Fate:Research and Development

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Is the process of research and development integral to your Fate game? Then this might be the subsystem for you. These rules are flexible enough to cover a range of variations, including uncovering scientific principles, restoring wrecked machinery, and performing alchemical studies.

Projects

A project is created like a character, but representing an abstracted problem, such as "Discovering the Location of the Temple" or "Repairing the Mark 2". Projects are worked on over time in the same manner to a standard conflict between characters: players roll their character's strengths against the project, causing a special kind of stress called progress that does not clear when a scene ends. This is so that projects can be worked on over time, across multiple sessions, allowing characters tackling the project to come back to it later after a break or a different adventure.

What should be a project?		What shouldn't be a project?
Complex tasks that have multiple steps to resolve. Long-term undertakings that should have their progress measured across multiple sessions.		Simple tasks that can be resolved within a single action, or time-sensitive ones that cannot wait. Tasks that do not require the effort or investment of the characters to complete.

Projects have at least two aspects, a sticking point (the most difficult part to deal with) and a weak point (a way to make good ground). They also come in various stages of complexity. The most simple kind of project has a set difficulty, ranked on the Fate ladder, which it uses to defend itself against attempts made to work on it.

Preparing a Grand Feast		Great [+4] Difficulty
There's a lot of work that goes into such a mighty meal.
Progress Track:
Aspects Enormous Quantities Simple Recipes

The player characters are Preparing a Grand Feast as part of their role as twee, sword-wielding woodland creatures. The project is of Great [+4] difficulty, with a progress track of 2. Archbishop Bramble, an industrious vole, rolls to overcome with his skill of Good [+3] Leadership to direct the kitchen staff. He rolls to give him a total of +4, besting the project's difficulty. One progress box is checked off, and the preparations are halfway done. Lady Willowbranch, a squirrel, uses her skill of Fair [+2] Cooking to lend a hand but rolls . This wouldn't succeed, but by spending a fate point to invoke the project's aspect of Simple Recipes, she gets a +2 to her result and manages to pass. The preparations are complete, and now they can only hope that the sinister Baron Winterfang does not crash the proceedings.

A more difficult project will have three approaches called risks, instead of a set difficulty, which by default are Confusing, Demanding, and Hazardous. These represent how mentally taxing the project is, how physically draining it is, and how liable it is to cause bodily harm. A project will use the most appropriate risk to defend itself, depending on the method the character is using to attempt progress.

Projects may fight back when tackled, inflicting stress in return. A mechanical project may cause physical stress from an industrial accident, a research project may cause mental stress due to burnout, but it will be the GM's choice provided there is an acceptable reason for it. A crossword is unlikely to use Hazardous, but a nasty paper-cut could still happen.

Decoding the Enemy Cipher
If we can crack the code they're using, we'll finally be one step ahead of them.
Progress Track:
Aspects A Linguistic Nightmare Familiar Patterns
Confusing	Demanding	Hazardous
Good [+3]	Average [+1]	Poor [-1]

The player characters are spies working against forces unknown, and Decoding the Enemy Cipher will help them understand just who and what they're dealing with. Agent 9 opts to tackle the problem head-on with her collection of codebooks from defunct agencies around the globe, rolling with a Good [+3] Careful approach. The project responds with its own Good [+3] Confusing, rolling and making a +4 against Agent 9's +1. This means Agent 9 takes 3 shifts of mental stress, and has to take a break to recover. Perhaps a different method will be required, if the spies are to make progress on this project.

Both PCs and NPCs should be able to contribute to a project, allowing such actions as the PCs procuring a supercomputer or a lab team to work on the project while they are off elsewhere. Skills, stunts, and invoked aspects can be used to gain an edge, just like in any other conflict between characters.

A project's own stunts are ways that it can introduce new complications to the effort, reduce progress, or otherwise stall for time.

Opening the Jade Gate
Reaching out through the infinite abyss is easy, bringing back the right thing is the tough part.
Progress Track:
Aspects Breaching the Unknown Warding Glyphs
Confusing	Demanding	Hazardous
Mediocre [+0]	Average [+1]	Fair [+2]
Stunts Arcane Backlash: If this project succeeds on a Hazardous defence, it can choose to deal 1 shift of damage to everyone involved. Chaos Magics: If a progress box is checked, this project increases the rank of one of its risks by 1. Unstable Connection: If a session ends with no progress having been made on this project, it clears one progress box.

The player characters are a group of wizards trying to open a transportation gate between two realms. However, such an undertaking is fraught with danger. There are three major things that they should beware of when starting this project. First, the Arcane Backlash will hurt those involved should they make an error. Second, the Chaos Magics make it more dangerous as they reach through the unknown, with the risks steadily increasing. Third, the Unstable Connection means that if it is not maintained by at least one of their number, it will begin to collapse. It would be best if these wizards did their best to focus their powers and get the ritual done as safely and as quickly as possible!

Resource requirements

Using the Supply and Demand subsystem, projects can be made to require resources in order to be completed. Any project that has a resource requirement must have those requirements met before progress can be made.

Upgrading the Hyperdrive
Time to get this ship moving faster with an improved hyperdrive.
Progress Track:
Aspects Five-Dimensional Schematics Standardised Parts Connected to Hyperspace
Confusing	Demanding	Hazardous
Good [+3]	Fair [+2]	Great [+4]
Stunts Singularity Collapse: If this project succeeds with style on a Hazardous defence, this project can choose to clear all progress boxes. If it does, it can no longer use this stunt. Vulnerable Warp Signature: Once per session, this project can attract a Fair [+2] pack of scavenger ships at the cost of checking a progress box.
Requires Good [+3] Gravity Plating Fair [+2] Dark Matter Average [+1] Quantum Magnets

In the distant retrofuture, the player characters are the crew of an independent trading vessel. In order to reach more distant stars, they've begun a project to upgrade their ship's hyperdrive. However such an endeavour is going to take significant resources. They will have to scour their current region for the right materials for the job. Only when they've attained the required amounts of Gravity Plating, Dark Matter, and Quantum Magnets can they actually begin work on the project. Getting a better hyperdrive will do a lot for the crew, so it makes sense that this project is very complex and demanding!

Additional mechanics

Fields

To avoid having multiple knowledge skills cluttering up the game's skill list, you can opt to use fields instead. Fields are like approaches that stack on top of the skill rank a character possesses, showing their aptitude at certain areas.

Take any appropriate knowledge skill (such as Lore, Craft, Magic, etc.) in your game and designate around four fields for it. For instance, Magic could have the fields Alchemy, Enchanting, and Summoning. When players take ranks in the skill, they can choose to specialise in a field, giving them a bonus when using the knowledge skill when the field applies. This effectively works the same as a stunt that reads "When you use a skill for a specific purpose, take +2" but without taking up a stunt slot.

Grace O'Malley is a librarian and part of an occult investigations team. She has Fair [+2] Research (Books), meaning her Research skill is effectively Great [+4] if she has access to books. One of her colleagues, disgraced surgeon Zahir Salehi, has Great [+4] Research (Vivisection). This means that while he is equal to Grace when they are both using book to research, he has an effective rank of Fantastic [+6] should he be able to dissect a promising specimen.

Discovery trees

Projects can be chained together into a discovery tree, which can represent anything from technological advances to uncovering a mystery piece by piece. Here is an example discovery tree showing possible upgrades to be made to a spaceship:

The tree begins with the initial project, Research I, which might have requirements such as obtaining materials to analyse. Once complete, two further projects are available, Plasma Coils and Proton Field. These separate branches then lead back to Research II, which is another key point of the discovery tree.

Discovery trees do not have to adhere to any specific shape or pattern, they can be a complex web or much more linear. It all depends on the scale and scope of the game they are being used for.

Think of each project in the discovery tree like an obstacle preventing access to the next zone. By completing the project, the obstacle is removed and the characters can move on.

With this particular discovery tree, the player characters (as the crew of the spaceship) can improve their vehicle to have better engines, better shields, and eventually better weapons. But these projects will take time, and possibly resources, to fully complete.