Fate

Fate · Fate Core

Fate

Fate is a narrative roleplaying game designed for bold action and significant character moments. You determine what is most important about your heroes and the world, and then the story propels forward with quick scenes and dramatic choices. A session feels like an exciting adventure film, featuring swift setup, collaborative twists, and space for quips and emotion. Our Game Masters highlight each player, maintain a brisk pace, and adjust the tone from lighthearted to gritty, ensuring the table remains engaged.

Fate is ideal for newcomers and veterans alike, suitable for mixed groups, parties, and team events. It excels in thrilling capers, superhero exploits, urban fantasy, or mysteries with supernatural elements. A professional Game Master provides thorough preparation, adaptable improvisation, and clear direction, allowing you to concentrate on ideas and roleplay. Ready to find the perfect match? Browse our Game Masters who run Fate across various styles and themes.

How to play Fate

At the table, you roll four Fate dice, each showing a plus, minus, or blank. Add them to a skill rating and try to meet or beat a target set by the Game Master or an opponent’s roll. On your turn, you state what you want, roll, and together describe the outcome, from a clean success to success at a cost. Your character’s aspects come into play when you spend fate points for a reroll or a bonus, and the Game Master can offer compels to hand you points when trouble strikes.

Players bring a character concept, a few defining aspects, and a goal for the session. Our Game Master teaches the rules as you go, helps shape aspects that matter, frames scenes, and keeps the stakes clear. One-shots focus on quick character creation and a complete caper in 2 to 3 hours. Campaigns add collaborative setting creation, recurring foes, and milestones for growth. We can use Fate Core, the lighter Fate Accelerated, or Fate Condensed, depending on your group. Playing online? We use shared sheets and dice rollers on tools listed here: online play platforms.

Three players gather around a tabletop RPG session with dice, miniatures and a Game Master screen.
Three players gather around a tabletop RPG session with dice, miniatures and a Game Master screen.
A red, marble-textured ten-sided dice showing the numbers 5 and 9 in gold, used for tabletop RPG adventure games.
A red, marble-textured ten-sided dice showing the numbers 5 and 9 in gold, used for tabletop RPG adventure games.

Common questions

I've never played Fate. Will I be confused?

You’ll be grand. A professional Game Master will guide you through Fate as you play. All you need is a character idea and a sense of what your hero is about. The GM will assist with quick character creation, explain the aspects, demonstrate how to roll the four Fate dice, and prompt you with choices. You can expect to be making confident moves within the first scene. If you’re looking for someone who specialises in onboarding new players, check out our Game Masters and look for Fate one-shots or teaching sessions.

How does Fate differ from D&D or Pathfinder?

Fate prioritises story choices. There are no classes, and fewer tactical rules to manage. You act using broad skills or approaches, rather than lists of powers. Scenes employ abstract zones instead of a battle grid. Harm is measured through stress and consequences, meaning setbacks influence the narrative. Players frequently create advantages to set up significant moments, and compels introduce drama. If you enjoy quick, collaborative problem-solving and cinematic battles, Fate is an excellent choice. If you prefer detailed positioning, D&D provides more of that.

Which edition of Fate will we be using for our session?

Most tables use Fate Core or Fate Condensed. Fate Core provides a complete skill list and traditional options. Fate Condensed offers a modern, streamlined approach that many GMs prefer. Fate Accelerated employs six approaches such as Clever or Forceful, making it ideal for a lighter atmosphere or younger players. Your Game Master will recommend a version based on your group and theme. Please share any preferences when you book. To align the rules with table culture, explore GM playstyles and choose a GM whose approach resonates with you.

What do "aspects" and "fate points" actually do?

Aspects are brief truths about your character or the situation, such as Former Thief or Warehouse Ablaze. When an aspect would be beneficial, you can spend a fate point to reroll or gain +2, known as an invoke. The GM can also present a compel, where an aspect causes trouble in exchange for a fate point. You can create advantages to introduce new aspects to scenes and receive free invokes. This keeps the dice light and the narrative at the forefront.

What group size and session length work best for Fate?

Fate runs smoothly with 2 to 6 players. One-shots typically last 2 to 3 hours, which is sufficient for character creation and a complete caper. With two players, you experience focused, character-driven play. With four or five, teamwork and banter come to the fore. At six, the GM ensures scenes are brisk so everyone gets to act frequently. Campaigns maintain the same session length, incorporating downtime and milestones between adventures.

Is Fate suitable for children or mixed-age groups?

Yes. Fate's rules are straightforward and the tone can be adjusted. For younger players, Fate Accelerated is effective as it employs simple methods. Teens and adults often prefer Fate Core or Condensed. A professional Game Master ensures boundaries are respected, maintains age-appropriate content, and simplifies complexity to suit attention spans. Reading is minimal, the dice are easy to understand, and turns progress swiftly, which helps keep mixed-age groups engaged.

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Genres you can play in Fate

  • Pulp

    Two-fisted thrills, cliffhanger chases, masked villains, and deathtraps. Imagine an Indiana Jones-style adventure or hardboiled capers…

    View genre: Pulp
  • Mystery

    Follow the clues, construct timelines, and apprehend the culprit. Think Knives Out, but you are the detective, assembling alibis and…

    View genre: Mystery
  • Space Opera

    Epic sci-fi drama set among the stars, featuring brave pilots, heroic rebels, tyrants wielding planet-destroying weapons, and a crew that…

    View genre: Space Opera
  • Heroic

    Stand tall, make the right choice, and triumph in the end. Heroic games evoke the spirit of The Lord of the Rings, featuring brave oaths…

    View genre: Heroic

What players have to say

  • Tom was brilliant! He was really great with the kids and very patient with his explanations. It was a wonderful evening and definitely worth doing again! The children asked the next day when we would be doing this again.

    Danny

  • First of all, I want to say that Sebastian was really great as a DM. For his first run as a booked DM, he did an excellent job. The 3 stars refer to the following: 1. We were disappointed that the adventure was labelled a One Shot yet wasn't a complete story. Discovering that there are two more parts wasn't very positive for us, as it meant there was no satisfying conclusion to the story. 2. As new players, it was difficult for us to understand the English character sheets in such a short time. In German, it would have been much easier. Even receiving the character sheets a few days in advance would have been helpful for preparation. 3. More guidance would be beneficial. Especially for beginners, a more linear one shot would have been preferable. We wasted a significant portion of the adventure time doing unnecessary things because we didn't fully understand how the game worked. Overall, I think the StoryForgers concept is really good and I see a lot of potential in it, especially for introducing new players to D&D. I hope you don't take my feedback the wrong way but see it as honest criticism. Best regards, Mario

    Mario

  • Bryan was exceptional. We had a group with varying levels of experience, and he managed to keep everyone engaged and involved. His positive attitude made the game enjoyable for all. I really appreciated how he could clearly explain what was needed from our less experienced players while keeping our more seasoned players on their toes with his deep knowledge of the game. Everyone in our party had a fantastic time thanks to Bryan.

    Jeremy

  • Dayron was fantastic. Well-prepared, punctual, and had a brilliant sense of humour.

    Corey

  • Dayron was fantastic; he provided a brilliant experience. Thanks!

    Casey

    The Merry Meeple

  • The game was really engaging. I got a game as a present for my boyfriend, who is very keen on it, and he was very pleased and appreciated Leonardo's professionalism. I don't have much experience with DnD, but I found the game to be quite straightforward and enjoyable.

    Marina

  • Baptiste was an excellent GM who adapted well to our group and helped us progress in this one-shot. However, there was one issue with the character sheets provided, as they were not complete or clear. Some of the French translations were rather approximate. For instance, our cleric was missing spells, including a healing spell, even though they were meant to have some.

    Pierre

  • Rachel was fantastic; my daughter and her friends left the game saying it was the most fun they’d ever had, and my daughter wanted to sign up for another session with her straight away. She was friendly, and her approach let the players fully immerse themselves in the game by giving them control over how they wanted their actions to unfold. I would definitely work with her again.

    John

  • A nice and clear first experience with D&D. Amber was able to explain and guide the game effectively, allowing us as players to quickly get into the flow and focus on the story. Collaborating with my colleagues to devise attack routes was an enjoyable activity and provided great insights into each other's characters, thought processes, and differences. Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable session.

    Jens

    Triodos Bank N.V.

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