Gaming in the store on Friday nights is hit and miss. I do not run Friday Night Magic as I have a fundamental problem with the way Wizards of the Coast acts so I try to make it a board game or role playing night. Recently we were running Dungeon Crawl Classics and it was going very strong. But with the withdrawal of a couple of people due to work commitments and a relationship breakup the game was no longer viable. Last night I turned to FATE.
History of FATE in store
I sell FATE in store and also run the Demolished Ones last year. The players were very positive about the game. It was a game with only three players though. Regular players have offered some poor opinions of FATE in store. Their experience playing the game was negligible though and I decided to give it a run. After viewing the Tabletop episode featuring FATE I decided it was time to renew my love affair!
The Kevin Crawford effect
The first game needed to be memorable. Going through my influences I hit on Kevin Crawford’s idea in the Silent Legions of making the game local. Tasmania’s South West is an untamed wilderness. The grand rain forests could almost hide all sorts of life. Very few Tasmanian’s have spent any time among the canopy and I chose it for the setting.
FATE
Fate is one of the greatest systems to play in. Players experienced in the system find great freedom. As a GM I find the system allows the players and myself to build the story. I have written many times in the life of this blog about the system and am likely to write about it many more. Friday Night FATE began last night with the investigation of a missing camera crew lost in the South West.
The Wendigo
A creature had taken most of the crew and only one survivor existed, now as a cannibal. In convict times the story of Alexander Pearce occurred – a case of cannibalism in Tasmania. The camera crew were retracing the convicts journey with a relative of the original Alexander Pearce when they were attacked by a feral beast in the forest. A Wendigo – born of horror and cannibalism. The players were members of the rescue team seeking the survivors.
The Play
Home runs were hit last night. I won over some of the nay-sayers of the system and we built a great story. The army specialist shot dead the only survivor in a fearful reaction. The Wendigo attacked the players on top of a wet slippery cliff. A ferocious battle ensued almost killing one of the rescue team. Designed as a one shot it is likely that at some stage these characters will be revisited.
FATE Core may be the saviour of Friday nights. Frday Night FATE sounds cool anyway. I do love this system and I do love creating so let us see where it all ends up! Keep rolling…