Author Topic: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed  (Read 2672 times)

Offline vonpenguin

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Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« on: August 17, 2011, 10:16:21 PM »
So I'm attempting to convert fate for the Battlestar Galactica universe and I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this? I honestly have no idea where to start other than reading over Dresden and Diaspora obsesivly to make sure I have the rules and differences understood first.

Sorry if this is off topic but Evil Hat doesn't seem to have their own forum.

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2011, 11:50:53 PM »
What aspects (heh) of Dresden do you want to bring over to your BSG game?  Or to put it another way, is there something in Diaspora that you don't like for BSG?

Offline vonpenguin

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2011, 04:48:05 AM »
The main thing I prefer about Dresden over Diaspora is the skill selection, Stress track setup, and advancement method.

Offline Arcteryx

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2011, 05:18:26 AM »
I'd say you probably need to switch the skill selection to make it more BSG-appropriate anyways. Stress track setup and advancement are both fairly modular... should plug right into Diaspora without too much trouble, shouldn't it?

I haven't read Diaspora in a couple of years, but I remember it being a really slick piece of work.

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2011, 04:22:26 PM »
The main thing that makes me feel an oddness is the starship combat.  Like, I think it'll work for BSG, but Diaspora is built around a different paradigm of space battle, and harder-sci-fi assumptions are made.  Heat management, no fighters, and I'm not sure they even account for FTL jumps in combat (or perhaps that can be simulated by positioning your ship(s) off the +4 or -4 range bands).

Still, the rules they have can probably be made to work easier than trying to roll your own.  And the default scenarios of "you're running from someone" or "you're standing and fighting" pretty much covers what happens in BSG.  Galactica tries to hold off Cylons long enough to jump out, or they're sending their fighters in to strike at a Cylon weak point, or they're making a stand while their people get off the surface or a damaged civvie ship can be repaired, etc.

My random ideas (some might be mutually exclusive):
1.  Fighters could use minion rules and the tethering rules to attach them to named characters.
2.  Torpedo attacks and beam defense reskins nicely to incoming Raiders and Flak batteries.
3.  Fighter squadrons could simply act as a single-statted entity rather than individual ships or even minions.  I mean, generally single hits destroy Vipers and Raiders except for real lucky named characters anyway.  No sense tracking damage on single fighters.  Galactica's Alert Vipers could be a "ship" to themselves.  It would negate the need for scaling as well; a squadron of fighters or Raptors could be assumed to have the punch necessary to damage capships at close range.

Offline Rubycon

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2011, 08:31:45 AM »
There is another FATE-based sci-fi-game. It's called Starblazer. I don't own it but it could be more fitting for the BSG universe.
You can take a look here: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=56969&filters=0_0_40050_0

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2011, 11:32:06 AM »
Oh, duh.  I have Starblazer Adventures too.  I'll look at that and see if its space rules would be more appropriate.

Also, what elements from BSG do you want to focus on?  For example:

1.  Everyone's a Cylon!  Or more specifically, would you allow Declarations to affect if a character is a skinjob?  Do you even want to explore that theme of paranoia in your game?  Would PCs secretly be toasters (not secret secret, just character-knowledge secret.  I can't fathom keeping Trouble Aspects like "Skinjob Saboteur" from the table)?

2.  Is the game even set up around the Ragtag Fugitive Fleet model, where a bunch of ships are pursued by implacable robotic foes?  You could run a Wolverines-style planetary resistance campaign without ever needing spaceship rules.  Or if the PCs are all civilians aboard a Battlestar, you could still run an entire campaign of politics, backstabbing, and violence without the PCs needing to throw dice down on the table for space combat.  That's something that happens off screen and out of the PCs' control.

3.  Oooh!  DFRPG's City Creation works pretty well for establishing the character of the Fleet (or even just a single Battlestar).  Themes and Threats could be things like "Martial Law", "Ever-Dwindling Resources", "Corruption All the Way to the Top", and so on.

Offline vonpenguin

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2011, 11:57:31 AM »
Oh, duh.  I have Starblazer Adventures too.  I'll look at that and see if its space rules would be more appropriate.

Also, what elements from BSG do you want to focus on?  For example:

1.  Everyone's a Cylon!  Or more specifically, would you allow Declarations to affect if a character is a skinjob?  Do you even want to explore that theme of paranoia in your game?  Would PCs secretly be toasters (not secret secret, just character-knowledge secret.  I can't fathom keeping Trouble Aspects like "Skinjob Saboteur" from the table)?

2.  Is the game even set up around the Ragtag Fugitive Fleet model, where a bunch of ships are pursued by implacable robotic foes?  You could run a Wolverines-style planetary resistance campaign without ever needing spaceship rules.  Or if the PCs are all civilians aboard a Battlestar, you could still run an entire campaign of politics, backstabbing, and violence without the PCs needing to throw dice down on the table for space combat.  That's something that happens off screen and out of the PCs' control.

3.  Oooh!  DFRPG's City Creation works pretty well for establishing the character of the Fleet (or even just a single Battlestar).  Themes and Threats could be things like "Martial Law", "Ever-Dwindling Resources", "Corruption All the Way to the Top", and so on.

Number three is actually the exact reason I decided to do this. And Yes Paranoia would play a very big part. I was thinking I would randomly give every PC a secret aspect like "sleeper agent" or "special destiny". And thanks I'll take a look at starblazer and see if that works better.

One thing I liked about Diapora's space combat was the "repair" phase of combat. I was going to modify a hack for knuckledragger characters to have retroactivly beefed up the vipers and raptors to represent both their skill and the fact that most repairs are jury rigged.

Offline Lanir

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2011, 12:32:40 PM »
You may get something out of this write-up, not to mention the other entries on this site:

http://www.faterpg.com/2011/stress-consequences-and-the-fractal/

Basically it's a "hack your own" for Fate-based RPG's. Of course they don't cover every area of the system and it's not an organized how-to by any means. But the stuff they cover they do a rather good job at. Good enough to jump start ideas in other areas I think.

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: Fate convertsion for BSG: Advice needed
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2011, 12:55:42 PM »
And they cover more and more each update, like City Creation:

http://www.faterpg.com/2011/some-new-additions-to-fates-open-content/