Tournament Magi Scenario - Runner's peril

Another Scenario for Tournament Magi.

Setup

  One team chooses to be the Aggressor.  They select up to 5 members on their team to participate.  Defenders choose 4 members.  Defenders start in any zone with a number.  These numbers represent magical cannons used to hinder the other team.  Defender decides what type of cannon is at the start of the Scenario.

Special Rules

Cannons:  Cannons take 3 forms;  Ooze, wind and fire.  Successful 'attacks' have different effects depending on the cannon.  Ooze prevents character from leaving zone until overcome.  Wind knocks character back a zone.  Fire inflicts stress.

Defenders may not directly oppose the other team, they must rely on the cannons.  Each team member may either fire a cannon, or move to a different cannon.

Scoring

Each time an aggressor reaches the end zone they score a point and that team member is returned to the start zone.  This Scenario is played for 10 rounds then the aggressor team and defenders switch.

Zones

Blue - Aggressor Starting zone.

Red - Aggressor end zone.

# - How many cannons the zones start with.

Tournament Magi - Part 6: Restructure

  As mentioned in an earlier post I have finally got back to fleshing out the rules for this sports based fate setting/game.  I will be going a different route then before.  Rather then each player having a character as a member of a single team, each player will establish their own team in a league.  I know this may lead to a more board game feel but this seems more true to the idea of Tournament Magi.

  Also The game will be more akin to the fate accelerated then fate core.  Stunts and other qualifying capabilities will be known as talents for this setting.  So I think I will dive into a little bit of team building design which will replace some of the earlier posts and brain storming.  Team creation is covered in four parts:  Home regions, Hire Team members, Armory and Training facility.  This article will cover the first two and the next will go into more details on the others and wrap up.

Home region

  To start we build our team's Home land or region and the type of people they represent.  To do this we establish two things.  First, what approach the team and/or homeland is known for.  This will be important in later team creation.  Second, you select a species, class or people or something else the team represents.  At creation, team funds can be spent to advance these traits at a cost shown below.  Finally, select a role the team has an edge in.

+$30, 000 add another representation
+60, 000 add a second approach the team specializes in.
+30, 000 add another role the team has an edge with.


Home region creation example
  Darren and Jenna prepare to start a Tournament Magi season.  Darren decides his team will revolve around Minotaurs, so he selects Forceful as his approach and Knights as his edge team members.  Since he already choose that his team represents Minotaurs he calls his team the Labyrinth Walkers.   Jenna goes for a different angle.  She wants to have sneaky as her teams approach.  She in visions that ninjas will make up her team so she chooses them from the scouts alternative names to be her edge.  She decides since she uses ninjas that her team will be representative of a clan of ninjas.

Hiring the Team

  The next step is hiring your active team members.  Your basic team member starts with two skills at rank one, a role at rank 1 and a talent from it's role.  (All roles will be shown in a later post and linked back here.)  As well the team members receive a bonus skill rank in their specialized approach.  Finally the team member gains a single aspect that must contain both their role, or one of it's alternative names, and the thing the team represents.  Prices are shown below.  A team must have at least 5 members.

+50, 000 Basic team member.  Reduced to 40, 000 if role is that which the team has an edge in.
+10, 000 a rank in an approach you don't possess.
+15, 000 bring a rank 1 approach to rank two.
+20, 000 Increase Rank of team members role

Status Update

  So I know I have been gone for sometime from any serious posting.  But life seems to have finally got to a point I can take a more active role in creating again.  So I hope to be returning to a more continuous projects soon.

  Speaking of which, I have been putting the Tournament Magi on hold for too long.  The topics been brewing in my head for a while now and I plan on returning to finish it soon.  Though there will be some changes.  First, I plan on shifting from Fate core as it's base to Fate accelerated.  I know the differences are a bit minor but it should make it alot easier.  Second, each player will field a team rather then a character on a team.

  In other news I am preparing to pair up with another soon to be author on this blog to create a new setting, Inspired Machines, hopefully we will see that coming down the line as well.  There should be more soon on this so subscribe and hopefully this blog will begin to pick up speed again.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi - Sample Scenario Crash Orb

Crash Orb

Each Hex counts as a zone.

Objective:  Score points by placing your team orbs into opponents orb generator zone.  

Generator Zones (Green):  Teams orb generator zones are the green zones next to the teams starting location.  Any player on team may generate an orb as an action.  A team may only have one orb at a time.

Team Starting locations (Red or Blue):  Where teams enter players to the field.  Team player limit set by arena coordinators.

Random Hazard (Grey):  Roll on the chart below with one fate die to decide games hazard.

+ Regeneration:  Take an action, reduce one moderate consequence to a minor one. 

0  Shifting mirrors:  Make a notice check to leave zone.

-  Shock Bolts:  A shoot 2 attack against all who enter zone.

Question to the Fate Community

So I know I have been gone a while, and my wife and I are working on something new involving fate.  (I will let her tell everyone about that later.)  But I must ask, is there anyone one out there that wanted to see Tournament Magi or Two worlds settings here continued at all?

Well thanks for a moment of your time.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi - Notice

So tested some of the rules I had thought would work for this concept and they did not work at all.  So back to the think tank and may start something else while I think.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 5 - Roles

Roles

  In addition to the normal character creation, each character will have a role or position on the team.  Each will have an advantage and what equipment, mundane or magic, the character can be armed with during the events.  Slots, is the kind of magic they can have and the limit by the rules of the tournament.  Roles will take up one of your aspects and the advantage can be triggered with a fate point.

Brute

  The Brute's roll is to supply physical strength and a deal of brutality during the match.  Larger people, including things like ogres and such often fill this role when a team is lucky enough.

Armaments Allowance:  Heavy weapons
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Runic (2)
Advantage:  Gain +3 armour when taking the blow for a teammate.

Bow

  A group all role for any that use ranged weapons that are not entirely composed of magic.  This could be a bow or sling, are something as fancy as bone darts or the ability to spit acid.

Armaments Allowance:  Ranged weapons
Slots allowed on self(Max):  Any (2)
Advantage:  Once per scene, ignore targets armour for one attack.

Devastator

  This is the name granted to a person capable of wielding destructive magics.  They may either be drawing them from seals, a natural born magic, or both.  Their role is to rain devastation upon the enemy.

Armaments Allowance:  Magi Staves and rings
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (3 + 2 attack based seals)
Advantage:  The Devastator may restore up to one seal.  Or can activate two seals in one action as long as they remain in the zone they are in, these seals can be activated without the sealing skill.

Knight

  The knight is an all around warrior on the team.  His advantage is versatility of armaments, and flexibility on the battlefield.

Armaments Allowance:  Any
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (2)
Advantage:  Once each scene the knight can change their weapon for any in the team armoury.

Medic

  The Medic is vital in longer events.  Their role can be vital on and off the battlefield.

Armaments Allowance:  Rings

Slots allowed on self:  Seals (3)

Advantage:  By spending one seals you may reduce the severity of one physical consequence by one degree.

Shiv

  The Shiv or knife, is the quick striker of the group.  They are often stealthy if the event requires and make excellent scouts or fighters.

Armaments Allowance:  Light weapon
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Runic (2)
Advantage:  (Not sure yet)

Rider

  Not everyone steps into the arena in person.  Some use magical creations or dominated minions to do their work, more often then not necromancer tend to go this route.  Due to fan rebellion only one role of this kind may be used outside of golems.  They are known as riders.


Armaments Allowance:  Minion
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (3)
Advantage:  (Not sure yet, other then the minion itself)

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 4 - Magic Slots

Magic Slots

  In tournament Magi, the majority of magic comes in the form of imbued power through runes, seals and mystic gemstones.  Though other magic may exist in the world, it is not as common as these forms.  Runes and seals can be drawn on a persons body and imbued with magic.  Some items can hold them as well.  Gemstones can only be placed on items to release their power.  We will get into items more later though.

The power contained in the seal is measured on a mystic level.
-Art by goldentigers

Runes

  Runes hold sustainable power.  They last longer then seals but often provide far weaker advantages.  Rune smiths specialize in not only etching runes but designing new ones as well.  Runes provide an ability equivalent to a stunt, but only one rune may be active on a person or item at any time.  Activating a new one cancels the old one.  Some runes bolster seals and gemstones.  Charged runes last until minor milestones, before needing to recharge.

Seals

  Seals are often single use abilities.  They are stored for when needed and are used to create potent effects.  All seals require a test of skill to unlock and use, though sealing can always be substituted.  Hoping to have a design section for this soon.  Seal writers prepare seals for the team.


Gemstones

  Continuous items that can alter the abilities of the items they are placed into.  Some abilities rely on the gemstones to power them, as opposed to fate points for supernatural stunts.  Gemstones though recharge over time without assistance, unlike runes, making them highly sought.

Self vs items

  Most magic slots can be placed on people or items.  It requires high quality items to be placed into.  As well the Tournament Magi rulings limit the amount that any person can place on themselves based off the role on the team they fill.  More on roles tomorrow.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 3

Skills

Practicing for battle
-Art by Michael A Scott

  So I suppose it's time to talk about skills.  Let's start with the assumed default, then discuss what is going to change to make the Tournament Magi setting work for the PC's sheet.

Crafts - used for making non magical items only.  Finer items are needed to be used with runes and seals

Drive and Resources - Right out.  I don't see there being vehicles to drive and resources will either be handled by the Team sheet, or will be removed as a whole.  Considered putting Burglary and Rapport here too but thought they may be of use outside the ring.

New Skills Ideas

Managing - Dealing with the duties, delegation and scheduling of the team.

Runic - Identifying, charging and altering runes.  Maybe a stunt to make new ones or extra slots on roles in the team.  More to be spoken of this later.

Sealing - Like Runic for the seals.

Binding - Thoughts on controlling supernatural and magical creations.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 2

The Team

Ice Golem
-Art by Sade

  Before creation of the individual characters the team gets it's own sheet with a unique creation that should involve all participating players if possible.

Step 1:  The name

  The name of the team should be agreed upon by everyone involved.  Be creative and have fun with it.

Step 2:  Aspects

  Just like your character your team will have Aspects but only 2.  The team's Manager and the Owner.  These aspects can be used by any member of the team, but cost a fate point as usual.  Also they can be compelled but it does not cost a fate point to resist compels from your team's aspects.

Step 3:  Team Skills

  Team Skills are unique skills that the team gets.  They are a different set then the players have to select from but follow the same rules as players, the team acting as it's own character.  The team starts with a single rank 2 and two rank 1 team skills.   Below are the team skills, more about what this specific skills do will be covered later.

Doc/healer - Person who patches up the players after vicious matches.

Golem Crafter - The group that builds and maintains golems.  More expensive then rookies, but also last longer too.

Morality - Cheerleaders and Mascots

Patrons - The number and usefulness of your fans.

Rookies - Cannon fodder to fill roles that professionals (PCs) cannot on the field.

Rune Smith - prepares weapons for runes and seal marks.

Seal writer - In charge of recharging and maintaining seals.

Smith - Person in charge of creating the teams individual weapons for the tournaments.

Sponsors - Your team's access to wealth and buying victory.

Team's Spellbook -  How well the team discovers and remembers new runes and seals collected on the battlefield.

There will be more as I think of them, or get good suggestions.

Step 4:  Edge

 Every team has something they are known for.  The team's edge is like a stunt your team can use.  A couple of examples below.

Extra Navigator seal:  An extra team seal that can be unleashed during the match.

We do X well:  X is one of the team skills.  The team considers that skill to be one point higher.

Example

  The player get together for a new season of Tournament.  They decide they are the 'Dread Moons', and are going with a wild theme.  They are owned by a 'Old Reclusive Mage' and managed by 'Young Female Werecrow' which are now the team aspects.  

  When they get to skills the players decide they want to be the loved underdogs and take patron as their rank 2 skill.  Then they take Rookies and Morality at 1, showing they have priorities.  For they edge the take We do X well, and select Rookies as the edges advantage.

Thoughts

  Wondering if I should create stress tracks for the team.  Maybe something like Resources and Credibility? 

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 1

  So had this idea in my head for a while about a tournament league game like the old yu-gi-oh TV series, certamen from Mage the Ascension or Awakening, and Blood Bowl all rolled into one.  It shall be named Tournament Magi, at least until I come up with a better name.  The characters will be all part of the same team, and the action and drama outside the battles will have just as much to add to the game as on the field.  So before I jump into the skills and specific mechanics I am going to post my goals for this setting and see which I meet.

'Not all participation will be human.'
-Art by Gary Dupuis

• Grant each character a role on the team, having more role options then possible team members.
• Use rune and seal slots for forms of magic tied to the roles.
• Have each chamber of the battle field with aspects that can change the advantages of roles.
• Runes and seals can be found/changed though secrets of the dungeons that battles are fought in.
• Team 'character sheet'.
• Have Golems.
• Make it fun.