The Secrets of Cats (FATE Core world)

[wander]

Hello and thanks for looking in here!

I am currently looking for people to play with in a fun adventure game of The Secrets of Cats, which is a game of cats defending the humans close to them (which they call Burdens, lol) from the creepy monsters out there that humans can't see and must never know about. It is a system game that'll be using FATE Core.

At the same time the cats must watch over their territory, occasionally battle against other cats that encroach on their borders, look after their kittens and watch out for more mundane threats like cruel children and adults and angry dogs.

Luckily cats have special magic on their side to help them, such as warding areas (by sacrificing a small animal like a mouse or bird and placing it in the area needing the ward), true naming that allows a cat to control objects and others, shaping to make their bodies more adept to tasks (like making their claws sharper or their fur harder to spot in shadows) and seeking, where the cat may patrol dreams, astrally project and other psychic feats.

The cats will have to learn together when a larger threat looms on the horizon, for now things are manageable, but it might not always be that way!



So, I'm looking for people who know and would like to join in.

FATE Core and The Secrets of Cats are available both as 'pay what you want' pdfs if you don't own them. If you only own FATE Core, thats workable, as character generation is similar... Though in that case, I will random roll you a cat's stats using the tables included in The Secrets of Cats... However you can name that cat whatever you'd like, along with telling me what he looks like.  :-)

If interested and you own both the books, then post me your Cat here!
Otherwise, let me know you're interested in joining and I will make a Cat up for you. :)

And here for your purview, is my own cat, Boots...

Boots

Boots is a long and slim but well muscled black cat with
noticeably long white whiskers, a fluffy plume of white fur
on his chest and four white paws. His face is completely black
in fur. He tends to have an expression of annoyance in his
big green eyes but is happiest running through the
gardens of his small bit of territory and he enjoys eating.

Aspects
High Concept: Tsundere Seeker
Trouble: Addicted to Scavenging
Burden: My Sleepy Guardian Wander
(Kitten Name -not an aspect-: Little Shadow)
True Name: Daytime Stalker
Free Aspect: Too Good Looking to Fight

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes: 3
Mental Stress Boxes: 3

Skills;
Stealth +4
Empathy +3, Seeking +3
Will +2, Rapport +2, Burglary +2
Warding +1, Provoke +1, Investigate +1, Physique +1

Magic Stunts:
Astral Projection, Invisibility, Psychometry

Normal Stunts:
Offensive Defence, Skittish, Stubborn

[Blythe]

I haven't gotten a chance to much play FATE yet--I do have both books, though, and would really love a chance to play. ^^

I might need a couple of days to stat out a cat character, but I'm contemplating a tough Siamese cat with some experience in Warding whose Burden is a local homeless person~

[wander]

Great stuff!
Let me know here when you've statted them up!  ;D

Also as a reminder to anyone else who doesn't own the game, I can make cat stats for you and you make your own bio from them. :)

[Blythe]

Ah, got a rough draft up faster than I thought. I forgot how fast chargen is for FATE! Let me know if I need to fix anything~

Maske

Maske is a cat who is getting a little older, but he hasn't lost his spark. He got his name from the typical dark black-brown 'mask' like marking so typical to his breed, which is nearly all-black in his case. His eyes are a very bright blue. Maske doesn't like being cooped up in confined places; he enjoys having the run of the streets that his Burden, Mr. Bones, calls home and that Maske calls his territory. Maske is a bit stocky for a Siamese cat, and he is missing a bit of his tail due to an incident in his past with a rather vicious dog.

Name: Maske
Kitten Name: Yowl
True Name: Shield-Under-Stars

Aspects
High Concept: Stubborn Street-Alley Warden
Trouble: Magnet for Street Dogs
Burden: Mr. Bones, the old vagrant
Free Aspect: Good at Herding Humans

Refresh: 2
Physical Stress Boxes:  4
Mental Stress Boxes: 3

Skills
Warding +4
Physique +3, Territory +3
Burglary +2, Fight +2, Stealth +2
Naming +1, Deceive +1, Notice +1, Will +1

Magic Stunts: Cat Walk, Shadow Armor, Harm,
Normal Stunts: Preternatural Awareness, It's Not What You Know, Cat Burglar, Dangerous Moves

Notes: Leaving the Free Aspect open to create connections with PCs

Edited: Added Free Aspect~

[Sain]

Damn just when I thought I shouldn't join more. Was seeing if there were people up for this gem some time ago, would totally be up for it if we'd get a group for it now :D

Do have the books, might get up a cat today

[wander]

Great work Blythe! Hope we get some more cats in so we can sort out your free aspect! :)

More the merrier, Sain!

:D

[Sain]

You can have him be friends/enemies with Peps if you want an aspect.

Peps

Peps is a big and fat persian cat with soft grey fur, he has a thoroughly bored and tired look in his eyes at all times. Peps has a very carefree and lazy attitude, rarely regarding any endeavour as worthy to really get worried about. He loves watching other creatures play and move about as his favorite past time is just sitting in a warm spot and observing the little burdens dance their silly dances or other cats chase birds and imagine stories behind their battles. He is unexpectedly furious when roused by insult or harm to one of his friendly cats.

Name: Peps
Kitten Name: Big Whiskers
True Name: Fence Walker

Aspects
High Concept: Namer Content with Observing
Trouble: Seemingly Useless Glutton
Burden: Family Of Lively Kids
Free Aspect: Makes Imaginary Friends

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes:  4
Mental Stress Boxes: 2

Skills
Naming +4
Physique +3, Notice +3
Territory +2, Warding +2, Lore +2
Stealth +1, Empathy +1, Investigate +1, Fight +1

Magic Stunts: Harm, Control, Animate
Normal Stunts: Look Before You Leap, Not Skin and Bones, Surprise!

[Zeth]

I'll submit a character later if you are still taking cats.

[wander]

Yep, I am still taking cats. Come join in Zeth! :)

[Blythe]

I'll try to think of a good Free Aspect in the next few days--I'm assuming I still have some time since the game hasn't started? ^^;

[wander]

Yeah, there's time... ^^

I'd like to keep things open a little longer, though we have three cats if you count my GMPC. Eventually, I'll get to posting about what we want to do with the game and build up a plot to push along with. :)

[Sain]

What kind of ideas for plot/premise did you have in mind, or were we gonna use the one provided in the book?

[wander]

I figured we'd discuss it together, so we all have a say and make it the game we want. Cats games tend to be small-scale, so we can skip debate on that unless you like the idea of cats going about like cosmic heroes, dealing with epic scale events out of the sight of their owners...

We can use the Issues from the book, though I'd like to hear you say on this. Depending on what's said, I'll craft something that everyone feels they can get behind before we begin. These can be linked to important locations or organizations (such as the local Parliament of Cats or perhaps some outside force) if wanted.

Once we're on the same page, we can know more about what Faces and Places we'll use for the game. As a base though we can use the setting from the book and change what we feel might be a better fit from what we all want from the game. So if you have a preference for something and it's not mentioned in the book, let me know! :)

[Zeth]

Can two cats favor the same magic? Or should we each try a different style?

[wander]

Up to you on that one really. Whilst it would be nice to have a Cat cover each magical base, if other Cats join at a later date, some doubling up is going to occur, so really you just make the Cat you want to. As long as you consider what you do with your other Aspects and Skills to be different to the Cat you're doubling up with (so you're not stealing their thunder and have something unique to bring to the table) then thats fine. :)

[Blythe]

Sorry for the wait posting again! I reread Peps' sheet, and I figured I might go with a tie between them that is more of an alliance rather than enemy--I was thinking since Maske is on the streets a lot and Peps' burden is the family of lively kids, Maske's Free Aspect could be something like "Good at Herding Humans." Possibly because occasionally he might lead a Burden back home to Peps if one of the kids gets too far astray?

(I've been a bit under the weather lately and haven't gotten to much play FATE, so give me a holler if I need to change that Aspect!)

[Zeth]

I'm not sure I understand this whole Aspect thing FATE uses. Wander can you help me make a character?

[wander]

Sorry about the gap gang, its been a few days so I thought this may have died, glad to see we got something still!

@Blythe; Looks fine to me and thats a great idea! :)

@Zeth; Sure thing, PM me tomorrow and I'll talk you through it. I'm out tonight so if you PM me now, you'll likely get a drunken reply, give it 12 hours+ and I'll be in a better state to help out. ;)

Remember to let me know what you'd like for Issues! I'd rather make the game more personalised to our group in that regard, along with any other ideas or thoughts for customisation of setting. I'm a big fan of Dungeon World (do check it out if you can, it's a great game), which works as a collaborative story, so expect me asking you guys alot of questions as we build things up! ^^

[Sain]

Died? I think this just adapted a good leisure pace :)

How about some fun immigration issues like spirits or the like fleeing some other area and beginning to inhabit the town and causing various mischief

[Blythe]

How about some fun immigration issues like spirits or the like fleeing some other area and beginning to inhabit the town and causing various mischief

I quite like this idea.


As for another Issue, I was wondering if we could play up a bit of the Parliament of Cats--maybe have an antagonist cat who has turned against the others and using the Parliament to further their own goals? Maybe directing certain threats to the territories of some cats to weaken competitors and expand its own territory?

[Cassandra LeMay]

Would there be room for one more? I admit I never played FATE (but read the rulebook) and never played a cat (but am reading through Secrets of Cats right now), but this sounds like an interesting challenge and change from my usual roleplaying.

Also I have a question and an idea. Even if there is no room for another character at present, perhaps this could be useful for someone else:

Question: How viable would a character be who isn't yet a master of any magic school? Do you imagine there might be an opportunity during gameplay, at some point, to gain mastery of a school? Since there are already several masters in the group I was wondering if a character with good skills in two magic schools who still has to find his/her way and pick a specialty would make sense.

Idea: This could be combined with Sain's idea or played as something separate. How about some construction work changing territories? Maybe some old industrial site is being turned into flats, some wood is being uprooted to make way for a new road, and so on? Suddenly a lot of animals find themselves without a territory and that causes trouble. Perhaps everyone has come to terms with a higher population density, and perhaps some territory held by a powerful entity (spirit, animal, whatever) could be conquered to provide some living space for the displaced animals?

[Sain]

Maybe I can answer for character progression. I've gotten quite familiar of fate after a few campaigns.

Should be rather viable to start as a newbie in something. You can switch any skills at certain milestones so it is easy mechanics wise to tie in your IC practice into actual progression. How fast you want your character to learn things is pretty much up to you and you can even play out setbacks and times of negative progression as you like. In a way fate is one of my favorite systems for playing out character development especially when it comes to learning new stuff as the only limit is how fluent the player can write it :)

I would like if we can have some cat parlament action too yeah. Politics of these creatures should be quite fun to play out.

I quite like Cassandra's idea too. Human advance pushing back other more nature connected beings is always kind of fun to play out, especially from a perspective like this.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Okay, since you seem pretty familiar with the FATE system, perhaps you can clarify something for me. As a cat I would get 3 magic stunts, but every magic skill seems to have only 1 non-exclusive stunt. So if I focus on two magic skills I can only take two magic stunts, leaving one undefined at character creation. Is that something that I'd just have to leave open till character development allows me to pick an exclusive stunt, or is there some mechanism in the system that allows me to trade a stunt from one category (magic) for another (normal)?

[Sain]

You can leave stunts open if you please or just come up with another stunt of your own. The list are just examples, just as usually in Fate you are always encouraged to come up with supplementary mechanics of your own :P I don't see why you couldn't take a mundane stunt instead too though as they seem in comparison a bit weaker than the magical ones.

[Zeth]

Could some one give me a finished Cat Character sheet as an example? I tend to work better with examples.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Could some one give me a finished Cat Character sheet as an example? I tend to work better with examples.

A few of them are down below, including Wander's first post. They are just hidden in spoiler boxes.

[Sain]

So I was thinking we could probably tie those troubles everyone was throwing together. For example something like this? Doesn't have to be of course just throwing out an option.

An old forest next to the town (lets call it Oldwoords) is getting mowed down by a bunch of big machines as the burdens are planning to build something on top of it. Thing is though that the spirits of Oldwoods and the local parlament of cats have a long standing mutual benefit agreements and have had ever since the first settlers first brought their kittens to live here. Back then was different. Spirits of the wilds were the big guys and cats were the new immigrants looking for refuge, which they got. Well its reversed now. Cats are in power and the spirits of the Oldwoods are waning. The parlament is conflicted in how to deal the situation and arguments arise as the cats cannot come into agreement whose territyory they should squeeze from to make room for the spirits (no cat would want to lose their home of course). Too bad burdens wait for no cat. The work is under way and everyday animals/spirits from leave the Oldwoords to roam the city and try desperately find homes there even if they're not welcome.

If you're wondering what I mean with spirits by the way, I like to think that something akin to those little critters from Totoro or other Ghibli movies (please nobody admit you haven't seen any) might fit the feel of the book? Some tiny pseudo corporeal creatures who aren't always individually that much more powerful than cats.

Thoughts?

[Cassandra LeMay]

It's not a bad idea, but I wonder if it might not open a pretty big can of historical relationships and interplay between spirits and cats. The scenario might work, but it might also require a good bit of work on part of the GM to pull it off.

Also I am not sure how much of a problem spirits would pose when it comes to territory. I figure that spirits don't really exist on the same plane as cats or burdens. Animals displaced from their natural habitat might be more of an immediate problem for cats.

But perhaps there could be a forest animal somehow connected to the nature spirits, perhaps a sort of feral cat shaman or somesuch? That animal would try to muscle its way into town territory, using the spirits as "foot soldiers". Maybe the spirits are not even aware of the full magnitude of what's going on in the 'turf wars' and just need to be convinced that there can be a peacefull solution? That way there might be a connection between what's going on in the spirit world and the animal world.

[Sain]

Hmm well so long as GM is good at improvisation (and it's a bit easier on forums) it should be fine even if the GM doesn't have every single detail ironed out. Especially if none of our cats end up with too high lore skill.

Oh man I do want to see a feral cat shaman NPC :D Gruffy old white whiskers. I guess some real motivator behind the trouble makers would be nice. Always fun when there's someone behind the curtains. Perhaps some of the cats in the parlament have banded to scheme together with this 'evil' cat shaman too?

[Cassandra LeMay]

Perhaps some of the cats in the parlament have banded to scheme together with this 'evil' cat shaman too?

I suppose it might depend on how much of a threat to the Burdens the spirits/shaman are. Most cats should still feel some duty to protect their burdens, at least as I see it. Scheeming with forces that might actually bring harm to the burdens might be out of the question for most (all?) cats in town. I guess it depends on how this breaks down into individual scenarios and how desperate the town's cats might become. Some events could lead to a if you can't defeat them, join them scenario, but if it leads to a big battle there should also be opportunities to turn enemies into friends along the way, to balance things out a bit.

[Zeth]

Okay, I am out. Sadly something else popped up so I can't give this the time required.

[wander]

Wow, things developed since I was away! xD

Cass, you are very welcome to join in ^^. You don't have to play a Master of any magic at all, I believe in FATE you should play the character you want to. Your cat can be easily be more skilled in physical or social skills rather than magic, or be an intellectual cat without being a gifted mage. Its up to you what you think would be cool. :)

Zeth, sorry to see you go. Sorry I haven't been more helpful this weekend, it's been a bit of a wild one for me.

I happen to have the FATE Tool Kit, so I can look into rejigging or adding mechanics into the game if people would like that.

Sain, I love your ideas for the Issues of the story, it sounds absolutely great! ^^ Sounds like a kitteh version of Werewolf:the Forsaken, I'll see what we can do about spirit interactions, as in Werewolf, the titular characters could slide over to the spirit realm and deal with them there when the spirits weren't manifest or possessing people. I love the idea of a feral cat shaman though... Absolutely love it! xD

As Cass mentions though, whilst cats call the humans Burdens, the aim of the game is that they're protecting their humans without letting them know what is threatening them supernaturally. Just why your cat is doing this is something for you to question and answer as a part of who they are.

Also, as this idea is developing, please feel free to adapt your character sheets as we go along, I'd like for everyone to play a cat they're happy to play as based on the scenario after all. :)

[Cassandra LeMay]

Here's my first take on my character. She needs a bit more work, but for that I might need some help / inspiration, so say hello to the Deanna Troi of the cat world.  :D

Misty

A long and graceful Nebelung with intense green eyes and a fine silky fur that is always well-groomed, Misty could easily be taken for a bit of a diva, if not for her warm and helpful nature that's written all over her face. Misty is a caregiver by nature, turning a cat's natural inquisitiveness to seeking things in hearts and souls more than in the visible world, feeling compelled to ease other sentients' trouble. In her Burden, the local vet, she sees much of the same desire to help others and from that has developed a strong bond with Dr. Lucas (and by extension the doctor's nine-year old son, Mark).

Name: Misty
Kitten Name: Bright Eyes
True Name: Heart Finder


Aspects
High Concept: Compassionate Seeker
Trouble:
Burden: Dr. Lukas (the local vet) and her son Mark
Free Aspect:

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes:  3
Mental Stress Boxes: 4

Skills
Empathy +4
Seeking +3, Will +3
Rapport +2, Investigate +2, Lore +2
Notice +1, Physique +1, Territory +1, Athletics +1

Magic Stunts: Dreamwalking, Astral Projection, Prognostication
Normal Stunts: Psychologist, Lie Whisperer, Reconstruction

As you can see, her Trouble and Free Aspect are still undecided. For her Trouble I was wondering if she would be someone perceived as 'soft' by others and therefore sometimes other cats try to take advantage of her, but with her high Empathy she should be able to look through that so I am not sure if that would be much of a trouble. Another option I am contemplating is to make her mostly a house cat and have her be out of her depth in wilderness settings (as much as that can be the case for a cat). Perhaps someone could provide me with some food for thought?

For her Free Aspect I was thinking that she might know a lot of other animals, what with Misty being the local vet's cat. I just haven't found the best way to describe that yet and sum it up in an aspect. Suggestions are quite welcome.

Something I was also wondering about was Astral Combat. That's done with Provoke vs. Will, and since Misty isn't all that much of a fighter in the physical world I wouldn't mind her being of some use on the astral plane. But for the life of me I can't see this character taking the Provoke skill. Would it be possible to build a stunt that allows her to use another skill for astral attacks under certain circumstances? As I don't see her as being agressive I suppose one limitation could be that she has to take stress before gaining access to that ability, only fighting back instead of starting a fight. Or perhaps she takes stress (or a condition) to gain a bonus in an astral fight because being aggressive goes against her nature and going against her nature damages her somehow?

[wander]

Misty is looking good so far Cass! :)

Remember your True Name is an Aspect also and that the best Aspects are double-edged swords, thats not a comment about your True Name, though something to help you fill out the other Aspects and perhaps also in your wording of your Burden Aspect also. With your Burden, I can see having one as a vet would be useful, question also what could be troublesome for Misty with that too, to get those valuable Fate points and add to the story too. ^^

Your Trouble being a house cat or indoors cat sounds good... Perhaps you can use that Trouble more positively in Misty being more social with Burdens and having knowledge of human homes than the other more feral cats?

For her Free Aspect, how about 'Friend to other Animals'? She could be more comfortable with Burdens and other animals than her own kind, being more of a shut-in. Sure she can read them and is an empathic cat, though thats a little bit different in being socially gifted with her own kind. :)

It's perfectly fine to make a Stunt to swap skills when in a specific circumstance. I wouldn't particularly add the penalty to that for such a Stunt as it'd be something that's suitably narrow unless you happened to continually be in astral form.

[Cassandra LeMay]

What I think could be troublesome with her Burden (aside from Burdens being Burdens and not always doing the sensible thing) is that people always bring animals in need of comfort to her doorstep and Misty just can't help attending to them. Perhaps we could sum that up as her Trouble, calling it something like "Always needed somewhere"? She might be late to Parliament sessions because she ran into someone in trouble along the way and just couldn't help herself stoping and lending assistance, she just couldn't go outdoors while that dog in the animal clinic needed its broken leg set, and so on? It could have a positive aspect of making some new contacts here and there, but might well have a lot of cats going "great, so Misty had to stop somewhere to talk with someone about some problem or another - again! Where is she when we need her?". But I could rename her Burden to "The local pet clinic", if you think that would be more appropriate?

Also, I think her True Name is already double-edged. You could easily penalize her if she is seeking for an inanimate object or a heartless being.  ;)

That aside... I don't see her as being more comfortable with non-cats than cats, and some knowledge about Burdens is already implied by the Reconstruction stunt. I don't think that needs an aspect to shine. Perhaps we could turn her Free Aspect into something like "Friends in unexpected places"? On the plus side she might know a lot of animals, but maybe a drawback could be that she can only approach them alone? Having a bunch of alley cats in tow might not work so well when Misty goes to talk with a big bad dog that she has met in the clinic?

As for the skill-swapping stunt... If we go with the "spirit invasion" idea, astral projection might actually come into play pretty often. Of course the final decision is up to you, but it might come into play more often than you think.

Edit: Speaking of spirits... One thing I don't get (yet) is how astral conflict is actually resolved, given that spirits seem to lack the requisite skills. Provoke vs. Will seems straightforward enough, but Provoke and Will are skills, and spirits don't have skills, far as I read the rules (p.46 of Secrets of Cats). I suppose one of the 'approaches' of a spirit stands in for Will or Provoke then?

[wander]

Spirits are fairly easy to use as they use the FAE Approaches. This means that when they're doing a specific action, it's how they do it that'll decide their Approach. Otherwise astral combat is resolved exactly like normal combat in regards to how stress is dropped down for either side, just cats have to use Provoke when attacking or Will in defence. And of course cat's suffer mental stress rather than physical stress.

Interestingly, it seems astral forms can be harmed by things in the physical realm (because your cat cannot pass through living things). Of course you can roll Stealth against their Notice to hide from anyone's view if they are psychically gifted to see you (such as cats will be, Burdens on the other hand will not be able to see your astral form, though you will bump into them if you touch).

[Cassandra LeMay]

Alright, here's my new take on Misty:

A long and graceful Nebelung with intense green eyes and a fine silky fur that is always well-groomed, Misty could easily be taken for a bit of a diva, if not for her warm and helpful nature that's written all over her face. Misty is a caregiver by nature, turning a cat's natural inquisitiveness to seeking things in hearts and souls more than in the visible world, feeling compelled to ease other sentients' trouble. In her Burden, the local vet, she sees much of the same desire to help others and from that has developed a strong bond with Dr. Lucas (and by extension the doctor's nine-year old son, Mark).

Name: Misty
Kitten Name: Bright Eyes
True Name: Heart Finder

Aspects
High Concept: Compassionate Seeker
Trouble: Everyone thinks I am just a house cat
Burden: Dr. Lukas (the local vet) and the pet clinic
Free Aspect: Kindness begets kindness

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes:  3
Mental Stress Boxes: 4

Skills
Empathy +4
Seeking +3, Will +3
Rapport +2, Investigate +2, Lore +2
Notice +1, Physique +1, Territory +1, Athletics +1

Magic Stunts: Dreamwalking, Astral Projection, Prognostication
Normal Stunts: Psychologist, Even My Claws Are Cute (use Rapport in place of Provoke during astral conflicts), Reconstruction


I slightly changed her Burden to include the pet clinic, but dropped the doctor's son. Having Misty feel responsible not just for the doctor, but the whole vet practice should allow more than enough openings for compells. I also don't see having the local vet as her Burden as all that much of an advantage. Any Burden who can afford to take 'his' cat to the vet would provide pretty much the same advantage, as far as I understand the rules about consequences and recovery.

I figure her free aspect would allow her an invoke now and then to pull a contact out of her hat, someone she may have helped before, or perhaps allow her a bonus on some Empathy or Rapport related situations. On the down side she would also feel honor-bound to return a favor received. In addition I figure it could also be used to drive a wedge between Misty and someone else, if that someone doesn't honor what she thinks is an unspoken promise to return a favor. Even if that other cat has a good reason not to do it, Misty might still be ill-disposed towards them for a while.

[wander]

Okay, so I'll leave things here and do a roll-call to see if we're all up for this still and see if we get any other people wanting to join the group, then we'll go get started. :)

[Sain]

Yep yep still totally in. I've been following Misty's progression quietly.

[Blythe]

Misty looks great!

I'm still in--my posting speed isn't too fast (but I do try to light a fire under my butt for groups!), but if that isn't a problem, I'm definitely in. ^^

[wander]

I think as long everyone can manage two posts a week, I'm happy with that pace.

As it looks like everyone is ready, I'm going to wait until next week to kick things on the off-chance we get some new players come in. Over the weekend though I'll be taking in everyone's Aspects and seeing how best to start everyone off in the game. There'll be an OOC thread and I'd love for discussion to take place, as this is FATE I'll be seeing what gels with everyone, offering Fate Points often though the prices for these will always be interesting! :)

[Cassandra LeMay]

Misty looks great!

Thank you.  :-) For a while I wasn't sure if I wasn't overdoing the whole Empathy / Compassion angle, but the more I thought about her, the more this felt just right.

I think as long everyone can manage two posts a week, I'm happy with that pace.

As it looks like everyone is ready, I'm going to wait until next week to kick things on the off-chance we get some new players come in. Over the weekend though I'll be taking in everyone's Aspects and seeing how best to start everyone off in the game. There'll be an OOC thread and I'd love for discussion to take place, as this is FATE I'll be seeing what gels with everyone, offering Fate Points often though the prices for these will always be interesting! :)

Any idea at all yet if you'll start us of individually and gradually bring the group together, or if you'll open with a scene where everyone is already in the same place (Parliament session, for example)? If it'll be the latter, it might help if we know a bit sooner than later, to give us time to think about recent events in our character's lives.

[Blythe]

I vote for our characters meeting in the same place rather than starting things individually--it will help group momentum and encourage better character ties.

[wander]

I'll leave this one to vote methinks... We have Blythe's opinion, what does everyone else want? :)

[Cassandra LeMay]

I am actually a little hesitant to vote, as I think starting the game is something the GM should feel very comfortable with and decide to best suit his needs. But, that said, if it's fine by you either way, Wander, I would second Blythe's opinion. If you want to get to know our characters individually I think you should have that opportunity, but if that makes no difference for you, a group start might be best to get the ball rolling.

[Zeth]

I vote you all start together. As a GM I know that starting separate can kill a forum game outright because forum games are much slower paced then live table top ones.

[wander]

I won't be starting until next week, so trust me when I say I'm fine leaving this to popular opinion... I'll craft something just fine whatever happens. I tend to just roll with the shots. Perhaps thats a detriment of my writing, perhaps it's a strength, I think there are people who would say one or the other tbh. There will be time enough where through me offering Fate Points I'll have a read and get to know everyone's characters, I intend to offer them out for tough (but fun writing-wise!) choices.

Things do matter here to me, though I dislike the ethic of 'I'm the GM, we're doing it this way'. All of you were kind enough to reply to my little ad and I'd like to make this a game we all have a say in. :)

[Blythe]

I think starting the game is something the GM should feel very comfortable with and decide to best suit his needs.

*cough* Ah, this is true, too. Don't be afraid to speak up with what you prefer to run, too, wander!  ;D

I won't be starting until next week, so trust me when I say I'm fine leaving this to popular opinion... I'll craft something just fine whatever happens. I tend to just roll with the shots. Perhaps thats a detriment of my writing, perhaps it's a strength, I think there are people who would say one or the other tbh. There will be time enough where through me offering Fate Points I'll have a read and get to know everyone's characters, I intend to offer them out for tough (but fun writing-wise!) choices.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of tough choices get offered; the fate points are one of the funnest points of this system to me. ^^

[Cassandra LeMay]

Things do matter here to me, though I dislike the ethic of 'I'm the GM, we're doing it this way'. All of you were kind enough to reply to my little ad and I'd like to make this a game we all have a say in. :)

And I am not saying that that is the attitude you should have. Don't get me wrong here. All I am saying that a happy GM makes for a good GM - and that means you should start us off in a way you can enjoy too.  :-)

That said, I do have a question: Will we use the setting from the Secrets Of Cats book or something of your own?

[Sain]

Maybe all charas in one spot yes. Straight into 'action'!

[wander]

To answer your question Cass, I believe from what was discussed that the setting will be based somewhat around it, though we will be looking into the spirit world being disrupted by a new construction effort in the cat's local areas. So the setting in the book is going to be more of a guide until we're all more gelled in and we'll be taking things aside in our own direction.

As stated before I'm a fan of Dungeon World, a game fuelled by ad-lib and what is mentioned off-hand by character's becomes canon. I may ask questions based on your posts and I will reward answers that adds to the setting with a Fate Point or two. I don't think this would break the game mechanic too much to do so. :)

[Cassandra LeMay]

What I think we might have to talk about a bit (perhaps in a to-be-created OOC thread?) is how much we want to put the focus on the spirit world. Astral Projection is an exclusive stunt, so - unless you want to change the rules - not everyone will be able to cross into the spirit world and deal directly with its denizens. While I like the idea of exploring the spirit world we might need to figure out how best to balance events in the spiritual world and physical world.

[Sain]

Possession / manifesting spirits? Maybe something nifty like certain moon cycles or star alignments making the spirits manifest partially so that pretty much everyone can interact with them to some extent as the worlds overlap, but the one with Astral Projection still has the advantage on it?

[Cassandra LeMay]

Possession / manifesting spirits? Maybe something nifty like certain moon cycles or star alignments making the spirits manifest partially so that pretty much everyone can interact with them to some extent as the worlds overlap, but the one with Astral Projection still has the advantage on it?

I think a certain alignment or somesuch happening just around the time when we need it might be a bit much of a coincidence. But perhaps we could go for a sort of portal somewhere that we need to discover first before we can use it? Or maybe some rare herb that allows temporary access to the Astral Projection stunt? If whatever allows access to the spirit world is in the path of the ongoing construction work there might also be a time limit involved and/or the need to sabotage the construction work enough to give us more time?

[wander]

A fair point gang... Thankfully I have some experience of spirits and ghosts and interactions with them in playing Werewolf and Geist... Leave it to me to try and think of a fair solution to this. I may be able to come up with something that doesn't add anymore mechanics or does a slight change using the FATE Toolkit.

Its been a hectic week for me this one past, so give me some time and I'll do my very best to have something legit for our game for when the new week begins, which is also when I plan to put up our IC thread. :)

[Ryven]

I have no idea what is going on, but the concept of this intrigues me. XD

[wander]

Heh, well check the first post for more info Ryven and if you're interested in joining, then you are welcome to place a Cat here to play as. :)

[wander]

Okay! Today will be the big day where I will be looking to kick us off in an IC thread over in the board above!

So far we have four cats, you three and Boots under my control who may act as a guide when things veer a little (though don't think that means I'll be rail-roading, more he'll act in situations where you may feel stuck, etc).

Ryven, you may join later if still interested and you get a cat CS up. :)

As far as I can read in the rules, spirits can be interacted with just fine by any cat (because PC cats are inherently psychic and spirits can also be affected by being physically touched, only Burdens can't see them as they are not psychic)... Astral combat is more a method to walk through inanimate barriers and give the optional for Astral combat for those cats not well versed in combat in a more traditional sense.

Now is everyone cool with that before we begin?

[Blythe]

*thumbs up*

[Cassandra LeMay]

I disagree a bit that astral combat is an alternative for cats not all that proficient with physical combat, as it does involve being asleep and leaving the body behind. That's not something you can do just whenever you choose to substitute one set of skills for another.

That said and this being FATE I'd say lets just give it a try and we'll see if this approach works or if it needs some adjustments. If it's the latter I am sure we'll work something out when the time comes.  :-)

[Sain]

Peps is ready for this :^)

[wander]

Cass... Please excuse my bluntness, though I'm not homebrewing rules in... If you're unhappy with how astral combat is handled, then don't take it. I'm getting the vibe you're not too happy with how things in FATE are working though I really just want to run a nice game of Cats and not worry too much about extra mechanics... Thats not what FATE should be about, it should be about the story we tell, together.

I need a bit of a longer rest anyway, so I'll see about maybe doing the IC thread later today now that everyone's ready for it, more or less.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Wander, I don't want to worry about extra mechanics either. The more I read the FATE rules, the more I like this system because I do like to tell stories. Also I just want to have a fun adventure and enjoy the roleplaying. But FATE (in my reading) describes characters through who they are, what they can do, and how they interact with the world around them. And that is expressed in words on the character sheet.

So yes. I have some reservations about the whole astral thingy because I am afraid that it might devalue the abilities of my character. I picked a High Concept and an Exclusive Stunt that deals with this. Those are parts of my character and I am not keen on everyone getting the same stuff just for free. Being good at this astral stuff is part of my character. If everyone can do this stuff I will rework my character, but I am not keen on finding myself in a situation where I have to wonder why I ever took a stunt for something everyone can do by default. That's not about adding extra mechanics - it's about you making a call if a certain stunt does actually convey any benefits or if it's something anyone can use freely.

So lets be blunt: Will Astral Projection convey any benefits beyond what every cat can do, or is it rather wasted as a stunt?

[Sain]

Generally, if you have an aspect and a stunt for something that already gives you enough mechanical advantage for it to be better than others are at it before we even go to any fluff applications.

The aspect that you're astrally projecting can be invoked for a wide range of things and compelled! More fate points are nice. Anyway in FATE it's pretty much a given that almost any PC can find a solution to every problem with some clever adaptation of their skills, though the actual IC explanations for how this happens will be very different and so the GM will probably give very different end results.

You can use your astrally projecting status to create very different aspects than people who are in the meat, and, remember, it's not just about getting the +2 from invoking it, the aspects are narrative truth as well so they may shape the scene in fun ways.

[wander]

This is taken directly from my pdf in regards to benefits Astral Projection can give;

In this form, no ordinary door or wall can stop you, you can see in complete darkness, and you can fly at great speeds.

So along with what Sain is saying, no Cat is incorporeal has perfect dark-vision and can fly by default. Along with that, I may call for Compels when in use, due to attention given to your Cat by spirits for trespassing in their realm and also the point of your Cat's meat-body being asleep.

[Cassandra LeMay]

As I said before, let's give this game a try and see where it leads us. If we find out that some aspects of the game need a bit of tweaking we can see to that along the way.

[wander]

Cass, what else is it that you're erring with? There seems to be something about the system that's putting your heckles up a little bit... I've explained now what benefits Astral Projection brings (note not every cat here has that ability, I believe it's just yours and my own GMPC), though if I can be blunt, I'd like to know where you think the game actively needs tweaking and why/how.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Cass, what else is it that you're erring with? There seems to be something about the system that's putting your heckles up a little bit... I've explained now what benefits Astral Projection brings (note not every cat here has that ability, I believe it's just yours and my own GMPC), though if I can be blunt, I'd like to know where you think the game actively needs tweaking and why/how.

Wander, I think you are reading too much into what I have said. That's all I can say, because I am not sure where you see the problem you think I may be seeing. I can not explain the vibes you are getting or what you read into my posts because I am more than happy to just give this a try, play and have fun. I can not reply to your worries because I have no clue where they are coming from.  :-(

[wander]

Okay, well if thats the case then I'll look into setting up IC when I can and we'll all give this a big shot, yeah?  :-)