The Case Against Aspects
Aspects are great. Using aspects in your Fudge games is perfectly fine, and Fate is a wonderful Fudge derivative that has shown just how powerful aspects can be. There are many reasons to use aspects, including character creation that is custom fitted to the player’s character concept (or at least aspects tend to be a better fit).
I am talking about Fudge game design though, and with that I think that the use of aspects is something that perhaps should be avoided. One reason is because Fate and aspects are so intertwined, and Fate has evolved to be a game system that is able to stand on its own. Yes it is a Fudge derivative, but it is such a successful one that it is its own brand.
That is a very minor reason not to use aspects in your Fudge game design though. The main reason to me for not using aspects is that they have already been done, and they have been done so well that you are not very likely to improve upon them.
Why not do something different? Why not work on designing something that will not use aspects so that we can have the Fate system and system “X” that is still a Fudge system but not Fate? Aspects are great, but so is chocolate. I do not want chocolate in every recipe that I make. I want to taste new flavors.
For this reason I am going to avoid using aspects in Budge v2.0. The challenge that presents will help me to focus on my own game system based on Fudge, and not just relying on Fate to provide all of the innovations for Fudge. Maybe I am making a big mistake, but just like a recipe I can always adjust it later by adding that missing ingredient the next time that I make the meal.
What do you think about this approach? Aspects work, but does that mean we should always use them? Leave a comment below and let everyone know how you feel.
I love aspects. Aspects are the missing piece that was missing from so many games from my youth.
I can also see why you want to take them off the table for your game design. As I have said in the past there is no reason to re-invent the wheel. If Budge is just a new veneer on Fate then why play it and not Fate? I see far too many Fudge/Fate games that are mechanical ad hominem conversions of other games.
It is the same sort of idea as saying I am not going to use “Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity…” as my attribute list.
There are many many many articles that talk about the benefits to creativity when you embrace limitations or constraints. I think this decision will take Budge in an interesting direction. It will mean that Budge will be a game different from Fate. It might mean that some people will look at it and say – “I’d play it if it were closer to Fate” but I think it will be a better game, a more interesting game, a more unique game – because of this design decision.
Based on the limited discussions we have had I think we have different styles when it comes to games but I look forward to seeing Budge develop.
@shaneknysh: Thank you. You nailed what it is that I am trying to accomplish here when you said “If Budge is just a new veneer on Fate then why play it and not Fate?”
I don’t want to design “Ultra-Fate” or some other lame named Fate derivative that is just a few new setting tweaks and minor rule variations. I want to try and get Fudge gamers to say “This is Fudge, but different!” which is what I think Fate did.
“Aspects work, but does that mean we should always use them?”
Just because something works doesn’t mean it is the only thing that works. Just because something works doesn’t mean there isn’t something that might work better.
@shaneknysh:
As I understand it Budge is meant as a variant of FUDGE and not FATE. And that’s actually a big difference. While FATE itself is based partly on Fudge it’s not a replacement for Fudge. And especially Aspects and the conflict resolution system are what sets FATE apart and what makes it hard to swallow for some people. Don’t get me wrong, I like FATE a lot, but I don’t think that every Fudge derivative should be like FATE.
@Gordon Cooper: I agree.
@Stargazer: Well put. I don’t want Fudge, Fate, and 50,000 Fate clones either. 🙂