Fate Points

[Higa]

Hello all... Im an old timer in the hobby, and I have recently discovered the Conan game and find it to my liking. Now, as a long time GM of WFRP, I am familiar with the concept of Fate Points. In WFRP they are hard to come by if you have lost them, and I wonder how you run it in Conan, which seem a little more deadlier than WFRP.

So... when do you give your players new FP's? How often? What do they have to do to get new ones?

And finally... (since I own the book but are preparing for my first session) how deadly is Conan RPG really? Do players die often, or does it just seem that way when one reads the rules?

 

[Sutek]

According to the rules, the only way to get any Fate Points back is to do something major, eithert in terms of the adventure or personally, usually only at the end of the entire adventure (not campaign). The reward is 1-2 FP, and it's really up to the GM to decide what's fiar in that ratio and whether or not the deed satisfies the requirement.

You really have to know your players and thier characters, determine what the goals are for each, and award accordingly. Since FP are more powerful in a lot of ways in Conan than in other games with similar mechanics, fewer handed out is probably in the GMs best interest. However, keeping in mind the satisfaction factor of the players is important, and bargaining for that one extra FP could be fun in itself.

 

[Higa]

Thanks for that answer. Could you, or anyone, give some examples of when you/your players have got any new Fp'sin your game?

 

[Sutek]

Well, like if the player has stated that his character is setting up for a prestige class, or that he intends one day to take on the Captain of the Guard and defeat him or at the end of a long adventure once the next phase of the campaing is revealed. They aren't inteded for jsut a successful roll of the dice somewhere - it's got to be momentous.

Generally 1FP for pre-determined, complex personal goals or minor plot goals reached. 2FP for completing the adventure, but only in terms of satisfying all the parameters and goals correctly. Maybe 1FP for getting out alive but botching the adventure. Otherwise nothing.