If the GM offers four fate points...

[perfectwashu]

My GM offered me four fate points to go down a dark alley, my question is how many people would think four just obviously means one hell of a royal impact on the game. Most of my party said no, just no, if its worth it... however I just couldn't say no, i mean what the worst that could happen?

[Team8Mum]

You could get yourself into a situation that cost 5 fate to get out of it...

If the gm is THAT desperate it is obviously something they have spent ages prepping and it would be impolite NOT to go and see the effect of all that hard work.

As my hubby says "It not my fault, all I did was give them the rope, the wobbly chair and the hook in the ceiling, it was up to them what they did with it."

[bitterpill]

4 Fate Points is a lot so I would have gone for it, the worst thing that could happen is you end up getting kidnapped, my GM did the same thing to a PC he ended up being mind wiped, marked and missing a chunk of bone from his arm and clearly the victim of a powerful ritual like effect. Still well within the acceptable range for four fate points.

[Shecky]

For me, it's more of an issue of whether or not the character would do it.

[Katarn]

*4 FP.  Worth almost anything (if the situation gets bad you have 4 re-rolls / +2 rolls)
*As said above, clearly your GM worked hard on what's down that alley.  Courtesy dictates you see.
*Aren't you curious what's worth 4 FP to your GM?

[bibliophile20]

*Aren't you curious what's worth 4 FP to your GM?

Hell, I'm curious!  When I killed the old mentor wizard, I only gave the apprentice PC 3 FP!

[Drachasor]

My GM offered me four fate points to go down a dark alley, my question is how many people would think four just obviously means one hell of a royal impact on the game. Most of my party said no, just no, if its worth it... however I just couldn't say no, i mean what the worst that could happen?

If you mean a literal dark ally, then why not?  If you mean a metaphorical one then I think it depends on how you want to play your character.

[Steppenwolf]

My GM offered me four fate points to go down a dark alley, my question is how many people would think four just obviously means one hell of a royal impact on the game. Most of my party said no, just no, if its worth it... however I just couldn't say no, i mean what the worst that could happen?

Well, at first you should explain to your GM he cannot offer 4 FPs at all.
However was it a compel or just a plain bargain like "these are free FPs all for you if you go down the alley"? Just cause if it's a bargain it's not permitted by the rules.

Of course if you have a stated House rule and it's not the GM's whim, this is possible.

Second thought, but you should explain all the scene, I think your GM could have difficulties in framing. Where and how did you start the scene of the alley?

[Mal_Luck]

Well, at first you should explain to your GM he cannot offer 4 FPs at all.
However was it a compel or just a plain bargain like "these are free FPs all for you if you go down the alley"? Just cause if it's a bargain it's not permitted by the rules.

Escalation (Optional Rule) YS105, though normally it seems the limit for that is three fate points.

[Steppenwolf]

Escalation (Optional Rule) YS105, though normally it seems the limit for that is three fate points.

The limit is three fate point, not normally, but always
Moreover Escalation is for very dramatic choices, not to decide wether entering a dark alley.
Thirdly I understood that GM offered the FPs and didnt compel the characters.
In any case 4 FPs to compel is too much compared to the base pool available to PCs so this can be a bad way to railroad.

[sinker]

Fate encourages the GM to create a game that he likes, using whatever means he likes. Rewarding players with fate points for things other than good roleplaying is perfectly acceptable, and a common practice in many other games. Whether or not he "can" do it is irrelevant. He can and did.

Which is not to say that I would encourage that kind of thing for a compel because it would be very expensive to buy out of, but if he's just saying "here's four fate points that you get if you do this and don't get if you don't" then I see no problem.

[Steppenwolf]

If I'm not wrong, FATE encourages groups and not GM to create their own games.

The roles of GM are explicited in the chapter of "running the game" and I see no power to change the rules, unless they talked with the players and decided with them.

However I'm curious to hear the Actual play of the session to understand better the situation and the ruling.
For now we can only talk in general terms.

[bitterpill]

If I'm not wrong, FATE encourages groups and not GM to create their own games.

The roles of GM are explicited in the chapter of "running the game" and I see no power to change the rules, unless they talked with the players and decided with them.

However I'm curious to hear the Actual play of the session to understand better the situation and the ruling.
For now we can only talk in general terms.

House rules '!!!', the creme of Fate, I am certain that a GM who pays 4 fps to a character has very strong narrative reasons for doing this and as long as it does not ruin the game he is running then the GM can do what ever is expendient, rules are more like guidelines for GMs anyway.

[Steppenwolf]

I am certain that a GM who pays 4 fps to a character has very strong narrative reasons for doing this

Sorry but I disagree.
IMHO if the GM needs to bribe the players to make them do what he wants, there's a problem in narration.
Perhaps he gave too few hints or traces, perhaps the dark alley in fiction hasn't became so important for PCs to go down it.

For this reason I'd like to know the whole story, just cause for now I'm just speculating.

In Fate and in RPGs in general you got so many ways to tease characters along the path you have chosen. And however you should expect characters act on their own.
In the latter case, you simply adjust the scenario on the fly.

[zenten]

For me, it's more of an issue of whether or not the character would do it.

I don't see how it would be hard to justify just about any character to do that.