Did anyone actually play FATAL?

[Tonguez]

in the Hated systems thread FATAL has been raised often as the absolutely worst RPG ever, with its rules for depravity and obsession with genitals being cited. I agree those were taken to the point of ridiculousness

but I do wonder did anyone ever play the system? if we ignore the depravity did it have anything at all to offer?...

 

[Zhaleskra]

I had a group send me the PDF. My response was "that game does not exist".

 

[pming]

Nope. I've been trying to find a copy for sale that doesn't cost an arm, a leg, one breast and a penis. So far, no luck.

 

[Morrus]

I can’t believe that anybody did.

 

[Nagol]

in the Hated systems thread FATAL has been raised often as the absolutely worst RPG ever, with its rules for depravity and obsession with genitals being cited. I agree those were taken to the point of ridiculousness

but I do wonder did anyone ever play the system? if we ignore the depravity did it have anything at all to offer?...

I own a copy. If you ignore the depravity... there's not a lot special about it. It is quite math heavy and table-driven. For example, the calculation for initiative score is: 1d100 +/- reaction + Breadth - Delivery Penalty. Breadth is effectively character reach (down to the inch or so). Delivery penalty Is attached to weapons.

Combat actions have a by the second duration in a way that doesn't make tremendous amount of sense when you are using an initiative system.

Attacks can miss entirely, hit the armour and damage it but not the defender, or hit the defender and damage it but not the armour.

 

[aramis erak]

Attacks can miss entirely, hit the armour and damage it but not the defender, or hit the defender and damage it but not the armour.

All 5 possibilities (miss, hit and damage both, hit butdamage armor only, hit but damage person only, hit but damage neither) are real world valid outcomes of a sword swing or axe swing.. Damaging the wearer is actually far more likely than damaging the armor.

When I fought SCA Heavy, I got interesting bruises because the armor moved, transferring the blow force to a different location than was hit. EG, a hit to the forearm left a bruise up the forearm from the impact point, because the vambrace levered off my wrist.

 

[Crusadius]

"Too historically accurate" for me. I.e. I believe the author claimed how historically accurate it was. It contained racism, misogyny, hate and anal circumference measurements. If that's historical accuracy then there was too much of it in the game for my tastes.

 

[Alzrius]

I've been trying to find a print copy (that doesn't involve just printing the PDF) for a while now, simply because I collect old RPGs. But I'd never suggest to my group that we actually play the thing.

 

[Longspeak]

Dear God No.

It was a disgusting, vile, sickening peek into the mind of someone (more than one?) with a lot of issues, not a role-playing game.

 

[Bohandas]

IIRC someone on Giant In The Playground's forum attempted it as an experiment about a year ago