I had been wanting to try it for a while and saw it at a local game store. I picked it and some fudge dice up and want to try it soon. It seems like it will provide the sort of flexibility and less specific focus on combat that I want out of D&D. It also is simple enough that I read the entirety of the rules in one day (and I’m a slow reader).
I’m curious what your experience is with this system.
I think most people I play with would be able to adapt, or at least enough so that paired with players who tend to act with more autonomy can make up for it if that makes sense. Most issues I have seen in groups I play with is folks confused about what to do but in a way where they’re unsure what spell or action to do (or how the spell or action works). Not so much them being unsure of what the objective is and how to pursue it. I believe the more free form approach of being able to say something like “I want to use my magic to conjure a spear to throw at the enemy” as opposed to things like “I cast Spiritual Weapon, can I cast a bonus action spell too? Wait, do I have to cast Spiritual Weapon every turn? I’m actually already concentrating, can I even cast this?” would work nicely in a lot of the groups I play with.
Most folks I play with are more on the drama side of the drama-math spectrum of roleplaying games. There are a couple of folks who love to really delve into options and make super well rounded min maxed characters but most just want to have a fun story. Even the ones who really enjoy the min maxing still do it in a way that fits their character.
I completely understand and agree with the points you’ve raised. It’s true that in some groups, players can feel uncertain about specific spells or actions, but overall, they seem to grasp the objective and how to pursue it.
In my personal experience, the most challenging aspect of running a Fate game is getting a firm grasp on the system itself. However, I’m glad to hear that despite my own learning curve, all of my players have a fantastic time and genuinely enjoy the game. Some have even expressed a preference for Fate over D&D due to its streamlined mechanics, which eliminate the overwhelming complexity of action order and simulation.