I have fallen in love with the FATE system. It seems like it would be a hell of a lot of fun to play and pretty easy to prepare for.
I love running Call of Cthulhu as d20, but it still bogs down for some things - notably combat. Also, the task resolution is a bit more random than I'd want.
I'm thinking, since FATE is a pretty generic system, I'd like to give it a spin for eldritch horror at least as a one-shot. The problem is, I'd need to modify it at least a bit... It's lacking several characteristics I see as rather core to CoC... to wit...
(1) Fragile characters. It's really tough in FATE for characters to get killed. I think this should pretty easily be editable.
(2) Sanity. I'll just take a page from CoC d20 and lift the system wholesale from the Chaosium version.
(3) Scary monsters. I don't know how easy it is to replicate this in FATE as of yet, but the monsters in CoC need to be deadly. This is possibly handled by fixing (1), above...
So, thoughts? Am I tilting at windmills?
I really don't like the BRP system much, but I'd be more than happy to stick with the d20 flavor for CoC.
-O
Wouldn't it be a lot less work just to drop the number of Hit Points for players in D20 CoC?
Quote from: gleichmanWouldn't it be a lot less work just to drop the number of Hit Points for players in D20 CoC?
Since I was using VP/WP and taking WP for any circumstance where the character couldn't effectively defend themselves, that's never been a problem.
What I'm digging about FATE is its approach to skills, the heavily center-weighted probability curve, and the kickass character system.
It also looks like it would be remarkably easy to prep for. Not that d20 CoC was very tough, mind you - it's not like someone was looking over my calculations for the NPC stats.
-O
Quote from: obrynSince I was using VP/WP and taking WP for any circumstance where the character couldn't effectively defend themselves, that's never been a problem.
What I'm digging about FATE is its approach to skills, the heavily center-weighted probability curve, and the kickass character system.
Ah, I took your original post to mean something different.
By all means, go for it.
Go for it, absolutely. FATE does horror pretty well, and it sounds like you've got good fixes for your stated issues.
Quote from: obrynI love running Call of Cthulhu as d20, but it still bogs down for some things - notably combat. Also, the task resolution is a bit more random than I'd want.
I looked over d20 CoC, I got it as a birthday gift. I really like it as a book. But it so struck me as just a bughunt. I was reminded of how out of place the stat blocks were in the old TSR Deites and Demigods. Which I guess makes sense since I really like the D&D as a book too, one of the players has one of the original print runs with the two 'forbidden' mythos in it, he brings it to every gaming session. :)
Our group has a culture of d20 rules sticklers, and I just so see bad things happening if I tried to fight that. In a CoC game no less where sustained atmosphere is everything.
Plus the task resolution, as you point out, is just so ick. Comes off for me as lifeless I guess I would say. Binary pass/fail just doesn't do it for me, and you're fighting the system if you try to multi-state tests.
As long as you use FATE, not FATAL, I think you'll be fine.
Cthulhu + FATAL has to be a hentai fan's wet dream. And I do mean wet.
Quote from: blakkieI looked over d20 CoC, I got it as a birthday gift. I really like it as a book. But it so struck me as just a bughunt. I was reminded of how out of place the stat blocks were in the old TSR Deites and Demigods. Which I guess makes sense since I really like the D&D as a book too, one of the players has one of the original print runs with the two 'forbidden' mythos in it, he brings it to every gaming session. :)
Our group has a culture of d20 rules sticklers, and I just so see bad things happening if I tried to fight that. In a CoC game no less where sustained atmosphere is everything.
Plus the task resolution, as you point out, is just so ick. Comes off for me as lifeless I guess I would say. Binary pass/fail just doesn't do it for me, and you're fighting the system if you try to multi-state tests.
I was blessed with a group of players who came with only the game in mind and who trusted me implicitly.
Would you believe I never had a rules argument? Once or twice something was pointed out to me, but otherwise, there was zero.
I intentionally kept any kind of battle map off the table, too, apart from a sheet of paper with scratch marks.
VP/WP really helped... I preferred that to the massive damage threshhold at 10... Monsters were still scary, but the group kept narrative & character consistency by not having 3-4 new characters every week. :)
Believe it or not, the game works pretty well with a little tweaking. Add in players' familiarity and it's a good choice for a game.
-O
Bringing in WP/VP does seem to address some problems I was forseeing. Maybe I'll take another look at it. Though I'm still leaning to using something else, if for nothing but the Skills. Even after your success you seem to think there are green pastures to be found.
Thanks for the tips.
Quote from: blakkieBringing in WP/VP does seem to address some problems I was forseeing. Maybe I'll take another look at it. Though I'm still leaning to using something else, if for nothing but the Skills. Even after your success you seem to think there are green pastures to be found.
Thanks for the tips.
That is true. Much of it, I'll be honest, is my real desire to try out FATE in some context. I'm just thinking it might work for CoC...
I'd gladly run d20 CoC again, don't get me wrong. I just think this might be fun.
-O
Quote from: obrynThat is true. Much of it, I'll be honest, is my real desire to try out FATE in some context. I'm just thinking it might work for CoC...
I'd gladly run d20 CoC again, don't get me wrong. I just think this might be fun.
-O
BTW I listened to that editted flute clip. I think you nailed it with those edits, I liked. One thing though is i found the swishing noise back and forth distracting with my headphones on. The switching left to right channel was ok, it was loud, soft hiss as it switched that I found annoying. Or was that a product of how I was listening to it?
Quote from: blakkieBTW I listened to that editted flute clip. I think you nailed it with those edits, I liked. One thing though is i found the swishing noise back and forth distracting with my headphones on. The switching left to right channel was ok, it was loud, soft hiss as it switched that I found annoying. Or was that a product of how I was listening to it?
It may have been an artifact of the way I created it. It came to me as an MP3. After my edit, I recompressed it as an MP3 and I'm not sure what bitrate or codec was used. You may be hearing compression artifacts.
I didn't even notice the hiss since I was blaring it from speakers a few rooms away. Glad you liked it, though. :)