Interest Check- FATE Arabian Nights

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Jul 5, 2025 8:28 pm
vicky_molokh says:
OrangeTree says:
@vicky-moloch
Looks fun. I like the high concept and the distribution of skills. Looks like a swashbuckler character so that’s highly appropriate.

We just need the high concept and the trouble aspect to start with, as we’ll generate 3,4 and 5 using the core cooperative rules. I’m not sure what ‘for frill and fortune ‘ means exactly.

A strength is that he has some social skills alongside martial prowess.

I’ve no idea about Harranians as a group— do they have a distinctive look or style that makes them especially dashing?
Well not a swashbuckler - I have a swashbuckler already in another campaign, so this one will be different, less graceful, more brutish/crude than the swashbuckler archetype. Also, the Commander part of the HC is there to imply being part of the merc company, presumably working for the prince together.

Ah, so we're using Core edition. I wasn't entirely sure if it was Core or Condensed. I guess I might need to be ready for the Aspects to end up being not quite what I wanted initially.

Frill and Fortune means comfort/luxury and money, as a motivation.
I see, I think.

Maybe move Physique up to the +2 rank to convey hulkiness if he’s a bruiser?
Jul 5, 2025 8:32 pm
OrangeTree says:
I see, I think.
If you ever played (or watched) Warrior Within or Tomb Raider, it gives a pretty good idea of the build: neither a brick nor an elf, but rather athletic, and also with a respectable upper body strength and especially good strength-to-weight ratio. With a combat style closer to the Prince from Warrior Within and rather unlike Adalia from En Garde.
OrangeTree says:
Maybe move Physique up to the +2 rank to convey hulkiness if he’s a bruiser?
Perhaps. Though IME Physique often ends up sitting there on the sheet gathering dust, so a lot of the time just taking an Aspect for it is enough.

To a degree, I was wondering whether to put Lore at +2 to represent being knowledgeable in such things as tactics, logistics, intelligence analysis, wilderness survival, and other military/mercenary knowledge.

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OrangeTree says:
A strength is that he has some social skills alongside martial prowess.

I’ve no idea about Harranians as a group— do they have a distinctive look or style that makes them especially dashing?
Harranians are one of the groups that have retained followers of the old ways during the Abbasid Caliphate, even some among scholars in high places.
Last edited July 5, 2025 9:17 pm
Jul 5, 2025 9:31 pm
Ok so that’s looking good for now. We can finalise things if we get a large enough group of players to make the game viable.
Jul 6, 2025 11:34 am
Would you consider making this game public? I unfortunately don't have the time to join this, but since I dabbled in playing/GMing FATE myself I'm very interested in seeing how you handle it mechanically.

If not, then so be it. Either way I wish you all a fun game!
Jul 6, 2025 1:55 pm
TheGenerator says:
Would you consider making this game public? I unfortunately don't have the time to join this, but since I dabbled in playing/GMing FATE myself I'm very interested in seeing how you handle it mechanically.

If not, then so be it. Either way I wish you all a fun game!
Sure, I’ll definitely think about it although I tend to play FATE pretty informally—I don’t claim to be an exemplary rules user. I used to play Spirit of the Century quite a bit when that the main FATE system. It had a few issues that required GMs to fudge strict application of the rules. That attitude has probably stuck!
Jul 6, 2025 4:40 pm
I'd be interested if you have room for someone who is only passingly familiar with FATE. I have very much enjoyed other games you have run and I'm keen on the whole Arabian Nights theme. I'd like to play a swashbuckling master of the scimitar. As stated, I am only passingly familiar with FATE (I've read through the rules).
Jul 6, 2025 4:44 pm
OrangeTree says:
I tend to play FATE pretty informally—I don’t claim to be an exemplary rules user. I used to play Spirit of the Century quite a bit when that the main FATE system. It had a few issues that required GMs to fudge strict application of the rules. That attitude has probably stuck!
The discussion of rules does remind me:
OrangeTree says:
-invocation of aspects limited to one, perhaps two each turn to prevent bonus bloat
This seems like a very significant change, with a singificant change on what character actions are incentivised, and it's a case where the exact wording, depending on certain details, produces very different effects/incentives. Is it limited to one Aspect or limited to one Invocation? And where do Boosts stand, since the system was always ambiguous/contradictory about whether Boosts are 'second-class Aspects' or their own thing, so it's unclear if they would be affected by the limitation?
Last edited July 6, 2025 5:04 pm
Jul 6, 2025 6:39 pm
OrangeTree says:
Sure, I’ll definitely think about it although I tend to play FATE pretty informally—I don’t claim to be an exemplary rules user. I used to play Spirit of the Century quite a bit when that the main FATE system. It had a few issues that required GMs to fudge strict application of the rules. That attitude has probably stuck!
I'll keep that in mind. I'm not looking for a perfect example anyway. Just curious to see another GM's take on it :)
Jul 6, 2025 11:37 pm
vicky_molokh says:
OrangeTree says:
I tend to play FATE pretty informally—I don’t claim to be an exemplary rules user. I used to play Spirit of the Century quite a bit when that the main FATE system. It had a few issues that required GMs to fudge strict application of the rules. That attitude has probably stuck!
The discussion of rules does remind me:
OrangeTree says:
-invocation of aspects limited to one, perhaps two each turn to prevent bonus bloat
This seems like a very significant change, with a singificant change on what character actions are incentivised, and it's a case where the exact wording, depending on certain details, produces very different effects/incentives. Is it limited to one Aspect or limited to one Invocation? And where do Boosts stand, since the system was always ambiguous/contradictory about whether Boosts are 'second-class Aspects' or their own thing, so it's unclear if they would be affected by the limitation?
I’m not sure about the wording of the question— what else might be invoked apart from aspects? The point of the limit is make sure that the invocation is really meaningful to the story or character and well described in the player post. Justifying an invoke is a key feature of the rules in every version of FATe, but it is hard to query a tenuous invoke in PbP without halting the game. A soft limit also helps less experienced players get started.

It’s not a hard rule. I wouldn’t stop a player making multiple invokes for a critical roll. Or when the action ramps up. But I want to start out with the expectation that player posts link invokes to really obviously relevant scene or character aspects.

I’ve no objection to additional use of boosts , since they are part of the core mechanic.
Last edited July 6, 2025 11:37 pm
Jul 7, 2025 6:59 am
OrangeTree says:
vicky_molokh says:
OrangeTree says:
I tend to play FATE pretty informally—I don’t claim to be an exemplary rules user. I used to play Spirit of the Century quite a bit when that the main FATE system. It had a few issues that required GMs to fudge strict application of the rules. That attitude has probably stuck!
The discussion of rules does remind me:
OrangeTree says:
-invocation of aspects limited to one, perhaps two each turn to prevent bonus bloat
This seems like a very significant change, with a singificant change on what character actions are incentivised, and it's a case where the exact wording, depending on certain details, produces very different effects/incentives. Is it limited to one Aspect or limited to one Invocation? And where do Boosts stand, since the system was always ambiguous/contradictory about whether Boosts are 'second-class Aspects' or their own thing, so it's unclear if they would be affected by the limitation?
I’m not sure about the wording of the question— what else might be invoked apart from aspects?
Aspects get Invoked. But the ambiguity is whether there would be a limitation of one Invocation used per roll, or one Aspect used per roll, as those produce different situations regarding the bonuses, and encourage not quite the same Stunt selection.
OrangeTree says:
The point of the limit is make sure that the invocation is really meaningful to the story or character and well described in the player post. Justifying an invoke is a key feature of the rules in every version of FATe, but it is hard to query a tenuous invoke in PbP without halting the game. A soft limit also helps less experienced players get started.

It’s not a hard rule. I wouldn’t stop a player making multiple invokes for a critical roll. Or when the action ramps up. But I want to start out with the expectation that player posts link invokes to really obviously relevant scene or character aspects.

I’ve no objection to additional use of boosts , since they are part of the core mechanic.
Ah, so Boosts are unaffected. Cool.
Jul 7, 2025 5:15 pm
I'm interested in both Fate and the Arabian Nights mood, is there still a spot for a player?
Jul 7, 2025 5:29 pm
vaeltaja says:
I'm interested in both Fate and the Arabian Nights mood, is there still a spot for a player?
Yes, definitely. we’re just getting started. Do you have a concept in mind? So far we potentially have an exiled princess roofrunner and a mercenary leader.
Jul 7, 2025 5:32 pm
A dancer with two slender scimitars, and a tendency to hide and sneak when not dancing.
Jul 7, 2025 5:41 pm
vaeltaja says:
A dancer with two slender scimitars, and a tendency to hide and sneak when not dancing.
Sounds cool! So we are a bit closer to getting a game together. Ideally we’d have five to make safe start.
Jul 7, 2025 5:41 pm
vaeltaja says:
A dancer with two slender scimitars, and a tendency to hide and sneak when not dancing.
Sounds cool! So we are a bit closer to getting a game together. Ideally we’d have five to make safe start.
Jul 7, 2025 5:51 pm
OrangeTree says:
vaeltaja says:
I'm interested in both Fate and the Arabian Nights mood, is there still a spot for a player?
Yes, definitely. we’re just getting started. Do you have a concept in mind? So far we potentially have an exiled princess roofrunner and a mercenary leader.
There's also the polymath and a master of the scimitar.

Actually, I'm wondering if given this party composition, I should reconsider my chosen concept, as we seem to be heavy on mêlée combatants.
Jul 7, 2025 6:35 pm
Maybe it would be good to have a role call. Who’s still interested? We can spend a bit more time working up concepts, but it would be good to know who’s partly or fully on board.
Jul 7, 2025 7:03 pm
I'm still interested in playing the swashbuckling scimitar master.
Jul 7, 2025 7:37 pm
WhtKnt says:
I'm still interested in playing the swashbuckling scimitar master.
Yay! WhtKnt! It would be great to have you in the game.


(Oh, didn’t see your earlier post!)
Jul 7, 2025 9:09 pm
Also still interested. I don't really have a character in mind yet, but I tend to gravitate towards scholarly or magical characters.
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