So I had weird idea, can the
fortune’s from fortune cookies be used in gaming? Well for basic character quirks and the
like, absolutely, however in systems like Fate that uses aspects to help generate
the game, they can be used for so much more.
They can help build not just player characters, but NPCs and social
situations.
What to do.
Well you could cheat and look
up fortunes online, but that kind of takes away some of the tactile silliness
of the exercise. So first you will need
to collect yourself some fortunes. While
you certainly could order lots of Chinese for the family and/or your gaming
group and collect everyone’s fortune over a number of meals….or you could just
go buy yourself some fortune cookies. We
found a box of them in one of our local discount stores (Dollarama).
While not super healthy, they were better than potato
chips gram to gram, so that’s a small plus.
If you really don’t feel like eating a box or two of cookies just to get
to the fortunes instead, just break them open.
Don’t throw out the cookie left overs though! When I was much younger, one of my friends,
much to the chagrin of his nainai (grandma) taught me to put the crumbs on ice
cream or as yogurt dippers. Make sure to eat them before they go soggy.
Next you can either just
throw all the fortunes into a bowl, bag, etc. and draw them for
aspects/cues/quirks or what have you, or if you want to keep them, write them
out on flash cards, or go really hobbyist and glue them to stock cards and cut
them out.
Fate Core
As a guy who loves crunch and
tends to build character backstories as I play, drawing a couple of fortunes
during character creation to help create my aspects (or aspects of my fellow
players) seems like a fun way to help stimulate the brain. You can use them to simply help design an
aspect, or take them literally as-is and try to find ways to trigger them. Haven’t
given it a try yet, but have a go see how it turns out!
Short sample of fortunes from
my pal’s box of snacks, some might better as situational aspects, other might
be split into two aspects or shortened.
You have a strong potential
for finical success.
You will benefit today by
being patient. Good things are coming
within the month.
You have a charming way with
words. Send an email to a friend.
You will soon meet a lifelong
kindred spirit
Soon, a visitor shall delight
you
You will have much to be
thankful for in the coming year
Soon, you’ll have a chance
for a profitable transaction
You will soon be honored by
someone you respect
Next week, at this time
something goo is coming your way
You will soon witness a
miracle
Lotto/Lucky Numbers
Sadly our fortunes did not have lotto fortune potential! Pick one set of lucky numbers from one of
your fortunes, and record it. Without adding any mechanics to the game, the
next time one of your lucky numbers come up in game play, you can declare it’s
a lucky (or unlucky) number and act accordingly if you wish. “Hey its area 51, that’s my lucky number, let’s
get going, it’ll be total safe”. You can also break the 4th wall in
gaming and use a lucky number for a roll you make “Jay rolls a 16 and d20,
which is his lucky number, so says in character “this swing of my axe feels
really lucky!”
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