About Fate Core
This site is a collection of resources for fans and publishers for the Fate pen & paper role-playing game system.
We’re also using this site to host an open, public discussion amongst the developers and with the fans about what Fate is and what it isn’t, with an eye on eventually producing a “finalized” Fate Core product.
Right now Fate Core is firmly in the “we’re having these discussions, please join in” stage. Eventually we’ll mine these discussions we’re having for the bedrock upon which we’ll build Fate Core.
As such we don’t have a specific timeline in mind for when the “productized” version of Fate Core will hit the market. You can ask us, but we won’t have an answer for you.
We can however tell you:
- The PDF will be free
- The System Reference Document (SRD) will cover all or nearly all of the content, and will be released under the OGL like previous editions (and due to the system’s descent from Fudge, which is also under the OGL)
- We will be looking into producing a very cheap, very portable printed book version of the rules as well
Hey gang. I wanted to write to encourage the project. I’ve been running a D&D4E campaign for almost three years now and my players are eager for a change. I have a space setting I have been noodling around on for a while now, and as I go in search of a system, it was basically a choice between Savage Worlds or FATE. I’ve decided to go with FATE for one main reason: it gives the players more control and more options over the course of the story. After years of characters with dozens of powers to pick from, I am worried my players will get bored with limited options. FATE ensures that is not going to be a problem.
I know it’s going to be a lot of work adapting FATE to space opera (I have Diaspora and Dresden, but will need to tinker nevertheless) but I am prepared for that. What I really miss, however, is a rulebook my players can use! And your project would fill that need.
Please continue in your project! FATE’s a great system that fills a niche. I’d love to see it become easier for people to read, play, and own.
Cheers,
Doctor Comics
So… when is it coming out?
I kid! I Hope everything is going smoothly, and I can’t wait to see the final product!
Will there be a default setting? (Fudge had a fantasy setting at the back of the book as I recall…)
No default setting is planned.
Fate Core is already out, isn’t it called ‘Strands of Fate’?
I kid.
But seriously, I am not sure how it could be much better/different.
@Andrew, that’s exactly the sort of thing getting said about Strands that makes me, personally, unreasonably and — importantly — unfairly angry about that product. So I had to let your comment sit for a bit before writing this.
Strands is not Core. It pursues significantly different priorities and agendas from what our intents are. I feel like Strands upholds a trend of system bloat that we at Evil Hat are hoping to get better wrangled. It also has an explicit agenda of changing Fate such that it’s more palatable to folks coming from a traditional-games background. Folks have referred to Strands (fairly or not) as a mash-up between Fate and GURPS, and while that might not be entirely accurate, that is the vibe I’ve gotten from my exposure to it. And that’s a vibe that I’m very clear about not providing in Fate Core.
That’s why I (and the author of Strands for that matter) have identified Strands as a separate branch, rather than part of the main trunk.
It’s true, though, that some FATE games have gotten a bit rules-bloaty of late. It’s important that Fate Core showcase how light the heart of the system really is.
That’s right, Ezra. In fact, we’re contemplating (though this intent isn’t finalized by any means — we’re working on the big supplement for the Dresden Files RPG first) doing a split between the “basic core” of the system and the “core toolkit” to help highlight that.
Just dropped to say I’ve got ahold of the dresden files RPG and found that FATE is an amazing system. I’m awaiting impatiently for Fate Core to try to adapt to a Cyberpunk setting we played for the last years…
I’ve been working in the Savage Worlds arena for a few years. It’s a great system. My daughter’s gaming group recently began playing FATE and seem to be enjoying it greatly. I’m checking it out to see if it works well in the fantasy horror genre, specifically Mythos situations in the Harn environment.
We shall see…
Thanks for your effort. We are really waiting for this!
Good luck with this and I am very happy to see that the PDF will be free and a cheap portable hardcopy will be available. I really like the Savage Worlds Explorer’s Guide for size and price even though the system doesn’t grab me massively. And I agree with the idea of a small core and then teh core toolkit(s), again like Savage Worlds. Keep the main book light and short to get people interested and let them explore more options later.
Hopefully this core FATE book will be a replacement for Free FATE
Hi guys, admins have mentioned that the Fudge pdf in free for download but I don’t find the link..
Hi Scarecrow,
I’m not sure which you’re looking for. FATE 2 Fudge Edition, an older version of Fate, is on this site’s resources page (under the name Fate 2.0). Fudge itself can be downloaded from Grey Ghost Press
Hey there.
I haven’t checked this site in a while, and I’m glad to see that FATE Core is underway. I’m interested in FATE, but was a bit intimidated by STRANDS OF FATE. I’d love to see something a bit more stripped down.
To the first poster: I was looking at FATE products at drivethrurpg.com, and EXTREME FUTURE looks rather space opera, you might want to check that out.
Cheers,
Evan
[...] Yesterday saw the arrival of the Bulldogs! RPG (in pre-release PDF form), a Kickstarter Project, by Brennan Taylor of Galileo Games. Bulldogs! was originally published as a d20 system game, but has been refreshed and re-imagined as a Fate game. [...]
[...] Já no âmbito internacional as opções aumenta , existe até mesmo premiação anual de vários categorias de rpg Indie, essa premiação é chamada de “The Indie RPG Awards“, o link vale uma visita pois lá vocês encontraram os títulos que ganharam o premio tanto na categoria pago como a gratuita. Entre alguns dos títulos existentes podemos destacar: Cthulhu dark, Little Fears, ShotGun Diaries, Spirit of the Century, 3:16 Carnificina nas Estrelas, Rastro de Cthulhu, Fiasco, Little Fears Nightmare Edition, (ambos traduzidos ou em tradução para português pela editora Retropunk), Mouse Guard, Fudge System, Fate System. [...]
First off I just wanted to say thanks for making awesome games.
As far as FATE core goes, my dream product would be a book that had the core rules of the system with some of the more common options presented (such as different ways of handling stress, armor, etc). This book would also go into the why of FATE in addition to the how, meaning it would give guidance on the rules options, guidance on using the core in various genres, etc.
I guess what I am most hoping for is something similar to gurps or savage worlds where the main book is a guide to the system and more of a blueprint for adapting that system in the core genres.
That would then (hopefully) allow for a de-bloating of FATE games where publishers could ‘require’ you have the core book and their products would then be smaller and more focused.
Again this is similar to the Savage Worlds model which I think is a great model.
There is Free Fate 0.4: http://www.ukroleplayers.com/downloads/free-fate/
But I really wanted to say, can FATE CORE be available either as or refomattble into epub?
In other words, could we have the text files as well as the pdf to support an ebook port if you don’t want to do one?
That’s getting a bit ahead of things, Thomas, but I’ll certainly consider it once we have a finished product.
Looking forward to FATE core! Count me as *at least* one physical copy…and that is based solely on the company’s assertion that:
The PDF will be free
The System Reference Document (SRD) will cover all or nearly all of the content, and will be released under the OGL like previous editions (and due to the system’s descent from Fudge, which is also under the OGL)
We will be looking into producing a very cheap, very portable printed book version of the rules as well
What I want to see in FATE Core is a book that:
- Conveys the non-standard gaming ethos that FATE has. (often described as “lightness”)
- Has some good solid suggestions for how to emulate or begin emulating gaming genres
- (Less under anyone’s control…but my hope) Has broad appeal and application for all kinds of gamers…you know so that FATE gets under more noses and in more hands.
Thanks for your (already) great work!
>WBM
[...] markę oraz wiernych fanów. Kilka dni temu informowałem o rozpoczęciu prac nad FATE Core – według informacji ze strony wydawcy, Evil Hat Publishing, PDF ma być darmowy, mechanika udostępniona w ramach OGL (musi być, jako [...]
Just wondering if there were any plans on incorporating alternative dice rules?
Such as: Positive adds only. No negatives or subtracting. Kind of like “those other folks” did with D&D 3.0
Such as: Other dice; 3d6? 1d10? 1d12? 1d20?
Such as: Something other than dice? “Hands of Fate” being interesting, ut a wee-bit to complicated.
Something simpler???
Just wondering. Not intending to stir the pot . . . too much
;-P
Michael, that seems more like a faterpg.com article topic than something appropriate to the ‘Core’. We’ll keep it in mind.
Really fascinating system. Has anyone ever considered this alternate dice mechanic, for those desiring a little more randomness and greater possibility of very high and very low rolls: Use 2 six-sided dice and designate one “negative” and one “positive.” Roll both and add them together, effectively subtracting the negative die from the positive.
It produces a range from -5 to 5 with a little less concentration in the middle. There’s about a 45% chance of getting between -1 and 1, as opposed to a 63% chance with regular Fudge dice. A 0 is still the most common result at 16.7%, and one or the other extreme of -5 and 5 will come up about 5% of the time.
As an alternate, it would produce a much different feel, perhaps friendlier to those used to d20.
Yep, that’s the dice method we suggest as an alternative in the Dresden Files RPG. Seen in other third-party variants as well, including Starblazer Adventures.
Huge high five from me as well! Immensely excited and waiting to see what FATE Core 3.0 has to offer, but I just HAD to pop in and offer my two cents (even though it’s probably too late by now, but what the hey).
I love the aspect system, but having had to deal with a lot of new players I’m not too fond of the skill pyramid. Is there a chance of a method of play using only the ladder and aspects (even loads of them) finding its way on the book? I think the entire aspect concept is strong enough to carry the entire game on its shoulders. Plus, less mechanics to get in the way! If it’s supposed to be lightweight, let’s make it less than a feather! (At its core, at the very least. )
[...] of cooking up a new RPG session. We’re designing our own campaign setting, trying out the Fate mechanics system, the whole kit and caboodle. It’s an exciting time for us nerds. If any of [...]
Fred wrote: “Yep, that’s the dice method we suggest as an alternative in the Dresden Files RPG. Seen in other third-party variants as well, including Starblazer Adventures.”
Alternate dice mechanics are quite frequently discussed on the German RPG board “Tanelorn” (freshest thread: http://tanelorn.net/index.php/topic,54347.0.html). The most expressed opinion is that the d6-d6 method’s results were too random, divergent and unpredictable for many FATE implementations. It’s quite nice for FATE adaptations following a “Fun, Fast, Furious!” motto, but quite unfavorable for games like DFRPG or Diaspora.
Tanelorn user “Blechpirat” for example wrote (translation by myself): “Starblazer strives for extreme results (and drastically achieves them). 4dF have a considerable chance to yield ±0. That is intended just like that, for instance in Diaspora: Results are supposed to be predictable. Starblazer however is rather ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ – your efforts either work out magnificently or backfire miserably.”
And “Murder-of-Crows” wrote for instance: “The results of d6-d6 are considerably more scattered than those of 4dF. (…) Depending on our gaming experience with SBA the results are usually between -3 and +3. Thereby high skill ranks are extremely devalued. That spoils the players’ party, as they constantly lose against Fair (+2) opposition despite of their Great (+4) or Superb (+5) skill ranks. Using SBA, d6-d6 are reasonable as it is larger-than-life gaming. But using d6-d6 in DFRPG simply screws the game. (…) Conclusion: Fudge Dice make the dice results more predictable, whereas d6-d6 renders the results much more random. That’s simply not FATE anymore.”
We thus came up with another idea: Why not simply roll 4d6 instead of 2d6?
Two of them are “negative” dice, two of them are “positive”. Ideally both pairs have different colors to be clearly distinct.
It’s simply the lowest result of all four dice that matters – no need for subtracting, just look at the smallest number. Doublets count as zero (±0).
Example:
The “d6+” result in 3 and 6, the “d6-” show 4 and 3. The lowest “d6+” is 3, the lowest “d6-” too – doublets! The final result is thus ±0.
The “d6+” result in 5 and 2, the “d6-” show 3 and 1. The lowest “d6+” is 2, the lowest “d6-” is 1. That results in -1.
The distribution of results isn’t exactly that of 4dF, but it’s extremely close to it. While 4dF have a standard deviation of 1.63 and d6-d6 have one of 2.42, the deviation of the 4d6 method is 1.67 – really close to the original dice mechanics.
Indeed, unlike 4dF our 4d6 method still yields results ranging from -5 to +5, but these extrema are very rare. The dice show -5/+5 in only 0.23 of all rolls each, -4/+4 in 1.54% each. For comparison: 4dF yield -4/+4 in 1.23% each, the d6-d6 method shows -4/+4 in 5.56% each and -5/+5 in 2.78% each.
4dF are certainly easier to read still (and they are simply cool), but I think 4d6 are the best alternative. They are statistically very close the original method, quite easy to read (at least not harder than “d6 minus d6″), and you only need ordinary d6.
Some guys at Tanelorn prefer reading -5/+5 as -4/+4 (yielding -4/+4 in 1.77% of all rolls), but I think this only complicates the method. I personally can live with the very rare results of -5/+5. For comparison: Rolling 3d6 (e. g. in GURPS) shows 3 and 18 in 0.46% of all rolls each (i. e. 0.92% together), whereas the 4d6 method yields -5/+5 in 0.46% of all rolls together (0.23% each).
If you want to verify the statistics, here’s the link to an AnyDice chart programmed by Tanelorn user “migepatschen” to test some alternate FATE dice mechanics: http://anydice.com/program/dbc
Best regards,
Tar-Calibôr
For anyone who feels that d6-d6 is too random to the point that they feel that it is “simply not FATE anymore” they may want to only have one side roll in opposed checks (this is how Free FATE was written).
In contested rolls with dF you effectively get a spread of results from -8 to +8 (i.e. one party rolls a -4 and the other a +4 giving an overall difference of +/- 8), whereas in contested rolls with d6-d6 with only one party rolling it sticks to the spread of -5 to +5.
[...] on my radar that I would love to talk about, but I just can’t. I can say this – I think Fate Core is going to be a very big and successful [...]
So, instead of asking the question “when?” my real question is – how can I help?
Fate is a great system, and an OGL version of it could be used in so many creative and amazing ways that my head spins thinking about it.
The Spirit of the Century version is in the OGL already, and plenty of games have used that (Bulldogs, Diaspora, Legends of Anglerre, others).
Fate Core will be in the OGL as well, once we get it all the way to publication. Look for some news around late November/early December.
A new Fate game came out this week: Age or Arthur – Dark ages Britain after the Romans pulled out. It used the Diaspora SRD as it’s base.
Mitch