Satisfying the curious - examples of play

[tymotzues]

EXAMPLE PASSIVE ACTIVITY
Rithanas is searching a library for a reference that he needs in order to continue his investigation into the Torgen'mae 'WhiteBlood'. This reference is obscure and the library quite large so the AR for success is quite high. The Fate places the AR at 7. To determine if Rithanas can find the reference the following AP is assembled:
MA + Grounding attributes
+ investigation aptitude
Rithanas' MA is 2, his grounding is 1 and his  investigation aptitude has a rating of 4, giving a total of 7 so just enough to search through the library and discover the obscure reference.
The Fate may rule that a result over half the needed AR to succeed at the activity will indicate a partial success. An AP equal to or exceeding the AR will indicate success and an achieved AP one and a half times the required AR will result in a complete success as well as a beneficial breakthrough or advantage.

EXAMPLE DUELLED ACTIVITY
The following example of a DA is between Rithanas and a corrupt guard. The guard has brought Rithanas before his sergeant to try to convince the sergeant that Rithanas broke into the Pig and Stick tavern. In reality the guard has been bribed to get Rithanas into trouble.
Rithanas has a PR 2, acumen 1, diplomacy 3 and the prowess presence. Giving a total AP of 6
The corrupt guard has a PR 2, acumen 2, diplomacy 0 and a personality trait of beguiling 2. Giving a total AP also of 6.
The Fate decides to have a debating duel between the two in order to win the favour of the sergeant. They will each have their AP =PR+acumen+diplomacy. The guard is also awarded the 2 pips for his personality trait. As Rithanas only has his prowess: presence to draw upon to help him further, his AP is not going to increase to begin with. The two opponents are standing before the sergeant.
The corrupt guard goes to open his mouth to speak first, but Rithanas also has the lightning reflexes prowess and decides to take the initiative and speak first. He delivers a blistering indictment of the state of the militia when innocent citizens are arrested. He places 2 pips from his AP into his opening remarks.
The corrupt guard, flustered by Rithanas' interruption, barks back that Rithanas is responsible for the break in at the tavern and that the sergeant shouldn't listen to a word the criminal Rithanas has to say. The guard counters Rithanas' remarks with 3 pips, meaning he still has 3 pips left in his AP. The corrupt guard's 3 pips give him a 1 pip advantage.
Rithanas just smiles and shakes his head saying that he has never even been to the Pig and Stick Tavern. While using 1 pip to negate the guard's accusations. Each opponent has now used 3 pips and still has 3 pips remaining in their AP this round.
The guard fires off insults and accusations in Rithanas' direction using the last of his pips in an all-out 3 pip slander.
Rithanas still has 3 pips left, but he wants to set the stage for the guard's defeat so he uses his presence prowess rating as well. The presence prowess increases Rithanas' action AP by 25%, giving a 1 pip advantage.
Due to Rithnas' advantage, the corrupt guard has suffered a 1 pip penalty to his AP, lowering his total AP for the coming round to 5, while Rithanas remains on 6. The guard is in trouble in face of Rithanas' (presence) charm.
At this stage the Fate could say that the sergeant has heard enough and Rithanas has won the debate. Or the debate could continue until either opponent's total AP is lowered to 0, it is up to the Fate, depending on how important the activities of the opponents remain to the story. 

[David Berg]

Hi Tim,

I think this example does a good job illustrating how the mechanics enter the flow of resolving fictional outcomes.  But!  I think you could actually answer folks' curiosity better by providing Forge-style Actual Play (see here).  That is, talk about a moment of play that actually did happen.  Pick a time that was particularly fun.  Who was playing, and what parts did they get excited about?  (Perhaps a Fate Point spend?  Those sure sound fun to me...)  "Then the guard used his last 3 pips in an all-out slander!" is nice, but it's even better with context.

[tymotzues]

Thanks David
I did in fact, in the book, have a dialogued version of the Example of Play from the book, but I took it out for the much drier text-book version, primarily because it was taking up too many pages. Also I was dubious about the quality of the example.
I don't really have (at the ready) the sort of example you and the sticky are referring to and doubt I could drum one up in quick time. And wonder whether or not it would indeed satisfy the people we are talking about.
I'm trying to get some of the game testers to post versions of their experiences. The one that I have posted so far has just been slandered as sounding like I wrote it myself, at which point you start to wonder why bother?

[David Berg]

I am confused about why it would be hard to quickly drum up an example of a fun moment that happened in play.  Example:

Sarah was playing Rihantha, an elven magical adept, and I was paying the Fate (GM).  Rihantha was in a key duel with Count Nargus over who would control the city guard.  The Count started the duel with a higher Action Pool (AP), and after the first few exchanges, things looked grim for Rihantha!  Sarah had been accumulating Fate Points (FP) with stellar roleplay, though, and decided to bring out the big guns by spending a whopping 5 FP to Channel The Archetype.  Sarah narrated how Rihantha became the pure embodiment of The Hermit, and gave a stirring speech that shook all around to the depths of their souls (she wound up with +10 to her AP!).  I could only congratulate her as the Count abandoned a lost cause and spent all his remaining AP in an attempt to flee.

[David Berg]

I'm trying to get some of the game testers to post versions of their experiences. The one that I have posted so far has just been slandered as sounding like I wrote it myself, at which point you start to wonder why bother?

I think that write-up is quite nice.  A few haters are gonna hate, but I think more people will be interested to see her take.  If you're worried about credibility, see if you can get permission to use her name.  "Female Gametester, newbie (age: 26)" is a pretty uncommon attribution.

[Erik Weissengruber]

The one that I have posted so far has just been slandered as sounding like I wrote it myself, at which point you start to wonder why bother?

Just to be clear on the local idiom: The "actual" that Dave was angling for in "actually happened" refers to an event of play that happened between the players at the table.

He was just asking you to analyze the exchange between the people at the table, what they found satisfying, what excited them, how they built up the fiction between them, how dice rolls led to new fiction and expectations.

That's not the same as writing down what everybody said.  I have seen game books that write down  4 to 5 minutes of actual play, who rolled what, what rules came in, etc.  That's helpful in learning a game.  But what you are being asked to do here is analysis, not transcription.

As a designer, did you see the players enjoying or using the rules the way you expected?  Where they having the kinds of fun that you thought they would have?

This is what is meant by actual play around these parts, not; 1) a chronology of what rules where invoked and when or; 2) a transcription of a few moments of play.

So you were not being accused of fibbing. 

[tymotzues]

Hi Eric
thanks for the comments. I think you missed something in the conversation, the slander took place elsewhere not at the forge.
And thanks for the clarification of actual play, that makes it a little clearer for me. Now I just have to try to choose a good moment.

[tymotzues]

So I found this session summary from one of the first BETA test games would probably need some work and some background detail of what is mechanically and system oriented going on but see what you think.

You rest and recoup from your travel across the desert back the Ti. Despite the deserted city around you the walls of the house you adopted for the night give you a sense of comfort.
In the morning you arise and make preparations to confront and kill King Nahlam.
Forming a plan to return to the palace during the day with the mask and announce you will give the mask to the king that evening when he awakes from his rest. In the meantime you would sneak into his bed chamber through the secret passage and kill him.
And so you set off to the palace in the calm bright day.
Half way between your safe house and the palace you begin to cross one of the many wide and abandoned market squares. Moments before Kalvar had come to a halt and appeared distracted and worried, looking down side streets and at the dark gaping doors and windows around you. He brushed aside your concerns when you asked him what troubled him. Yet it was with less surprise when across the expanse of the tiled square the figure of the king emerges from the shadows beneath a building verandah. His broad sword blade shines bright in the open sunlight and dressed all in white he was almost blinding to you.
He confronted you and accused you of those deeds which you were indeed on your way to perform; his assassination.
You denied the accusations but prepared yourselves for what seemed the inevitable showdown. Wishing you to place the mask on the ground and leave, he assured you that he had been as good as his word and that your ship, it's crew and the cargo all sat in the docks, ready to leave once you handed over the mask.
You communicate silently with each other through a knowing look.
Mal firks through the pack to retrieve the mask and at the same time gathers the Sun Shard into his fist.
Then Atu runs into the square and up to his father, hugging him and asking him something. They converse quietly and you can not tell what passes between father and son yet Atu looks at you all with a frown before the playful frolics of Bark distract him and draw him aside.
Mal approached the king while Roq moved towards Atu trying to remain casual.
Then Mando notices that King Nahlam is weaving.
As Mal casts the mask into the dirt before the King he strikes with the Sun Shard. Rainbow light explodes from his hand engulfing the King, who screams in agony and surprise. You all stand agape at the effects of the Shard yet it is clear that the King, while distressed, remained.
Mal engaged with a strike across the kings chest which is turned aside by armour hidden beneath his shroud. Roq racing in from the side likewise strikes, his sword biting through the kings armour and into his shoulder.
Atu cries out in horror at your betrayal even as Kelvar lets fly with an arrow.
To the horror of Mando and Qarim they watch as Kelvar's shaft drives into the back of Mal almost taking him off his feet.
Qarim runs across the square towards the melee.
The king snarls and completes his weave.
Fire erupts with a physical blow blasting out from the king in a wave of heat and flame. In the aftermath of the shock Mal lies on the ground motionless while Roq roars through the heat suffering little more than blackened armour. Qarim staggers under the wave of fire. Atu lies at the base of a wall his clothing and hair smouldering.
Mando looks on in shock as Kelvar fires another arrow straight into the back of Qarim. Knowing she is incapable of overpowering the hulking septnarok she leaps infront of him kissing him. Kelvar staggers under the kiss clearly stunned.
Bark charges the king yet flees in terror as the king's undead aura drives the badger away.
Roq roared with effort as he brought his sword down in a killing blow upon the king, yet at the last moment the king swayed aside, the blade smashing into the ground shattering the tiles. Exposed, Roq could do little except watch in horror as the kings blade swung towards his chest. Blue assea energy rippled along the blade as it struck Roq's armor, biting through to skin and bone.
Mando raced across the market square, leaving a stunned Kevlar shaking his head in confusion. She raced through a lull in the battle throwing herself to the ground beside Mal hoping to stop him from dying.
While Mando binds Mal's wounds Qarim dodges through the melee to heal Roq. An arrow flies true from Kevlar yet is diverted by the king's armour.
As Roq strikes deep into the kings side the king staggers under the force of the attack. Mal shakes himself from the tendrils of death and with sabre still in his grasp drives the blade up into the kings abdomen.
There is a moment of stillness as the king's sword drops from his silk gloved hand to chime upon the tiled ground as the king collapsed forward. Dead.
You hack off his head and gather yourselves. The king appears to have worn some sort of arcane breast plate over his scale mail armour both of which are heavily damaged. In addition around his neck he wears an old Cabal Jaigen Crune. Warily you question Kelvar and ask him to explain his actions, to which he has no defence other than ignorance.
As you regain your bearings after the melee a crowd of the towns folk begin to gather in the side streets of the market square. They watch as you strip the decapitated corpse of their king and taking the prince retreat. None try to stop you yet their faces are a mix of horror, revulsion and anger.
Back at the Golden Trout the crew race to welcome you back. They babble many strange tales and point to two chest crates that the Muktar delivered to the boat shortly before. Three of their number have disappeared over the past days and they have no desire to stay longer than necessary. At the news of Captain Brechts death and the manner in which he died bosun Averil wastes no time in ordering the crew to push off.
Punting out onto the river under the arched water gate of Ti you look back at the dead city and think you glimpse the figure of Alban standing at the dock watching you leave.

[Erik Weissengruber]

Again, this puts me in a position where I can imagine these events unfolding in some fantastical world.

But I do not see the interactions between the human beings who made this fiction and played this game.

Here are some of the questions I have:

You rest and recoup from your travel across the desert back the Ti. Despite the deserted city around you the walls of the house you adopted for the night give you a sense of comfort.

[Who set this scene?  Did the players have the choice about where they were going to start?  Does every session start with a GM setting the scene like this?  Is part of the fun coming up with fun starts, challenges like this]



In the morning you arise and make preparations to confront and kill King Nahlam.

[again, is this the GM making this choice or the players.  does it matter? can players propose alternatives?  is party play mandatory?]

You communicate silently with each other through a knowing look.
[what kind of challenge was this, what were some of the numbers]

Punting out onto the river under the arched water gate of Ti you look back at the dead city and think you glimpse the figure of Alban standing at the dock watching you leave.
[is this a menace that will or might come concrete later?  how did the players respond when this suggestion was given]

[tymotzues]

Thanks Eric
seems I've created a rod for my own back here and appear to be running two parallel topics - Sorry Ron!
Anyway, so here is what I've come up with. It's posted over in the other thread.
http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=32860.msg290954#msg290954
Cheers
T