Compeling Complications

[Michael Hopcroft]

The ENnies have been announced, and much like the Origins awards for RPGs they were swept by the FATE-inspired urban fantasy game The Dresden Files. With some of the other releases both made this week (The One Ring), earlier in the year (Smallville) and just now announced (MWP's reported upcoming Marvel game) the central ideas of the FATE system seem to be taking mainstream RPG design by storm.

 

One of those ideas is the Compel. Essentially a Compel is a method of providing an in-game benefit to the player for doing something that complicates their character in particular. FATE characters have Complication-like qualities called Aspects and gain in-game advantages (such as the ability to re-roll a critical task that didn't succeed the first time) when the GM calls them into play.

 

Hero, of course, has a system of Complications and the GM frequently puts those Complications into play. The stated benefit of taking Complications is that you get more points with which to build your abilities by taking them. So Compels are virtually alien to Hero.

 

Necessarily? Or is there a way to put something akin to a Compel into Hero games?

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

Similar conversation already going:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/86385-Could-FATE-Aspects-Work-In-HERO

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

That is Michael's thread also. I think he wanted to separate out the use of compel from the discussion about aspects in general.

 

If you wanted to use compels in Hero, then I think that you would not, as a GM, write in definite bits of the adventure to draw on characters complications but, instead, use them in game. You could award an additional experience point for players who had a compelled complication but that seems heavy handed compared to the FATE games, also, in FATE games the player can avoid the compel by forfeiting a FATE point. In this would the player lose an experience point if they wanted to avoid the complication?

 

I would be inclined to provide players with independent AIDs to their powers for accepting compels on their complications - Superman's player agrees that the reporter being held hostage by Lex Luthor's goons is actually Jimmy Olsen. For that he gains an AID that he can use to bump some aspect of power once in the game somewhere. If he refuses, then he gets an independent drain that the GM can use at some point. All you have to do is decide on the power of the aid or drain...

 

 

Doc

[Christopher]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

You should seriously take a look at Heroic Action Points(6E1 287), especially suggestions on ways to gain them in game:

"Another possibility is to tie the recovery of Heroic Action Points to a character’s Complications. If a character overcomes a Complication somehow, perhaps he gets back 1 HAP. The GM might even allow a character to “earn” more HAPs for a game session by deliberately bringing a Complication into play when it otherwise wouldn’t matter. For example, if a character voluntarily brings his DNPC along on an adventure, even though he doesn’t have to, the GM might give him back some HAPs that he’s already spent, or even give him a couple extra." - 6E1 291

 

You could completely give away with Matching Complications (everybody get full points) and use Aspects instead. Invocing or Accepting the Negative Side of an Aspect adds 1 HAP to the pool and they can only be spend on the positive side of an Aspect.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

You could completely give away with Matching Complications (everybody get full points) and use Aspects instead. Invocing or Accepting the Negative Side of an Aspect adds 1 HAP to the pool and they can only be spend on the positive side of an Aspect.

 

If you were going to use HAPs then it would not be so restrictive. Once a FATE point is in a player's pool it can be used for anything, not simply those things related to why it was gained.

[Christopher]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

If you were going to use HAPs then it would not be so restrictive. Once a FATE point is in a player's pool it can be used for anything' date=' not simply those things related to why it was gained.[/quote']

I asumed you can only get advantages on thigns you have an Aspect for.

 

If not, just take the normal HAP-System with gain for Complications. Just group the all aspects in one single complication that roughly equals their accumulated value and allow them to spend HAP normally.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

I asumed you can only get advantages on thigns you have an Aspect for.

 

If not, just take the normal HAP-System with gain for Complications. Just group the all aspects in one single complication that roughly equals their accumulated value and allow them to spend HAP normally.

 

You should go play a FATE game Christopher. It is an interesting system in some respects and while coming from a very different place from HERO, has some similar principles. I think you have to play it to get a really good understanding of the potential of aspects and FATE points. You would have a better base to suggest HERO ways to simulate it. I remember my friend telling me what the game was about - I didn't really understand it until I had played it...twice.

 

 

Doc

[phoenix240]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

I suggested our "Quirks" house rule in the related thread. I could post it again here if anyone is interested.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

Sounds like a good use for the Luck Chit system.

[Mister E]

Re: Compeling Complications

 

Maybe I'm missing the point... but, perhaps this issue is already handled in HERO with Pushing.

 

Pushing has a psychological component (an EGO roll) that can be modified by existing Psychological Complications (e.g., that are compelling) up or down.

 

 

~ Mister E ("All my PCs have huge EGOs. What?")