Who Did the Art for Tabletop Fate Core Event Zero
For those of y'all who have gotten to know united states of america over the time that we have been active in the tabletop roleplaying space, y'all've probably figured out that both Joann and I really enjoy cyberpunk games. A REALLY lot. It was, quite literally, how we originally met and became friends. A lot has happened since then. We have discovered new systems, developed new ways of thinking virtually games and running them, and watched as the intellectual property that introduced us has been turned into a gasoline-fueled dumpster burn. That last one breaks our hearts to say.
Because of that, and our love of the genre, we've spent a lot of time hunting for a replacement that would give us that feel, not just mechanically, but in depth of setting and richness of lore. Where nosotros could create characters and drop them into what felt like a living, breathing world that we didn't have to invent out of whole cloth. Nosotros've washed that. And nosotros're going to practise information technology over again. Nosotros'd even practice it for this if need be, but nosotros can both exist incredibly lazy sometimes and it would be nice not to take to exercise everything.
That search was where I first ran across the property Interface Zero past Gun Metal Games. Interface Cypher is a dystopian cyberpunk game with setting developed past Peter J. Wacks. The second edition of that game has been released for both the Savage Worlds system and FATE Core. In this review, nosotros'll be looking at the FATE Cadre version which was funded by Kickstarter in November 2015. Nosotros purchased the Print on Demand version from DriveThruRPG. The book is, as most of the other offerings nosotros have ordered in this way, nicely put together. While the hard cover binding is non the nigh sturdy method of doing then, it is not bad, and will likely agree up equally long as it is treated well.
Like the other FATE offerings by Evil Hat Productions, the book is fix in half-dozen 10 9 format. The cover is glossy and does not accept the soft touch that the other FATE books tend to accept. The artwork on the cover and in the book is sharp, vibrant, and evocative. The pages are of heavy paper, non-sleeky, and the ink seems high enough quality that it will not smear easily. The binding appears to have used adequate glue to go along the pages together even when opened wide.
Content
1 of the very outset things I noticed about this book was the corporeality of fourth dimension and attention that went into laying down the setting and lore. At the showtime of the book, in that location are 29 pages of introduction, fiction and chronological lore to give the reader a general feel for what the setting is, what has happened to get there, and what the general feel of the current twelvemonth is. In addition to that, the history text is set up both in linguistic communication that doesn't get boring similar many similar settings. It also uses a familiar gimmick to the old world books and rulebooks of the organisation we mentioned that was a dumpster burn before where in-game personalities break in to offer their color to a given historical effect or topic. And then, at the end, at that place is some other 133 pages of setting describing what the world and the lore expect like geographically, both on Earth and in what nosotros've colonized in space. That's a total of 162 pages of lore for a Gamemaster to get in and sink their hooks into.
The next thing I noticed had to exercise with the rules. While it states on page 43 that the GM will need to know the total FATE Core rules, the volume itself provides something of a prime for new players to assistance them go up to speed on terms like Aspects, Invoking, Stunts, Fate Points, etc… The explanations are bare-bone, simply examples are given in an endeavor to be helpful. In my opinion, with a GM that already knows FATE, this would easily be enough to take someone from non knowing FATE to being able to play Interface Zero. To get the Gamemaster up to speed, there is a list of the changes to skills, and how you volition need to think about race and occupation in relation to grapheme aspects along with helpful pointers toward the other changes/customizations made to FATE Core with folio references.
What really caught my attention, rules-wise, however was the way that aid was baked into the volume layout. Each aspect, each race, each occupation, each skill has examples of invokes, hostile invokes, compels, and potential stunts that you tin utilise to become some thought of things your character might be able to do. Not only that, they have helpfully included several pre-built archetypes for types of characters that one might unremarkably find in this world forth with a recommended character "build" to make them. That fashion, you can, with some only pocket-sized input (race and aspects by and large), hit the ground running and play immediately. For a brand new player, this is huge and brings the learning bend way down on this game.
In that location are 31 pages of "special systems" next. These are add-ons to FATE that change the flavor and tone of the system to something that more specifically matches what information technology is y'all want to practice. A lot of this deals with how to handle Zekes (or Psychics) and Hackers and what they can and cannot do from a rules standpoint. After that is an extensive (and I mean extensive), 74 page equipment itemize of stuff your character can buy. Costs are broken downwards non by bodily dollar value merely purchased on a "ladder calibration" similar to the FATE effect ladder but using your Resources skill. Items are broken up past category with things higher on the ladder beingness more expensive and some items are restricted (such as to those in the military). All in all, at that place is a really lot of meat in these pages and for a team as small-scale (in overall numbers) equally this, that's really an impressive thing.
Critique
I actually don't accept a whole lot of critique for this product. I would, personally, limit information technology to two and ane of them is but kind of a half-critique. Beginning, one of the things that I take found goes very well in a product that contains rules (or in this case, rules modifications) is an extended example of play. Ideally, that instance of play would showcase the differences and how they fit into the context of a "typical" game session. For case, this product might showcase the psionics and hacking rules, or the use of the Resources skill to purchase equipment in addition to giving a fleck of "narrative flavour" of what play in this system might be similar. I accept establish that looking through one of these is a useful way to assistance get my head into a new setting and system. An splendid case of this tin exist plant in Blades in the Nighttime (pages 137 – 144).
The second thing is more of a half-critique. I would love to see a brusk take chances in the book. Non and so much for extra content, just as part of a slightly larger section that dealt with "How to GM Interface Zero two.0 FATE Edition" and where that curt take chances (no more than a couple of scenes), walked a new Interface Nix GM through some of the potential thought processes of both conceiving/preparing an take a chance and running one. With that being said, there is an adventure out for Interface Zilch 2.0 FATE Edition called "A Facsimilie of Death". I practise not ain information technology, and I take no idea if it does any of the things I've described, but you lot can purchase information technology through DriveThruRPG.
Summary
Interface Zippo 2.0 FATE Edition, in my mind, is a study of effective worldbuilding. The setting feels vibrant. Now, not having actually played it, I cannot annotate on this game from an experiential standpoint, just I have played FATE and I have a lot of feel with Cyberpunk settings, fifty-fifty outside of the one mentioned earlier. I would exist very interested to really play this game. I recollect that if you enjoy FATE and you lot savor some gritty cyberpunk, you're probably going to savor this game and ought to pick it up. The possessor of Gun Metal Games, Dave Jarvis, posted a commentary on why Interface Zip might be your "thing" on RPG.cyberspace's forums. If FATE isn't your thing, the Vicious Worlds Chance Edition (SWAdE) version might exist more to your liking. They have as well updated the SWAdE Edition to Interface Null iii.0 with the newest rules of that system. Happy gaming!
- Josh Walles
Source: https://angelscitadel.com/2021/04/02/review-interface-zero-2-0-fate-edition/
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