WFRP Style Fate points in BRP?

[Simlasa]

If I wanted to play in a game that let me effect the odds that way I might be inclined towards a system somewhat like what I've seen in some MMORPGs I've played... such as in City Of Heroes... where you have a bank of 'Inspirations' that you get randomly while playing. They come in different 'flavors'... some beef up your damage, some increase your defence or give you HP.
When you're headed towards a difficult fight you can pop as many as you have available to juice up for the battle.
I'd make them have some sort of in-game relevance... such as being magic tokens... or combat drugs... or over-clocking my bionics... something.

Still not what I want in most of my games... but I can see it working in a 4 color superhero game... or something really cinematic.

As long as it's not post-roll revisionist metagaming... which is how re-rolls feel to me... I'd get along with em fine.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

If I wanted to play in a game that let me effect the odds that way I might be inclined towards a system somewhat like what I've seen in some MMORPGs I've played... such as in City Of Heroes... where you have a bank of 'Inspirations' that you get randomly while playing. They come in different 'flavors'... some beef up your damage, some increase your defence or give you HP.
When you're headed towards a difficult fight you can pop as many as you have available to juice up for the battle.
I'd make them have some sort of in-game relevance... such as being magic tokens... or combat drugs... or over-clocking my bionics... something.

Still not what I want in most of my games... but I can see it working in a 4 color superhero game... or something really cinematic.

As long as it's not post-roll revisionist metagaming... which is how re-rolls feel to me... I'd get along with em fine.

I think it depends on just how much tweaking someone can do. For instance in some games you can do it with points, but the points don't come back, limited just how often you can pull a rabbit out of your hat.

For instance the Bond RPG had that, but you never really had "enough" points to do what yo wanted. But in that game the odds were more heavily stacked against you than in BRP, so it worked out.

[Simlasa]

Yeah, I'd think they oughtta be precious enough as a commodity that people weren't tossing them around for every little challenge... that they saved them for the BIG STUFF.
Don't the WFRP fortune points respawn every day? That's how we've played it but since we haven't used the points much I'm not sure... anyway... that seems a bit... loose... to me.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

Yeah, I'd think they oughtta be precious enough as a commodity that people weren't tossing them around for every little challenge... that they saved them for the BIG STUFF.
Don't the WFRP fortune points respawn every day? That's how we've played it but since we haven't used the points much I'm not sure... anyway... that seems a bit... loose... to me.

Don't know about WFRP. When it first came out, I didn't like it. It just look lie yet another attempt to sell lead. But, a few games do have the replenishing points (Star Wars d6), and yeah, it can get a bit too much.

What I liked about Bond was that once you used them they were gone, although you could earn more in play. Generally the players would be torn between spending them to look cool, or saving them for when they needed them. Typically they'd go for a little of both, and that was just about right to both have fun AND maintain tension.

But BRP supposedly has something like a half dozen differernt ways to do it, or not.

[Simlasa]

How did you gain them in the James Bond game?
Did they have some sort of in-game rationale or where they purely meta?

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

How did you gain them in the James Bond game?
Did they have some sort of in-game rationale or where they purely meta?

There was no in-game rationale at all. Spending Hero Points was not viewed as something that the character was doing, but something that was happening because he was the hero. The out of game rational was that Bond does pull off the impossible at times (along with the highly improbable) and so should be able to do so in the game from time to time, and so should the PCs.

The official way was by rolling a Quality Rating 1 result (the best possible) when doing something. This is equivalent to rolling a critical (actually a bit better since a QR1 was 1/10 the success chance) on any roll except for combat and chases (because those actions tended to call for a lot more rolls). An option to allow Hero Points for rolls in for combat and chases was mentioned and in fact in at least one of their published adventures is was strongly recommended so that the character could make it through the mission (Live & Let Die, a real nasty one). My house rule was to permit ONE hero point from any fight or chase.

There was also a big loophole in the offical rules allowing the GM to come up with other ways to earn Hero Points. The two most common ones I saw were to award point for doing heroic things (so you get points for saving the world), and allowing players to buy some with experience. The game gave out experience points that players spent to improve their characters. Buying Hero Points was sort of a mixed blessing, as XP spent on Hero Points was XP that wasn;t being spent to improve the character.

Another neat thing about them was that players could spend them, with GM permission to make minor alternations to the game world. For instance a character who is inside the villains Castle, could spent a Point to find a sword on the wall, or maybe even a loaded flintlock pistol.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Another neat thing about them was that players could spend them, with GM permission to make minor alternations to the game world. For instance a character who is inside the villains Castle, could spent a Point to find a sword on the wall, or maybe even a loaded flintlock pistol.

I've heard of some games doing that sort of thing...
I think, for myself, I'd make the player justify why the 'alteration' should take place... why is there a loaded gun in the drawer? why would there be a sword on the wall?... and base the decision to allow it on how convincing his/her justification is.

That sort of thing doesn't bug me as much as re-rolls... it's proactive and imaginative.

[weasel fierce]

I generally prefer just fighting less, than having fate points. You can change things quite a bit just by tweaking hit points though

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by weasel fierce

I generally prefer just fighting less, than having fate points. You can change things quite a bit just by tweaking hit points though

That's one reason I don't care for fate points generally... I feel that combat, generally, should be a last resort... a desperate move... dangerous enough that you will try all sorts of things to avoid it... and if you have to fight, you'll fight dirty... within the game you'll do all you can to make matters weigh in to your advantage... like setting up traps and ambushes.
As a player I want to really feel the tension of heading down a path towards violence... I want there to dire consequences.
Knowing I can get a roll-over mitigates too much of that tension for my tastes.

I can understand though, that for a lot of people the kind of stories they prefer, like the afore-mentioned James Bond scenarios, don't really feel right if you steer away from spontaneous gunplay...
Maybe that's where increasing hit points and making good use of luck rolls comes in handy.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by weasel fierce

I generally prefer just fighting less, than having fate points. You can change things quite a bit just by tweaking hit points though

Yeah, but it isn't just damage capacity. For instance, when playing a solo or with a small group a fumble, especially in combat, can end the campaign. I once had a character who in the first attack of the battle of the campaign was on the wrong end of an 01. It happens. It's nice to be able to mitigate that suff a little.