FATE is definitely amognst my favorite games, probably top three. While a FAE fangoy, I had yo take a small atep back: I love the depth and structural granularity of Condensed, to the point it mad me re evaluate my opinion on the only true Fate version (there's only one Fate). Condensed is a brilliant build, takes the most out of EH experiences and design, with smart solution to some of the problems you might step onto going straiht core.

Ths might reliably be the ultimate Fate build.

The perfect blend of Fate Core and Fate Accelerated. Slim, cheap and yet greatly customizable and clearly explained in few concise pages. I especially loved they got rid of the multi value stress boxes, which I frankly always found tactically useless and always counter-intuitive to explain.

My complete review is here, but this is the beginning, which captures the gist of it:

Fate Core can handle virtually any “fiction-first” story you want to tell. By that I mean you say what you’re doing based on your concept of your character and then figure out how to model it, instead of consulting your character sheet to see what mechanical options you have. Fate Core is brilliant, but for me it’s too big a book, with too many options (“dials”) for its proposed play style. I’ve never run it. (I have played it a few times.) What I have run and played the hell out of is Fate Accelerated (FAE), which is near-perfect for seamless, cinematic storytelling.

Not much to say, but... Along with the italian Not the End and the incredible Cortex Prime, this is on my personal olympus. Fats, super fun, easy to grasp (hard to master!), customisable, dynamic, probably better than the Core build in terms of accessibility and usability. Fate requires a huge mind shift and the Book of Hanz is highly recommended before playing, but Fate Accelerated is a perfect gateway and, probably, the perfect game in the Fate product line.

Fate Horror Toolkit

The adaptation of the role-playing game Fate to the horror genre is thought to be not quite easy. This is mainly because Fate provides players with far-reaching possibilities to influence the game's plot directly. This approach can be quite detrimental to a horror atmosphere in which the characters should be rather helpless. However, while the topic has already been touched upon in subsequent publications after the basic rulebook, the Fate Horror Toolkit now provides a specifically dedicated kit to genre adaptation.

The book first takes the time to analyze the horror genre and define what actually constitutes horror. Above all, the sensitive topic of dealing with the players is addressed comprehensively: A horror game round should definitely get close to the player's fears - but definitely not too close.

After this introduction, the book initially revolves around rule adaptations. Attention is paid to what is needed in character creation to generate characters appropriate to the genre. Of course, aspects such as the death of player characters are just as much a topic here as, for example, the idea that deceased player characters continue to play along as ghosts or shape a legacy aspect with their death. The question of how to create suitable non-player characters is also discussed. Other new ideas include a collaborative Fate point pool and expanded rules for compelling aspects. In particular, the concept of using cleverly worded aspects to set up a dilemma so that player characters are faced with difficult decisions is presented in detail.

A separate chapter is devoted to the question of how confronting horror changes player characters and what scars in physical and psychological terms these encounters leave behind. It introduces, for example, trauma aspects and discusses how to deal with the sensitive topic of mental illness. Even the topic of splatter effects and their effect on the player characters are discussed.

No sourcebook of this type would be complete without a chapter on creating appropriate monsters and enemies and skillfully implementing them within the Fate rules and representing them in the game. Some classic creatures exemplify the whole approach. Even the genre variant, in which one's own body becomes the enemy, is given extensive space.

This is followed by several chapters specific to setting conventions - for example, games where it is clear that the story is heading towards inevitable doom or campaign basics focused on survival horror. The comparatively new topic of so-called feminine horror is also addressed. More surprising, there is a chapter for young players, which describes in game terms how to implement more humorous ghost stories à la Scooby Doo within the framework of this rulebook.

The Fate Horror Toolkit is a very comprehensive book on the genre, discussing elementary topics as well as adapting Fate's rule base accordingly through rule modifications and additions. If you plan to play Fate with a horror background - or want to add more horror elements to your existing Fate campaign - you will not only find a toolbox full of helpful adaptations, but also various ideas and, above all, tips and tricks for a coherent atmosphere, but also for a good interaction with the players. Even if, as with most books of this kind, you will probably never use all rule aspects in the game, this book seems to me to be a well-made tool that can greatly enrich a corresponding Fate game.

(Björn Lippold)

Wolf's Head

Medieval England is a cruel and unfair place - and so not all commoners are always willing to bow to the unjust nobles. They become outlaws who oppose the powerful - some for idealistic motives, some in search of wealth, and some simply to survive. Wolf's Head is a setting that transports players to Norman England in the year 1106. The player characters are outlaws, and the background is not coincidentally reminiscent of Robin Hood.

Wolf's Head provides only a few new rules mechanics, namely a few adjusted rules for dealing with treasure and support from the people. On the one hand, the outlaws don't have a steady income but have to steal riches to strengthen their financial resources. On the other hand, it is important to gather the local population's support and thus become some kind of local heroes. Even though the setting touches on the old gods and magic, witchcraft is reserved for non-player characters.

The largest part of the book is made up of the setting, in which various locations and various characters, including game stats, are described. Adventure ideas are provided not only indirectly, but with concrete suggestions. Thanks to the example characters, you can start immediately.

Wolf's Head's special feature is that the game has a defined end: If the outlaws have attracted too much attention and thus become too much of a target for their powerful enemies, the game ends. In the end, it is decided what positive contribution the characters' actions and legends will still have in the future.

For Fate, Wolf's Head is an almost conventional scenario that offers a well-developed medieval background without introducing major rule changes. Anyone who has ever wanted to take on the role of an outlaw à la Robin Hood will find a good hook here.

(Björn Lippold)

The Agency

The Agency is a mysterious and extremely efficient secret government organization whose agents have saved their country and the world from great harm. The Agency's problem is that its opponents have neutralized all of its field agents in a surprise strike - back in the late 1970s. However, the Agency had an artificial intelligence named Alice that stored the personalities of the agents and has now single-handedly found a way to upload those personality profiles into human bodies. One catch is that the personality profiles will have to get used to their new role. Even more serious might be the problem that several agent personalities have to share a civilian's body - who is also present and has his own opinion...

The Agency is a Fate setting that once again starts with an extremely unusual background. On the one hand, the game is designed to play agent stories in the style of James Bond, where the agents have to stop the insane plans of dangerous enemies. On the other hand, with the artificial intelligence and the approach that the initially quite incomplete player characters have to share a body, there is a comedy element, as The Agency presents its setting with a good dose of humor.

Of course, The Agency needs new rules because several personalities - both the agents and the civilian - share one body, so character creation goes very much its own way. The rules regarding who has control over the body at which time also play a crucial role. At the same time, The Agency provides simple concepts to map the hierarchy levels of evil organizations, their head villains, and their subordinates. In many cases, they are handled as simple aspects. Of course, a short adventure about saving the world is not to be missed.

The idea of The Agency is very strange but quite funny and provides some exciting approaches, at least for a one-shot or a short campaign. Whether one actually wants to play in this bizarre world for a longer period of time seems questionable to me. But an agent story, in which specialists with unusual abilities and the handicap of sharing a body have to stop typical James-Bond-style villain's plans, seems at least to be an exciting approach for one or two game nights to me.

(Björn Lippold)

This is excellent for running goofy one-shots. With pre-gen characters also to introduce people to FATE.

I reviewed The Secrets of Cats on my blog. In brief, this is a great product if you want a change of pace from normal rpg settings with or if you are just feeling nostalgic for the cartoons of your childhood.

I was looking for my first ever RPG, and I wanted a flexible system, easy to adapt and more focus on narrative than combat. This does it. The book is sprawling with examples on how to run the game, and how to adapt it to your liking. Amazing!

This FATE World proposes a respectful vision of fantasy grounded in southamerican culture. Its innovative application of Approaches makes for a balanced character creation that sticks with its original references.

An incredible necessary re-write of the Core Rules. If you ever wanted to love FATE but the reading of the original rules was just too much, THIS will get you into it and never let you go!

Fun game for a proactive group of innovative players, willing to define their own setting and suspend a certain amount of disbelief. Potential to get a little silly, but otherwise decent representation of this genre.

Great supplement for anyone looking to hack or design their own game. The magic rules alone are worth the price of admission, even if you don't play Fate.

I like Fate in theory. Lots of really great game ideas. But when we get it to the table, it winds up feeling less like a roleplaying game than a storytelling experience moderated by Fate points ...which is fine if that's what you're looking for. I just like my games to give me a little more discovery, exploration, and surprise.