Setup

What are the issues?

Current issue examples:

“Polarized Gingerbread Land”

“Comrade has been framed”

“Assassination successful, assassin at large”

“Frustrated youth”

“Gingerbread-folk missing”

Impending issue examples:

“Blackstrap on the move”

“Toy Land forces nearly overwhelmed”

“Assassination hasn’t happened yet, but assassin is in town”

“Full train heading to blockade on the Story Land border”

“Story Land border castle under siege”

High Concepts:

Examples of high concepts boiled down to aspects:

“Has something to prove to family after not going into ‘the family business’.” Aspect: But this is my dream, Dad!

“Struggles with desire to exact revenge upon people who murdered family member.” Aspect: Forgiveness is sugar, vengeance is spice

“Searches for a place to belong after being rejected by peers for militant aspirations.” Aspect: My friends think I’m paranoid

“Hopes to cure panic attacks that are triggered by thoughts of Gingerbread Land’s destruction.” Aspect: Savior Complex

“Craves adventure seeking answers to questions that are considered ‘mysteries’ in Gingerbread society.” Aspect: Raider of the Lost Tart

Trouble:

Personal Struggles Examples (presented as aspects):

“Forgets own limitations”

“Easily distracted by a puzzle”

“Tempted to take shortcuts”

“Anger issues”

“Has to know what buttons/levers/switches do”

Problematic Relationship Examples (presented as aspects):

“Black sheep of the family”

“Sought by Queen of Hearts for faulty birthday cake”

“Backslider of the Holy Temple of the Thirteen”

“On probation with the Confectioners’ Guild”

“Marked for death by one of Blackstrap’s gangs”

The Phase Trio:

In ordinary Fate Core, the first phase of a Phase Trio involves a character’s “first adventure”. But the characters in this game have never had an adventure per se. That’s sort of the point. However, the characters do each have a personal experience that led them to think that they should do more to help defend Gingerbread Land. So, here are some Phase Trio examples based upon this notion.

Phase 1:

Write a brief paragraph about the experience you had that led to your decision to do more to defend Gingerbread Land. Perhaps draw inspiration from aspects you’ve already written down.

Example: a description of an attack you suffered in Toy Land; a description of witnessing the assassination of a Gingerbread person; a description of the moment you heard the news about Blackstrap being on the move; etc.

Then write an aspect that expresses all or part of the experience. Try to make it a thing that can manifest in positive OR negative ways.

Example: hardened resolve (from surviving attack); “We can make it hurt a little” (a preference for weapons that, if non-lethal, at least cause some pain, in response to witnessing the assassination); Gingerbread Patriot (a new feeling of love for all of Gingerbread Land after hearing of Blackstrap’s impending threat); etc.

Phase 2:

Players swap the paragraphs from Phase 1 so that each player may add themselves as a supporting character in the other player’s past experience. The supporting role can complicate, solve. or complicate AND solve the situation. Perhaps draw inspiration from aspects you’ve already written down.

Example: after the smoke cleared in the Toy Land attack upon Player 1, Player 2 happened to come by and pieced Player 1 back together (solve); as Player 2 witnessed the assassination from a hidden location, Player 3 broke a candy stick, drawing the assassin’s attention to Player 2, but before the assassin could do anything to Player 2, Player 3 fled and the assassin ran after Player 3 (complicate and solve… the complication doesn’t have to be the thing solved, though); Player 3 became very distraught when hearing that Blackstrap was on the way to Gingerbread Land, but Player 1 advised that the best antidote to fear is a plan of action (complicated? or solved?)

Then write aspects based upon these narrative additions.

Example: Gingerbread Medic; Accident waiting to happen; Unsolicited Advisor.

Phase 3:

Swap paragraphs again so that nobody has their original paragraph or the paragraph to which they’ve just added narrative. As in Phase 2, each player adds a supporting role to the paragraph they now possess. Perhaps draw inspiration from aspects you’ve already written down.

Example: Player 3 is, along with Player 2, with the party who found Player 1 injured in Toy Land, and while Player 2 is patching Player 1 up, Player 3 explores the area nearby and retrieves a valuable possession of Player 1’s that was feared stolen and lost forever, but Player 3 also discovers the dear possession of one of Player 1’s dead comrades, which thereafter becomes an object of fixation for Player 1 (solve and complicate); as Player 3 fled the scene of the assassination, Player 1 haplessly drove past in a delivery truck that Player 3 hopped onto to evade the assassin (solve);  after Player 1 tells Player 3 that action is the best antidote to fear, Player 2 innocently suggests that there’s nothing anyone can do, so long as they’re confined to Gingerbread Land anyway, which gets Player 3 to wondering what’s stopping them from leaving Gingerbread Land (complicate).

Then write aspects based upon these narratives.

Examples: Treasure Hunter, Lucky Charm, Me and My Big Mouth.  

Sample created character:

Name: Brok

Occupation/Profession: Confectioner

Specialist/Specialty:Engineer (+1 to E&M)

High concept: Forgiveness is sugar, vengeance is spice

Trouble: Marked for death by one of Blackstrap’s gangs

Phase 1: Player 1 traveled in Toy Land with a dear friend when attacked by Blackstrap’s goons. Player 1 was the only one who survived. Aspect: Survivor’s Guilt

Phase 2: Player 1 hears Player 3 lamenting threats against Gingerbread Land. Player 1 tells Player 3 the only antidote for fear is action. This seems to get Player 3 thinking. Aspect: Unsolicited Advisor.

Phase 3: Player 1 drives to the scene of an assassination to offer assistance. The victim is a lost cause, but Player 2 is there treating an injured party. Player 2 doesn’t have enough gingerbread to do the job, but Player 1 just happens to have plenty in his delivery truck. Thus, Player 1 assists Player 2 in helping the injured party. Aspect: Lucky Charm

Skills: Great (+4)=E&M; Good (+3)=Combat, M&P; Fair (+2)=Nimbleness, Trickster, Scouting; Average (+1)=M-F, M-S, Fabrication, Intuition; all other skills +0

Stunts:

Liquid courage – use E&M to produce fuel for a machine. Takes two actions.

Fire marshal – if an attack using a device made with E&M succeeds with style, automatically learn how to make any enemy explosives, fuels, or munitions used in the conflict.

Surprise! – use E&M to produce booby-traps. +2 to E&M if non-lethal.