The title of the thread pretty much sums this up. I've run two short adventures now and am ready to start building up a bit more of a campaign. I was having a re-read through the book and realized there's a whole section of fear rules written as if you're supposed to be using it. But I haven't actually done that yet and I'm wary of suddenly introducing it to players who don't expect it. That said, it's only been a couple of adventures (introductory ones) and I personally like the idea of fear checks for the sake of realism...

Is anyone else using these rules? If so, how are you finding they impact the game? And if not, what has stopped you?

K.

Definitely. It's not something you need every session but it's a great thing to use when you want to convey that the tension is particularly high. My group had some previous issues with Jabba the Hutt a while back. So at a particular point in a trade negotiation on the Wheel- a wall panel slides back and they hear that familiar deep laugh! Seeing Jabba surrounded by his goons was certainly worthy of a fear check!

I've used it a few times, and the effect has been pretty underwhelming. The work to look up the rules for fear takes more time than it's worth for the fairly small effect fear usually has.

The best time to use fear is precisely when they aren't expecting it

As mentioned, it's not something you want to pull out twice a session, but a good Fear check with some actual consequences for failure can have a pretty dramatic effect on the PCs, especially if they're good roleplayers and will play along if they fail the check.

I often use it at the start of an encounter or an area where the down side of failing the check will be immediately apparent, so the ones who passed will feel good, too.

So if they're going into a deep cave filled with menacing creatures, they might need to make a Fear check as they get further into the cave. Failure could mean recurring setback dice or Strain or both, and then those results would affect their encounters inside the cave.

Or they've come out of hyperspace unexpectedly and something's wrong with their ship. So a Fear check at the start of this would affect how well the Pilot and others are able to work together to safely land (or crash) the ship.

I used it once when the PCs were investigating a derelict transport infested with scree. Even the players that made their checks were still scared!

There has to be a build up and a specific trigger, the moment their hearts stop for a moment, like a blood curdling scream over the intercom.

I agree with the underwhelming opinion. I prefer to skip the sort of milk toast effect and go for terror, and then only use it for those truly dark side of the crummy end of the stick scenarios, as opposed to trying to work some fairly inconsequential bland mechanic into the game. To me it's got so little effect, it's just as easily handled narratively and on the fly.

This is one of the first systems I've actually liked the Fear mechanic in, because for once it doesn't force player action. Instead it provides the mechanical effects of suffering under fear, while still allowing the player to actually roleplay the fear, and how their character reacts to it.

This means for once bravery, the act of being afraid and proceeding anyway, is actually possible, and actually a matter of player choice.

Also, after using it a couple of times, I find fear is no slower then any other skill check.

When it fits it sits, so yes. SO far it only came up once since my group is rather cautious.

There are a few talents that specifically allow players a bonus to resist fear, so I think it's important to make sure it comes up at least every once in a while so those points don't get wasted. There are also some talents that allow players to cause fear (the Enforcer tree), but I'd guess any player who took them would ensure the GM let them come into play.

Thanks for all of the replies. That's actually more people using it than I had expected - I've usually found fear rules to be pretty unpopular outside specifically horror games such as Call of Cthulhu. I personally would like to try them but my group are not very roleplay-ey. Two of them are but they get slightly swamped by the silly ones. As we're only two adventures in, though, I think I will give it a go. I will avoid using it for trivial things and keep it for the scary stuff.

Thanks for all of the replies. That's actually more people using it than I had expected - I've usually found fear rules to be pretty unpopular outside specifically horror games such as Call of Cthulhu. I personally would like to try them but my group are not very roleplay-ey. Two of them are but they get slightly swamped by the silly ones. As we're only two adventures in, though, I think I will give it a go. I will avoid using it for trivial things and keep it for the scary stuff.

To echo SavageBob - If people completely ignore fear you penalize those PCs who buy (or are forced to buy) talents associated with it (such as on the Mercenary Soldier tree). As far as being underwhelming mechanically - I'm not sure I agree that increasing difficulty of all checks in an encounter is underwhelming (which is possible). That could apply to the entire party! Even 3 threats can cause a PC to be staggered his first turn.

Remember, this is likely your climactic scene of a session. So while it's certainly not like a Cthulhu setting where it's used nearly every scene - consider the movies - Luke in the Degobah cave might be a fear check; Han and Leia confront Vader and Boba Fett on Cloud City might be a fear check, etc. Use it to raise the tension.

I personally would like to try them but my group are not very roleplay-ey.

They don't have to be. The penalties are to their dice pools, so they can role-play that or not as they choose.

I use the fear rules quite a bit. You certainly need to use them for NPCs if, say, one of the PCs is an Enforcer with the Fearsome Talent. If you've read Beyond the Rim, there's a very handy list of suggested uses of Fear while on Cholganna that can easily be adapted to any situation.

Really? I'd hardly call upgraded difficulty on all checks you make for the entire encounter underwhelming. Or being so terrified that you're literally paralyzed with fear.

It generally helps if it's startling: pc's incur the wrath of a named bounty hunter (Boba Fett, or if you're evil Dengar or IG-88) hey guess what? now's a fantastic time to start running.

Or the average Pc encounters Vader, commence browning of pants!

I use the fear rules quite often; typically when the PCs are forced to make a face-to-face meeting with a crime boss with a violent streak or a large, ferocious animal. It's worked out pretty well thus far.

Exactly once. In Beyond the Rim

Not as much as I probably should.

I've got some notes of using the RAW rules we have regarding Fear to be used in a morale system of sorts when PCs end up leading groups of minions. Never used them yet. Part of a house ruled version of the squad rules from the GM screen that I'm working on. The snippets in RAW regarding Fear/morale are pretty spread out, but they are there. If you want to use Fear more there are many opportunities especially for use in combat situations with Leadership.

I've used the Fear mechanics a few times in my Force and Destiny games, and tried to set the mood as best I could given that those games were run over Skype, thus limiting my ability to control the environment the players find themselves in when we're all sitting at our computers.

Compared to the Fear system in Deadlands Classic, FFG's system isn't overly harsh... which is good, since Star Wars is ultimately about cinematic heroes, and it's very infrequently that you see said heroes be utterly paralyzed with fear.

One thing I might have been doing wrong however is allowing those PCs stricken with fear to make a new check to overcome that fear each round. Invariably, the affected PCs wind up overcoming the fear, which itself is only a setback die. Going forward, I may disallow subsequent fear checks unless the PC rolls a Triumph and spends it to remove the fear effect. Provided of course a new source of fear doesn't show up.

fear checks are great to amplify the mood. The players don't have to role play scared if they fail a fear check because it is represented in the mechanics. So I would give setbacks for a duration of time (or even boost die if they are very successful) or strain depending on how bad the player(s) fails the roll.

Whenever imperials make a surprise appearance is usually a good time to have the players roll a fear check. It helps to give the players the sense of gravity of the situation.

Donovan, I would agree, at least the way I run it in my games, a player would not be able to request to make a Fear check. It is something that I as the GM have exclusive access to, and generally the conditions of the failure cover the time the PCs will be affected (usually 'until the end of this encounter').

Similar to the rules about recovering from Critical Hits, I'd say no, a player would just need to deal with the consequence and do their best to roleplay their PC's reaction to being afraid. Of course they ARE adventurers, so nobody's saying they should be paralyzed. Having a single setback is enough to narrate "I've never seen a rancor up close, and I'm having a hard time getting the image of those fangs out of my mind. But I grit my teeth and make an attempt to dart through the jungle to escape it." (or to attack it, or whatever...)

Ya gotta play with fear! Fear leads to... you know the rest!

[A picture of Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction asking "Fear! motherf#cker! Do you use it?"]

Ya gotta play with fear! Fear leads to... you know the rest!

This is true. Sadly my players seem to find their way to the Dark Side without it quite happily. :/

Sorry for the lack of replies on this. I've been reading with interest and mulling it all over. I think it's early enough in my campaign that it's not too late to start using these rules, it will be a nice way of offsetting different PC abilities and I actually had not noticed that there were talents that relate to the Fear rules. I'm generally not a fan of mechanically enforcing role-playing but I think in this instance there are clear benefits and I would like to get my players at least showing some semblance of normal human behaviour in the face of death. Thanks for all the responses. I think it will annoy my players but I'm going to forge ahead anyway.

For Haley's benefit, that picture someone posted above is just Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction being all potty-mouthed and asking "Fear - do you use it?"

For Haley's benefit, that picture someone posted above is just Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction being all potty-mouthed and asking "Fear - do you use it?"

Oh, that is why every picture had a description below it! I will do so from now on!

For Haley's benefit, that picture someone posted above is just Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction being all potty-mouthed and asking "Fear - do you use it?"

Oh, that is why every picture had a description below it! I will do so from now on!

That's my pita factor. I can ask someone here to help but sometimes that's hours off or even more. I really appreciate when this forum has he equivalent of Descriptive Audio.