Author Topic: I am bad at GMing - No compels.  (Read 8361 times)

Offline noclue

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 333
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #30 on: August 26, 2011, 03:06:00 AM »
So aardvark you should be able to come to the table with a list of a few compels for each character to use a jumping off point.

Offline KOFFEYKID

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 776
  • Im BLEEDING Caffeine!
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #31 on: August 26, 2011, 05:38:30 AM »
This isn't necessarily your fault (I didn't read the whole thread but here goes anyway).

A lot of the work on compels can by stymied by poor aspects on your players, if all their aspects (excepting trouble because that explicitly requires it to be troublesome) are all beneficial, then it is much harder to find appropriate aspects.

A good way to counter this is recommend that all of your players have a Knowledge aspect, a social aspect, and a physical aspect (among seven, this isn't too restricting) that all have flip sides to them. If your players have these three areas covered and there is a good and bad side to them, then you should have an ample playing ground for compels.

Always encourage self compels, you'll find your players are coming up with ideas to screw up their character's lives much easier than you would do, and even try to slip past the freebie from time to time, but that is ok. As long as everybody is having fun then the game is golden.

Offline aardvark

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 28
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #32 on: August 26, 2011, 06:09:15 AM »
Great thanks guys! For ideas and ideas and very nice ideas :). I am energized with good emotion and thinking. Now field trials.

"My left hand is not mine realy". He make a bargain with one of Unseelie Sidhe to gain knowledge about his father (he is an orphan and his mom die in jail). Cost was control of his left hand when he actually see his father. It is a great story hook and awesome dedication from player. But i think it is not so good formulated aspect.

And thanks again. This sunday will show me how much i can process good advices.  :)

Offline Lanir

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 208
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #33 on: August 26, 2011, 09:38:25 PM »
"My left hand is not mine realy". He make a bargain with one of Unseelie Sidhe to gain knowledge about his father (he is an orphan and his mom die in jail). Cost was control of his left hand when he actually see his father. It is a great story hook and awesome dedication from player. But i think it is not so good formulated aspect.

I think I'd recommend altering that a bit. Something to reflect the deal more. It doesn't change the story but if you focus on the deal it will encourage both you and the player to think about other ways it can come up. Maybe when dealing with Winter fae he can reasonably claim he has some idea what to expect. You might be able to compel him to consider gambling on a new deal as well. After all, he's managing this one alright isn't he? So what could it hurt?  :)

Didn't look at the others, sorry... Seemed to have enough responses on those.

Offline noclue

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 333
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #34 on: August 27, 2011, 06:04:56 AM »
Great thanks guys! For ideas and ideas and very nice ideas :). I am energized with good emotion and thinking. Now field trials.

"My left hand is not mine realy". He make a bargain with one of Unseelie Sidhe to gain knowledge about his father (he is an orphan and his mom die in jail). Cost was control of his left hand when he actually see his father. It is a great story hook and awesome dedication from player. But i think it is not so good formulated aspect.

And thanks again. This sunday will show me how much i can process good advices.  :)
Well, if you keep it, it screams out for his father to be the bad guy.

Offline beachhead1973

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 112
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #35 on: October 04, 2011, 07:15:36 PM »
I've GMed a few games now, many hours of play, never used one compel yet, nor awarded a fate point, until recently, I forgot that aspect of the game existed.

Didn't have any problems

Offline noclue

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 333
    • View Profile
Re: I am bad at GMing - No compels.
« Reply #36 on: October 05, 2011, 05:43:24 AM »
@beachhead, If you're not awarding FP, that must mean the players are only using what they get from refresh. So, are the players just not invoking their aspects very often?