Being a Player
Fate/Clocktower is a low-combat, high-stakes negotiation arena in which there is time pressure on making agreements and making decisions, with the results announced between sessions. If there are any guidelines or aspects of the rules which are unclear or seem wrong, just ask. This section is to explain how we expect the game to run and what to bring to the game. The key dates to know right now are:
Character Deadline: 2 weeks before the upcoming session (Characters made after this can still turn up, but will not have full backgrounds)
We will try our best to run on the 3rd Saturday of the month as before, in the afternoon or evening, unless a majority of players would prefer a reschedule:
Session 2 of 2018 - 19th of May
Slight gap in sessions in June due to being on the Reverse Side of the World.
Session 3 of 2018 - 21st of July (delayed from above)
Session 4 of 2018 - 18th August
And so on...
To physically represent your Magus, it is important to avoid items and clothing which are modern and, ideally, your clothes should be typical of the formalwear of the Victorian period. For this purpose any current formalwear is just fine. Bustles, top hats and waistcoats are more precise. You do not need to research the fashion of 1878 London in any detail. Similarly any items should reflect the style of the time broadly or the kind of older object which someone of the time could have.
The second option for clothing is 'traditional family clothes' - this is for families which have old or current links to the Sea of Estray. This should be specified at the time of character creation and will be the same across anyone in the same family. These can be of any historical period which the family styles themselves as originating from. A family which believes that they are descended from the Romans may choose to wear togas, or another will call back to the clothes of their founder, perhaps in Renaissance times. This is not considered odd, but rather a way of boasting about your heritage which is a bit old-fashioned.
It is worth noting that while Magus live in a society with many formal standards of gender and class, any Magus who attends the summit is sufficiently powerful that no such rules would apply to them. The only significant parts of a Magus to another Magus is the power of their Magic Crest.
The game will run on weekends, for 4 hours (probably 2pm-6pm), in a house on the corner of Atkinson and Melbourne street which is near to the Number 8 bus route. We would appreciate it if people would take care to be good guests as we have housemates who are kindly letting us take over the communal areas. Locations and times are to be confirmed on the Facebook group.
Finally, despite the lack of combat, there are ways available to die through your decisions. These will be clearly marked and avoidable for anyone who does not wish to risk changing character. Anyone who does pass away can create a new character within the same family, though the character creation process will be repeated and the Crest will, of course, evolve.
A primary part of any game session will be spending your tokens. The primary way to spend tokens is by committing them to opportunities – represented by boxes.Each opportunity is a specific event, for example – “a quest to steal eggs from a dragon”. The creator of this opportunity must have submitted a full description of the opportunity to the director, but can choose how much information is available to others.
It is perfectly acceptable for the creator of the opportunity to lie about the nature of the opportunity when collecting tokens; however, the opportunity will be revealed to anybody who participates during the next downtime and those participating may have a downtime choice that will impact on that action – so it might not always work out well to send unwilling participants on an opportunity.
Each box is always marked by a rune, which can give some hint as to the nature of the opportunity. This cannot be altered or manipulated. Boxes may also be marked with any amount of additional information. If the creator of an opportunity wishes, they can even attach a full description to the box itself during that hour.
Some opportunities will have been defined before the start of the session and others will be created during the session, by submitting a request to the director, along with a token as payment. Some opportunities will be a matter of collecting sufficient tokens to fulfil a target number; whereas others may have a number of possible choices (for instance – “who should become the next High Executor”). In this case, an opportunity must be created for each new candidate. Other opportunities will automatically create the opposing option (for instance – “revoke the current High Executor” implies "do not revoke the current High Executor").
Contribution of tokens to these opportunities is done individually and only one mage may approach a box at once. Some boxes will be held in restricted areas or will only be available by request. Each opportunity will have a specific 'hour'. Once the hour is up, the tokens will be taken out and a new 'hour' will begin.
Creators of opportunities can define at submission of an opportunity whether the count should be public or private, to a limit of one public count per Magus. A public count can be a good way of ensuring loyalty, but also reveals your resources and support to other, possibly rival families. Revealing that you have spent all of your tokens may be a serious error and gives your rivals a chance to create an uncontested opportunity. Conversely, a private count may yield an uncertain result and encourage deception.
Finally not all tokens are equal in power. The first token spent by each assisting family in each box will have a larger impact as they bring a new mix of skills. Each Magus also has a personal token, representing their individual talents. The impact of this will depend on the appropriateness of your skills to the opportunity - a soldier is wasted at a formal dinner and a diplomat will do little good in a fight. A powerful Magus can turn the tide in the right place. This is a personal risk and if events go against you it is possible for Magus to be seriously injured or die during opportunities. The Director has seen fit to mark events of this dangerous type in advance with roses... for now.
Tokens are received at the start of each session. The number will vary depending on the character.
Each character will have a personal token, unique to each character. This token will have varying worth depending on circumstance and affinity to the vote in which it is being cast in.
For instance, if a voting box is clearly marked with fire symbols, it can be supposed that mages specialising in conflict, damage or fire will have a stronger sway in this particular vote. Sometimes, boxes will be clearly marked. Others won’t, but you might be able to guess based on what the vote is for. Sometimes, neither will be clear! You will only ever have one personal token – spend it wisely!
Another thing that you do with your personal tokens is declare allegiance. At the end of each session, regardless of whether you have spent it or not, you can choose to give your personal token to the head of a family, signifying a declaration of allegiance. This will mean that the head of that family will receive your personal token at the beginning of next session. In return, you receive a percentage of the family’s power – indicated by tokens. In essence, declaring allegiance to a family will give both families a higher number of votes in return for surrendering your personal power.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that when your personal token is spent as part of an opportunity – it is a commitment that you personally will be taking part in that. Depending on the risk of the opportunity, taking part can result in injury or even death.
Each individual family may have specific family rules on the distribution and spending on tokens. Some may be more democratic than others. Consider this carefully before deciding which family or group to declare to.
Tokens are physical objects that can be given to other characters, stolen, “lost” or gambled away. They are not bound to a person any more than any other possession. They are simply a declaration of commitment from that individual or family.
Session 4 of 2018 - 18th August
And so on...
To physically represent your Magus, it is important to avoid items and clothing which are modern and, ideally, your clothes should be typical of the formalwear of the Victorian period. For this purpose any current formalwear is just fine. Bustles, top hats and waistcoats are more precise. You do not need to research the fashion of 1878 London in any detail. Similarly any items should reflect the style of the time broadly or the kind of older object which someone of the time could have.
The second option for clothing is 'traditional family clothes' - this is for families which have old or current links to the Sea of Estray. This should be specified at the time of character creation and will be the same across anyone in the same family. These can be of any historical period which the family styles themselves as originating from. A family which believes that they are descended from the Romans may choose to wear togas, or another will call back to the clothes of their founder, perhaps in Renaissance times. This is not considered odd, but rather a way of boasting about your heritage which is a bit old-fashioned.
It is worth noting that while Magus live in a society with many formal standards of gender and class, any Magus who attends the summit is sufficiently powerful that no such rules would apply to them. The only significant parts of a Magus to another Magus is the power of their Magic Crest.
The game will run on weekends, for 4 hours (probably 2pm-6pm), in a house on the corner of Atkinson and Melbourne street which is near to the Number 8 bus route. We would appreciate it if people would take care to be good guests as we have housemates who are kindly letting us take over the communal areas. Locations and times are to be confirmed on the Facebook group.
Finally, despite the lack of combat, there are ways available to die through your decisions. These will be clearly marked and avoidable for anyone who does not wish to risk changing character. Anyone who does pass away can create a new character within the same family, though the character creation process will be repeated and the Crest will, of course, evolve.
Gameplay rules
It is perfectly acceptable for the creator of the opportunity to lie about the nature of the opportunity when collecting tokens; however, the opportunity will be revealed to anybody who participates during the next downtime and those participating may have a downtime choice that will impact on that action – so it might not always work out well to send unwilling participants on an opportunity.
Each box is always marked by a rune, which can give some hint as to the nature of the opportunity. This cannot be altered or manipulated. Boxes may also be marked with any amount of additional information. If the creator of an opportunity wishes, they can even attach a full description to the box itself during that hour.
Some opportunities will have been defined before the start of the session and others will be created during the session, by submitting a request to the director, along with a token as payment. Some opportunities will be a matter of collecting sufficient tokens to fulfil a target number; whereas others may have a number of possible choices (for instance – “who should become the next High Executor”). In this case, an opportunity must be created for each new candidate. Other opportunities will automatically create the opposing option (for instance – “revoke the current High Executor” implies "do not revoke the current High Executor").
Contribution of tokens to these opportunities is done individually and only one mage may approach a box at once. Some boxes will be held in restricted areas or will only be available by request. Each opportunity will have a specific 'hour'. Once the hour is up, the tokens will be taken out and a new 'hour' will begin.
Creators of opportunities can define at submission of an opportunity whether the count should be public or private, to a limit of one public count per Magus. A public count can be a good way of ensuring loyalty, but also reveals your resources and support to other, possibly rival families. Revealing that you have spent all of your tokens may be a serious error and gives your rivals a chance to create an uncontested opportunity. Conversely, a private count may yield an uncertain result and encourage deception.
Finally not all tokens are equal in power. The first token spent by each assisting family in each box will have a larger impact as they bring a new mix of skills. Each Magus also has a personal token, representing their individual talents. The impact of this will depend on the appropriateness of your skills to the opportunity - a soldier is wasted at a formal dinner and a diplomat will do little good in a fight. A powerful Magus can turn the tide in the right place. This is a personal risk and if events go against you it is possible for Magus to be seriously injured or die during opportunities. The Director has seen fit to mark events of this dangerous type in advance with roses... for now.
Tokens
Each character will have a personal token, unique to each character. This token will have varying worth depending on circumstance and affinity to the vote in which it is being cast in.
For instance, if a voting box is clearly marked with fire symbols, it can be supposed that mages specialising in conflict, damage or fire will have a stronger sway in this particular vote. Sometimes, boxes will be clearly marked. Others won’t, but you might be able to guess based on what the vote is for. Sometimes, neither will be clear! You will only ever have one personal token – spend it wisely!
Another thing that you do with your personal tokens is declare allegiance. At the end of each session, regardless of whether you have spent it or not, you can choose to give your personal token to the head of a family, signifying a declaration of allegiance. This will mean that the head of that family will receive your personal token at the beginning of next session. In return, you receive a percentage of the family’s power – indicated by tokens. In essence, declaring allegiance to a family will give both families a higher number of votes in return for surrendering your personal power.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that when your personal token is spent as part of an opportunity – it is a commitment that you personally will be taking part in that. Depending on the risk of the opportunity, taking part can result in injury or even death.
Each individual family may have specific family rules on the distribution and spending on tokens. Some may be more democratic than others. Consider this carefully before deciding which family or group to declare to.
Tokens are physical objects that can be given to other characters, stolen, “lost” or gambled away. They are not bound to a person any more than any other possession. They are simply a declaration of commitment from that individual or family.
Downtime
If a character retains their personal token then it is possible to submit a free text downtime for their actions between sessions. This may not interfere with any other family or faction which comes under the power of the Geas. It is, however, still possible to undertake minor actions through this (such as declaring allegiance to another family).
Any remaining other tokens will again be unable to interfere with any family or faction which comes under the power of the Geas. Without instruction then servants and Magus working with you act on their own initiative. If there are no other effects, this tends to result in a small overall increase in wealth and/or power in areas which you already have significant holdings.
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