I am bad at GMing - No compels.

[polkaneverdies]

That is an excellent point. Having them physically present would make it harder to space out about them.

[sinker]

Trouble: "Who's your daddy? Azathoth's your daddy!"

Great aspect name. It made me giggle. Which wierded out a customer, so bonus points to you.

Thanks, I put a bit of effort into that one. It was a great game for a bit.

[Dravokian]

yea in our game we use aqua gems... the stones from the bottom of  a fish tank... just never been in a fish tank

[devonapple]

I keep my player Aspects on little index cards, and had them easily in hand during last night's game, but the plot wasn't requiring Compels to motivate the players. I tried one Compel that night and it was bought off immediately by a player who wanted to play it safe. I awarded another FP for someone who gave up valuable information and avoided a combat as a result, in accordance with one of his Aspects.

But we had a good time, advanced the plot, and now they are about to empty out a biker bar and knowingly cooperate with a poorly understood villain who plans to use them and several of their friends and allies as bait for a banished vengeance spirit.

[noclue]

I'd think up two or three compels per character that I wanted to see in the next session and put that list next to me at the start of game. Then just start checking them off as you toss them into play. Add player shenanigans and stir.

[mstorer3772]

It's also quite possible that you're players aspects just aren't that... compelling.

Would you mind telling us what they are?

[admiralducksauce]

Second the "tell us about your character(s)" (oh God what have I done). 

And I also second (or third or fourth, whatever we're up to now) the "write your group's Aspects down on cards and keep them in front of you" trick.  It works.  I'll even ask my table questions like "All right, I'm Compelling Ben because of his X Aspect; if anyone else has something you think is applicable speak up."

We use spent brass* for FP; they make a satisfying tinkle when tossed on the table, and they're more visceral a token than glass beads.


*Note that it's spent brass. I am not advocating the use of live ammunition at a gaming setting, no matter how metal it might be.

[The Mighty Buzzard]

We use spent brass* for FP; they make a satisfying tinkle when tossed on the table, and they're more visceral a token than glass beads.

Damn.  You completely derailed the bout of world building I had going tonight.  Now I have to find something more awesome than the beer caps we normally use for FP tokens.  Links off of a motorcycle chain maybe...

[Masurao]

Have your players hunt down varmin' and decorate their clean-boiled skulls, then use those as tokens... Not that I would ever have done such a thing myself, of course... I just know a guy, who knows a guy with a cousin, y'know...

[aardvark]

Wow! Thanks for your advices.  Scene aspects is something i definetely forgot an thousand times.
So player aspects.
1. Bear wereform.
Werestudent-undergraduate
Life is not a game
I want to be a human again,
Life must be precise as clock
Riddles make my mind sane
Big claws - big resposability
Skin of the beast - mind of the beast

2. Pure Mortal with demon-copilot
Collector with demon in head
Hard childhood
I do not like rejects
All is accessible under pressure
Collecting is a serious business
My left hand is not mine realy

3. Erlking Knightess
Huntress of the Wild Hunt
I was sold before i was born
People are like beasts
Chosen by the Bow
It is not done yet
I do not wanna be a plaything
Survival is a harsh choices

[sinker]

Yeah, some of those aspects I would have a hard time knowing how the players intended their use for compelling. Are you clear on how you should compel those or are you as confused as I am?

[devonapple]

1. Bear wereform.
Werestudent-undergraduate => "Werebear College Student" (otherwise easy to Compel/Invoke)
Life is not a game => phrased clearly enough, this one works
I want to be a human again => easy to Compel, almost impossible to Invoke for an advantage - maybe "Grasping Towards My Humanity"
Life must be precise as clock => could be tightened, but works => might be better as "Control Freak" or "Precise as Clockwork"
Riddles make my mind sane => could be rephrased as "Riddles Bring Me Peace" or "Riddles Relax Me"
Big claws - big resposability = > misspelled, but clear enough
Skin of the beast - mind of the beast => phrased clearly enough, this one works

2. Pure Mortal with demon-copilot
Collector with demon in head => Demonically Possessed Collector
Hard childhood  => phrased clearly enough, this one works
I do not like rejects => phrased clearly enough, this one works
All is accessible under pressure => could be more clear, such as "The Crucible Reveals" or "Trial by Pressure"
Collecting is a serious business => phrased clearly enough, but somewhat bland
My left hand is not mine realy  => phrased clearly enough, this one is great, but it could be better phrased as "Demonic Left Hand" or "[insert demon name]'s Left Hand."

3. Erlking Knightess
Huntress of the Wild Hunt => phrased clearly enough, this one works, though it could be "Veteran of the Wild Hunt" if she is not attached in a permanent capacity
I was sold before i was born => sounds nice, but I the context needs clarification... maybe "Sold to [insert name] Before I Was Born" to indicate a relationship to something specific, or "My Allegiance is Not My Own" to indicate a more chronic tendency to end up in obligations which seem like slavery
People are like beasts => phrased clearly enough, this one works
Chosen by the Bow => phrased clearly enough, though this one seems hard to Compel for any disadvantage, except for maybe limiting the player's willingness to use non-bow solutions to things.
It is not done yet => phrased clearly enough, this one works
I do not wanna be a plaything => phrased clearly enough, this one works
Survival is a harsh choices => I'd rephrase this to "Survival Requires Harsh Choices" or "Survival Always Costs Something"

[noclue]

I don't see any problem invoking "I want to be human again" for an advantage as long as he's in a situation that is about his trying to become human. And he should be in those situations. That's what compels are for.

"Life is not a game" is harder to compel. You don't want to compel him to play it safe. That makes things boring. You need to turn it on it's head and compel him to take risks for big rewards. Effectively saying "isn't it?" and How about now?"

[devonapple]

I don't see any problem invoking "I want to be human again" for an advantage as long as he's in a situation that is about his trying to become human. And he should be in those situations. That's what compels are for.

If the GM is gearing up to offer the Werebear the capability to be a Pure Mortal again, sure, that Aspect can be Compelled and Invoked quite often. But Therianthropy - out of the box - is neither a reversible condition, nor, really a curse.

[noclue]

If the GM is gearing up to offer the Werebear the capability to be a Pure Mortal again, sure, that Aspect can be Compelled and Invoked quite often. But Therianthropy - out of the box - is neither a reversible condition, nor, really a curse.

If he's wants to be human again, then the GM should work up compels around that. Offer "secret knowledge" at a price. Give tantalizing rumors about someone who knows how to rever the condition. Have Maeb show up and offer to fix things for a favor. Etc. Also, compels around the player trying to solve things without hulking out may be warranted too. Can he actually do it? Heck if I know.

Whenever the player is in a situation about trying to become human again or resist the temptation of transformation, that would seem to be a good time to invoke the aspect.