Author Topic: Different Times and Places  (Read 1651 times)

Offline Frank Frey

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Different Times and Places
« on: June 14, 2010, 09:27:25 PM »
Greetings,
My name is Frank Frey and while I'm new here, I've been playing and running RPG's for over 30 years.(I'm 61) I recently picked up the DFRPG PDF's and am looking forward to getting the books. I'm also of course a big fan of the series of novels and the TV show as well.
Anyway, I've always had a great love of history. I tend to concentrate on military history probably because I'm a Vietnam Veteran. Well, I was thinking about setting a Dresden Files Chronicle during another time and or place.
I began to wonder, for example, what the White Council as well as other groups were up to during WWII. There were a number of government sanctioned "occult research" groups. The most infamous being the Nazi Ahnenerbe Society. There was also the prewar Thule Society. But the Nazis weren't the only ones. There was supposedly a Japanese occult warfare group called Unit 831(not to be confused with the biowar research group Unti 731) as well as the Black Dragon Society. I'm sure there were other groups who were working for the Allies.
As for places, just imagine a Chronicle set in Victorian England. London, in that time period, would be an incredible place. Especially, if you through in such elements as Jack the Ripper, Springheel Jack, and the Golden Dawn.
The possibilities are endless and the FATE system is well suited to exploring them.

Frank Frey

Offline Papa Gruff

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Re: Different Times and Places
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2010, 09:59:40 PM »
Me and my group have talked about something similar. We tossed the ball around a bit and thought that a WWII theme would be pretty nice for a just Wizard group. I think the WC got to duke it out against an incarnation of Kemmler during WWII so there would be tons of Necromancers, Zombies and Ghosts to kill.

So Kemmler and his lads are something you could consider for your WWII chronicle campaign.

Oh and by the way: Welcome to the forums. Nice to have an other RPG veteran around.
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Offline EldritchFire

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Re: Different Times and Places
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2010, 10:06:28 PM »
IIRC, Dead Beat mentioned that the White Council was hunting down Kemmler during WWI, but didn't get him for good until later...so WWII could be the final end of Kemmler.

Otherwise, there are indeed the occult departments of various governments.  Heck, I can easily see one of Kemmlers students heading up the Nazi Ahnenerbe Society. Or, even Kemmler himself! Remember, souls who die mad usually come back as ghosts. Who knows, maybe Kemmler's ghost was Hitlers secret weapon? The White Council would be very invested in the outcome of WWII if such was the case.

As far as Victorian England, take a look at the Wild Talents supplement, Kerberos Club, By Arc Dream/Cubicle 7. Granted, it's about supers in Victorian England, but the rest still works GREAT for an occult-themed game. Instead of super powers, the club members sling eldritch power...instead of superscience, eldritch-tech is invented.

Also, speaking of period games, Deadlands, by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, is a good sourcebook for the Weird West.

Arc Dream also puts out Grim War, which is another supers game for the American Civil War era. Heck, even Godlike can give you some great stuff for WWII gaming.

Yeah, I know I'm pimpin' Arc Dream's stuff pretty heavily, but it's for good reason. Almost all of their period stuff is well researched, and a good read. Not as exciting as Dresden Files, of course, but still it's not dry like a textbook.

Hope that's been of some help and not just the ravings of a mad-man  :p

-EF
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Offline Jeckel

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Re: Different Times and Places
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2010, 10:34:04 PM »
I ran my first campaign in the late bronze/early iron age, lots of artifacts. It worked out well as the intro setting as all the guns and tech stuff could be ignored.

I just started the next campaign with picks the story up with new characters in the late 1880s, I'm planning to pull some stuff from Deadlands (and am now going to look into Grim War for plot ideas, thanx EldritchFire).

Next I'm planning to do the 1920s focused around US immigrants, gangsters, and prohibition.

After that... not sure. Maybe one of the world wars or I might skip to 1999 and do something about the millennium change.

All in all, I've found this to be one of the easiest systems to bend into different time periods and I look forward to giving a far-flung future type setting a try.
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Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Different Times and Places
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2010, 10:34:13 PM »
Kemmler was apparently killed the final time in 1961 according to OW, but he was seen raising mass graves as zombies during World War 2, so he was clearly active. Beyond that, we don't know a whole lot...so you should feel free to make things up that synch up with real history. Or are just plain entertaining.

Offline Frank Frey

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Re: Different Times and Places
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2010, 11:53:07 PM »
Thanks everybody for the kind welcome. This looks like a good group.
Anyway, one other part of my gaming background is that I've been playing and running "Call of Cthulhu" since 1981. Yes, I'm a long time Cthulhu Cultist ;D. I first read HP Lovecraft back in 1963 when I was freshman in high school. Been hooked ever since. I've even lectured to college classes on HPL so I guess I'm a real hardcore cultist.
A lot of the Chaosium material is very good and highly recommended. The City/Sourcebook series such as "Secrets of San Francisco" are excellent sources for city building material. Imagine, a Dresden Files Chronicle set in Arkham or Dunnwich! :o
I have a lot of Pinnacle books. I do have Deadlands:Reloaded, Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane, Tour of Darkness, and of course Weird Wars II.
I know Shane Ivey. He's a great guy. I have a copy of Godlike. Really well done. Arc Dream puts out some excellent games.
Now, I believe that I will go stat up the Thule Society for DFRPG. I have Dr. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke's "The Occult Roots of Nazi Germany". It is a very well researched book on the various occult societies that sprang up in Germany in the late 19th Century. I highly recommend it. That will be my starting point...hmmm, my notes await me. Take care. TTYL