How are you Compelling your NPCs?

[devonapple]

As a GM, we are ultimately free to give Fate Points to NPCs or villains as befits the story. Some GMs work from a pool of FPs that they spend as the scenario plays out. Others track individual Fate Point totals for each NPC. When an NPC gets Compelled by a player in the course of the game, obviously they get the FP. A player who has twigged to the fact that a particular Villain is a "Classical Monologuist" can Invoke/Compel that trait to get the Villain to monologue, giving the PCs more time to do stuff (note: please don't ask about Invoke/Compel - just focus on the actual question below). But I get the impression that, ideally, we should be putting NPCs in situations in line with their Aspects in order to award them Fate Points for taking Compels.

So how do you folks do that? What are some examples of how you have self-Compelled your NPCs to get them Fate Points to, in turn, make life harder for your PCs? Were they effective and entertaining for the players?

Do you narrate off-screen scenes that aren't considered player knowledge, but show how the NPC's plots are advancing and explain to players how the NPC is earning that Fate Point? Or does everything in your game have to happen within at least one PC's point of view?

[Mr. Death]

Generally, I use whether the NPCs are under the refresh level to determine whether they get fate points: If it's a 10 refresh game, and High Lord Whatshisface is at -17 refresh, he's not going to get extra fate points for self/GM compels. But if his underling, General Whosthat, is sitting at -9 refresh and gets a compel, he'll get one.

But, if the players do the compel, I do hand over the fate point to the NPC to preserve the whole 'action-reaction' thing.

As for NPCs using fate points, mostly I just go the GM-fiat way of it to make life interesting for the PCs.

Most everything that happens in my games are from the players' points of view, anything happening offscreen I just work out in my head or something, usually while they're doing a GM-free character development bit.

[UmbraLux]

But I get the impression that, ideally, we should be putting NPCs in situations in line with their Aspects in order to award them Fate Points for taking Compels.

So how do you folks do that? What are some examples of how you have self-Compelled your NPCs to get them Fate Points to, in turn, make life harder for your PCs? Were they effective and entertaining for the players?

More often than not, it's their aspects being compelled which drive them to oppose the PCs.  Or, sometimes more correctly, their aspects are driving them to do things the PCs feel must be opposed.

Do you narrate off-screen scenes that aren't considered player knowledge, but show how the NPC's plots are advancing and explain to players how the NPC is earning that Fate Point? Or does everything in your game have to happen within at least one PC's point of view?

No, cut scenes and monologues are rare in games I run.  I try to drive interaction, not presentation.  In other words, I'd rather have the players / PCs interact with the world to learn something than just hear about it. 

Major NPCs may well earn fate points from interactions the PCs aren't part of but they'll spend fate points in situations away from the PCs also.  So I only give NPCs fate points for use against the PCs from interactions with (or related to) the PCs.  I figure everything else is a wash.

[devonapple]

So what I'm hearing so far is:
Treat Fate Points as a closed system: no off-screen Fate Point spending or earning on the part of NPCs.
Award Fate Points to villains whose Aspects Compel them against the PCs.
Fate Points for 0-refresh or negative-Refresh NPCs are only earned by Compels from or conflicts with PCs.

Does anyone else do things differently?
Are you transparent with your villains' machinations?

[Sanctaphrax]

I BS things a bit. Mostly I just say, "X ought to have Y FP" to myself when a new character enters the scene. Y is usually 0, but there are exceptions.

If something onscreen makes a compel happen, I use a real compel with the real rules.

[Harboe]

I don't 

I have a pool of [# PCs] Fate Points for minor scenes.
[# PCs*2] Fate Points for tense scenes.
[# PCs *3] Fate Points for cinematic scenes.

All NPCs, allied or not, draw from this pool.

[admiralducksauce]

I BS things a bit. Mostly I just say, "X ought to have Y FP" to myself when a new character enters the scene. Y is usually 0, but there are exceptions.

If something onscreen makes a compel happen, I use a real compel with the real rules.

I think this lines up pretty much with how I do it. Real compels when the PCs are right there or at least when they directly encounter the results of that compel; otherwise, I play it by ear, and mostly my villains are higher Refresh so the assumption there is they get zero most f the time.

[sinker]

I'm with Sancta and the admiral too.

[Silverblaze]

I BS things a bit. Mostly I just say, "X ought to have Y FP" to myself when a new character enters the scene. Y is usually 0, but there are exceptions.

If something onscreen makes a compel happen, I use a real compel with the real rules.

Exactly how I'd do it.