Fate: No Exit - [FATE Core] No Exit (OOC)

[Necronaut]

Doctor Charles Volcov

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Concept/Aspect: Unbalanced Behavioral Psychologist
Invoke: Identify, predict and exploit psychological and behavioral patterns in others
Compel: Treat people as experimental subjects

Problem/Aspect: Amoral Curiosity
Invoke: It's a problem!
Compel: Pursue scientific inquiry at the cost of more immediate practical or ethical concerns

Phase 1:
Aspect:Trust me I'm a Doctor
Invoke: Influence others by imposing medical/professional authority
Compel: Negative reactions from those who dislike or mistrust doctors
Touchstone: A bound copy of his dissertation

Phase 2:
Aspect: Science will outlive us all
Invoke: Use science (lore) to solve problems where conventional wisdom fails
Compel: Use science to solve problems where conventional wisdom is clearly the way to go
Touchstone: A thumb drive containing brain scans and test results from 'Damien Drake's' first and only session.

Phase 3:
Aspect: Manipulating other's emotions is science, manipulating your own is art
Invoke: Disregard and contain an emotional response or condition for later
Compel: A contained emotional response is released uncontrolled/nervous breakdown
Touchstone: A team photograph of his old lab posing in front of their FMRI machine.

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Skills:

Empathy +4

Lore, Will,+3

Notice,Crafts,Investigation+2

Contacts, Deceit, Physique, Fighting +1

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Stunts:

Specialist (+2 to psychology related lore)

Psychologist

What You Really Want

You can use empathy instead of rapport when using overcome to convince an individual to take a specific course of action. You must have observed and/or spoken with the subject sufficiently to get a read on them (at least a few minutes) earlier in the scene.

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Room aspects: 7th floor
1: Doctor's Office. The whole apartment feels more like an office waiting room... or maybe a rubber room. Everything is white, soft and sterile, yet vaguely uncomfortable.
2: Ongoing research. Books and papers are stored everywhere. The material, mostly on psychology and related topics, is well organized and tidy but unusually ubiquitous.

[Charlotte]

Everyone, the game has started. Follow it here/

Tquid, Vivi, I'm sorry. I waited as long as I could. If you still want to join, you can, but it may be a little bit before I can get you in.

Everyone else, welcome to the Complex. Good luck, and good gaming.

[Josefina Reyes]

No, no, that's fine. I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to seeing how things unfold. I just haven't had the time to devote much attention to the site lately, and I wouldn't want to hold anyone up more than I already have.

[Charlotte]

New post in the IC thread.

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Zoo, I haven't heard from you in a while, so consider this the one week warning. If I haven't seen you post or heard back from you otherwise by this time next week - Thursday the 21st of March - I will have to move on without you.

[zoo]

Sorry about that. Forgot to follow the IC threat. Will post soon.

[Charlotte]

A note on rolling.

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Usually, you can do actions without rolling if they are background fluff or unimportant to the structure of the series, and if you are doing them unopposed. Getting a beer from the fridge doesn't call for a roll. Getting a beer from the fridge when the fridge gets further away the faster you run, by contrast, will call for a roll.

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If I deem it necessary to roll, then to save time, I'll do it for you - allowing you to spend FATE points to invoke Aspects after the fact. If you wish to do your own rolling, then if you think that there is a chance of failure or some manner of opposite, roll. If you don't need it, then you don't need it (though you can't store it.)

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You may use the dice roller of your choice. In the event that your dice roller of choice doesn't handle FATE dice, roll 4d6 and tread 1-2 as a minus, 3-4 as neutral and 5-6 as a plus.

[SalmonMax]

If you want to use Invisible Castle, you can enter the following formula to obtain the mathematical equivalent of FATE dice as well:

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4d3-8

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Then add whatever your normal bonus is to that.

[Charlotte]

Uriel, the last post I have from you is a week old, so this is the one week check in.

[Charlotte]

Emanuel Francis/Zoo, the last post I have from you is a week old, so this is the one week check in.

[zoo]

I thought the apartment of Emanuel Francis was on the sixth floor, not the fifth. Could change that though.

[Charlotte]

I managed to make a transposition error, switching your floor with Uriel's, because I have a secret name for each floor and internally I go by that. Rather than going back and editing and potentially creating confusion, I chose to swap the traits of the floors. So everything you inadvertently chose for your character is still in place. The only thing that's changed is the number in front of your apartment.

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If you want to swap with Uriel so that the sixth floor has the traits of the fifth and vice versa, that's fine with me. But I don't think it'll be necessary.

[Charlotte]

"What's so scary that came out of your faucet? Blood? The accusations of your victims? Healthcare reform legislation?"

Not gonna lie, I am seriously tempted to have healthcare reform legislation come out of Charles' faucet now.

[Charlotte]

Uriel, it's been over a week since I heard from you, so this is the one week check in.

[Uriel Arcadia]

Uriel, it's been over a week since I heard from you, so this is the one week check in.

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Already? Alright.

[SalmonMax]

Charles Volkov's faucet supports infanticide!

[Charlotte]

Come to think of it, a Death Panel would be 100% appropriate for this game, being that it doesn't exist yet still manages to twist reality around itself...

[Charlotte]

Emanuel, I haven't seen a post from you in a week, so this is the one week check-in.

[Uriel Arcadia]

Max: You're mixing Uriel with Emmanuel.

[SalmonMax]

What?

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Oh man. Crap, sorry!

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So Uriel made the skyscraper?

[Charlotte]

Uriel is the corporate spy. I don't believe James has met him.

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Emanuel made the skyscraper. James guest-starred in his phase-three when you asked him how a skyscraper could fall over.

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EDIT: The artist you met, played by Tquid, is not in the game anymore since he didn't respond in here or on Twitter.

[SalmonMax]

lol...sorry everyone

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It's hard for me to remember who plays who, because I only ever see the character names posting.

[Charlotte]

Charles Volcov, it's been a week since I got a post from you, so this is the one week check in.

[Charlotte]

Emanuel Francis, it's been a week since I got a post from you, so this is the one week check in.

James Duncan, it's been a week since I got a post from you, so this is the one week check in.

Charles Volcov, on Saturday it will have been two weeks since you posted last. If you do not post by then, or give me advance notice as to why you can't post, I will have to remove you from this campaign.

Everyone: I'm not that happy right now. I'd like to see a significant improvement in posting rates by the end of the month, or I will have to shut the game down. Running a game is hard, and I don't have a lot of inclination to keep doing it when all I seem to get in response is a massive amount of apathy. If there is a problem with my GMing, I'm prepared to discuss it in public or in private - and since this is a problem with everyone, not just one player, I'm inclined to think that there is a problem with the way I've been running things.

I can't improve unless you talk to me, and I can't run this game if you don't post. Please: help me with both. Talk to me.

[SalmonMax]

Okay, I just want to say that it has technically been a week since I posted, but there have been no posts for me to react to between my last post and yesterday, when you updated, Mike.

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So this is, in my mind, -one day- that I've had to consider my post. Not a week.

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Not upset, but I think the 'one week' thing needs some looking at as a measure of posting frequency.

[Charlotte]

Thanks for the posts. I'll get to them after my final exam, which is tomorrow.

[Charlotte]

I am going to be instituting a new policy with regards to the one-week-two-week rule. I will measure it not from your post, but from the date of a post that directly corresponds to actions or words your character has undertaken or spoken. Usually this will be my post, but I will consider another player's post to be a sufficient gauge if it is obvious that it merits a response.

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Now, that said: Uriel Arcadia, it's been a little over a week since I made a post relating to events relevant to your PC, so this is the one-week check-in.

[Charlotte]

Emanuel, James, Charles, it has been one week since I made a post that you had the opportunity to respond to, so this is the one-week check-in.

Everyone: the significant increase in posting rates that I wanted by the end of the month do not appear to be happening. Should I expend any more time on this game, or is it a lost cause?

[zoo]

I enjoy it. slow as it progresses. would be glad if we could see if things pick up when the story unfolds.

next week and the week after I will be offline. will complete my scene till then.

[SalmonMax]

Mike, my last post was to Emmanuel. I've been checking the forums regularly.

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...

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And...he completely ignored me.

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Hm. Was my post unclear? I said James went over to talk to him, but everyone seems to think he's still there with Lana and the manager and everyone.

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Maybe this was a mistake on my part?

[zoo]

bloody hell. totally missed that part of your post! remeber the first part but not the part concerning Franics. sorry about that. will see what i can do about that.

[zoo]

made emanuels response to duncans approach slightly less autistic

[zoo]

Emanuel Francis is using Lana to coax a reaction out of the manager. Is willing to use his Aspect: 'People are complex tools, but infinitely useful if you know how to wield them.' (The one tied to his encounter with Uriel Arcadia)

[Charlotte]

Something I've been discussing with Necro and with SalmonMax, that I'll repost here.

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The way this game's going to work is that it will be heavily player driven. There's no set order of events and no railroad, beyond the simple boundary of not being able to leave the area the Complex is located. There are secrets to uncover that I've written down and certain things that will happen once players start digging up enough truths, but those truths won't dig themselves up. If your PC is waiting for something to happen, they will be disappointed.

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The Complex is dull by design. It's designed to be a place where everyone gets up, eats, does whatever and then goes back to sleep, every day, until they die. That's what will happen by default. Whoever helped to snap you out of that state is not going to make it a regular occurrence If you choose, you can go back to the way you were before, wandering aimlessly and losing more or yourself day by day. The Complex is going to push for that to happen. If you want to see what's behind the curtain, find out what the Complex really is, find out how to escape - if you can escape - and find out what happened to your memories? You need to push back.

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So therefore, this game is going to reward being proactive more that it will reward being reactive (though you'll have a lot to react to.) It will reward exploration and testing limits. It won't reward going with the flow of events nearly as much - the flow of events by default is that there really aren't any.

[Charlotte]

This has been a successful test of the Contest rules. Thoughts?

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Also, Emanuel Francis, it's been a week since my last IC post that you could respond to, so this is the one week check-in.

[SalmonMax]

Eenteresting. I found it a little intimidating to have 'control' over certain things that the GM usually handles. But I think I can get used to it.

[Charlotte]

I have an announcement to make: No Exit is now recruiting.

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I'm looking for two players to introduce to the setting. You will each have ties to the other, and in turn, ties to pre-existing PCs (those PCs with the fewest ties as it stands.) You will awaken shortly much like Emanuel, James, Charles and Uriel did, and you will be living in the same apartment block.

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In terms of tone, No Exit is a psychological horror game inspired by The Prisoner, Lost, the existentialist play "No Exit," Inception, the song "Hotel California" and similar surrealist psychodrama. The game appropriates the mechanics of FATE to create a plot that is as much about self-discovery - possibly to your regret - as it is about escape.

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This will be a player pro-active game, rewarding players who go out and try to dig up the mysteries of what happened to them and what the Complex is and how to escape - if you can escape. You will acquire one "super" skill called Clarity that helps you overcome the unreality of the Complex; otherwise, you are a skilled but mortal human being in the early 21st century.

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Please post here or tell me in chat should you wish to join. And Velvet and Tquid, if you're still interested and better able to post now, I'd love to bring you in.

[zoo]

The thought behind that self-compel was, that he not only put salt into Lanas wounds (the woman we collectively tried to console, I think) but also presents himself as a terrible human being to the people, that could be his only hope to escape from the complex.

Sure felt to me like Emanuel Francis got in his own way and inconvenienced himself.

But the GM is the judge of course.

[Charlotte]

Well, if it's meant to get Lana to turn against them, then the net effect is to flush the FATE points and effort that James and Charles spent trying to coax her over to their side. If it's meant to get Lana to turn against just Emanuel, then I don't see that being a significant drawback. And if it's meant to mandate that James and Charles now hate Emanuel, then that's mandating a reaction on their part and removing player agency.

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I'm willing to entertain suggestions, but as it stands, I don't see any way for it to be a significant drawback for Emanuel first and foremost without it unfairly impacting other players.

[Charlotte]

Everyone, please welcome Malachite and Carver, our newest victims players!

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This OOC post is for their benefit. This is a streamlined "how to make your FATE PC" all-in-one post.

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The advantage of FATE is also one of its biggest departures from other systems, in that talking about your character creates your character. In addition to the usual crunchy bits, you get five Aspects, that define certain storytelling elements of your character. For No Exit, the five Aspects are these:

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• High Concept. The premise of your character in a descriptive sentence. How you'd describe the character on a casting sheet for a TV show.
• Trouble. Chief drawback. The best way to describe it is to say that it's what you use to fill it "Everything was going smoothly until, damn my luck, ________."
• First Big Adventure/Notable Event. The high point of your life. Your characters are normal, but not average - they've gone places and done a few things and have a few stories to tell. Come up with a story and then pick a phrase or sentence that defines your character that ties into that story.
• Special Guest Star. The first of your ties to other characters. Carver will guest-star in Malachite's First Big Adventure, and Malachite will do vice-versa. From this guest-starring role, pick another character-defining moment.
• The Bad Day/The Fall. The thing that turned it all sour and sent you on a course that let you, inexorably, to the Complex. You'll pick your final Aspect from this story. Max's PC James will guest-star in Carver's Bad Day/Fall, and Gabe's PC Uriel will guest-star in Malachite's. You can suggest a guest-starring role or they can, but it has to be something you both broadly agree on.

That's it, that's your backstory and your five Aspects. Aspects can be just about anything, but one restriction I'm using for this game is that they can't be particularly tied to society - since right now, you're cut off from it. They can be about how society has already shaped you - but not really about society's ongoing impact on you. You can still pick such Aspects if you wish, but you won't have much cause to compel or invoke them since you're in the middle of you're-not-sure-where.

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For a sterling example of how Aspects work, there is this post giving the rundown for how Luke Skywalker's character arc in the Star Wars movies would play out in a FATE game. (It uses FATE Accelerated as an example, but Aspects are handled exactly the same in both Accelerated and Core.)

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Then you gain the following:

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• Pick Inviolate Memories. You have a fuzzy recollection of how you came here and what your life's been like since moving in. The three Aspects you picked for First Big Adventure, Special Guest Star and The Bad Day are your sharpest memories - but even they might not have happened the way you remember. As part of your quest to escape, you will have to uncover the truth behind your memories - although you may come to wish you hadn't. Pick one (1) of those memories to designate as inviolate; it happened how you remember it. The other two are ones that happened, but may not have happened quite the way you initially remembered...
• Define Touchstones. Touchstones are small, portable mementos tied to each of your three key memories. In the Complex, it's easier to hang onto a memory when you have something to attach it to. It can be a lucky rabbit's foot, a business card, a bullet dug out of your arm... whatever it is, it should be small enough to carry and to conceal.
• Pick a Floor To Live On. This is just a floor and has nothing to do with your memories, your past, or why you are in the Complex. Honest.
• Define Your Apartment. Choose two Aspects that define and describe your apartment. These can be invoked or compelled just like a regular Aspect.
• Pick Skills. You get one skill at +4, two at +3, three at +2, and four at +1. A list of Skills is in the FATE Core PDF I DMed you both. In addition, you get the game's custom skill, Clarity, at +1 to start with. See this post for information about Clarity and how to increase it.
• Pick Stunts. You get three to start with. These are skill tweaks and techniques that are somewhat unique to your character. A list of Stunts is in the FATE Core PDF I DMed you both. In addition, there are Clarity-specific Stunts that key off the Clarity skill, found here.
• Your Refresh. The number of FATE points you start a scene with is 3 by default. You may buy extra Stunts at a cost of reduced Refresh on a one-to-one basis. For example, if you start with four Stunts, you have Refresh 2.

Once you have that, you're ready to begin. You will begin play in your apartment. You know that the Westmarch Living Complex is on a peninsula where two rivers meet, and that you've never been far enough inland to see what's out there. You've probably met a few of the building's caretakers and workers, such as Angie at the Daily Java restaurant downstairs or the handyman Earnie. It's okay if you don't remember them, though. They seem to remember you.

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Welcome to the Complex! Be seeing you.

[z-Agrippina Solas]

The Bad Day/The Fall. The thing that turned it all sour and sent you on a course that let you, inexorably, to the Complex. You'll pick your final Aspect from this story. Max's PC James will guest-star in Carver's Bad Day/Fall, and Gabe's PC Uriel will guest-star in Malachite's. You can suggest a guest-starring role or they can, but it has to be something you both broadly agree on.

Max! We need to talk. Come find me in chat!

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Uh, this is Carver, if it wasn't obvious. <.<