How to 'Save' Progress in the Fate Tabletop RPG

Fate (Core, Accelerated, Condensed) is a tabletop roleplaying game, not a video game. There are no save files. “Saving” means preserving the shared fiction and mechanical state between sessions.

What Persists Between Sessions

• Character Sheets: Aspects, Skills, Stunts, Stress/Consequence slots, Refresh. (Paper, PDF, Roll20/Foundry/Astral character keeper).
• Fate Points: Each player’s current FP total.
• World State: NPC status, faction clocks, setting changes, unresolved plot threads.
• Session Notes: Key events, decisions, revelations, loose ends.

Best Practices for Continuity

1. Designate a Note-Taker: One player (or GM) keeps a running log (Google Doc, Obsidian, Notion, wiki).
2. End-of-Session Ritual: Spend 5 mins summarizing: “What happened? What changed? What’s the immediate next step?”
3. Update Character Sheets Live: Adjust aspects, mark consequences, spend/refresh FP during play.
4. Shared Digital Space: Roll20/Foundry/Fantasy Grounds store state automatically. For in-person: photo of board/character sheets + shared doc.
5. Recap at Start: GM reads/players recap last session. Aligns memory, reignites engagement.

What “Save Scumming” Looks Like in Fate (Don't Do This)

• Rewinding a session because you failed a roll.
• Retconning a Compel you accepted.
• Erasing a Consequence because you don’t like it.

Fate is about “Fail Forward.” Complications are the story. The “save” is the group’s collective memory and notes. Treat them as sacred.