Dresden Files RPG, Nugar style

[Nugar]

I've been reading the beta release of the dresden files books and I've decided that the world is interesting enough to be worth fucking with the somewhat odd mechanics. So I'm dusting off the dice and coming out of DM retirement. (I last DMed when 2nd edition AD&D was the only game in town, but I did it a lot back then.)

I've never even played in an online RPG, but my RL opportunities are sadly limited.

So if you're willing to put up with a little bit of fumbling as I get back in practice, we could use a few more players for this game. Probably be using a mix of ventrilio and chat, aim, IRC, undecided yet.

Setting is the Big Easy, aka New Orleans, of which I have plenty of experience with and lots of pictures and preliminary research I actually did for another, aborted idea a few years back.

Ability to work well with other players is the key. We're all gonna have enough trouble learning an entirely new system for someone to be a drama queen.

I'm guessing that, at best, I'll be able to pull off a once a month game, starting sometime in June. But setup is happening now, so let me know if you're interested.

Beginning power level is Feet in the Water, 6 base Refresh, 8 if you're pure mortal. So nobody gets to be a White Court Wizard the first day, though you can be an apprentice if you want.

 

[Predhack]

I am already signed up for this.

This post was made at Nugar's behest.

Mission accomplished. Returning to previous activities.

 

[spooky316]

I'd love to play, but don't have the books. How expensive are they?

 

[Nugar]

I'd love to play, but don't have the books. How expensive are they?

Which books? Have you read the series?

The actual RPG rulebooks haven't been released yet, but you can find torrents of the PDF beta version all over the place. That's what I'm working with right now. I'll buy the actual rulebooks as soon as possible, but that's gonna be a while. They don't get released until sometime in june.

 

[spooky316]

I'd love to play, but don't have the books.á How expensive are they?

Which books? Have you read the series?

The actual RPG rulebooks haven't been released yet, but you can find torrents of the PDF beta version all over the place. That's what I'm working with right now. I'll buy the actual rulebooks as soon as possible, but that's gonna be a while. They don't get released until sometime in june.

I was talking about the rulebooks. I'll grab a torrent then, and consider me signed up.

EDIT: My torrent has two files, Core volumes 1 & 2. Is that everything that's out so far?

 

[Nugar]

What kind of character are you wanting to create? Tell me about your idea.

So far, we've got an apprentice WCW and a pure mortal normal guy, and possibly a pure mortal military guy.

 

[TerraBull]

Question?

This Game? Will it be set in the series where you are the Main Chars or where you meet Dresden & the rest?

 

[clockworkchaos]

I'd be interested. But I'm not sure about a character yet. What time period are we talking here? (I'm mainly concerned with pre/post "Grave peril" and "Changes")

 

[spooky316]

What kind of character are you wanting to create?? Tell me about your idea.

So far, we've got an apprentice WCW and a pure mortal normal guy, and possibly a pure mortal military guy.

Looking over the char list on the site, I'm kinda thinking of going with a sorcerer. I'll be more sure once I look through the books.

Oh, I should also ask, are there any nixed character types?

 

[Nugar]

The game is set modern day, and pre Changes, but post... whatever that last one was, I forget. Just before Changes, which will happen whenever the plot decides it needs to happen, because obviously it's gonna change a lot of world power dynamics for *spoiler* reasons.

Dresden might show up briefly to help, ask for help, or whatever, but no, the game is about you, the players, and whatever shenanigans you get up to. It's set in New Orleans, not Chicago, so the cast of NPCs is unique. And colorful. Mustn't forget colorful.

The swords of the cross are all accounted for, but there are other, less powerful holy weapons out there, if you want to eventually end up wielding one.

Lycanthropes, the non shapeshifting werewolves, are the most plentiful area faction, but they're not cohesive in any way shape or form. Still, if you want to play one, you get a fair number of local contacts, both bad and good.

Sorcerors are a bit too powerful for the starting power level, but you can take minor talent and build up to a sorcerer. However, there are a couple of WCW in the area, including a warden, and they don't like sorcerors. You miss out on the white council politics, you gain trouble in the form of people more powerful than you who are absolutely positive you're going to break one of the laws and become a warlock, and they're watching and waiting for you to do so so they can take your head. Sorcerors do not generally get off with a doom of damocles warning.

WCVs are in the area, all three families, but fairly limited in representation compared to, say, Chicago, where the king and Laura reside.

RCVs are in the area, mostly represented by columbian drug cartels.

BCVs are in the area, but only one or two.

JCVs own one of the dockyards north of the city and keep to themselves.

The swamp is home to all kinds of local monsters, faerie, and bizzare shit imported from foreign lands that got loose and manage to survive the local ecology. The swamp also has a fairly sizeable wildfae population. Most are not especially nice, like willow wisps.

Summer court faerie is around, but not balanced by much of a Winter presence. This manifests itself in lots of diseases (swine flu, yo).

There's a big goddamn catholic church right downtown with a ridiculously strong holy presence, but they generally keep to themselves and don't go crusading. The southern baptists are the most widespread christian church, but they don't have any official anti monster groups like the catholics. Faith varies.

Actual shapeshifters are pretty rare, but I'll allow you to play one.

Minor talent is fucking EVERYWHERE, mostly in the form of wannabe voodoo practicioners. Some major voodoo players as well, good and bad. The problem is, voodoo went commercial in a big way and the names of many of the Loa can be read in freaking library books. Their mystical pipelines are pretty well tapped, so you've got to find an obscure one to actually get one that can reply to you. However, a lot of minor voodoo protections require little in the way of belief and can be made by anyone with a little talent, so it's a good idea to stop by a shop and pick up some salt and red brick dust to reinforce your threshold. Even works in hotel rooms, always a plus, but you have to have enough for a full circle.

Maysombrera is an option, but an evil one. You can boost the Loa with sacrifice and get more help from them, but that tends to move up to humans pretty quick. Also, they like making voodoo zombies, which is mind control, not necromancy. WCWs hate them, but they're like cockroaches. It spreads quickly and dies out quickly.

There are some practicing sorcerors, both native talent and sponsored magic. Most are frankly evil.

And there's a host of cults here and there, ranging from nasty to really really really really fucking nasty. Remember, Lovecraft himself wrote of strange cults of degerate, inbred, mutated lower races worshipping things from the Outside deep in the swamps of Louisianna. Betcherass they ain't friendly.

All player races are an option, but like I said, you don't get to start out as a badass. Gotta level up.

 

[Kayeich]

Questions before I sign up (assuming you aren't full already):
1) How familiar would one have to be with the base series to play? Would reading the RP rulebooks be sufficient?
2) When do you want to have sessions, as it looks like you're already planning on having it be a real time game and not forum.

I'll admit that my interest is mostly based on friend repeatedly telling me 'This series is AWESOME. You MUST read this.' and interest in being a player in a tabletop type game (I'm mostly stuck on the DM side of things these days), rather than familiarity with series or system. I am, admittedly, downloading to get a preliminary look.

 

[Nugar]

Reading the books is pretty important. Sorry, but I think I'd have to give a slot to someone who's read the books and is a big fan over someone that just wants to play and hasn't read the books.

But there's plenty of open slots for now, and you've got plenty of time to read the books.

At least, at my rate of reading, your speed may vary.

 

[Kayeich]

I understand, that's why I asked.

I've been meaning to read them, since as I said, that friend keeps harping about it (come to think of it, I should probably tell him about this thread, he's looking for a game himself since he's on vacation from school).

If I finish the books before you fill up, well good. If not, I did start looking through the rulebook, and saw it uses fudge dice. If you need it, I have an irc dicebot that can do fudge dice.

EDIT: It's name is Penuche, hangs out in irc.lunarnet.org if you want to play with it (he auto-accepts invites to channels). It's fudge dice command is simply -
!fudge {modifier} {description}

You can just type !fudge for normal four fudge dice being rolled, and total gets added up. You can also include a optional modifier to adjust the total result. Description is similarly optional (it doesn't echo with the roll result, it's just there for logs and such, so people know why something was rolled).

Example:
<Merc> !fudge +5 testing fudge dice
<Penuche> Merc invokes Penuche's magic: < -1, -1, 1, 0 > {4}

 

[spooky316]

Hmm, it would be interesting to play a Jade Court vampire, since we don't know much about them. Of course, that's also the downside. As the GM Nugar, do you have an idea of what you want the Jade Court to be like?

 

[Nugar]

Mysterious, kinda spooky, and not played by PCs.

 

[Rahlian]

This sounds very interesting. I have read all the books, and am a huge fan. At the moment, I really don't have much going on IRL, so I have been looking for something to do. I think that this could do nicely. Only thing is, I break torrents like crazy, so if you could email me the PDF, I would be pretty much set.

Glancing over the site, I am thinking of playing a lycanthrope, or true believer, not sure which yet.

Anyways, let me know what you think.

 

[Nugar]

Email not possible, the pdfs are like 200 megs or something total.

My AIM is nugarthebarb and my yahoo is nugarthebarbarian. File transfers might work.

But you can forget it for the rest of the night, I'm gonna go eat some dinosaurs in Monster Hunter tri.

 

[Rahlian]

Okay, yeah, emailing is out. Think I have an AIM screen name I can dust off somewhere. Let you know when I remember the password. Or a new one set up.


Edit: Okay, now I can't even look at the bloody site itself, keeps crashing my Firefox AND IE... Ugh, maybe it will work tomorrow....

 

[spooky316]

I've been reading up on character creation, and I notice it says that part of creating our backstory is how we become involved with the other characters. Are we doing that here, or is the game going to start with us just meeting for the first time? If we are doing that, we'll need to set aside an irc (or similar) time where we can figure that out.

EDIT: Ok, I've narrowed down my character to either an emissary of power or a focused practitioner. I'm torn between them though. Is either one better for the setting, Nugar?

 

[clockworkchaos]

I've been reading up on character creation, and I notice it says that part of creating our backstory is how we become involved with the other characters. Are we doing that here, or is the game going to start with us just meeting for the first time? If we are doing that, we'll need to set aside an irc (or similar) time where we can figure that out.

EDIT: Ok, I've narrowed down my character to either an emissary of power or a focused practitioner. I'm torn between them though. Is either one better for the setting, Nugar?

I would also like to know this.

As well how are we looking on the power vs non-combat skills area? I'm currently tempted to play an accountant who had the bad luck that the latest cooked books he stumbled onto were supernaturally related (willing to take any one that would fit your theme well, but if nothing else white court seems the obvious choice).

 

[lord geryon]

edit: nvm

 

[wingthesword]

Bought the first two books recently, so if I read them could I play? Also I don't have AIM, whatever that is so help?

 

[Nemi]

I'm in if you'll have me, I've read all the books besides the short stories, and am working my way though the rpg books right now.

Character concept...I'm thinking minor talent/focused practioner with a focus on earth and making/breaking. Teenager who got sent to juvie. Got involved with a small gang there of other slightly gifted kids that kept their noses clean for various reasons. (heard about the Wardens, and if they heal other gangs they don't get picked on)

 

[lask]

Sounds pretty interesting. Would level are we at? Feet in the water?

Hmm.

 

[Nugar]

Which is better, emmissary of power or focused practioner?

Well, which would you have more fun as, and which would you be better at?

I can't decide these things for you.

I have to build the plot around YOU people, (all together), it's not like I'm shoehorning you into a plot I've already come up with. I prefer smaller arcs rather than big sweeping epics, anyway. Lets you get a feel for the character better that way.

Ideally, I want to have a couple of sessions pretty close together at first. First session will almost certainly be 100% explaining the rules to each other over and over until we get a better handle on this system, which is pretty different from anything _I've_ ever played before. Then, ideally, there'll be a couple of milk runs for everyone to get used to the setting and the system, and maybe get a better handle on their characters and what they want out of the game events wise.

Personally? I like throwing more than just violence at my players. I drove minmaxers nuts as a DM in D&D, because I kinda expect you to have skills beyond just blowing shit up and stabbing people. Knowledge rolls, puzzles, and decisions. Skills are important. Not everything is about killing monsters, especially at this power level. Or even if it is, there's ways of killing things that doesn't require you to even MAKE a combat role.

The nature of the game, though, does lead itself well to solving mysteries. You ain't gotta be a private investigator, or a cop, or anything like that, but I will say that skills that allow you to notice things and skills that allow you to interpret the things you find will come in handy. But I expect you to work as a group, so as long as at least SOMEONE has the right skill you should be able to work together and triumph.

Basically, this is set in a kind of nebulous area between White Knight and Changes, but the events of Small Favor are NOT currently happening, so it's basically business as usual for the wardens. Dresden's minor practicioner outreach program has been in effect for a while and is having some interesting spinoffs, of which YOU all will be part of under the direction of Wizard Platt, who is pretty proactive but not especially active active. Basically, he's running a kind of night school for practicioners. If he was three dozen of himself he'd have three dozen apprentices, and would probably invite (order) you to be his apprentice. But he's not. He's got like, two apprentices, because that's all he can handle full time with his other duties. However, some of those other duties, and his apprentices, help him train and guide local practicioners who seem to have potential.

The idea is, it's no secret what happens if you break a Law. But he's offering the carrot to that stick, a chance to learn more, safely and legally, under the guidence of the WC. He's a nice guy. Kinda firm, but only because IT'S YOUR MORTAL SOUL at risk.

Red Court hates him, White Court wouldn't mind seeing him in a grave, and he stays pretty neutral with the other factions except the nastier sorcerors and vaudaun, which he helps kill whenever possible.

The war with the Red Court is pretty hot, but in a lull at the moment, like a simmering pot of tnt.

In exchange for learning under him, you owe Platt. In exchange for continued lessons, you're expected to take part in the magical community, a kind of League of Responsible Practicioners. Like a middle level to Dresden's magical outreach program. He's all about spreading necessary information to and from the wardens, and the wardens protecting minor practicioners. Platt is more about taking mid rank practicioners who haven't turned bad, guiding them towards full WC status, and getting them to protect minor practicioners and mundanes.

It's a recruitment drive, really. The war has cost the WC a lot of members. He has senior council support in this. However... well, politics. No one does anything without a reason unless they're insane.

If you're a pure mortal or a nonpracticioner, some percentage of fae, some sort of shifter or were, or something else entirely, you'll probably end up on the fringes of the official goal of Platt, rewarded/paid through various means. Platt hires regular mortals and extremely minor practicioners to run the tech no one can live without, but wizards can't operate. Also, informants in various walks of life. For some people, helping others is its own reward, and Platt and the others in charge want to make sure that helping people doesn't become its own punishment. Also, other goals can be compatible. Want revenge against some vampire for noming a cousin? It's to the benefit of your overall goal to be a part of this... until it isn't anymore. For our immediate purposes, its of benefit. Thats' why you're there. Where we go from there is up to you.