NPC Fate Points

[zerogain]

I have a few questions about running DFRPG. I've been the GM for several sessions now, and I have a good handle on how I compel aspects on the players, how to use scene aspects, etc. However, I have a question about using fate points and my NPCs aspects.

1. How many fate points do my NPCs have?

It seems odd that every person walking the street is going to have this massive budget of fate points. Certainly Tim the Sniper on YS 328 (the first one) doesn't have seven or eight at his disposal, does he?

2. What happens to those fate points when I, as GM, use them to hinder the players?

I'll use Tim again, suppose that a rival player engages him and I've got the aspect "Bullet Sense" or something that we rule impedes the player's interaction. Can I invoke that aspect to get Tim a +2 on his defense? Does that point just diappear into the aether, or does it wind up in the affected player's pool?

I've been toying with the idea of starting each session with four fate points. I collect all the fate points that players use, but I can only use the four I have, and the ones they give me, for my NPCs. I have an unlimited pool to offer them for GM driven compels of their aspects, scene aspects, and all the rest. Of course I can't recall wehre I got that idea...

[BumblingBear]

I have a few questions about running DFRPG. I've been the GM for several sessions now, and I have a good handle on how I compel aspects on the players, how to use scene aspects, etc. However, I have a question about using fate points and my NPCs aspects.

1. How many fate points do my NPCs have?

As many as you want to give them. 

What I do is have a communal "bad guy fate point dump" in the table.  If my players get too far off track during a game, I add fate points to the pile.

If an NPC has positive refresh, they should probably come into the game with their base refresh in fate points.

It seems odd that every person walking the street is going to have this massive budget of fate points. Certainly Tim the Sniper on YS 328 (the first one) doesn't have seven or eight at his disposal, does he?

Average people have 1 or 2 refresh.

2. What happens to those fate points when I, as GM, use them to hinder the players?

This is part of why I have a bad guy fate point pile.  That way they visibly disappear from the pile and my players don't have to ever call shenanigans.

I'll use Tim again, suppose that a rival player engages him and I've got the aspect "Bullet Sense" or something that we rule impedes the player's interaction. Can I invoke that aspect to get Tim a +2 on his defense? Does that point just diappear into the aether, or does it wind up in the affected player's pool?

It disappears - the same way one of your player's fate points disappear if they use it on one of their own aspects.  However, if Tim uses a fate point to compel an aspect of one of your PCs - like a consequence or something, then the player gets the fate point.

I've been toying with the idea of starting each session with four fate points. I collect all the fate points that players use, but I can only use the four I have, and the ones they give me, for my NPCs. I have an unlimited pool to offer them for GM driven compels of their aspects, scene aspects, and all the rest. Of course I can't recall wehre I got that idea...

I start each session with 2 bad guy fate chips.  However, I compel my NPCs the same as I compel players so that number can grow rather rapidly.

[kertain]

I like this idea BumblingBear, was wondering how to handle that in my game as well.

Thanks

[devonapple]

I used to have a "Table Distraction" pile of Fate Points. When the table talk was getting in the way of progress, I quietly started adding to it. It was quite effective. And I adhered to it as well, removing FP when I was the one yacking.

[BumblingBear]

I used to have a "Table Distraction" pile of Fate Points. When the table talk was getting in the way of progress, I quietly started adding to it. It was quite effective. And I adhered to it as well, removing FP when I was the one yacking.

I think I may have gotten the idea from you.

[Crion]

Personally, I pull a part of a rule from a game I played called 7th Sea: I start the game with a number of Fate Points equal to the number of players, plus the highest adjusted refresh at the table. Whenever a player uses a Fate Point, it gets tossed into the pile to be used again later.

For my game, this puts me at nine Fate Points to start, plus whatever my group members end up spending. I use this pool as my overall "plot engine" and on behalf of the NPCs, and I've yet to run out, even when I hand everyone in the party a Fate Point when I compel aspects. I do pull them "out of the air" for certain events (like when a PC does something that would net them a Fate Point, like acting within the confines of an Aspect).

But again, that's my approach, and may not work well for everyone.

--Crion

[EldritchFire]

As a player in BumblingBear's game, I can say it works quite well. We're not calling Foul when a Fate Point is spent, since we know where it came from. Heck, he even lets us know when he compels an enemy aspect "Eevil Baddy McBaderson is being compelled from his I Do Eevil Things aspect to attack the female of the group."

That way, we know why the bad guys are doing what they're doing, and also why they're gaining more Fate Points. It's a win-win!

-EF

[Chris_Fougere]

I borrowed from Strands of Fate and have a pool of NPC Fate equal to the Base Refresh of the game (so for us....  Minions and such minor threats add nothing to the pool, more important NPCs add to the pool based on their importance to what's going on (from 1-3, nothing wacky).  If the pool starts to run low I'll compel the NPCs just as I would the PCs.

[zenten]

I think I might borrow that Strands of Fate idea.

[devonapple]

True Confession:
I rarely (if ever) Compel an NPC's Aspects (and I'm sure my game could be better if I did).

I hint to, or outright specify when an NPC Aspect is being *invoked* but I drop the ball on NPC Compels.

[BumblingBear]

True Confession:
I rarely (if ever) Compel an NPC's Aspects (and I'm sure my game could be better if I did).

I hint to, or outright specify when an NPC Aspect is being *invoked* but I drop the ball on NPC Compels.

You should really give it a shot.

Last session, I compelled my snake-fae sorceress with her "AOE is good for me" aspect twice.  She got 2 fate points but wiked out 6 of her own malk soldiers. 

[zenten]

So I tried the following system yesterday, and it seemed to work well.

Take the base refresh of the PCs, and multiply it by the number of players at the game session.  Use this as a base pool of Fate points.  Every time you introduce an antagonist NPC subtract the refresh adjustment from the pool.  Use the common pool just like you would for Fate points for an individual character, including adding in the Fate points from consequences when an NPC is taken out.

[UmbraLux]

1. How many fate points do my NPCs have?

I tend to base the number of fate points on the refresh level of the game.  A major NPC with a large negative refresh spent may actually start off with negative fate points.  He's probably going to impact the narrative more than once - giving him a chance to earn a few fate for later use. 

That said, not all fate points need be tied to an NPC.  Sometimes it's a plot device, scenery, or 'just makes sense'.

2. What happens to those fate points when I, as GM, use them to hinder the players?

They could disappear or they could go to a player.  Depends on how it was used and who / what the aspect was tied to.

[EldritchFire]

NPC Fate Points are covered in detail on pages YS351-352.

In brief, Main NPCs get their own pool (based on their refresh). Compel liberally to give them more. Supporting NPCs get one per scene, plus any for compels. Nameless NPCs only get a FP if a PC compels one of their Aspects.

Or, you can go for the Fate Point Pool Method. You get 1 FP per player, period. NPC compels go into the pool, and any FP spent comes from the pool, regardless of who used it or how it got there.

I personally like the FP Pool Method.

-EF