The Dresden Files > DFRPG
Alternate Locations for Dresden RPGs
Hoodooed:
I had been considering modern day New Orleans as a possible campaign setting for a Dresden Files game. There is a lot of local mysticism, history, et al, left untouched by the books and worth a flesh out… I was just thinking of the fun that could be had with Anne Rice’s old house for example.
I would second the mention of St. Petersburg as a potential setting also. I read the English edition of the Times from there twice a week and it really gives insight into the local area. I could see a lot of fun on city fencing day and a confrontation with the heirs to the Three Musketeers.
The best settings and game locations suggest stories and fun things easily. That’s my measuring stick… I've never actually visited either city.
Lanodantheon:
--- Quote from: Hoodooed on April 15, 2008, 06:56:43 PM ---I had been considering modern day New Orleans as a possible campaign setting for a Dresden Files game. There is a lot of local mysticism, history, et al, left untouched by the books and worth a flesh out… I was just thinking of the fun that could be had with Anne Rice’s old house for example.
--- End quote ---
Two interesting considerations about running in N.O. came to mind:
1) Water grounds out Magic + Louisiana Swamp = very interesting place for a Wizard to be.
2) Hurricane Katrina probably redrew the supernatural road map since as mentioned, Water grounds magic. Any ancient magics sealing/veiling/controlling things that go Bump no mean precisely...nothing.
--- Quote from: Hoodooed on April 15, 2008, 06:56:43 PM ---
I would second the mention of St. Petersburg as a potential setting also. I read the English edition of the Times from there twice a week and it really gives insight into the local area. I could see a lot of fun on city fencing day and a confrontation with the heirs to the Three Musketeers.
--- End quote ---
Three Musketeers is French, what the heck do they have to do with Russia? Anyway...
Russia has a long history, which also means lots of magic running around. When I think about Russia in general, let alone St. Petersburg as a setting, I have 2 thoughts:
1. In Russian History there are 3 Kinds of Old.
Recent Old: As in Czar Nicholas II. As in that old staple....Rasputin. But, he may need to be avoided since even Hellboy has gotten a piece of his clichéd mystical ass.
Byzantine Old: The Byzantine (East Roman) Empire reigned for hundreds of years after the fall of western Roman Empire. With that fall can come old gods from Greece and plenty of other nasties looking for a place to live since the Byzantine Empire was also the Silk Road.
Slavic Old: The Rus people predate a lot of other cultures. Their mythology is to the point now that a lot of it has been forgotten. In St.Petersburg, local White Council Wizards would typically be dealing with stuff no one knows anything about.
2. The Iron Curtain's down, but not gone.
Communist Russia probably played hell with the Magical community. Stalin probably gave even Mab the red ass. The KGB experimented with Psychics, but what about Wizards? Now that the Communists are gone, how does that change the community?
That's all I got on that.
Hoodooed:
*Chuckles* It’s about fun. I am aware they are French in origin but nothing prevents them from visiting for the event and a little competition any more than being a Norwegian fairy tale prevented the Billy Goats Gruff from kicking Harry’s butt around Chicago.
There might well be magically dead zones in the New Orleans area but it wouldn’t be any more a handicap than Harry’s battle on the small island… Or the spells he cast from Thomas's boat deck underway over the lake. It actually threatens to add some interesting dimensions to things for non wizards too. Been looking over a few maps and asking questions like "is a sand bar enough" and "how might tapping ley lines play into things," and "is proximity to land and water depth a factor."
A lot just depends on what the rules say when they are finished. Being in a swamp land region might not be an issue at all if some of the boat scenes from the books are an indication while being over deep water would...
Thanks for the thoughts. :)
R00kie:
--- Quote from: Lanodantheon on April 16, 2008, 05:34:36 AM ---2) Hurricane Katrina probably redrew the supernatural road map since as mentioned, Water grounds magic. Any ancient magics sealing/veiling/controlling things that go Bump no mean precisely...nothing.
--- End quote ---
Hurricane Katrina could well have been the results of an imbalance between the Summer and Winter court, and even if it wasn't just think how much magical energy must have been tied up in a storm that size if the little storms in 'Storm Front' are anything to go on.
It might be interesting to set your campaign before the hurricane. The players know its coming, but thats okay - its just foreshadowing, and they get to discover the events behind it.
Of course this might be a difficult topic for a lot of players. Anyone who was affected by the hurricane might find it poor material for a game. For many the wounds might still seem to fresh, so sound your players out carefully first.
TangXiao:
One interesting thing to consider would be those cities which, for various reasons, have a mixed cultural heritage. For example, (and this is an admittedly random example which presents itself only because I am traveling there soon) Qingdao, China. This is a city which has, at various times, "belonged" to China, Germany, and Japan. In certain areas of the city, the architecture is such that the city seems more German than Chinese. In cities like this, you could mix and match the mythologies of the various cultures and even create a "turf wars" kind of scenario. What do you guys think?
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