain
game flavor.
Take, for example, my character in our GURPS
Knights of the Astral Seas game. I took a handful of disadvantages in order to
get a few more character creation points, but they basically mean nothing now.
Honestly, I’m not even sure what they are off the top of my head because I
don’t ever use them. There’s no penalty for not playing them, and when I have
role-played to them, it has often felt like a forced non-sequitur.
To its credit, D6 does give the Advantages/Disadvantages
rule set some real in game purpose, but at the end of the day, it's still just a
matter of character depth. I’m a real believer that human behavior responds to
incentives—both in the free market economy and in gaming.
So, by making the D6 Advantage/Disadvantages into FATE
Aspects, the mechanic will become an active part of play. What does this mean? Well,
FATE’s FATE Points easily become the D6 Character Points (note: don’t confuse
FATE Points with the D6 system’s Fate Points – ugh.) Players in my D6F system
will have to spend character points to invoke the advantage of an Aspect they
have. Similarly, they will earn Character Points for invoking a disadvantage or
by subjecting themselves to a compel.
But wait – there’s more! In the D6 system, Character Points
are not only used for doing cool stuff during the game, they are the mechanism
for character development. So by taking disadvantages and creating more trouble
for themselves during play, the players will actually be earning points to
build their skills and attributes.
So now, instead of simply having to play out a character’s “Misogynist”
Aspect with periodic derisive comments, they can actually earn Character Points
to buy new skills or do awesome stuff simply by reminding the GM that bartering
with the lady shopkeep may not go as smoothly as anticipated.
I totally agree. Though in Knights, George's disads have come up: being girl-sized, wild magic, and something related to being a stuffy British gentleman.
ReplyDeleteBut I much prefer modern games that recognize that disads are the way to gain player spotlight time and not a way to make up a point deficit on your character sheet.
Damn. You're totally right. I was actually thinking of the "quirks" when I wrote this. I honestly don't know what they are. The fact that George regularly blows himself up is, of course, integral to the character (and sometimes the game). I think the point about "player spotlight time" is awfully important, too.
ReplyDelete