Artha and the Extended Situation

[Fuseboy]

A whole session about the shared belief, but no resulting Artha

Here's a common situation for me, which I've experienced a few times both as GM and as a player:

A player has a belief that is either the common goal or closely aligned with it. It's big-picture enough that it doesn't get resolved for several sessions, but there's very little inter-PC friction about it since it's the shared goal - everyone buys into it and takes it for granted that they'll work towards it, so the sessions tend to be about obstacles along the way (bangs that hit other beliefs, I suppose).

At the end of the session, we're all looking at each other trying to decide if anyone was driving the story with that belief, and nobody can come up with anything. "We all just kinda agreed to continue trying to get to the temple." At the end of the next session, it happens again, which is when it starts to seem weird. It's as if the belief has become the pretext for the adventure, and moves into the background.

Do you normally give out Fate when a whole session is about (say) getting to the temple, if none of the players had to grab the reins to make it so?

--

Some answers to my own question:

"Chill, sometimes big picture beliefs just sit on the back burner for 3 or 4 sessions."

"The GM could introduce challenges that challenge (i.e. call into question) the belief, forcing PCs to make a meaningful choice about it. Undermine & Trade-Off, rather than Oppose and Defer."

"Yes, that's right - the Artha award is for making the story interesting, not drifting along with it. Players need to find a way to do something interesting - Wise up a risky shortcut, Circle up an untrustworthy guide, harass a fellow PC for dawdling."

[WillH]

Put them into situations that put the common goal belief into conflict with another.

[jburneko]

I'm pretty generous in my interpretation. If they share this Belief and the whole session was about going to do something about that Belief then they get Fate. Just the shared decision to go to the temple and deal with anything along the way is worth the Fate if the temple is going to some how fulfill the Belief in the long run.

1 Fate point per session for their dedication is (a) not bad but (b) kind of slow. Find ways to activate the other Beliefs to pull their focus away from the temple.

Jesse

[luke]

Overcoming intermediary obstacles in the service of the Belief is worth a fate point. That's the standard application of the mechanic right there!

Sometimes a long-term Belief doesn't get any action, though. Sometimes it's a distant guiding light, but it's not causing any friction or motivating your character at all. In that case, change the Belief. Don't cling to dead weight!

-L

[noclue]

[B]A
Do you normally give out Fate when a whole session is about (say) getting to the temple, if none of the players had to grab the reins to make it so?


For me, it's important to know the "why" of things and not be too literal. If a player has "I will get to the temple" as a belief it's really hard to drive scenes unless you know why. But, if the belief is "I will get to the temple and get the priest to bless me as the heir to the throne!" Then any time this driving need to be crowned king or be recognized as the rightful heir drives play, I think it needs to be rewarded, whether or not the "getting to the temple" part is featured. The temple is only a means to achieving the goal.

If the belief is phrased like "I will get to the temple" without anything grabby it may be time for a rewrite.

[noofy]

Sometimes Michael, I've found it helps to tie another PC's belief into the 'stagnant' one with a bang that may be a mite contrived, but effectively targets multiple beliefs at once. It has to be now, it has to be present, and there has to be consequence. Then, if the gang fails to take the carrot and earn artha, well...
Either the belief doesn't accurately reflect what the player wants, so change it and Luke suggests...
or amp up the conflict between the players so that the drama is internal rather than due to 'outside' means. Find something the players are at odds over and drive a DoW between players as the resolution. Perhaps persuing the stagnant goal/belief becomes the consequence?