Style and Tone

Fated is set in a world where fates are an unavoidable and pervasive part of how people live their lives, and how societies operate. Is fate a cruel master or a compelling guide? A concrete inevitability or something more fluid to fight against? How much agency can you have to change how your fate unfolds, and how much do you trust the telling of your fate—if you know it at all?

Fated is intended to be a dark, introspective setting, with space to explore existential themes of determinism, feelings of powerlessness, and searches for direction and agency. Players are also welcome to explore the grimmer elements of fairytales and some of the horror inherent to those narratives, especially when their ending feels predetermined.

Violence and agency loss are woven into such a setting, and consequences for those who choose to provoke them may be dramatic. As GMs, you can expect us to push your characters—to strain their beliefs, to make difficult choices, and to reckon with a fate that might spin itself through twisted loopholes.

That said, Fated is not necessarily a depressing game, nor are you expected to predetermine your character’s story beyond what is usual for a Society Game, or to make your personal narrative overtly dark. Fated contains a number of plots, from political scheming to tense mysteries, both practical and fantastical, that complement many different playstyles through which one might approach the themes of fate and determinism. Fated at its core is, unsurprisingly, a game about fate, and all the many forms it can take—from grand to mundane, romantic to cruel, tragic to fairytale ending.

Fated draws inspiration from many sources, but some notable ones include:

• Conclave (2024)
• Grimm's Fairytales
• Into The Woods
• [Spoiler redacted. FOIP!]