```metadata
title: 'FAST: Fate Accelerated for Storytelling'
description: >-
  A streamlined version of an already simple system, FAST centralizes Fate's
  rules around aspects, and their use as both a gameplay and storytelling
  resource.
tags: ''
systems: []
renderer: V3
theme: 5ePHB

```

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# Rules
## Players and the GM
All but one of the participants are players, actors in the game's narrative. The remaining participant is the Game Master, or GM. As the GM, you are the game's storyteller, and help guide the narrative and set challenges for the players to face.

## Character Creation
As a player, you control a character who, along with the other player characters (PCs for short), drives the narrative forward. To create a character, take the following steps:
- Name and briefly describe your character.
- Briefly describe a key formative experience for your character.
- Briefly describe how your character has crossed paths with at least one other PC, working with the characters' players to achieve this.
- Write down five key aspects that, together, encapsulate your character. These can be anything from inherent traits of your character, to notable exploits they've accomplished, to the bonds they've formed with other characters.

## Aspects
Aspects are key gameplay elements. They shape characters, the action, and thus the narrative of your adventure. These aspects are also a resource, which you will draw upon to influence the course of events.

An aspect can be in one of two states, spent or unspent: certain actions will have you spend aspects, making them unable to be used until they are recharged, which renders them unspent and thus ready to be used again.

## Challenge and Turns
As a player, your character will find themselves dealing with challenges on their adventure. Whether this challenge is a person, an object, multiple people, or a more abstract situation, it is a character in its own right.

As the GM, you control this challenge, and decide how many aspects to give it. Typically, it is recommended you give the challenge as many aspects as the sum total of the aspects of the PCs going against it.

When a challenge presents itself, you take turns acting. PCs take their turn first, and you will work with other players to decide which of your characters goes next. The GM decides which order non-player characters (NPCs for short) go on their turn.

On rare occasion, PCs may oppose one another. In such situations, the GM decides who goes next.

## Character Actions
On their turn, a character can take one of the following five actions:

#### Act
You try to achieve a certain outcome against an opposing character. To do this:
- You spend one of your aspects, and describe what you use that aspect to do. The aspect must be integral to the course of action you take.
- You work with the GM to agree upon an intended outcome of this action. If you are the GM, you determine this yourself.
- Your opponent can choose to spend one of their aspects to oppose you. If they do so, the action's outcome isn't realized, and you recharge one of your aspects.
- If your opponent does not spend an aspect to opppose you, the action's outcome is realized, and your opponent recharges one of their aspects.

#### Overwhelm
If you really want something to happen, you can force it at a cost. If you choose to Act, after you agree on an intended outcome but before your opponent chooses to oppose you, you can spend an additional aspect to automatically realize the action's outcome, without recharging an opponent's aspect. You must describe how this extra aspect allows you to achieve success.

#### Recharge
You bide your time, and recharge one of your aspects.

#### Change the Situation
You exploit the situation to your and your allies' advantage by creating a free aspect: unlike regular aspects, a free aspect is out in the environment and thus potentially accessible to every character. To do this, describe a course of action you take, and the free aspect this generates.

A free aspect can be spent as part of the Act and Overwhelm actions, and recharged as part of the Recharge action. Free aspects disappear when a challenge is resolved.

#### Intervene
You take a turn while another character is acting in order to do something just in time. To do this, you spend one of your aspects, and then choose another action to take.

The aspect you spend cannot be a free aspect, but since this is a universally applicable action to temporarily redirect the narrative at a crucial time, you do not need to justify how your aspect lets you take this action (unless you want to).

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## GM Actions
As the GM, you have access to three additional actions, which can be taken at any time without using up your turn.

#### Recover
You recharge any aspects you choose, including free aspects. Typically, you will be taking this action to recharge every character's aspects once a challenge is resolved, though you may want to use this to give a character a second wind mid-challenge to mark a special moment in the narrative.

#### Morph an Aspect
If a player or the narrative calls for it, you can work with the player to permanently change one of their character's aspects into another. Typically, you will do this outside of a challenge to mark a character's shift in identity, though this shift may also happen suddenly in a tense moment mid-challenge. This new aspect is unspent, and thus ready to be used.

#### Level Up
One or more characters of your choice gains a brand new aspect of their choice. Typically, you will be taking this action for every PC when they collectively reach a milestone in the narrative outside of a challenge, though one of them may get one ahead of the others mid-challenge as they make a breakthrough.

\column
## Example Gameplay
{{note
Two PCs, Ash the Monster Hunter and Paige the Possum, are up against an angry ghost, a potentially deadly challenge.

:

Paige's specialty is basket-weaving, rather than fighting the supernatural, so on their turn they **Change the Situation** to cheer on their more capable friend, creating the **Words of Encouragement** free aspect.

:

Ash is in their element. They Act, spending their **Monster Hunter** aspect to use a special incantation to make the ghost corporeal. Bolstered by Paige's cheering, they spend the **Words of Encouragement** free aspect to Overwhelm with a decisive move. The ghost reels, surprised by its change in form!

:

Now it's the ghost's turn. It Acts against Ash, spending its **Icy Touch** aspect to try to chill them with the cold of the grave. Ash is chilled, and feels the cold down to their very bones, though also get to recharge an aspect. They choose **Monster Hunter**, in preparation for their next move.

:

Emboldened by its victory, the ghost takes an extra turn! It spends its **Haunting** aspect to Intervene, and then Acts, spending its **Spooky** aspect to try to terrify meek little Paige. Paige answers by spending their **Possum** aspect and feigns a death from fright. Their reflexes stopped them from getting spooked, and the Ghost recharges its **Spooky** aspect, eager to try again.

:

It's now Paige's turn. With a brave little battle cry, they Act, using their **Competitive** aspect to try to distract the ghost. The ghost responds by spending their **Spooky** aspect again and letting out a scary wail. Paige is too spooked to be able to be much of a distraction, and recharges their **Possum** aspect. Despite their terror, Paige Intervenes, spending their **Best Friends with Ash** aspect to recharge the **Words of Encouragement** free aspect, and recall a heart-warming memory of a past adventure.

:

Ash fondly remembers the memory too, which warms them up just enough to Act. They spend the **Words of Encouragement** free aspect to rouse themselves enough to land a fatal blow to the ghost. They Overwhelm with their **Monster Hunter** aspect, making what looks like a hundred deft cuts to the creature with their enchanted sword.

Defeated, the corporealized ghost falls into pieces, which then melt into ectoplasm. The challenge is resolved! The GM uses a Recover action to let the adventurers recharge their spent aspects, and they move swiftly on.
}}

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# Guidelines
*FAST* is a game revolving entirely around collaborative storytelling and narrative, and its mechanics are entirely in service to that goal. As such, it is intentionally light on rules and math compared to most other role-playing systems, leaving lots of room for interpretation. This entails a different approach to play from more rules-heavy systems, which the following guidelines should help follow.

## General Guidelines
#### Collaborative Storytelling
Whether you are a player or the GM, you are here to take part in a shared story. Every participant gets to contribute, and have their say in the narrative. You are thus encouraged to share your ideas and work with everyone else, so that everyone gets to tell a bit of the story.

#### Narrative is Gameplay
In *FAST*, the most important part of gameplay isn't necessarily *what* you do, but *how* you do it. There are only a few basic actions you will be using, but aspects are what gives those actions meaning in any situation. Aspects exist to help shape how a character influences the situation around them, and are narrative prompts to describe varied and interesting things a character can do. Thus, you are encouraged to think about the situation at hand, consider how your character would approach it, and describe what your character does beyond just the mechanics of their action, weaving the aspect you chose into it.

#### Drama Over Realism
*FAST* is light on rules, and the aim of adventures with it is to tell interesting stories through a guiding framework. While you are most certainly encouraged to do research if you like on topics relating to the adventure, such as nanotechnology, esoteric divination, or basket-weaving, and incorporate elements of your research into the narrative, those elements are ultimately meant to be in service of the narrative, rather than the other way round. When figuring out what happens next, go with what makes for the most exciting story, rather than what is most realistic.

\column
## Player Guidelines
#### Team Play
Your character is part of an ensemble cast. They will shine at certain things, and other PCs will shine at others. Thus, some situations will put your character in the spotlight, and others will have you support other members of your team. Remember to play as part of a team, and you will have a much richer narrative experience.

#### Story Over Victory
Your character will encounter many challenges on their adventure. Sometimes you'll win, and sometimes you'll lose. More important than winning is telling an interesting story that will contribute to the development of your character and that of other PCs, which can mean having their flaws and shortcomings affect their actions and the narrative.

## GM Guidelines
#### Shared Agency
As the GM, your role is to set the pace of an adventure, as well as help convey the setting, its NPCs, and its challenges. It is also to work with your players in determining what they can do in this environment, and your relationship with them is therefore one of collaboration. You are encouraged to ask your players for feedback, to listen to what they want from the adventure, and incorporate their input into the narrative. While you have the final say on what goes and what doesn't, you are not the god of the adventure, so much as an equal participant in its narrative.

#### Have Fun!
GMing can be a big responsibility, but it can also be an opportunity to enjoy yourself by crafting an engaging story with your players. Communicate what you want from the adventure to your players, as they will be working with you to tell the story just as you will with them.

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