Fate Core: Magi pt 7

Randy Scott Slavin

Oh, The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half-way up,
They were neither up nor down
                                   ~Nursery Rhyme

Stress
when I put my thoughts on stress down, I had not really had a lot of time to think them over yet. After considering my initial position I have decided to change the Stress tracks to something that fits my game a bit more. There was nothing all that wrong with my initial ideas on Stress. The issue came when I was working on the rest of the world. Having a mind stress track was just too rigid, especially because there are some factions and people who seek to eradicate the concept of mind. So I had to change it up, and after rereading Mage: the Ascension, I think I figured it out.

I had wanted something that worked a lot like the paradox mechanics in Mage. I got very close with my thoughts on how nodes work. When you use magic in a node that has a style different from those supported by that node, it rolls against you. It becomes a conflict. It defends and attacks. Originally I was going to have it inflict Will stress, but that is not really correct in the world of the game. It is not your will that protects you, it is your ability to change the world around you. I know that can get a bt semantic, but I think there is a key difference there. I have now decided to have two kinds of stress, pattern and discord.

Pattern stress represents your selfhood, and your resistance to changes by outside forces. When someone tries to change you this is the type of stress they have to create. If you get stress out in this manner, you are taken out, and the person who took you out will have free reign on your pattern. Pattern consequences will be large or small changes to yourself. Either physically or mentally.

Discord stress represents how in tune you are with the world immediately surrounding you. You take stress only when you are casting magic in an area not conducive to that type of magic. The world fights back. When you get taken out it is bad, very bad. It changes your style aspect to match its own. Discord consequences are representative of how out of tune you are with the surrounding world. So on the low level, it could be a bit of bad luck, at the higher levels it could be full blown hallucinations, or you are cursed with stigma or a 'witches mark' of some kind.

Person of interest
The Once and Future King: He has slept in a sealed node for time immemorial. all that is left of his glorious shining kingdom are few half remembered stories. His rest is watched over by his three closest companions. He awaits the sounding of teh horn and the call to once again take up the sword and the banner. To call to all men, good and true. To face the evils of the world and drive them back to the shadows whence they came. He was the king, is the king, and shall be so again. Until that day he sleeps. He dreams. Oh, such dreams as would make the angels weep.

Belief: Good will triumph over evil
Style: By my Sword and my deeds
Love: The weak need protecting
Failing: Too Trusting

Fate Core: Magi pt. 6

http://www.randyscottslavin.com/

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house

                                                                ~Nursery Rhyme

In this post I will be taking a closer look at some of the core concepts of Magi. How the world is arranged, and all that.

Cycles and Nodes
Because there are very few constants in reality, the Magi do not measure things by time or location. Time is fluid, it exists or it doesn't, the Magi remember things by Cycles. A cycle is when the world changes significantly, like the eight dimensional construct cycle, or the cycle of the inverted stair. When a majority of the nodes are converted to a certain worldview, then that becomes the new cycle.

Locations are also transitory, much like time. the only stability in the universe are the nodes. Nodes can be many things. The most obvious being Nodes that are actual locations. There are other kinds though. Nodes can be part of the collective unconscious(if such a thing exists in this cycle). They can be separated from the world entirely, remnants of old cycles, beginnings of new cycles, or something far stranger still. The important part of a node is that it is a necessary fixed point in the universe.

Shadows
Most things in the world are transitory. They are represented by aspects, and not much else. people(well, the non-Magi ones) are little different. To the magi, these are known as shadows. they are there, but lack the substance of a Magus. They are made up of three aspects and a single skill.
the aspects are Physical aspect(represents how they look), Mental aspect(represents how they think/what they believe), and a Skill aspect. The skill they have can have any rating, though most have the skill at only average. Shadows can become Magi, though it is uncertain how this happens. Most Magi started out life as a Shadow of some sort.

The Other
There are things in the universe that should not be. The believe nothing, think nothing, and have no voice. Yet they have power, they change the world. They have been called many things over the cycles of change: Leviathan, Titan, Fomoire, or Giants. To most in this cycle, they are simply known as The Other. Existing in reality, yet not of reality. No one knows what they want, or why they do what they do. They are completely alien, no matter what version of reality.


Persons of interest
Mother: Some say that she is Hera, Frigga, Tiamat, or Pavarti. Some say that she is older still than that. They say she was the first goddess. Carved in stone and worshiped in languages that were barely that. She is Mother, and she is angry. When she appears upon the world it is as a ravager. Her army of Never Beens and Forgotten sweep from node to node until they are driven back. Then she retreats to her caves. There is no light in her caves just the sound of dripping water, gnashing teeth, and plotting. She will reign over the universe again, for she is the mother of us all.

Belief: I am the mother of all
Style: Dreams and songs
Love: The children of man
Failing: Rage of the forgotten

Seth: The last survivor of the Great Pesedjet of Heliopolis. He seeks to rule the universe as the lord of chaos. He is all creation all the time. Seth fabricates stories and appearances better than anyone. He can blend into any paradigm, and has been known to even get along with The Other from time to time. His mind is alien to most, though his motivations are simple.

Belief: Chaos is the natural state
Style: Shape shifting master of darkness
Love: My brother, my betrayer
Failing: I will rule the universe

Fate Core: Magi pt 5

http://www.randyscottslavin.com/

Character creation
In Fate Core the phases of character aspect creation are very crucial to the understanding of how your character exists in the world and how that character interacts with the world. For Magi I have decided to change the Fate Core phases to something different that fits the game I am making a bit better.

What do you believe: Write an aspect about how you believe the world should work. Do you believe in chaos or order, individuality or conformity, or do you fall outside those parameters in some strange way?
What is your style: how do you interact with magic? how do you change the world? Technology, ritual, the force, steam tech, transhumanism,  or something else? write an aspect that demonstrates that style
What do you love: What is the person, thing, or idea you care about the most?
What is your failing: What is your weakness? how have you failed, and how do you continue to fail? What is in your way on the path to power?
What is you connection to others: look to the other people at the table, build an aspect that shows your connection to their characters. Are you a cabal of Magi attempting to change the world? Are you Frenemies? what is the relationship and how do you interact with it?

There are another type of aspects you will have. you start with one skill aspect slot. a skill aspect is like a scene aspect, only it can be changed by yourself or another using a roll(obviously it is easier for you to change it, than another. you can have more than one skill aspect, however you have a maximum number of slots equal to one plus your rating in pattern.

A skill aspect represents what you are good at in the current reality. Basically these represent your mundane abilities within that paradigm. you can change them to suit your needs, or to better fit a new paradigm. Say you are accessing a node where gunpowder does not work, having the Gunfighting skill aspect will not be useful. So you roll one of your magic skills to change that. The magical skill will effect the type of skill aspect you can create.

I am tinkering with the idea of using some sort of sliders in the world. There would be two of them.the sliders one is set between order(conformity) and chaos(individuality) perhaps there is an x axis that goes from order to chaos and a y axis that goes from conformity to individuality. I kind of want this game to potentially be any game. need to think on this. Basically it would be rated from -4 to +4 on each scale and it would represent the way the universe works in that node. you could only change it on a successful roll. This will alter it one step on the sliders. Succeed with style and you can do two. I still need to work on this idea a bit, but that is the core of it.

I have had a few thoughts on how style will affect play. I thought I would share those thoughts, but be warned they are incomplete. If your style is in line with the aspects on the node you can do magic freely. If you own the node, you gain a free invoke on each of the aspects on the node. If your node is mildly off of the aspects on the node any magic roll will be contested by the node. And if your style is just way out there, then the node gets a free invoke of it aspects against you in the opposed roll. I need to work on the node's skills and such, but this is the basis of how I see magic working in the game. Any thoughts on this subject would be welcome.

Unique Persons of the World of Magi
The First Dissenter: In the beginning was the one. the first voice, singing to the void. Then came the other, the second voice. The First Dissenter claims to be that second voice. The voice of rebellion, disagreement. It seeks to create as may differing and opposed viewpoints in the world as it can. It follows the path of anarchy and individualism. Break everything down, always.

Belief: I disagree
Style: The Language of the First
Love: Self is all there is
Failing: Of course, I disagree...

King of Clocks: He exists in perpetual motion. The world around him seems to be standing still. Time bends and distorts to his whim. If you start trying to alter the time stream, or do away with time, be warned. You will hear the tick tock of his footsteps long before you see him. And none who have seen him survive with their sanity intact. He lives in a palace of gears, surrounded by his automita. There you can live a lifetime in a moment, or not age for millenia. He is order, he is creation, he is movement.

Belief: Life should be sequential
Style: Casting and clairvoyance
Love: Machines will never let me down
Failing: Things must be just so

Jake has an issue, and maybe...A solution?

I was going to work on my game design today, and I will continue to do so as the days go by. However this game is kicking my ass. It is all the things I love about Mage: The Ascension, however the things I love about that game are the hardest things to do well in a game. I do think that Fate Core can do the job. The problem comes in with the idea of permanence. Fate is a powerful engine, in this case that strength is its weakness as well.

The power of Fate Core is the creation of advantages. The ability to create aspects, or to add free uses to existing aspects, is an amazing creative tool. In play this leads to a feeling of impermanence to everything. On the one hand I think that this feeling is awesome. It really fits into the impermanent nature of reality in Magi. On the other, it does suck when you spend a long time building something, and then it falls apart.

The real issue I am having is not related directly to Fate Core, and that is Styles of magic. How do you use the magic? What does magic MEAN to your character? How does the world react to your style? These are big issues, and they are only lightly tied to the mechanics right now. It seems that the more I link the style to the mechanics, the more complicated and unwieldy the game gets.

In light of these issues I have decided to work on another, easier, project so that I will have something to fall back on when I am having difficulty with Magi. So without any further ado, I present project number three:

http://georgespigot.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/buck-rogers-011.jpg

I have loved this show since I was a child. Well, to be fair, I loved half of this show since I was a child. The first season is fantastic, the second is...ok. I have always wanted a decent conversion of Buck Rogers, and I guess now I will have to make one. This will go along a simlar path to my other conversion, FATErnia.

I will be taking concepts from the show, as well as from the original books and comics, and adding my own twist to them. I will probably also add in some Flash Gordan too, as I love all of Buster Crabbe's work.


I will start with the major troubles of the world. Firstly, there are the Draconians. Ruled by the the Emporer Han the merciless, they have the largest fleet in the galaxy and there sphere of influence is dwarfs even the Earth's. The Draconians would have conquered Earth and her allies long ago if it were not for Earths superior technology, thanks to the leadership of the Robot Council.

Aspect: Looming War With Draconians

Now the secondary threat that I see is that Earth has a weak control over her systems. They are often self ruled. All the robot Council cares for is that Taxes and supply quotas are met, and no complaints are made. There is a lotof talk at the higher levels of Human rights, and the Rule of Law. but on the outskirts of human control, these are just words.

Aspect: Rules mean little on the Rim

There will be more threats and such as I move along through. Hopefully tomorrow I will have more Magi work done. If I don't you will see character creation for Buck Rogers, as well as a location.

The Sharn Codex session 0

I am taking a break from my design today. I have run into some issues that I need to think through a bit. I lieu of that I will discuss my campaign of Fate Core I am running, currently. I gathered a group together earlier today to play what I hope will be a full campaign.

The game is set in Eberron, a D&D setting. Initially there was a lot of discussion over how that would work. some of the setting is tied very closely to the D&D mechanics. We worked out a system that I think will suffice, we will see how this goes in play.

The players have taken on the roles of the king of Breland's Dark Lanterns.They set up their home base as Sharn. The Characters are Flint, a shifter archer, Sim, the changeling con man, Rantin, the human stealth expert, and Remiel, a Wizard outcast of house Denieth.

Mostly we worked on the world and the characters this session, the last forty-five minutes I ran them through a brief introductory scene. It was aimed at getting them into the mystery early, as well as showcasing some of the mechanics of the game with a conflict or two.

we did run into one Issue though. I think it has been answered, but we were unclear in the game. When a person creates an aspect and does so with style(basically they get two free uses) can both uses of the aspect be stacked? Can a person use the same aspect twice in a row, for the same roll? We ruled yes, because I recalled some discussions going that direction, but that seems a bit off to me.

If you want to check out the game here is the recording of the first session. I swear a bit, I am sorry.

Fate Core: Magi pt 4

http://www.randyscottslavin.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=16&p=1

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told
                  ~Nursery Rhyme

In Magi, magic can change the world permanent level. this is problematic because in Fate there is not an easy way to accomplish this same feat. I have been having quite the discussion on the Google+ discussion group about how to do long term effects in my game. There appear to be three basic schools of thought on this matter.

The first method people suggest is that a certain number of extra successes would allow for long term, or permanent effects. the level of success required and when that excess is known became something of a debate, but the basic idea is that you need to go above succeeding with style by X amount(where X is the pet number that is being used in that particular argument). I like this idea because it allows for three things I think are important: it is attainable incrementally(in some arguments), multiple people can build on it, and it allows for spectacular success to really help out.

The second Idea is really just a derivation of the first. Make a stress track for the the thing you are trying to change. when you fill its stress track, you get to write a new aspect or change an existent one. this is very similar to the first idea except it is linked into an existing mechanic in the game and so I like it a bit more.

The third answer I got was that Fate did not need a new mechanic, that the GM could just use his judgement on an aspect, and it exists until it no longer makes sense for it to exist any more. I have a couple of issues with this argument in specific,and this type of argument in general. First aspects in this type of system become very much the domain of the GM's idea of how they should work. when I first played Mage, I had an ST that decided I could not do what I wanted to do, even though the rules supported my claim. In those days the Mage rules had all kind advice to the STs about ignoring the rules. That is one of the things I am attempting to avoid in my game. I wish for the rules to be the rules no mater who is using them. If that makes sense.

My gripe about this type of advice in general(and I am not calling out anyone who has given it, this is my issue) is that it is basically useless advice. When I ask a question about the rules I am aware that using the rules as is is an option. I usually am asking how to alter a rule because I have found that the existing rules either don't work in a given circumstance, or are nonexistent in the circumstance. so telling me to use the rules as is does not work. Generally because I have found the rules to be lacking. Sorry if I got a little ranty there, I have a tendency to do that. It is just an issue I have had for a while.

So I have decided to use the stress track method of changing the world. Now I just need to work out a few more details on how exactly that will work. I am working on it right now. I am a bit flummoxed by a few issues, but I have hope that it will work out in the end.



So...on to Nodes then. as they will be key to the whole world thingy, I need to really nail down what they are and how they work. A Node is a focus for the world. A lynchpin for reality, if you will. they form a web. A web of Nodes all connected to a central Super Node. A Node is the sum of the laws of the world around it. It represents them and reinforces them. It is influenced by the Nodes connected to it, most dramatically by its Super Node. A Super Node represents and reinforces the nodes it is connected to. When you do magic that corresponds to laws of the node you are in, it is far easier than normal. When you work magic that is the antithesis of the Node's laws it becomes much harder to do.

I need a mechanic to represent this interconnectedness of nodes and how they influence each other. I also need some kind of mechanic or metric that represents the laws of the Node and how that changes the use of magic within its sphere of influence.

Here are a couple of ideas that have been put forward, not sure what direction I will be going in with this yet.

Treat each Node like a character. it would have a series of skills and aspects and a stress track (harmony). How I see it working is like this. When your style matches the Node's style aspect(or is close) it can't use its aspects to defend itself against your magic. when your style is opposed(or close to opposed) to the Node's style aspect then it can use its aspects against your magic...I don't know, something like that.

the other idea that has been put forward(this one by me) is a series of sliders, from -4 to +4. When you change a node it moves the sliders toward one end of the slider or the other. when your style meshes with the locations on the slider you get a bonus, or something. Honestly, I was very much in favor of this idea. I am, however, very much blocked on this. I will continue to work on it though.


I also thought I would mention a few more pieces of source material I am using for this game. SyFy's Alice was a large influence, mostly in how the world changed around them as needed. other movies/shows that had a good visual set for how I see the game running, What Dreams May Come, The Cell(the dream sequences in it specifically), The Matrix(just a bit), Neverwhere(just a bit), Dark City(a lot),Simon R Green's Nightside series,  and Inception. Check 'em out if you want some good visuals and ideas for the Magi.

Fate Core: Magi pt 3

http://www.randyscottslavin.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=6&p=1

Tom, Tom, he was a piper's son,

He learned to play when he was young.

And all the tune that he could play

Was over the hills and far away;

Over the hills is a great way off.

The wind shall blow my top-knot off.

Tom with his pipe made such a noise,

That he pleased both the girls and boys,

And they all stopped to hear him play,

'Over the hills and far away'.

Tom with his pipe did play with such skill

That those who heard him could never keep still;

As soon as he played they began for to dance,

Even the pigs on their hind legs would after him dance.

As Dolly was milking her cow one day,

Tom took his pipe and began to play;

So Dolly and the cow danced 'The Cheshire Round',

Till the pail was broken and the milk ran on the ground.

He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs,

He used his pipe and she used her legs;

She danced about till the eggs were all broke,

She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.

Tom saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,

Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes, and glass;

He took out his pipe and he played them a tune,

And the poor donkey's load was lightened full soon

                                                                      ~Nursery Rhyme

Today I will be discussing the Factions within the magi. Here are a few of the basic faction ideas I have had.

Rationalists: Rationalists believe that the world should work the same everywhere. They believe that science is absolute. They follow the Method and the Theory. Currently they hold a majority of the planets nodes. However, there has been dissension in the ranks of late, and the masses are starting to revolt. They have pushed too far too fast, and now the masses are pushing back.

The Jedi: this is used as a derogatory term for a group of newbie Magi who were heavily influenced by Star Wars, Kung Fu Movies, and other pop culture ideas of special powers. They are really into their world view and how cool all of this is. Generally they move on to another faction after a little bit of maturing.

The Mad: These are Magi who believe that rules just get in the way. They are absolutely opposed to entropy and love creation, they are not opposed to destruction. They believe in absolute individuality. most of them behave more and more erratically as the years(if there is such a thing) go by. The most powerful of the faction being almost completely alien in their outlook on all matters.

The Forgotten: old gods, mythical monsters, demons, and all manner of things that are no longer believed in still exist. Well, some of them do. When reality changed, they did not vanish. no one knows why. they are not human, but they have minds, they believe. They believe they should exist. They believe it so badly that it changes the world a little. they exist on the fringes, in the dark. beware their dark desires.

The Unity: In the beginning, there was one voice. then came the many, then came the conflict.The Unity believe that unity is absolute, that nothing is worse than conflict. They believe that unity is worth sacrificing anything for. Anything.

Returners: these magi believe that things were better before. Before what? Each returner has a different answer. They know that things were better, and they wish to return to that reality. Often they are followers of old religions. The Forgotten are often seen in the company of Returners.

Sons of the Devourer: Existence is a mistake. A fluke that never should have happened. That is what the sons believe. They are Nihilists of the highest order. The believe that everything must burn. they believe this. They tear down all they see. And when their work is done, when there is nothing left but them, they will turn their fires upon themselves. Liberty in death for all.





Also I will go over the skills ad how they work(I will expand on this as we go along). this game will focus almost entirely on Magic and controlling the world around you.

Stress tracks
Will stress track: keeps track of how well your mind stays together under stress, based on psyche.
Pattern stress track: keeps track of how well you can hold your image of yourself, based on pattern.

Skills
Every skill can be used to attack, defend, create advantages, and overcome obstacles.  it is your description of how they do so that gives the game its flavor. also each skill can be used to change yourself, to change others,or to change the landscape. each skill has only one of these facets initially, though you can pick up stunts that will allow for more.

Elan Vital: there is something that separates life from non life, though it is difficult for any to say what that something is. This skill allows understanding and control of life. some believe that this was the skill that caused the conflict, for you can create a living thing that is capable of disagreeing with you.this skill starts out with the facet of Self.

Matter: This is the skill of things, making things, breaking things, and holding things together. the building blocks of the non living universe are matter and this skill lets you perceive, control, and create matter. Starts with the facet of landscape, it changes the world, changing yourself and others with it is far harder.

Forces: Those laws that interact with matter and living things the same, fire, electricity, fission, and things that are far beyond the ideas of the world today. that is forces. Starts with the facet of landscape.

Spirit: There exists a world along side ours, call it the collective unconscious, or the dream world, or virtual reality, in the end it is the spirit world. It is deeply connected to every person in the world. in this world every person has a realm where their beliefs are supreme, where their will is law. This skill lets you manipulate that world and affect the things within it. Starts with the facet of landscape.

Affinity: This skill is difficult to understand. It explores the nature of connection. Everything i the universe is connected in some way. With this skill you can see those connections and manipulate them. It involves movement, yes, but deeper still it involves changing the relationships between things, or people. Connection starts with the facet of other it is easier to see the connections between other people than to see other kinds of connection.

Psyche: This is one fo two non-magical skills. this is your mind. you use this skill to do any of the tasks you would with your magical skills, there are certain tasks that you cannot do, however. Most notably you cannot create things from nothing with this skill, nor can you create permanent(or semi permanent) aspects with this skill. the best you can do is scene long. non magic starts with the facet of self.

Pattern: This is the other non-magical skill. it represents your physical representation(most likely, your body). it has the same restrictions that psyche has, only it is for pattern actions(physical actions in the current universal construct). Starts with the facet of self

You can pick one skill as your primary this starts at three, you then get one as your secondary this starts at two, then you take one as your tertiary skill this is at one, the rest are at 0.

That is it for today. Tomorrow I wil go into nodes a bit more as well as perhaps character creation a bit more. See you then.