Session notes & a question

[bcillustration]

So we're 4 sessions in, our game based in a fictional Tulsa, OK. (well, 3 sessions and a character/ city creation session)

if anyone's interested, we post our notes at
http://tulsadresdenfiles.blogspot.com/

The Question:

anyone have any GM tips on how to throw in more compels? This is my first time GMing, and I think I'm doing pretty well so far, ( nobody has quit playing the game yet   but at the end of each session so far, everyone has pretty much the same amount of fate points they started with.

I guess I'm looking for a way to compel without railroading.

Thanks ahead of time yall!

OH ya, our team includes:
A white court Glampire,
A valkyr scion with a minor item of power,
A scion of haphestus ( a technomancer, a singular ability in our game, has been a walking plot point at times)
A talismancing FBI agent
a team of fresh young wardens
( both drafted during the red vamp war)

[Deadmanwalking]

The way a Compel works, well, it can't be railroading unless you abuse it. As long as you don't Compel someone with the same thing repeatedly after they refuse (or Compel anyone with something you know they won't do just to drop their FP down), it should be fairly workable.

[Todjaeger]

The first question which comes to mind is, "what are the aspects the different characters have?" 

I ask because Fate point awards (and usage...) revolve all around Aspects essentially. 

As an example of one of the games I ran at a convention, the group was composed of (Pure Mortal) Psychology students at Yale University.  One them, with a High Concept Aspect of Prissy Brain, had another aspect of Magic Isn't Real, which was getting awarded Fate Points left, right and center because any time the character saw anything "out of the ordinary," the player would roleplay the character as though there was a perfectly logical explanation for what they saw/heard/felt/smelled/etc.  In fact they did such a good job that I didn't even need to compel the aspect, the player did it all on his own.

As an example of an aspect which I plan on using for a character at some point is Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout.

Given the nature of it, it can be used to have just the right item if/when needed (that whole Be Prepared thing...) and can help boost Survival, Guns and Scholarship rolls due to various merit badges earned, first aid training, etc.  By the same token, a character who is an Eagle Scout could be expected to always "Do the Right Thing," even if it is not to the benefit, or possibly even to the detriment of the character, i.e. if an Eagle Scout found a wallet containing $1,000 (which could provide a temporary Aspect of Sudden Windfall) the character could refuse to keep the wallet & money and instead turn it in and/or find the rightful owner, thus acting true to their nature/Aspect and earning a Fate Point.  Or the Aspect could be Compelled, by the GM stating that rather than spending time with friends, hanging out, etc. the character volunteered to help fix up or clean out a derelict home, church or other public building and thus providing a hook to get the character in trouble...

In short, it really depends on the Aspects people have.  Using the text in the book, people might only have rather bland Aspects, toasty or Fuego!  The more interesting the Aspects are, as well as the more open-ended by having double (or more) meanings, the easier they are to be used by the players as well as the GM.

[dork lord]

Also keep in mind that compels are designed to make the story interesting; every time you toss a fate chip at someone, its like saying "I think it would be really cool if X happened." If the player agrees, he will buy in.

[bcillustration]

Hrm... we still have folks tweaking & finalizing their aspects.. but it's looking like that's the trick.

on average, how many fate points are usually handed out in a session?

I'm also thinking, if a player states one of their aspects in the course of play,  that is them trying for a fate point, yes?

IE

Hannah storm, Valkyr Scion has an aspect "What would Buffy Do?"

so if a scourge of black vamps shows up, player says "hrm what would buffy do" then charges in, is that deserving of a fate point? Or is it more GM based - "I'll give you a fate point to go kill some vamps"

[luminos]

If following the aspect creates a more complicated situation for the character, its a fate point.  So if running away was an option, and getting into the fight was an otherwise unnecessary risk, but it fit with the characters aspects, its definitely a compel.  If the character finds out there are vampires in town, its a compel on the buffy aspect if they decide to go hunting them down, for similar reasons.  To get much more specific, I'd need more examples of the players aspects are, because compels are very dependent on the specific aspects.

As a general rule, give fate point when an aspect makes things more complicated for the character than not having the aspect would make things.

[YuriPup]

I think its more subtle than that.

If the vamps were attacking her--then I would say no fate.

If she saw the vamps attacking someone else and threw herself into combat with, even without a "WWBD" quote, I would probably throw her a fate chip. (I hope my GM does too as my character has an aspect of "Shiro is my Hero", for generating fate for getting into trouble like that.)

Also remember there are non-obvious uses of WWBD...she could see the monsters as people (rather like Harry really) and that could cause her no end of trouble.

I also think, without knowing the aspects you have access to yourself, that its hard to tell where the problem is. Are your players good enough to self-compel? Are they reminding you? Do you have a list of their aspects in front of you while running?

WWBD sounds like an ok aspect, though I would want to know the boundaries. Does that include her personal relationships? Shopping?

Or is it more GM based - "I'll give you a fate point to go kill some vamps"

I wouldn't do it like that--but say she's injured and still goes out patrolling--because it is what Buffy would do--that deserves a fate point. I would only consider giving fate points when her WWBD aspect conflicts with and wins over some other aspect of her personality--going out on a date or what have you. Just going out patrolling is likely to generate way too many fate points.

[bcillustration]

That's the ticket then, as I only have about 40% of all the character's aspects.

Yes, the players are generally good enough to self compel, as long as I notice it

as for WWBD, mostly it's heroic daring-do related, although if she missed a hit/job/whatev - to instead go & buy shoes, that should get a FP in my book...

[YuriPup]

Remind your players to tell you they are self-compelling to get the fate they deserve.

[mostlyawake]

As to how many fate points get awarded, it depends on the story but I'm usually giving one out every 10-15 minutes. We're new to this, though, so we'll see if this is too many/little. If all else fails, I tend to track the pc fate points, so I make sure i start compelling if they get down to 1-2 points.  I tend to compel them into adventures, and whenever they can't find something to do... lol