About Fate
Evil Hat Productions' open-license Fate Accelerated Edition rules system is a simple, elegant tool that game masters can use to create new role-playing games based on any narrative, genre, or trope. The rules system is a condensed version of the widely popular Fate Core System, but because Fate Accelerated replaces Fate Core's skills mechanic with a small set of approaches, most fans of Fate Core see Fate Accelerated as something "less than" Fate Core. We believe nothing could be further from the truth, and Caverns & Wyverns™ intends to help fulfill the promise that Fate Accelerated is the "grab-and-go" role-playing system for those of us who value role-play over preparation. If you love Dungeons & Dragons or any of its varied off-shoots, and you've been wanting to run your own game and create your own world but feel overwhelmed by the rules set, then Caverns & Wyverns™ is the game for you.
The problem
Currently, the Fate Accelerated Edition role-playing game suffers in the following ways.
- Fate Accelerated Edition lacks a starter adventure. This means if someone wants to try out the game, they must first create their own adventure, or find one.
- To play Fate Accelerated Edition, you must have a set of four six-sided Fate dice. As an alternative, you can modify a set of standard six-sided dice to look like Fate dice, but modified dice lack the aesthetic that real Fate dice bring to the table.
- As written, the Fate Accelerated Edition rules are presented in book form, which means the players and the game master need to flip through pages to look things up. Also, one of the actions, the "create an advantage" action, is confusing for the reader due to the fact the rules include two branches for outcomes when, in fact, there should be three.
Objectives
To bring Fate Accelerated Edition to a wider audience, this project's solution must
- Include everything you need to play the game in one package.
- Be easy to understand, with rules presented to the players and to the game master when they need them.
- Use a common role-playing game setting.
The solution
The Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game boxed set will be the first "basic set" for Fate Accelerated Edition, and it will showcase how the rules can be used to play a quick game in a swords-and-sorcery fantasy setting. The boxed set will include
- A full-color 11.75 x 9.125 x 2 inch box
- The Fate Accelerated Edition rules updated for clarity and presented in a more module, practical format.
- A starter adventure, tentatively titled Mark of the Scrivener, featuring a classic dungeon crawl that includes classic monsters, such as goblins, orcs, ogres, zombies, skeletons, etc.
- Pre-generated player characters you can use to play the starter adventure, including a halfling rogue, dwarf fighter, elf wizard, human cleric, gnome bard, half-orc paladin, and dragonblood barbarian.
- Blank character sheets so that you can create your own characters.
- Four colorful dice with the +, -, and blank sides that you expect from Fate dice.
Future editions of the boxed set may include
- Additional adventures, including a one-on-one adventure for a single player and a game master.
- A "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style gamebook that uses Fate Accelerated Edition rules to help readers choose actions and determine outcomes.
- A book titled "Fate and Fiction: How to Create Your Own Fate Accelerated Edition Worlds from Your Favorite Books, Comic Books, and Movies".
Creating this Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game basic set or "starter set" for Fate Accelerated Edition is a desirable way to achieve the objectives for this project because it follows in the footsteps of other proven entry-level role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons with its basic sets and starter sets.
The work involved
During the past year, writer and game designer Ryan C. Christiansen has laid the foundation for the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game by developing the framework for multiple single-session swords-and-sorcery adventures. He has rewritten the Fate Accelerated Edition rules for clarity, and he has created pre-generated characters for the game. In addition, Mr. Christiansen has been working with illustrator Albert Holaso to bring the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game to life using illustrations.
During the next few months, Mr. Christiansen will work to finish writing and formatting the rules and the starter adventure for the boxed set. He will also work to complete the web site for the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game. As things progress, Mr. Christiansen will share the rules and the pre-generated characters as free downloads on the web site, and he will encourage the general public to play-test and suggest improvements to the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game.
When the contents for the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game boxed set are complete and ready to be published, Mr. Christiansen will seek backers for the boxed set on Kickstarter.
You can help
You can help make the Caverns & Wyverns™ role-playing game boxed set a reality by obtaining copies of the game materials from the Downloads page, by play-testing the game, and by sending your feedback to ryan.c.christiansen@gmail.com .