On Deals and Fates

These two are potentially the most important part of the game, and their purpose should be clearly understood. Although they appear descriptive they are actually activating concepts. A good Deal should tell the player what to do; a good Fate should tell the GM what to do to the player.

For the most part, the Deal is the more important of the two. Deals should always be a feature of a game, because a good Deal informs a player not just what their character does, but how they do it. Fates are less critical because they don’t affect every aspect of the game, and in some cases may not ever come into play. However, a good Fate can make your Deal become critical. Deals, meanwhile cause you to care about your Fate. The two should work off each other for the greatest dramatic effect.

Players may have a hard time coming up with Deals, so be ready to assist them. Remember that besides being both all-encompassing and deeply significant, a good Deal is also useful to a GM for generating ideas, motivations and plot points, and you should guide their creation with this in mind. If you have a plot in mind, don't be afraid to guide your players towards Deals which will work with your ideas.

Fates are even harder to write than Deals. Again, it is important to understand their purpose. The point of Fates is not necessarily to come true, but to instigate action and produce difficult choices, just as they are used in the film. They are carte blanche to screw with your players' heads and set up great dramatic moments. Where possible, this potential should not be wasted, and is far more important than making them come true. The future is a funny thing, and we know the Oracle twists the truth and lies by omission, so maybe she saw what really happened and hid it from you. Or maybe your future just hasn't happened yet. Maybe it will happen in the sequel. If one existed, which it doesn't.

In short, not every Fate is going to get worked into every game, for every player. It's still worth it to give them out, for the times when it all comes together and they do work.

When writing Fates, the aim is to be vague enough to allow you some wiggle room, but concrete enough to be disturbing. Applying them to Deals may allow some of this specificity, as can hinting at any adventure ideas you have planned. The best example of a Fate is the self-fulfilling prophecy, so it's also good to imply some kind of action or condition on the PC's part in there. Say a PC's deal is: "In love with a coppertop". His Fate might be "Your love is going to die in your arms". Note that this is vague (how and why will she die? when?) yet also very specific ("in your arms").

Most importantly, it causes conflict in the player:

• Why would the Oracle tell you that your lover will die in your arms? To make you go to her, to make it stop.
• Why does she want that? Guess you'll have to go and find out.
• But... the GM wants you to do that. It's gotta be a trap. Yeah, but... I gotta go, 'cause she's gonna die. Isn't she?
• What if I don't go? Maybe... if I never go near her, she'll never die! Yeah!

At which point the PC's phone rings. It's the Operator. "Aegis — The Agents. I don't know how," he says, "but they got her. The Agents got your girl."

Cue close up on sunglasses. Aegis hangs up in silence. The soundtrack cranks up. He begins to run.