[DFRPG] Occult Toronto

[Josh Porter]

• Working with Compells

What I really want to do is employ the setting/scenario/Compelling mechanics AS WRITTEN and examine their efficacy.

I am running a DFRPG game set in Portland, and I must say that compels are the most difficult aspect (no pun) of the game for me to use effectively.  It may be that my players have such nebulous aspects that compels don't spring to mind, but I have my doubts.  I forget about compels until there is something I feel would be fun in the moment, but then I can't find an applicable aspect to compel.

"I want you to fall off the fence instead of rolling for it.  Could 'Pawn Ascending' work for that?  You are 'ascending' the fence, but you fall because you are merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things?"

Therein lies the difficulty of compels to me.  I can't decide if it's poorly-chosen aspects or my GMing that is making it hard to use effectively.
 

[Erik Weissengruber]

>>>  I am running a DFRPG game set in Portland, and I must say that compels are the most difficult aspect (no pun) of the game for me to use effectively.  It may be that my players have such nebulous aspects that compels don't spring to mind, but I have my doubts.  I forget about compels until there is something I feel would be fun in the moment, but then I can't find an applicable aspect to compel.

The scenario creation mechanics allow you to kind of set up what aspects will show up.  I tried to set up NPCs keyed to or involved with the selected aspects.  If I come back to the game, I will approach each Aspect with challenges in mind like "And what's that about?" or "Are you still sure about that?" or "Are you STILL sure about this?"

I will keep hammering on players to make sure that they have Aspects that I am interested in.


>>>  "I want you to fall off the fence instead of rolling for it.  Could 'Pawn Ascending' work for that?  You are 'ascending' the fence, but you fall because you are merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things?"

I should follow the book more closely in future: if there is an Aspect for which I cannot see a positive interpretation, a negative interpretation, and a potential compel, I will ask for a rewrite.

Therein lies the difficulty of compels to me.  I can't decide if it's poorly-chosen aspects or my GMing that is making it hard to use effectively.