I'm thinking of running FATE, and read in one book (I think it's Dresden Files RPG) that Aspects can replace situational modifiers. However, situational modifiers in other games take place all the time, while Aspects require a tag.
For example, say the PC casts a spell that makes a target blind. In other systems, it would be a -X to hit or a flat-out percentage miss chance. In FATE, it would be an Aspect. However, it feels "strange" that the blinded NPC takes no penalty at all until someone use a Fate point.
Can such absolute conditions (blinded, stunned, petrified, poisoned etc.) be modelled using Aspects?
Best Answer
There are at least 4 ways to use FATE aspects:
To illustrate these, I'll borrow a scene from Return of the Jedi.
As you can see, it's all about how you offer the FATE. If you offer a compel, it's a gamble... but it's good story. If you tag for a bonus, it's not - pay them, take the bonus, and go.
The one caveat, as I was reminded by Seven Sided Die, is the Authority, be it GM or Table. If a compel or tag is nonsensical, inappropriate, or simply bogs the story, it can be rejected by the Authority. In some FATE games, this authority is the GM's; in others, the authority is the group, and explicitly not the GM's alone. In either case, if an aspect is tagged for bonus, or for penalty, barring "That makes no sense" by the authority, it's a done deal, the fate moves. Compels for specific actions or against specific actions are always subject to review by the authority, and thus have 3 outcomes: Rejected by authority (no fate moves), accepted (Fate to compelled player), or rejected by recipient (Compelled player pays proposer of compel).
Noting that the compel portion can be an absolute bar - for example, blind. Many things, blind is a penalty to. But, for example, to read a book, just compel it with "can't feel the letters, can't see the letters, can't read it."
It's also worth noting that a player rejecting a fate chip for an obviously legit compel probably should be whacked with derision and peer pressure by the rest of the group as it's a clear break from the fiction.