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Fate Core System Pay What You Want
Average Rating:4.5 / 5
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Fate Core System
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Sieghard H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/11/2023 08:43:23

Good idea, bad in practice. Damage system and stunts are non intuitive and to complicated for a rules light system. Tried to play fate with 3 different groups (both as DM and Player), all disliked the system and prevered to play something different.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Leif N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/10/2023 15:56:42

Fate is not the game I play the most, but is the game I think about at all times. The simplicity and flexibility of the system and the characters make for a roleplaying game that really plays the way you feel like an RPG should. Diving deep into the game in all of its forms will make you better roleplayer and GM in any system. From how to make your characters work well together, to how to structure a session of play, Fate is by far my favorite RPG.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Thomas H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/25/2021 12:27:20

There is a lot that I like about FATE. Evil Hat Productions has some of the best written RPG rulebooks in the industry, with very clearly written instructions, well thought-out and balanced game systems, and seriously excellent layout, typesetting, and indexing. I looked into FATE as I was in the market for a solid generic system to move our group to, as we bounce from setting to setting a lot, and FATE seems perfect for this, except for one thing... the use of the Fudge dice. It seems like it should be such a minor thing as the dice are easy enough (and inexpensive enough) to acquire, but its just a barrier our group couldn't get past the same way we could have if the game used our existing collection of standard d6's. So I'm rating FATE highly because it seems like a great generic game system... but I can't give it five stars because it's just not a system our group will ever actually use.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Kevin V. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/20/2021 06:19:05

I was looking for my first ever RPG, and I wanted a flexible system, easy to adapt and more focus on narrative than combat. This does it. The book is sprawling with examples on how to run the game, and how to adapt it to your liking. Amazing!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by John L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/08/2020 15:40:49

I like Fate in theory. Lots of really great game ideas. But when we get it to the table, it winds up feeling less like a roleplaying game than a storytelling experience moderated by Fate points ...which is fine if that's what you're looking for. I just like my games to give me a little more discovery, exploration, and surprise.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Jeremy C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/01/2020 15:01:16

I absolutely love this system. It is so versatile. It is crazy how it can literally replace any game system out there. Well done!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Malcolm M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/29/2020 11:06:19

I tried to read thrice this book, in english and in french. I liked character creation and how the mechanic runs. I'm stil lost on how to gm these rules. They seem a lot too abstract to men, I'm confused by the lack of true rules for Magic, Hadware or whatever they call "Extras" so maybe I will play it in the future as a player but not as a GM, I don't feel it.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Conor M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/17/2020 22:53:21

Fate Core is my favourite game system, having played more than I can recall going back to 1991. It’s the best system I’ve seen for modeling fiction and it’s the easiest and most fun to play too. The Fate point economy creates a flow in the game, one friend described Fate as having the potential to mix a great RPG with the feeling of a game of poker.

It's true that it's probably not a system that can handle absolutely anything, but I've played and run most genres I can think of in it and it's always performed incredibly.

The Fate Horror Toolkit is also very worthwhile, it's a great guide for horror in Fate, but it's also a great guide to horror in gaming. I used advice from it to run my favourite horror game ever, in Fate.

Quite simply, Fate deserves every bit of praise it’s had.

Oh and if you like it, consider buying the hard copy book, it's a lovely chunky piece that's a pleasure to read cover to cover.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/08/2019 13:39:41

The following review was originally published in Mephisto 66 and translated from German (find original German review below).

Fate Core System

The Fate Core System is a universal role-playing system - and a quite unusual one. According to Fate, the focus is on the characters, which many role-playing systems would claim for themselves. But here, the players have a more considerable influence on the overall storyline of a Fate game than for other role-playing systems.

But let's start at the beginning: The central element of Fate is the so-called fate points. Fate points can be used by players to repeat dice rolls and to improve the result. To receive them, players must accept their own character's weaknesses or act as the character concept dictates (which may not always suit the player at the moment).

This approach quickly leads to Fate's next central concept, the aspects. Aspects are descriptive attributes that can be applied to anything: characters, places, situations, or even an entire game world. For example, the aspect of a character could be: "Nobody stops me." On the one hand, such an aspect means that the player can improve his dice rolls by spending Fate Points when it comes to not being stopped. However, the descriptive formulation also allows this aspect to be used differently, i.e., when the gamemaster demands that the character cannot be stopped in a situation - even if it might be wiser in this situation not to charge onward. In this way, the aspects are quite central character elements, which can be adapted to a certain extent in the later course of the game. Fate even goes so far that players can influence the game world by choosing an aspect. For example, in a fantasy world, if a player chooses the aspect of being a "Mage of the Black Circle," that means that this circle must become part of the game world.

At the beginning of character creation, there are two central aspects, the high concept, and the trouble. The high concept describes what the character is. The trouble is a problem, a difficulty, or a dark side. While the trouble seems to be a weakness, it is often an excellent way to generate fate points. Besides, each character gets three more aspects that are developed by interaction with the other players. The first common adventures and encounters of the characters are described, and character traits and the relationships between the characters are developed.

There are actual game statistics in the form of skills (Fate does not use attributes). The distribution of the skills is very simple and follows the so-called pyramid. Each character gets one great, two good, three fair, and four average skills that give him a bonus of +1 to +4. Fate uses four fate dice for every roll: six-sided dice with three symbols of plus, minus, and blank. By adding these values, the result ranges from -4 to +4. Depending on the roll, either a fixed difficulty or an opponent's roll must be exceeded. Skills can be used to overcome obstacles, create advantages, attack, or defend. Of course, not every skill is suitable for each of these test types. The tests become more dynamic when aspects are used in the situations to get advantages and bonuses on the rolls (accepting disadvantages of aspects again brings fate points).

Even though the basic system is comparatively simple, the book takes a lot of time to explain the subtleties and the somewhat unusual concept. Damage is also dealt with in an unusual way. If a character takes damage, he can either check off stress boxes, of which he has very few, or he can take consequences, which again are aspects affecting the character negatively. If neither is possible anymore, then he is put out of action. Thus the combat system, which also applies to verbal conflicts, is kept very simple. The use of game statistics for weapons and equipment is an optional rule that also remains abstract. As with other tests, this is more about a descriptive approach than a detailed record of the game world in numbers.

This idea is refined with stunts and extras. Stunts are specialties for using skills to perform unusual actions. In the beginning, the player can choose a limited number of stunts. The term extra is used for all the unique things a character can possess. Possible extras include magic or superpowers, but also special equipment or vehicles. In the example for magic, the extras depict basic magical traditions, whose aspects tell you what you can do with them. However, there are no long and detailed spell lists.

The core set of rules provides the universal game system and some examples, but no ready-to-play game world. Fate is a good system to create your own game world. The rule mechanisms are abstract enough that not every detail has to be determined technically. Even if the use of the aspects seems unusual at first, this descriptive approach can allow for a quick start. Basically, this approach fits well with characters from books or films, namely that specific basic characteristics define them, and they behave consistently within these definitions - even if it is to their disadvantage.

A good part of the book is also devoted to game master topics and not only deals with Fate's specialties but also gives general tips on how to build storylines or put together entire campaigns.

Fate is an interesting role-playing system, but certainly not for everyone. Players who value complex rule mechanisms with many game statistics won't have much fun with the abstract system. In fact, game statistics often almost fall behind the aspects. Based on an aspect, a character can be a feared swordsman, but that doesn't say much about his skill value in combat. In fact, the aspect is even more important than the game statistic. If you interpret it correctly, it can also mean that the character is not a good fighter, but still has a certain reputation because of his aspect.

The small-format rules book is well presented, even though the drawings are black and white. Fate takes a lot of time to introduce the reader to the different facets of the game. Personally, however, a short summary would have helped me at some points to get an overview instead of getting to know all parts of the game in detail. But especially with the good and entertaining examples, it is not difficult to learn Fate.

What is also missing from the book is a scenario or a game world that introduces some of the game concepts and gives the game master a concrete approach for his first test of the game. Without the drive and the ideas to develop your own game world (or to adapt an existing game world) an essential element for starting into the game is missing.

When I started reading Fate, I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, because many concepts of role-playing games are very different from other role-playing games. But if you look at the whole system, you can see that Fate's ideas and rules are well built on each other and entirely consistent. This certainly doesn't make Fate suitable for every player, but players who do not want their characters to be reduced to numerical values and who are interested in telling stories get an excellent approach to role-playing with these aspects.

If you compare the Fate Core System with Fate Accelerated, then Fate Core System seems to me to be the more balanced system. If you're unsure whether Fate is for you in general, Fate Accelerated will give you a very quick start. Nevertheless, the Fate Core System seems more interesting, while Fate Accelerated seems primarily suited for spontaneous one-shot rounds.

(Deutsche Version)

Fate Core System

Das Fate System ist ein universelles Rollenspielsystem – und dazu ein recht ungewöhnliches. Den Fokus setzt Fate nach eigenen Angaben auf die Charaktere, was allerdings sicherlich viele Rollenspielsysteme für sich behaupten würden. Was auf jeden Fall gilt, ist, dass die Spieler bei Fate einen größeren Einfluss auf die Gesamthandlung haben, als bei anderen Rollenspielsystem.

Doch fangen wir vorne an: Zentrales Element bei Fate sind die sogenannten Fate-Punkte. Fate-Punkte können von den Spielern dafür verwendet werden, Proben zu wiederholen oder das Ergebnis zu verbessern. Um sie zu erhalten, müssen sie ihre eigenen Charakterschwächen akzeptieren oder so handeln, wie es das Charakterkonzept vorgibt (es aber vielleicht dem Spieler gerade nicht passt). Dieser Ansatz führt schnell zum nächsten zentralen Konzept von Fate, nämlich den Aspekten. Aspekte sind beschreibende Eigenschaften, die sich auf alles anwenden lassen: Charaktere, Orte, Situationen oder auch eine ganze Spielwelt. So kann der Aspekt eines Charakters beispielsweise lauten: »Mich hält keiner auf«. Einerseits bedeutet ein solcher Aspekt, dass der Spieler durch Ausgabe von Fate-Punkten seine Proben verbessern kann, wenn es darum geht, nicht aufgehalten zu werden. Durch die deskriptive Formulierung kann dieser Aspekt aber auch anders genutzt werden, nämlich wenn der Spielleiter in einer Situation fordert, dass sich der Charakter nicht aufhalten lässt – auch wenn es in der Situation vielleicht klüger wäre, nicht mit dem Kopf durch die Wand zu gehen. Auf diese Weise sind die Aspekte ganz zentrale Charakterelemente, die sich in gewissem Rahmen auch im späteren Spielverlauf anpassen lassen. Dabei geht Fate sogar so weit, dass Spieler durch die Wahl eines Aspekts die Spielwelt beeinflussen können. Wenn ein Spieler in einer Fantasy-Welt beispielsweise den Aspekt wählt, »Magier des schwarzen Zirkels« zu sein, dann bedeutet das, dass dieser besagte Zirkel Teil der Spielwelt werden muss.

Am Anfang der Charaktererschaffung stehen zwei zentrale Aspekte, nämlich das Konzept und das Dilemma. Das Konzept beschreibt, was der Charakter ist. Das Dilemma ist ein Problem, eine Schwierigkeit oder eine dunkle Seite. Während ein Dilemma eigentlich als Schwäche erscheint, ist es häufig ein guter Weg um Fate-Punkte zu generieren. Zudem bekommt jeder Charakter drei weitere Aspekte, die im Zusammenspiel mit den anderen Spielern entwickelt werden. So werden die ersten gemeinsamen Abenteuer und Begegnungen der Charaktere abgebildet und Charaktereigenschaften und die Beziehungen zwischen den Charakteren entwickelt. Konkrete Spielwerte gibt es in Form der Fertigkeiten (Attribute kennt Fate nicht). Die Verteilung der Fertigkeiten ist sehr einfach und folgt der sogenannten Pyramide. Jeder Charakter bekommt eine großartige, zwei gute, drei ordentliche und vier durchschnittliche Fertigkeiten, die ihm einen Bonus von +1 bis +4 geben. Gewürfelt wird bei Fate mit vier Fate-Würfeln: sechsseitige Würfel mit drei Symbole, nämlich Plus, Minus und Nichts. Das Ergebnis reicht so von -4 bis +4. Je nach Probe muss damit entweder ein fester Wert überschritten oder der Wurf eines Gegners übertroffen werden. Grundsätzlich können Fertigkeiten zum Überwinden von Hindernissen, zum Erschaffen von Vorteilen, zum Angreifen oder zum Verteidigen verwendet werden. Natürlich eignet sich nicht jede Eigenschaft für jeden dieser Probentypen. Dynamisch wird das Ganze dadurch, dass in den Situationen Aspekte eingesetzt werden, um Vorteile und Boni auf die Proben zu bekommen (Nachteile von Aspekt in Kauf zu nehmen bringt wiederum Fate-Punkte).

Auch wenn das Grundsystem vergleichsweise einfach strukturiert ist, nimmt sich das Buch viel Zeit, die Feinheiten und das etwas ungewöhnliche Konzept zu erklären. So wird auch Schaden deutlich anders abgehandelt als in anderen Rollenspielen. Wenn ein Charakter Schaden nimmt, kann er entweder Stresskästchen abstreichen, von denen er nur sehr wenige hat oder er kann Konsequenzen auf sich nehmen, was wiederum

Aspekte mit negativen Auswirkungen sind. Geht beides nicht mehr, dann ist er außer Gefecht gesetzt. Damit ist das Kampfsystem, das auch für verbale Konflikte gilt, sehr einfach gehalten. Die Verwendung von Spielwerten für Waffen und Ausrüstung ist eine optionale Regel, die ebenfalls abstrakt bleibt. Wie auch bei anderen Proben geht es hier eher um einen beschreibenden Ansatz als um eine ausführliche Erfassung der Spielwelt in Zahlen.

Verfeinert wird das mit den Stunts und Extras. Stunts sind besondere Anwendungsfälle für Fertigkeiten, mit denen der Spieler dann besondere Aktionen durchführen kann. Am Anfang kann der Spieler eine begrenzte Zahl an Stunts auswählen. Extra ist die Bezeichnung für alle besonderen Dinge, die ein Charakter haben kann. Möglich sind Extras wie Magie oder Superkräfte, aber auch besondere Ausrüstung oder Fahrzeuge. Bei den Beispielen für Magie bilden die Extras grobe Magierichtungen ab, deren Aspekte sagen, was man mit ihnen machen kann. Lange und ausführliche Zauberlisten gibt es jedoch nicht.

Das Kernregelwerk liefert das universelle Spielsystem und einige Beispiele, aber keine spielfertige Spielwelt. Tatsächlich ist Fate gut dafür geeignet, eine eigene Spielwelt abzubilden. Die Regelmechanismen sind abstrakt genug, dass nicht jedes Detail zumindest spieltechnisch ausgewertet werden muss. Auch wenn die Verwendung der Aspekte zunächst ungewöhnlich erscheint, kann diese deskriptive Herangehensweise einen schnellen Zugang ermöglichen. Im Grunde wird hier ein Ansatz gewählt, der gut zu Charakteren aus Büchern oder Filmen passt, nämlich dass diese durch bestimmte Grundeigenschaft definiert sind und sich innerhalb dieser konsistent verhalten – auch wenn es zu ihrem Nachteil ist.

Ein guter Teil des Buches widmet sich auch dem Spielleiten und geht nicht nur auf Spezialitäten von Fate ein, sondern gibt allgemein Tipps, wie man Handlungsbögen aufbaut oder ganze Kampagne zusammenstellt.

Fate ist ein interessantes Rollenspielsystem, aber sicherlich nicht für jedermann. Spieler, die Wert auf komplexe Regelmechanismen mit vielen Spielwerten legen, werden mit dem abstrakten System nicht viel Freude haben. Tatsächlich treten die Spielwerte häufig fast hinter die Aspekte zurück. Vom Aspekt her kann ein Charakter ein gefürchteter Schwertkämpfer sein, was aber nicht viel über seinen Fertigkeitswert in Kämpfen aussagt. Tatsächlich ist der Aspekt sogar wichtiger als die Spielwerte. Wenn man ihn richtig interpretiert, kann es auch bedeuten, dass der Charakter bei einem niedrigen Spielwert zwar kein guter Kämpfer ist, aber aufgrund seines Aspekts trotzdem immerhin einen entsprechenden Ruf hat.

Das kleinformatige Hardcover Regelwerk ist gut aufgemacht, auch wenn die Zeichnungen schwarzweiß sind. Fate nimmt sich viel Zeit, den Leser in die verschiedenen Facetten des Spiels einzuführen. Mir persönlich hätten an einigen Stellen aber kurze Zusammenfassung geholfen, um einen Überblick zu bekommen, anstatt Teile des Spiels gleich im Detail kennen zu lernen. Insbesondere durch die guten und unterhaltsamen Beispiele, ist es aber nicht schwer, Fate zu erlernen.

Was mir außerdem an dem Buch fehlt, ist ein Szenario oder eine Spielwelt, die noch mal einige der Spielkonzepte vorstellt und dem Spielleiter gleich einen konkreten Ansatz für seine Spielrunde liefert. Denn ohne Eigeninitiative und die Fantasie, eine eigene Spielwelt zu entwickeln (oder eine bestehende Spielwelt zu adaptieren) fehlt ein wesentliches Element für den Start ins Spiel.

Als ich mich mit Fate beschäftigt habe, war ich am Anfang etwas skeptisch, weil viele Konzepte des Rollenspiels deutlich anders als bei anderen Rollenspielen sind. Wenn man sich aber das gesamte System anschaut, stellt man fest, dass die Ideen und Regelprinzipien von Fate gut aufeinander aufbauen und konsistent sind. Damit ist Fate sicherlich nicht für jede Spielrunde geeignet, aber Spieler, die sich nicht auf Zahlenwerte reduzieren lassen wollen und denen es um das Erzählen von Geschichten geht, bekommen mit den Aspekten einen hervorragenden Ansatz fürs Rollenspiel.

Vergleicht man Fate Core Sytem mit Turbo Fate, dann erscheint mir Fate Core System als das ausgewogenere System. Wer sich unsicher ist, ob Fate allgemein was für ihn ist, der bekommt mit Turbo Fate einen sehr schnellen Einstieg. Trotzdem wirkt Fate Core System interessanter, während Turbo Fate aus meiner Sicht in erster Linie für spontane Spielabende und One-Shot-Runden geeignet ist.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Jon S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/26/2019 01:24:33

Fate Core is currently my favorite roleplaying game system! It really can handle just about any setting. We've done postapocalyptic, pulp, space epics, superheroes, steampunk, and so on (I still have a hard time running horror, but that may just be me). The ability to handle any scene without looking up some peculiar rule (I'm looking at you grapple) is a godsend! The game really sings if you get buy-in from everybody at the table and they push the system to its fullest.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Dean H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/18/2018 15:48:45

Fate is a really neat system, but the biggest issue I have with it is that it seems to take a group of active fairly experienced roleplayers to pull off well.

The Fate system needs the players to have a ton of input into the world and be driven. This tends not to work well with a group that is experienced and timid. I struggled as the GM to get players to contribute and unfortunately the FATE system kind of falls apart if that is the case.

If you have a group that like mechanics-lite, story driven roleplay and you have players who love to regularily contribute to what is happening in a more impactful way, then FATE could be a really good system for you.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Great points, Dean. And honestly I tend to agree with you. If folks aren't comfortable putting their own ideas forward at the table — an act that Fate celebrates right down to its bones, and indeed, depends upon — it's gonna dud out for them. Thankfully there are plenty of highly motivated players out there that Fate works great for. :) Thanks for the review!
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by trace l. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/04/2018 17:42:59

While I can't say I adore the system after trying it, I believe that to be a matter of taste. The quality of the material provided within the manual is solid, though. It's very clear throughout and gives reasonable examples. The fact that it consistently shows the same material as is available elsewhere in the text can be a good or bad thing depending on perspective, but I appreciated it.

Like I said, after playing with it a bit it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. That being said, for the price it's well worth a look if it's of any interest. If nothing else, it has fun ideas you can put towards campaigns in other systems if you fancy. Definitely worth a purchase if it seems of interest.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by Mike S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/29/2017 15:03:44

I enjoyed the feel of this system. It took some getting used to and the changes, though a challenge, were a nice addition to the current landscape.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by brian w. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/28/2017 12:18:57

I'd been hopeful about FATE ever since I heard about "a game that uses FUDGE dice." I backed the kickstarter at the hardcover level, and was impressed with how its creators maintained transparency, produced professional work, and kept backers updated.

But even slick layout and consistent design and organization wouldn't mean much if the game is not on-point. Fortunately, FATE is both clearly organized and fun to play.

My gaming group has run several sessions, and we've loved it since our initial session of setting up the campaign world. It's been a great ride so far, and we're looking forward to more FATE in the years to come.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Fate Core System
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions, LLC
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/27/2017 14:36:34

Very dope. I started with the free pdf, and now I have the hard cover for core and the toolkit. There are lots of examples, and it's pretty easy to grasp. So far my group has enjoyed it. Infact, one of the members enjoyed the simplicity and versatility so much that went out, bought dice, and is starting up his own games! Fate Core has budded!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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