Welcome to Fate - Introductory Adventure

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

First off let me just state that I have never played FATE, and in our group looks like I will be the Storyteller.  I am pumped!

So to that end . . . I am attempting to create a short Introductory Adventure.  Something that has all the basic items that can happen in a game, so the players can learn the system as well as teaching myself. 

Goal: Cover the basics in a short story, and then get into the more advanced pieces during the campaign.
Question: What are the major bits that need to be included?

Scene 1
Compels, Declarations, and Aspect Tagging. (How Fate chips work)
Scene 2
Social contest (indirect beat downs)
Scene 3
Physical contest with a single zone (direct beat downs)
Scene 4
Skill usage (I can do what?)
Scene 5
Free for all Climatic ending (The BBG confrontation, multiple zones, multiple avenues of contest, fear death instilled.)

But, What else? 

Thanks in advance,
BAH

[luminos]

Make sure to have an investigative component to it, so you can get them to see how things like contacting, scholarship, and lore work out. 

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

Since I have no idea what I am doing I figure I might as well build the Adventure on the forums, and listen to the comments.

---
The Story Title:  Welcome to Fate
Dedication: For those who learn by doing
Quote: Fate can only take you so far.  The rest is up to you. -unknown.

The Place: Fate Texas
(I mean what better place to set a FATE intro adventure.)

Interesting Facts about Fate:
Fate is on State Highway 66 and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line four miles northeast of Rockwall in northern Rockwall County. The community's name derives from the nickname, "Fate," given to Lafayette Brown, one of the area's early settlers, by his wife. A post office was established in the community in July 1880. By the mid-1880s Fate had a school, a cotton gin, two general stores, and a population of seventy-five.  During the 1920s and 1930s the small community began to decline. While agriculture remained the area's major occupation, better roads and automobiles took trade from local merchants to those in larger towns. Nonetheless, a bank, a drugstore, and a number of stores remained in business at Fate. Fate's school eventually dropped its high school grades, and the community's population declined to 194 by 1930 and 127 by 1940.  The number of businesses operating in Fate declined from fifteen to six during the 1940s. As of the census of 2000, there were 497 people residing in the city.  Fate seems to be growing. (Aspect: Growing Pains)

With the Growth of Fate, the city has started making big plans. 
Creation of an internet presence, and growing community organization.
http://www.cityoffate.com/en/index.html
As well as big plans to develop and shape the city.
http://www.cityoffate.com/images/docs_mapsplans/MasterPlanConcept_110806.pdf^{Warning PDF}
Is that a lone star in the center of town, or a pentagram?
(Aspect: Hidden Puppet Master)

On 5/18/2000 a magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred.
On 10/20/2002 a magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred.
On 5/13/2006 a magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred.
On 10/15/2008 a magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred.
All Four dates on the lunar calendar are full Moons.  The next full moon in May is the 28th.
(Aspect: Somethings Brewing)

Points of Interest in Fate:
http://www.houseofpainironwear.com/
House of Pain (911 Holiday Dr., Fate, TX) is a private company categorized under Sportswear, Men's and Boys' and located in Fate, TX. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $500,000 to $1 million and employs a staff of approximately 5 to 9.  Host to Weight Training, Fitness Classes, Mixed Martial Arts training, and other painful workouts.  (Threat: Feeding Grounds)

http://www.castledouglastexas.com/
http://www.castledouglastexas.com/_photos/g1-photo16.jpg
Castle Douglas is a true castle in every sense: a setting for fairytale weddings, a center of community events, a monument to the conquering power of love, and a source of confidence that events planned months or years in advance will come to pass just the way you've dreamed.  Now that doesn't sound sinister at all. Why is it called Castle Douglas?  In 2000, Bernadyne Douglas Dumford, J.R. Dumford's wife, died suddenly. Castle Douglas is dedicated to her memory. Also, while on a trip to Scotland, the Dumford family discovered a town named "Castle Douglas" in honor of Threave Castle, an ancient stronghold of the Douglas family. (Aspect: Wellspring of Magic, and trouble)

---

Well I am convinced, truth is stranger that fiction.  90% of the above is Truth.  And it is easy to see the dark, gritty, and supernatural undertones in this quiet little piece of the world.

So off the cuff I can envision a Castle dwelling Wizard turned to the black in an attempt to bring his wife back after her sudden death.  Every two years he tries tapping the power of the moon and other darker things, causing earthquakes.  Perhaps he did bring his wife back to life, or perhaps something else came through from the never never and needs a new body every two years.  A Demon?  Whatever it truly is.  That something is attempting to carve out a town to its own goals.  A Something that feeds on pain and strong emotions?  A something that can hide and feed in the open courtesy of a house of pain.

Ideas? suggestions? Am I on the right track?

[SoulCatcher78]

So far it definitely has a very odd "twin peaks" or a lighter Ravenloft sort of feel to it.  One of those places where the natives seem happy but folks travelling through get that feeling of impending doom.  I think it'd be a great place for a one shot.  Character suggestions would include a local (nothing supernatural but a clued in mortal searching for his lost relative...maybe she's the body for the next incarnation of crazy ol' man Douglas' wife...very Strahd feeling but it could work) who has woken up to the fact that there's something weird going on.  Depending on the number of players/power level involved you'd have to give us some ideas on how you would like it to scale.  For a small group (2-3) I would suggest one local, two travellers who have been stranded by FATE in this small town right before the full moon...even better if one of them is a werewolf.  If you don't like the local PC idea, create an NPC to travel with the group and have her snatched by ol' man Douglas for the ritual.

[Valarian]

A Something that feeds on pain and strong emotions?  A something that can hide and feed in the open courtesy of a house of pain.

Doesn't one of the White Court Houses feed on pain? The Malvora were fear ... was it the Skavis?

[luminos]

Malvora feeds on fear, Skavis feeds on despair.

[drscorpio]

Fate is on State Highway 66 and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line four miles northeast of Rockwall in northern Rockwall County.

This looks interesting all in all, but I have a quibble with your geography. Kansas and Missouri are adjacent, but neither of them borders Texas. Oklahoma is between Texas and the other two states.
 

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

This looks interesting all in all, but I have a quibble with your geography. Kansas and Missouri are adjacent, but neither of them borders Texas. Oklahoma is between Texas and the other two states.
 

Funny, all I did was copy and paste from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/FF/hlf9.html  But your right.  Fate is a long way from any border, its right outside Dallas.  Now I realize in 1880 Oklahoma didn't exist as a state.  But still . . .

so Good Catch!  Any Game related input?  Do the Aspects sound right?  Any ideas of other directions to spin the story that could be unfolding in the town?  Any ideas of Scenes that could play out in this environment?  Hooks so to speak?  I am still trying to come up with NPC's to populate the town with.  As well as good "scenes" that would help drive home the basic rules of the system.

[SoulCatcher78]

NPC:

Clifford "Red" or "Red Dawg" Wilkinson, owner operator of the Wilkinson Towing and Repair in FATE, TX.  Red lives a few miles outside of town but his business is located on the outskirts of town.  If the PCs are having any sort of vehicle issues they will be directed to his small garage or if they need a vehicle towed he will be the one dispatched (as he is the only garage in town).



Red refuses to live inside the city limits and he will cite the weird goings on around the full moon period as "typical of the star watchin' fruitcakes" that seem to be drawn to Fate.  What he doesn't know is that living outside of the town has insulated him from the ongoing low level domination of the townsfolk.  While he's a salty guy ("now you ladies watch yer step, wouldja like sum hep with that?") he's honest and has his moments of clarity.  As far as knowing who's who in Fate he can be considered to have contacts of Great and his ability to repair vehicles is Superb (depending on parts availability).

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

love it! Thanks!

[SoulCatcher78]

NPC:
Joey Williams caretaker/tour guide of the local Railroad depot (The railroad depot in the photo below was built in 1886 in Fate, TX, which is northeast of Dallas, for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.).  He suffers from accute insomnia and can be found at the depot at all hours working on the models and general building upkeep.  Characters might encounter him if they are doing anything in town "after hours" as he is the one man neighborhood watch for FATE (he carries a police band walkie talkie with him when cruising at night to contact the Sheriff if anything looks out of sorts...given his insomnia and resluting (occassional) hallucinations, this makes the sheriff slow to respond to anything "weird").



Joey is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge (Superb) about the history of FATE and the surrounding county but he has little use for the world outside of his immediate enviornment.  Other skills would be Investigation (Fair), Intimidate (Fair), Drive (Good).
 

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

Thanks again for the input on this.  I am attempting to put this into a "module" format for Fantasy Grounds II.

Anyone out there running Dresden on FG2 yet?

[kalanthros]

Thanks again for the input on this.  I am attempting to put this into a "module" format for Fantasy Grounds II.

Anyone out there running Dresden on FG2 yet?

Not as yet, though I'm toying with the idea, need to see how much time I end up with (and if I can find Euro time zone friendly players)...

[DesertCoyote]

NPC:  Keith Thomas

Keith doesn't have any supernatural powers.  He's not up on supernatural lore either.  He lives in his parents' basement and is part of a conspiracy theorist group called "The Resistance."  The group believes the world is being invaded by aliens and that they are the only ones aware of this.

(Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory)

Keith and company have come to associate the Men in Grey as collaborators if not aliens outright.  They've noticed that when the Men in Grey show up, there's some weird stuff going on and people are getting killed or disappearing.  Therefore, the Men in Grey must be the cause.  As part of the Resistance, Keith specializes in surveillance (Investigation +4) and has identified many possible aliens or collaborators in FATE, TX.  Some have had encounters with the Men in Grey.   If he can confirm any of these people as aliens, he does have a copy of the Anarchist Cookbook... (Crafting +3, and mortal stunt "Pyro" which gives him +2 to crafting when he's setting up something to burn or explode.)