Hello ladies and gents; I'm wondering about the interest in a slice-of-life roleplay with an original medieval fantasy setting [a very densely populated city similar to Venice in the middle ages].  The focus would be less on valiant adventurers and more on ordinary people, though there's no reason I couldn't host an adventurer or two (or five if people *REALLY* want to play adventurers).

Would prefer adult rating is simply for the freedom it offers, but I'm not going to be exclusive.  If it's a deal breaker for enough people I'd be fine changing it.  The focus would be more on unique stories and human dramas more than anything else; adult content is neatly tied under that header, so I would prefer to include it as an option than not.

System is absolutely FATE Core.  I've been wanting to run a game with the system for a while, now, and I've finally settled on a game I feel comfortable running.  If I tried to do something like this in Pathfinder I'd be so bogged down in stat sheets I couldn't tell my head from my arse.  :P

The idea is interesting, but I'm not exactly sure what sorts of characters and what sorts of stories you're really going to tell in this game, and what, if anything, there would be to tie the characters together. Of course, that's not terribly necessary in FATE, but it's worth thinking about because a group of disparate characters can end up just being a whole bunch of solo stories.

FATE certainly provides for linking people together through the aspect system in character creation, but if that's going to be the only driving force in the game, it might run a bit shallow quickly. Drama between characters is fun and interesting, but there will need to be external factors that motivate the players as well.

In the end, I like the idea, but I'd want to see a little more substance than something strictly "slice of life." That has, after a long time, come to sound like "no plot," which just goes nowhere or falls apart.

Yeah. I had more or less the same thoughts. Unless you rework FATE a bit to make it support slice of life play it might not work. The system itself tells us that it is geared toward fast paced action play. If you find a way to make typical slice of life events significant enough to count as action it might work. I think it's possible, with careful aspect managing to add drama to the daily life of the characters in the story.

For example, to create the obligatory love triangle, or rivalries between shops like bakeries or flower shops, and perhaps some goals that give a kind of reward (like a point of refresh) if completed, possibly linked to characters. If you have a 'gossiping green grocer' amongst the characters, it might be good to make a goal (open or secret) for that character to use gossip in a certain way to further the story in a specific way, by spreading a rumor, discrediting an innocent ... I think the fate toolkit has some options for that.

Or you could use a system like Fiasco or Dogs in the Vineyard, that are kind of geared towards more relational drama, although it will most likely end in tragedy with those systems.

If it sounded like I was ignoring the typical trappings of good narrative, I wasn't trying to give that indication.  I'm not planning on just making a series of topics with city locations and saying "here you go, guys!"

Norwood, you said "just a bunch of solo stories" like that has to be a bad thing.  That's essentially what I was going for; solo stories, each with their own casts, plot, etc.  Stories would be divided into scenarios with particularly dramatic events being spotlighted and would be private except to participating characters, and when a conclusion is reached would be closed in preparation for the next scenario.  The plot wouldn't necessarily be "world saving" stuff, moreso the drama that can happen with life events in a dynamic city- thus the "slice of life" title (and if I knew it would immediately draw criticism I probably wouldn't have even included it)  Player interaction wasn't necessarily the end goal, but as each story progresses, it would be easy enough to find ways for people to interact- I just don't see myself creating a larger arc to force everyone together.  Additionally, I may have a handful of public locations open for general roleplay so people could meet in a "normal" way.

With this sort of setup, you could essentially play any kind of city dweller you want, rather than just a handful of medieval fantasy classes, and any choice you pick has its own series of dramas.

Frili, I don't see why FATE would be a bad system for what I'm talking about; it's a pretty broad system and has plenty of wiggle room if something doesn't work.

I'm not saying FATE will be bad for it, but that it probably isn't the best system for it. I've been toying with the same ideas as you seem to have.

Most of the action in Fate as it is written, revolves around physical action, with emotional action in a supporting roll. Often when scenes get detailed with aspects and stuff, it's because it's a fight or a chase or something. Not that it has to be, and it is possible to work around, but it might need some work.

Depending on the pace of the game (I can only guaranty one or two posts a week) I might even be interested to join, just to see how wel Fate handles a game of small community politics and intrige. I am willing to learn and I think it'll be fun as well. I don't have much practical experience. Most is theoretical, and the practice I have is only online and post by post.

Theoretically and mechanically Fate rewards action, rather than day to day activities. Refresh-scenes seem to be the only thing that rewards characters siting together talking, eating, goofing off or watching TV. And refresh-scenes usually only happen when you need fate points for more action, because you are depleted in all of the action that happened before. It doesn't limit us, but it doesn't give a mechanical incentive either.

In reply to Frili (msg # 5):

I've attempted to use FATE for social "action" and it seems to work fine.  :)  And certainly I'm not trying to rule out physical action as being an option even in these comparatively "minor league" stories being written.  Also, don't mistake "day to day activities" as "sitting around the television."  The locale is one that is very dramatic in and of itself; a city this large and important has lots of things happening all the time, and your characters will not be able to avoid the drama such a setting brings.

Post rate in a predominantly solo game isn't really an issue, especially since I am willing to post at least once a day for those with a need for a higher post rate.

dnd3edm1, I would look at the FATE System Toolkit and the various Worlds Of Adventure (including the two FATE Worlds volumes) from Evil Hat for ideas on how best to tailor FATE Core or FATE Accelerated for the game you want to run. It shouldn't be too difficult.

In reply to dnd3edm1 (msg # 6):

Well, count me interested then. :)

In reply to Alyse (msg # 7):

I was thinking about buying some of the supplementary material.  The Tookit seems like an excellent addition, so I shall purchase that.  Thanks for the suggestion.  :)

In reply to dnd3edm1 (msg # 9):

Don't forget that a lot of the Worlds Of Adventure are pay-what-you-want. Grab them now for free, then go back and buy them if you like them. I do that all the time.

In reply to Alyse (msg # 10):

Only thing is, the setting I'm using is one I've been using for a while, and is already very expansive.  I don't really need ideas for setting material, I just need to write out the setting's quirks, aspects, and notables.  I'm not sure why I'm reading a book for another setting that being the case.  :P

In reply to dnd3edm1 (msg # 9):

Oh, and I almost forgot! Look at the Blue Knight Edition of Chronica Feudalis for ideas as well, if nothing else you can purloin and modify the skills list. Jeremy Keller was heavily inspired by FATE when he created both this and his cyberpunk storygame Technoir.

The toolkit is a definitely a good buy. Don't discount the world books though just because you have your own setting. They offer a fair few ideas for mechanical tweaks and how to handle playing different sorts of stories (including a couple that deal more with personal drama than action).

I'm still interested, but I can't commit until I actually know a bit more about your setting. That's going to make or break my participation for a game like this.

I seem to have two players (one I know) plus one potential given liking the setting,  so I will go ahead and put the work into making the setting details.  Definitely looking for more players,  so speak out if you have interest or comments :)