Introducing DFRPG to a new group

[fabulator]

So I have a group here in Iowa that I'm hoping to get started with DFRPG but only a few of them have ever read the books (the philistines) and are not familiar with the setting or the system. I think they can handle it, especially since the system is pretty easy to pickup, but how can I give them a quick overview of the Dresdenverse and the current situation? The first chapters in YS are really great but they're a bit long, I need like a one or two page thing.  Also, pre-gen characters; yes? no? how much to pre-gen? any thoughts would be great. Oh, and if you live in Des Moines let me know and we'll add you to the group.

[Deadmanwalking]

Personally? For a group like this, I reccomend characters who know almost as little about the supernatural as the players. Cap Lore at Fair or so, and just go from there with a very brief rundown of the things their character in particular would know.

[luminos]

I second Deadman's recommendation of characters that don't know much about the supernatural.  Also, try to convince them not to use a spellcasting template when they are starting out (which kind of goes with the characters not knowing about the supernatural).  Talk about some of the themes like Free-will vs. Nature, Belief is power, etc, and pull them into the finer aspects of the universe through play.

[Deadmanwalking]

Also, try to convince them not to use a spellcasting template when they are starting out (which kind of goes with the characters not knowing about the supernatural).

I actually had really good luck allowing a guy with Thaumaturgy, it's actually fairly easy to understand (you're telling the story of a spell), and doesn't require an understanding of the world beyond a more general idea of what sympathetic links are and why they're required. Evocation would be even easier. As long as they don't even know as much about the world (not even as much as Harry circa Storm Front), I think magic is doable.

[fabulator]

I like the recommendation about going with non-aware characters but there's a few people in the group who are hard-core Dresden fans (me and 2 others out of about 6) and they want to play wizards etc...

[wyvern]

It's very hard to make a character that literally can't be scaled down to fit in 6 refresh.  Sure, they'll be weaker and more limited than a higher end version, but you can do it.  Want your wizard?  Take Channeling, and Rituals, and the Sight, and Soulgaze, and Wizard's Constitution.  Pick one element with some good thematic and symbolic options, like, oh, water that can be used for actual water effects, or life magic, or eroding things & rust & decay, and you've got a decent (if somewhat limited) wizard-in-training or possibly wizard-to-be who just hasn't had enough practice yet.

For a were-creature, by contrast, you can just start dropping powers - sure, he's got this fancy wolf form that can move way faster than a human... but without practice, all that extra speed is useless.  Full speed ahead just leads to the character jumping over the thing he wanted to jump on, or bouncing off walls when trying to go around a sharp corner, or...  Similar reasoning can be used to drop things like Claws ("What, I'm supposed to bite my enemies instead of bludgeoning them to death with my skull?  Maybe I should try that some time...") - again, inexperience with the form can be used to justify a much narrower range of powers than would "normally" be listed for that were-creature.

[Lanir]

Probably start off with lower powered characters. Definitely not Submerged. Probably best to let them make their characters unless you want to run a demo game for everyone before you do a campaign. There's just an intrinsic buy-in about making your own character that's true in every system and especially so when you're choosing aspects and making your own background. Your guys that know things, let them play characters that know things if they wish to do so. Just be sure to let them know that they've been deputized as assistant guides to help you steer things along. They may need to tone down to apprentices (about paranet level of ability) rather than the experienced White Council wizard they want, but honestly it'll be easier for them to adjust than for the rest of your group to magically clue in enough to play a Submerged character well.

I do have an idea that might help though. It's something we used to do in Amber throne war games. Make up some hooks to let you tie the characters into what's going on. At least one for each character. Have your guys that know things help you out if you like. Make it a challenge. I'd recommend giving everyone one for free and making them roughly equivalent. Examples might include a contact with an important NPC, a mysterious item (with some potential use in at least the first adventure) that they've never gotten around to identifying, a winning ticket that gets them to the bus/train/bar/hotel/etc. where something will happen... You get the idea. Anything that might help things along a bit or point them in the right direction if they miss a clue.

[Deadmanwalking]

I like the recommendation about going with non-aware characters but there's a few people in the group who are hard-core Dresden fans (me and 2 others out of about 6) and they want to play wizards etc...

So? I started out as a Submerged game, with almost all supernatural PCs, in exactly this situation. Power and knowledge aren't the same thing, and as long as they lack the second, they can easily possess the first. As long as they aren't Wizards, or something else that requires a lot of knowledge about the world as a whole, they can be as powerful as you like.

Which is not to say you need to do a high-powered game, just that one is doable with the premise. There's a reason I specified no Lore above Fair as the only requirement (and one that can be waived for the players who've read the series).

[finnmckool]

Yeah...I'm seconded everyone here. Just let'em be kinda ignorant of supernatural politics zoology. This is accomplishable.

Sadly in my game, my Wizard is the one guy who HASN'T read the books (as the more role playing player and our usual GM in other games I thought he'd be a shoe in...turns out not so much), while my other players who know the books like the back of their hand is a very closeted Fae type, who knows stuff about the NeverNever, but not people, politics, etc, and a focused practioner/drifter and doesn't know much of anything. So my wizard can't explain anything because he knows nothing OOC and the other two don't know anything in game but know it all OOC. Ugh.

[Lanir]

Oops... Looks like I was wrong about starting low powered. Sorry, I've played too many systems where more power leads pretty quickly to a lot of extra complications.

[JosephKell]

Step 1.  Do a one shot with throw away characters so players can get used to the aspect driven nature of the game.

Step 2.  In that one shot, try to feature diverse pre-gens, I recommend Feet Wet characters just because the pre-gens are not that hard to make.  I would just provide High Concept, Trouble, the first two phase aspects, Great skill, and 2 Good skills (this implies the 4/3/2/1 skill array).  Then provide a mix of pure mortals and minor supernatural characters.

Step 2b.  Try to ask the players to come up with an answer to some sort of question to help generate a 3rd phase aspect.  Something like "You were in [this situation]...  How did you get through it and what impact did it make on your life?"

Step 3.  Try to feature scenes for all types of scenes and conflicts:
a.  Social Conflict.
b.  Investigative/Research Scene.
c.  Usage of extended skills (like a chase scene).
d.  Contacts (could be used to lead into said Social Conflict).
e.  Physical Conflict finale.  You don't even need to plan other physical conflicts, just make sure any social scene has the potential to go physical (so have those nameless guys ready), I guarantee that players can always find a way to turn a peaceful tea party into a bar fight.
f.  Try to feature at least one or two compels as well as aspects.  Aspects are the most important thing.  This whole game is about aspects.  Every scene should have at least one scene aspect.

Don't worry about mental conflict yet, except to explain that mental attacks represents having your mind bent.

At least half of this game is about accepting compels and spending fate points to invoke aspects.

The only reason for starting low powered is if it is pre-gens, it is a LOT less effort to pick 4 refresh of stuff, 4 aspects, and 3 skills than to make fully fleshed out Submerged characters for someone else to us.  In my one-shot game at DresdeCon, I took this "Amateur Stunt Driver" and made it mine (James "Jimmy" Kloughn driving around in a P.O.S. Miata that has "Klown Car" spray painted on the hood).  If the GM had selected all 7 aspects and all 10 skills, I am not sure if that would've happened.

Another reason is that it is easy to convince players to abandon (or adjust) a Feet Wet pre-gen for a Submerged character they design themselves.  Although, I wouldn't mind redoing Jimmy Kloughn as any power level, it was just a really fun concept.

Recommend to players try to avoid writing down all of their extra skills until they use them.  I know I was having a lot of buyers remorse feelings about picking Guns, Weapons, and/or Fists.  And it just looks bad to see someone erasing and rewriting stuff on their character sheet (even if they haven't actually used those skills yet).

Another thing is that if you type up and print sheets, don't fill in the stress tracks entirely, maybe block off the right 5 boxes on a pure mortal (who doesn't have Endurance Good or Great), but leave 3 and 4 on each track open in case someone picks a track effecting skill of Fair or Average.

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

Des Moines?  ACK NO!  WHY, WHY couldn't it be WATERLOO?  Ah well, I hope you have fun. 

I agree with Deadman and Luminos.  JosephKell hit the nail on the head with his breakdown.
For my first soiree into the dresdenverse with local peoples that had read the books, I ran a little one shot, throwaway adventure that led to bigger things.  It got the players use to the system and allowed them to see skills and abilities in play. (And caused a tweeking characters session after.)

(Scene 1) It was a simple start, compels to get them all to the scene, then hit them with a social conflict. 
(Scene 2) The now formed group was Railroaded into a physical conflict. 
(Scene 3) Granted A short pause while they learned skills, and dove into an investigation portion. 
(Scene 4) The showdown with the BBEG. (yes he got away) 

I planned 3-4 hours of play, it took longer. (Always does) Plus, this was the first I have a female heavy group.  I find myself challenged to keep throwing "female" oriented goals and plot devices into the mix.

Back on topic.  Have some pre-gens handy for the Dresden Virgins.  But totally do the character phases with creation.  So you can explain the pre-gens, and allow other players to make what they want.  It will be a learning exercise and start getting people in the mindset of the personas they are creating.

So recap, Low level starter.  They can build up to a power.  Your players that want wizards can easily start with focused practicioners.  Though I would remind them not to talk about the supernatural to pure vanillas.  They are on a need to know basis.  And really, the only time they need to know is when the monster/magic user is trying to kill them.

Again, hope you have a blast!

[finnmckool]

A good first monster to throw at them is one that is mostly just tough. It can be pretty strong and fast and what not, but mostly it should be tough. Big and stupid's good. That way they can practice their offense and defense, think tactically, explore working to together, try out some stuff. And when what they do fails to kill in one go, they don't take their power for granted, and when it finally DOES explode the monster, they'll feel AWESOME.

[Wyrdrune]

wizard apprentices at the beginning of their apprenticeship won't know much about the supernatural. i too have allowed such a character who does not know much and hast thaumaturgy. his drawback is that his master/teacher is more often away and he has to handle some of the things the group faces alone as he's the group's only wizard. it's a lot of fun for all, because he tries to give the image of the all-knowing-wizard, and most of the time he guessed right, while the others suspect that he makes a few shots into the dark...

[finnmckool]

Or apprentices can make nice NPC's for wizards who sorta get it but not quite. Because then you can sort of quiz the player by asking questions and they have to figure out "how" to make things happen.