advice on compelling aspects

[yarbaur]

Hi all,

I'm new to DFRPG and been running a game for about a month now.
Our game is very loose as far as mechanics go, so the rules don't get officially invoked very often (I come from a free-form-tending background). This leads to one big issue - there are very few opportunities for compels to be properly used, leaving the PCs with pretty much no fate points except from consequences.
The problem is that their aspects get used a lot during the game, just not in a formalized fashion - that is, they pretty much self-compel in most places that I would consider compelling them into, but given that they just do it as part of roleplaying the scene, its pretty hard to notice in progress, and even when I catch the moment, stopping the game for "ok, that was a self-compel on your <blah> aspect, here's a fate point" seems awfully awkward and like an unnecessary interruption of the game flow.
I've tried to keep track and it looks like all of them are missing about 2-3 fate points each session this way, but so far I don't have any idea how to actually make them get those point short of just changing the per-session refresh, and not doing them makes us miss out on the most interesting aspect of the system that got us to DFRPG in the first place...

Any suggestions on how to emphasize the fate economy of compels while keeping things light on mechanics?

[eri]

Just hand out a fate point token when you notice them self-compelling. Don't bother stopping to explain. They'll get it. And do it immediately as you're noticing. If you wait there's a chance you'll forget. None of my players have complained about being quietly handed a fate token in the middle of their acting out the self-compel. Well so far anyway.

[sinker]

Also talk to them about it. The players likely know when they are self-compelling (it usually takes some conscious thought to think like the other character), if they remind you then it's easier for you, and they get their fate points. Everybody wins.

[Becq]

So the basic issue is that you want to make sure you reward self-compels, and make sure you showcase the aspect in question, but you'd rather not interrupt the scene to do so and catch yourself forgetting to do so later?

Perhaps if you make yourself a cheat sheet with a section for each character's aspects (which could come in handy anyway), you could then just make a tick mark next to each aspect that get's self-compelled "as a reminder".  Then when there's a brief break in the scene, you could go back through the list and hand out the Fate.

Dunno if this would help or not...

[noclue]

1. Gently remind them that it's their job to notice when they've self-compelled and to bring it to your attention if you miss it.
2. Then hit them so hard that they start spending FP like water. They'll be screaming "self-compel!"

[Tedronai]

2. Then hit them so hard that they start spending FP like water. They'll be screaming "self-compel!"

In-game solutions to metagame problems are rarely successful and often backfire.  I warn against this.

[noclue]

In-game solutions to metagame problems are rarely successful and often backfire.  I warn against this.

Oh, I'd be totally above board with them about what's happening. I'd smile with an evil glint and everything. Actually, Everyone in our group knows Fate well enough to spot it anyway. Plus the fact that the meta-game is baked into the game in Fate. You're supposed to manipulate the fate point economy.

The nice thing about currencies is that you can play with them and try out different approaches until you find the one that's working.

[Sanctaphrax]

Not sure that you're playing the right game, honestly. DFRPG is pretty crunchy, there are other Fate games with looser mechanics that might fit your playstyle better.

Like this one.

But no matter which Fate game you play, you'll always have to deal with a certain separation between player and character. Which might not be fun for you. So maybe you'll want a completely different system.

Or maybe you'll actually be best off with DFRPG, I don't know.

PS: Welcome to the boards.