Some Advice for a GM?

[spac3_pop3]

I am a GM for a a group of 5 players, and we're playing their second game this Sunday.  My question is for all the other GMs out there, how do you manage to remember everyone's aspects in order to compel them properly, without asking for their sheets every five minutes?  Write them down, I guess?

[admiralducksauce]

Index cards for each player.  It makes aspects easy and you can arrange them in initiative order when combat breaks out.

[Watson]

I put all the Aspects on a single piece of paper, that also have space for temporary Aspects such as consequences.

[UmbraLux]

I am a GM for a a group of 5 players, and we're playing their second game this Sunday.  My question is for all the other GMs out there, how do you manage to remember everyone's aspects in order to compel them properly, without asking for their sheets every five minutes?  Write them down, I guess?

Yes, I keep a spread sheet with names & aspects in front of me.  I also try to pick a few aspects related to the current adventure arc and try to work them in.  Even with those, I still ask the players to self compel.  Trying to keep the fate chips flowing!

[sinker]

I try to get everyone to hand me a sheet with their aspects in this format:

High Concept: Veteran Psychic Soldier
Invoke: As a bonus to combat, stealth or survival, as a bonus to spellcasting, as a bonus to military social rolls
Compel: For lawbreaking compels, for orders,

Trouble Aspect: "The responsibility is mine"
Invoke: As a bonus to presence rolls, as a bonus to resources/contacts (that a leader would have over the grunt),  for effect to do leader-y things.
Compel: For red tape, for paralyzing feelings of guilt, to motivate him to action, to call the oaths to mind, as the downside to cassandra's tears.

It's a little more paper to shuffle through, but the extra info helps me out a lot.

[Rubycon]

I have put all the aspects of my players on one sheet (I have three players, so it works on one sheet). Additionally, I have a seperate list with potential scenes where I can compel the aspects of the characters...

[spac3_pop3]

Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone!  Also, one of my SCs wants to make a sleep spell as an attack, so he can use it in the midst of combat.  Was thinking that for it to act that quickly, it would have to do actual Mental Stress, or is there a way to keep it 'nonlethal' so to speak, as the player wants to keep his character as nonviolent as possible.

[beachhead1973]

man, these are great suggestions!

[sinker]

Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone!  Also, one of my SCs wants to make a sleep spell as an attack, so he can use it in the midst of combat.  Was thinking that for it to act that quickly, it would have to do actual Mental Stress, or is there a way to keep it 'nonlethal' so to speak, as the player wants to keep his character as nonviolent as possible.

I would suggest that you go back and read the section on mental conflict (YS217-219) particularly the section on stress and consequences. People often associate mental stress with exhaustion because of it's connection to spellcasting, but it actually represents one's sense of self. As such ANY mental stress dealt with magic is pretty much an automatic Lawbreaker (4th) deal.

As far as sleep spells go I figure it's actually still physical stress, as you are tiring them physically, and it has a physical end result.

I have to make this suggestion every time that someone new jumps on here.   Have fun with the game.

[Dravokian]

for the sleep spell it would depend on how it worked for me. If the spell tired them out and they faint then physical. If it induced a mind fogging effect that makes them fall asleep then mental. If it was short term Id allow it to be made as a maneuver. Sacrificing shifts for extra exchanges that the target are asleep for.

[sinker]

Would your sleep spell ever work like this?

The stress and consequences suffered by mental
conflicts are the deepest of the deep—forays
into suicidal thoughts, emotional dependencies,
deep compulsions, and other behaviors and
thoughts typically classified as dysfunctional
in some way or another. Mental damage is the
kind of damage that changes or erodes a person’s
sense of self; suffering enough of these consequences
over time tends to presage a trip to the
mental ward, or at least to permanent counseling.

Cause that's what mental stress represents.

[Richard_Chilton]

It's easier to make a "does this smell like Chloroform?" sleep spell that does only physical effects...  Well, maybe not easier, but much more legal.

Richard

[Sanctaphrax]

I'd also like to point out that there is a significant game balance issue with mental-stress-inflicting spells.

If you let a non-optimized Feet In The Water Focused Practitioner make mental attack evocations, he can take out or force consequences onto just about anything in OW in one hit. Including Nicodemus and Sue the zombie dinosaur, IIRC.

[spac3_pop3]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Mental stress is something that few creatures have the ability to inflict (Why I think WCV are one of the best non-SC templates) which is why I was hesitant to give it to him.  Playing it as a short-term maneuver seems like it should work just fine.  Again, I appreciate all the advice and info, members of the board.

[computerking]

A related question: If "Sleepy" Aspect Maneuvers are placed on a target with Mind magics, is there any restriction on tagging or invoking those aspects to assist in a Physical Sleep attack?