SETUP
Alex, Brigit, and Zach are spies inserted deep behind enemy lines, attending a prearranged meet at a bar with an asset to receive critical intel. Unfortunately, when they reach the bar, they find a large group of off-duty enemy soldiers throwing a party to celebrate someone's promotion to NCO rank. They need to keep their heads down, get the intel, and get out with a minimum of trouble. That means they're mostly going to be doing things Subtly, though as you'll see, there's still room for plenty of other approaches.
The Scene
ALEX Well this isn't great. (The other PCs murmur agreement).
GM No it isn't! What are you going to do about it?
ZACH Can I try and spike their drinks? It's best if they don't remember we were ever here.
GM What's that going to look like? That's a lot of drinks to work through.
ZACH Is there a punch bowl?
Zach could have spent a fate point and used the situation aspect "Semi-Private Party" to create a story detail (i.e. the punch bowl) without needing to ask permission, but forgot that was something he could do. The GM takes the opportunity to remind him that the option is available while altering an inconsequential detail to better match their idea of the scene.
GM Ooh, good idea! I don't think there's a punch bowl, but for a fate point there can be a pitcher for some kind of bottomless margarita type deal.
ZACH Good enough! (spends the point) Then I'm going to try and empty a vial of some drug into the pitcher that'll get them loopy and forgetful.
Zach is creating an advantage to make a new situation aspect called "Spiked Margarita Pitcher." The GM decides that this applies against the group of soldiers as a whole, who Notice Quickly to defend. Since no individual soldier in this group is important enough to have stats, yet, the GM assigns the group as a whole Great ranks to represent their numbers - and their specific focus on the source of their booze.
GM Alright, give me Move Subtly, opposition is... (rolls 6 dice, gets 1 hit) just 1; there's a lot of people, but nobody's really paying attention to you yet.
ZACH Cool, that's going to be 7 dice and... (rolls; a 1 and a 9 cancel each other for 0 hits; a Poor result) crap, good thing I've got "Deft Hands". (Spends another fate point to invoke the "Deft Hands" aspect and rerolls; this time he gets two 9s and a 10; 4 hits, a Masterful result) There we go, success with style! Down to one point, though.
Zach's Success with Style here means that the "Spiked Margarita Pitcher" aspect has two free invokes available. The GM writes the name on an index card, draws two empty boxes, and places it in the center of the table - the situation aspect is now in play.
BRIGIT Hell yeah, Zach! GM, any sign of our guy?
GM Nothing obvious, you want to look around?
BRIGIT Yeah, I'll take a lap. Notice Subtly, right?
GM Probably, but how exactly are you searching?
BRIGIT I'm going to pretend I'm looking for the ladies' room while actually scoping out as much of the bar as I can.
GM Then yeah Subtly sounds right here, gonna be opposition 1.
Brigit's Notice Subtly is an overcome action; nothing's keeping the asset actively hidden from her, she just hasn't spotted them yet and needs to find them without anyone realizing what she's doing.
BRIGIT Opp 1, come on dice, don't screw me. (rolls 5 dice and they do, in fact, screw her; there's a hit but a 1 cancels it) Damn. Opp 1 you said?
GM Yeah, what'd you get?
BRIGIT 0, but I'm going to use my "Sweet Innocent Waif Act" for a +1 and tie (spends a fate point).
GM Perfect! (evil grin)
ZACH Oh no...
A tie on an overcome action gives the GM the choice to offer a partial success or a success with a minor cost. The GM had a different idea for how to bring the asset into the scene, but this has just dropped a golden opportunity into his lap to turn the pressure up, and he takes it - this will be success with a cost.
GM So, the good news is, you actually do find the asset near the bathrooms, wearing the agreed-on outfit. Bad news, he's apparently spilled a drink on a soldier, who's being really aggressive over it and looks like he's about to get physical.
Brigit's "Sweet Innocent Waif Act" is a good double-edged sword aspect, part of which was established in conversation when she was created. She's great at appearing helpless, but that's partly because she really is physically unimposing and not very good in a melee. The GM compels that aspect now as a decision, since she's in real danger just being near a belligerent drunk who's this close to escalating even without that drunk being an enemy soldier. Note that the GM doesn't need to specifically name the aspect in what he says next; since it was discussed with the table at character creation, everyone recognizes what's being pointed at here.
GM (Offers a fate point to Brigit) Brigit, you're tiny, I don't think you want to be anywhere near this if it gets ugly.
BRIGIT (Accepts the point) I think you're right; I walk back to our table as fast as I can and point the situation out to Alex.
ALEX Ok, my gut says I want to grab a drink for this guy to calm him down.
ZACH Grab a drugged one!
ALEX Even better! But I only want to do it if there's a clean opening, if the soldiers see me stealing a cup from them that'll make things even worse.
Alex stealing a drink is a potentially ambiguous call - either he's Acquiring, since he's getting a physical resource from the environment, or Moving, like Zach did to spike the pitcher. The designer's view, and therefore that of this example, is that Acquire is the more appropriate skill here, but it's ultimately the GM's call which skill applies. Either way, since getting the drink is an overcome action, and overcome isn't actively defended against, the GM uses the same Great Notice rank he assigned the soldier group earlier as the passive opposition for this roll.
GM Well, that sounds like you're trying to Acquire Carefully. Normally that'd be fine, but from what Brigit told you, you don't have much time, so this is gonna be tricky. You'll need to be Great.
ALEX I'm not Great here but I think can work with this. Again, I want to skip the drink and just go to the guy if there's no opening. (Rolls 4 dice; he gets an 8 and a 9, 2 hits) 2, anyone mind if I use one of those free invokes on the drugs?
ZACH AND BRIGIT Go nuts!
ALEX OK, then I do that. Whatever Zach hit them with is already starting to kick in and it's making them less perceptive, so it's 3 now.
GM Alright! (Fills one of the boxes on the "Spiked Margarita Pitcher" card) Still a tie, but I'll give you the partial here; the cup's only half full.
ALEX It'll have to do. I swipe it, walk up to the big angry soldier, clap him on the shoulder and pass it to him. "Hey buddy, no need to make a fuss, why don't you have this on me and get back to celebrating?"
This is another create an advantage action to make a new aspect on the asshole - "Pacified Bully" will do nicely for what Alex wants.
GM Sounds like Sway Boldly, since you're trying to seem unconcerned? Are you trying to calm him down, just get his attention on you, something else?
ALEX I want to calm him down and get him to go back to his squad but I'm fine with just buying an opening. Yeah, Boldly, I'm going for full butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth confidence here.
GM Go for it.
ALEX (Rolls 5 dice; one 10, one hit, one 1) Good, that's 2.
This NPC was invented on the spot when Brigit got that success with a cost, so he doesn't have proper stats, but there's enough ways for the narrative to shift around him that he's worth giving more than passive opposition. The GM assigns a Good rank to Persevere and rolls 4 dice for the defense.
GM OK, so he's honestly just looking for an excuse to haul off on someone. So it's Persevere Boldly for him to defend, and he will defend. Let's see just how determined he is to be a dickhead right now. (Rolls 4 dice, gets one hit) He gets 1... (spends a fate point)
The GM invokes the bully's aspect "Mean Drunk", then writes the aspect out on a new card and puts it on the table. Since the NPC is visibly and demonstrably a mean drunk, and everything is an aspect, this aspect existed from the moment the character first appeared; it's just being formalized here and now.
GM ...which becomes 2 and a tie. Apparently, he's very determined. Still a tie, so you do get a boost.
ALEX Ok, I'll hold off on naming it, I've got an idea cooking.
GM Oh, I can't wait. He slurs out "Back off, civvie, this lil' shitstain spilled m'drink all over my uniform!"
ALEX "And that's a problem? Guy like you, you don't seem likely to ever get much blood on that thing, dry cleaner's gotta get paid somehow."
GM He turns to face you, bloodshot eyes narrowing. "What're you sayin', civvie?"
ALEX (quietly, but emphatically) "I'm saying pick on someone your own size, coward." And I throw the half-drink in his face. Sway Boldly to provoke him?
GM Absolutely! Roll it.
ALEX Great, and I'm invoking how hammered he is to make him even easier to rile up. (spends a fate point, rolls 5 dice. One 10, one hit) 3, +1 from the invoke is 4.
Alex is spending a fate point here to invoke his opponent's aspect on this create an advantage action - a hostile invocation. This means that instead of the fate point just being gone, it's transferred to the opponent's pool (in this case, to the GM's), but it doesn't become available for use until the current scene has ended.
GM Nice! He... (rolls 4 dice; gets three 1s) gets a -3, holy shit, what are you calling this?
ALEX Let's go with "*Bull Seeing Red."
GM (Writes and places a 2-box "Bull Seeing Red" aspect card for the success with style) Love it! (assigns Great rank to the NPC's Fight Forcefully, rolls 6 dice - one 1, one hit, one 10) OK, that's 2 to defend against.
BRIGIT Toro, Toro!
ALEX I'm using that boost now - I want him to be "Flailing And Overbalanced," and if he misses me, I want to trip him and make it look like he just missed the haymaker and fell on his own.
Alex's request is well within the scope of minor costs that can come with a failed attack action, it's appropriate for the situation, and it's awesome, so the GM is happy to say yes. Because Alex is using a boost instead of any other kind of aspect, he doesn't need to spend a fate point to invoke it, but it will disappear immediately after it's used.
GM Fight Subtly, you need Great for this to actually work.
ALEX Yup. Come ooon dice. (Rolls 5 dice, two hits) 2, plus that boost is 3, great it is!
GM "You motherfucker!" He takes a huge swipe at you, goes way wide and...?
ALEX I dodge and stick my foot out just enough for him to stumble over it.
ZACH Olé!
GM He crashes to the ground. The whole room goes quiet as all the drunk and increasingly-drugged soldiers look at you and try to figure out what just happened.
ALEX I back up, put my hands up like "I'm innocent, he just swung at me out of nowhere" and say "I think this gentleman might've had one too many!"