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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: bentleyml on November 20, 2007, 03:18:19 PM
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Has anyone thought of setting games in the Dresden-verse in different time periods other than modern day? One I plan on doing is running a Dresden-verse game set in the 1930s or 1940s. I mean, how can one resist having an evil Nazi Wizard? :D
I've also contemplated something set in the 1980s. My other random thought was one set in the 1860's or so.
No real solid thoughts on any of these, but I was just curious if anyone was thinking along similar lines.
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I was thinking of an Old West setting. Kind of almost like the original Wild Wild West tv series.
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We are running one red hot Roaring 20s Chicago Dresden in our RPG. Bad Boy Butters, aka: the Coroner, Red Courts in with Capone, Murphy is a Pinkerton. Very very cool setting. Chicago was hoppin' in the 20s.
Mac's is a speakeasy, of course, and Thomas dances there to feed.
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I'm in an RPG that went wildly AU shortly after World War Two. The White Council has openly declared war on mortalkind and allied with Winter and the Red Court. It's now ruled by Justin DuMorne, with a seriously brainwashed Elaine Mallory at his side. Harry and Murphy fight them alongside those that left the White Council (like Morgan), the White Court (led by Lara Raith), and assorted mortals. We're still finding our feet in some aspects, though we recently decided there will be a strong magic/steampunk hybrid vibe.
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I am actuall loving a lot of these ideals I think that I should try and put one together just to see how it would go.
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Absolutely!
Shades of The Warlock in Spite of Himself.
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I think a campaign run in the 20's or 40's could be really cool.
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This thread really does inspire some badass ideas. I would have a blast with a Victorian Era. I could also see a hell of a fun game set in Five Points in a "Gangs of New York" setting.
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Another idea might be one set around the time of the Revolutionary War in the Boston area...
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Red coats = Red Courts? ;D
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Hey that would be an idea Blaze...
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I absolutely love the 20's thread in our RPG (I'm in the same one as Blaze) - but I'd also love to do one set in the 40's
Heh - Mainly because my characters are feminine and I prefer the fashions of the 40's over the 20's... LOL
I think a Wild West one would be really really cool, too!
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What about the future? 2020's, 2070's, 2100 and beyond?
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That strikes me as really difficult and taking it too far out of the fanfic realm (not that I'm any expert, mind you>)
But as I see it, fanfic is grounded in a common base of a universe (Dresdenverse) of common history, experiences, laws, etc, and even superimposing the regular world of the past, there is a common base there too that we all know, or can at least Google, and can draw from.
In going into the future, the players lose that common understanding of social evolution and technological advancement. Five, ten people bringing completely different visions of the future to an RPG seems like it would muddle it the storylines horribly.
We've had some challenges on our board with people bringing characters in that really can't exist in Jim's world, and it makes the storylines difficult at times. But they're good and interesting writers, so we work with it, and we've made a non-Dresdenverse storyline area available for them as well.
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You would definitely be setting yourself up to write a lot about the world. You'd have to come up with a specific vision of that future and communicate it clearly to your players. Perhaps the magical world flowed over into the realm of the mundies (to use Fable-speak) and we're now talking post-apocolyptic version of the dresdenverse. Maybe the Vampires won and dominated society. Perhaps the mundies found out and started exterminating magical creatures a la the Technocracy from WoD?
That last one could make for some awesome dresden fights. How does magic fight lasers? What would a teleporter into the Nevernever look like? You could even take a CoC type approach if you start incorporating regular humans into things. A wetworks squad assigned to the Nevernever would make a badass player party.
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I like the Post-Apocalypse idea. Hmmm... Perhaps a Dresdenverse ala Mad Max.
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Given the Magic
equalizes neutralizes (oops) technology equation in the Dresdenverse, there would be no fight... as long as Harry and the other Wizards/Wardens could get close enough.
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I can't believe no one has said this yet. Wouldn't it be awesome to set your game around the time that the White Council first appeared? You’d get to meet the original Merlin and see what kind of baddies wandered the earth at that time. The only problem is that we lack a lot of information about this time. But once we get some more I'll definitely set a game around this time.
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The Hollow Hills version of the Dresdenverse? Yeah. Hey, Arthur! *waves*
Then, there is Dresden SteamPunk.
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Given the Magic equalizes neutralizes (oops) technology equation in the Dresdenverse, there would be no fight... as long as Harry and the other Wizards/Wardens could get close enough.
yes this is true, magic does neutralise technology, but hasnt it been hypothesised that this is because the people that are producing, developing, building said technologies dont believe in magic, if the post apocolyptic magic/mundies war etc did take place then surely the people developing the technologies to combat magic would believe in magic, and even if this was not the case Kincaid worked out that a wizard could be killed by a rifel that fires faster than the speed of sound so mundies could make a good fight of it. Given all that i think it could be great fun
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Then there's the possiblity that once people accept magic they'll study it and find a way to make some sort of defensive field for their gear. The thing with harry's bones and Butters suggests that the effects from wizards ARE observable and quantifiable if enough resources are dedicated to them. Maybe once they figure out what the "wizard particle" is they can create material shielding for it. If there is no way to stop wizard particles, maybe "Reality Enforcers" to keep down the fluctuations from magic users. I wonder if using Faerie materials to build a gun would make it magic proof?
As an alternate stragegy it's been demonstrated that some magics can be created by anyone, such as the magic circle. Does a circle made of laser light count? Then you could have a moving magic circle that reinstates itself a few hundred times a second so that it can still be fired thru without risking damage to the person using it. Kind of a high-frequency magical scrambling field.
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Red coats = Red Courts? ;D
Hey that would be an idea Blaze...
Most likely Red Coat Officers would be Red Court, with mundanes in the rank and file
- with "working their way up the Ladder" being promoted to vamp?
This would keep the lower-ranked officers in line, since replacement is very easy.
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Might not need to be said, but I'm going to say this anyway - For those that are Running (GM-ing) these games - especially for Offline Gaming,
make sure that you have as much information about the Era that you are wanting to run, to give to your Players:
Remember the differences between the American 1980's and the 1990's? Even as little as ten years was a huge difference.
Keep this in mind for going futher back. Sure, their might not be much historical differnece between the 1880's and the 1890's, or the 1780's and the 1790's, but those differences were there - and important to the people involved - non-the-less.
Language(s), word usage, Dress Codes, social behaviors, taboos, and expectations, etc. of each Country that the Players might go to.
Region even - like France being divided into several regions, with different dress codes, and such. (Saying that they are all alike is silly. Sure they all speak French, but that is like saying that a modern Texan and a New Yorker speak un-accented English , and still dress alike because they are Americans. Uh-huh, and you wanted that Texan's cowboy boot, and the New Yorker's Construction Worker's boot [as one example] up your "Exit" {word/s exchanged} how far? They will go back to fighting each other in a 'friendly manner' once they get done with you.... LOL!!! ;) ;D)
And the GM needs to strictly enforce that those Characters that have never been exposed to these differences cannot have any clue as to what to do.
An Example: "I'm an American Revolutionist Wizard that is in 1772 England, I have been discovered by the Red Court, and they have sent the Red Coats to find me. How the heck do I hide from the Red Coats, long enough to get what I need done, and then get to the Escape Gate? I'll worry about dealing with the Fey once I get there..."
- Answer: Find "rebels" in the Great Britain area: Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and English malcontents, etc. to help you.
These "rebels" should be played by the other Players, with the DM playing the part of the Red Court Lieutenant that is in charge of the Red Coats out to find that $@%! (Wizard) "American Spy"!!!
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Another thing that needs to be remembered by the GM, is traveling and speed. Travel by wagan , or even horse is rather slow; Remember, what takes us three hours on the highway at 50 mph (150 miles !!), used to be almost a week's travel by wagon, and at least 2 days on horseback; even using something like the Pony Express took ten days to get a letter from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California - a 1,966 mile distance - and that was by changing horses about every 25 miles, and riders every 50 miles!
Fact: 1860's: The Pony Express averaged nine mph over 25 mile stages.
So, it still might take 18-20 hours of non-stop riding by the same person, assuming no delays between exchanging horses!!
Q - Prehaps The Pony Express is created soooner then the historical 1860 and lasting past 1861 by wealthy Wizards as a "mostly reliable" means to comminicate faster?
Obstical - It may not be possible to travel from one Region to another, even through the NeverNever in a single day, since the "connections" between these places have not been made in the Real World - yet.
Obstical - Crossing the Oceans by any means except in a boat may not even be possible - especially not through the NeverNever.
Or perhaps the "Ocean Fey" are very different from those on Land?
If you thought it was hard to talk to the Wolf "Spirit", how much more difficult would it be to speak to a Shark "Spirit", or a Jellyfish "Spirit"?
Shapeshifting into a bird can increase the distance traveled by a person in a day, but the Theriomorph must still eat, and rest.
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Here's my Idea: How about the Civil War Era?
Some research would still be needed - for example, the history on as many Native American Tribes during this time as possible.
Rememering that the Supernatural World is Hidden from Mundanes.
Everything hinges on the outcome of the Civil War, and nothing is simple.
Where the White Council is divided:
The Merlin decrees that Magic must be Hidden.
However, more supernatural preditors are becoming active, and many young American Wizards are defending their families and country.
(South supports Old World ways, and North seeks to break free of these "binding chains")
- and all the Vampire Courts are running around trying to infiltrate Humanity and take over; like Red Court being Rober Barons, or Assassins (PC); Black Court being Moffia, or Mercinaries (PC); and White Court being Plantation owners, or Spies (PC)?
- the Fey are at war with those "Native American" Spirits that exist between North and South, with the native American Peoples still running around, but this time they are actually involved in the events of this War, instead of outside observers?
- what of the African Tribal Spirits of those enslaved? Remember that revenge might be sweet, but greater disasters can only be avoided by uniting with those that you hate. Mutual understanding and respect kills hate.
- and perhaps various Mortal-looking types have secretly sided with the mortal troops of both sides - North and South, perhaps to aid against the other supernatural baddies, or perhaps to take over for themselves: Dresden-verse Werewolves, Lycanthropes, Changlings, and Scions.
PCs can find themselves on either - or even both sides of what is now the Mason-Dixon line;
as well as having to choose sides in other battles - like with the Spirits or the Fey?
How far do you trust that Black Court Merc - or that White Court Spy - do you make a deal with a Red Court Baron?
What are the Rewards for doing so? What are the consequences for not doing so?
And the end results of How the World will Be (Mundane and Supernatural) are dependent upon the outcome of this Moral War?
Another Questions is: The Railroad Race. Does this happen during the Civil War? If so:
Who is behind it, how important is it - and how must the PCs get involved?
Are there other things competing against the Railroads?
Like the above mentioned Pony Express?
Steam powered coaches?
or perhaps, Dirigibles?
- The GM must know the answers to this all.
Prepaire as much as possible in advance, but be ready to adapt quickly to changes the PCs make.
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Some of these Ideas can also be used in other Eras...
Like, "flying ships" (Dirigibles) in the early 1500, the height of the Pirate Age?
Q - How do you fire a cannon off a Dirigibles and not cause it to explode?
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Comments in response welcome.
Ok. I shall now stop "RPG Gezzer Rambling". Sorry.
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The reality of Magic changes everything! Could the Americas even have been populated by Europeans if the Native Peoples had magic? Would the people who were forced out of Europe due to persecution been the practitioners? (Pilgrims as Wizards, think about that! Escaping the burning times.)
You can really do a lot of revisionist history with this.
Say Africa had been populated with a few mages... Would there have been an active slave trade? Would the mages have run it, profited by it, or would they have prevented it? Even in American Slave Culture in reality, practices such as vodun terrified the European owners, so if a slave (or slaves) had real magic power... what would that have done? Say, Lee or Grant were white council wizards.
I can think of a jillion scenarios in which alternate universes might erupt due to magic, even if it was used only sparingly.
I have thought about this a lot, since I have run alternate history campaigns, and cross times campaigns and needed them to make sense and not set up paradoxes.
There are lots of fun bits to examine.
Thermopoli == 300 Wizards! Or even 1 wizard and 299 Spartans
Masada == What if the Romans had magic? What if the Jews had magic?
Agincourt == Get rid of those Genoaese crossbowman and sub in some wizards, watch history change!
Great Fire of London, Bunkerhill, Alamo... This list is endless. How tactics would be different if magic worked. Even if it was kept secret.
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Blaze, what keeps all those things extra interesting to me is that BOTH sides have magic, the slaves and the slave traders, the Persians and the Spartans, the North and the South, the Hatfields and McCoys... there are limitless awesome stories out there.
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Blaze, what keeps all those things extra interesting to me is that BOTH sides have magic, the slaves and the slave traders, the Persians and the Spartans, the North and the South, the Hatfields and McCoys... there are limitless awesome stories out there.
Exactly.
Sorry if my earlier post did not indicate this, because it was ment to mean that all sides of the various conflicts had access to Magic and/or were Supernatural Creatures.
In my Civil War Era case, North & South, Slaves & Owners, Native Americans, and more.
The Characters of each Player would have a Starting Point, and perhaps starting beliefs.
The Starting Point would determine those things that their PC would already know - local customs, language, etc.
As well as what would logically be available for them to learn about another Country or Region.
For example: It would make sense that an English PC could know the general customs and language of England, and be at least understood in the various English-controlled Regions. It would also be possible for the PC to learn either French or Spanish (depending on the Era) as the common "trade language".
Now, although the Scots (and/or the Irish) can speak English, do you think that they are really going to be interested in teaching a Britian their own Language?
Not without a lot of good reasons to do so, and maybe not even then.
And while customs can be learned through observation, taboos cannot!!
(Normally huge taboos are pointed out to the guest early one, so as to avoid problems later, but the point was - that the person has to be told about these taboos.)
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One of the things that really needs to be emphasized here - is Player co-operation.
The Players need to be reminded that the GM can't do everything for them, and so they shall have to come up with ways for how their Character would end up "working" with the other PCs.
Setting - American Civil War Era.
(The {Mohegan} Tribe were what the "Last of the [Mohicans]" book was written about, just FYI.) {Mo-HEE-gun} [muh-HEE-can]
http://www.geocities.com/bigorrin/mohegan_kids.htm (http://www.geocities.com/bigorrin/mohegan_kids.htm)
Player 1 is playing a Mohegan Native American Shaman. Goal is to try and get the White People to be more "Hippy-ish"; and failing that, to save the Tribe.
Player 2 is playing a Sorcerer slave escaped from the South. Goal is to get enough power to free all the slaves, and will use magic to kill.
Player 3 is playing a Warden from the North. Enforces the 7 Laws of Magic, but supports the freeing of slaves. Goal: Reveal (and kill) Vampires.
Player 4 is playing a French Werewolf that hates Wizards - perhaps originally a Hexenwolf? Goal: equal rights for Theriomorphs!!
Player 5 is playing a (Any) Court English Vampire. Goal: finding more "humane" ways to feed, while defending people against the other vampires.
Now, all of the Characters have a different Starting Point. They also have conflicting beliefs and Goals.
Beliefs can be changed through the right kind of encounters, and Goals can change via friendships, love, etc.
Now, if the "Party" wants to break up, and each takes their Character in a different direction - the DM should allow this, but stop the Game and talk to all the Players.
GM to Player Group: "Ok, people. Now, each of your Characters is going to have a turn being the focus of the story. The other Players shall have to be involved in what the focus PC is doing. In order to do this, I am going to have some premade NPCs, with Location and Basic Goals, that you can play. Tonight we shall start with {Player 1}'s Character, and rotate around the table in order. Once I have declaired the Story Arc to be done, then we shall move on to the next PC. Or, would the Group prefure that a Different Player's Character is the focus each Game Night?"
This keeps the other Players involved and interested in the Game.
It still takes a lot of work, and a lot of patience. On the parts of both the GM and all the Players.
Oh, and before I forget:
GM Signaficant Pause while having the Gaming Group's attention: "Remember that a Rivel is not an enemy. You Players are ment to be playing Heroes and Rivels. Only I am allowed to play truely 'Evil' Characters. I'm the one that all of your Characters have to figure out how to defeat. It's my job as the Gamemaster to be the bad guys, and it's ok to hate me - a little. I do not want the Gaming Group to start hating each other because one or more of you decided to be "evil" that day. So, truely evil acts in character, even as an NPC shall be penalized. Also, anyone caught Metagaming* shall be asked to leave the game."
This keeps the peace between Players in the Group.
*{Metagaming: when a Player uses information that their Character would not have any way of knowing to benefit their PC.
From abusing Game Rules; to having their "Barbarian" knowing about that Orc Army the "Wizard" found out about last game.}
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While you might think that both sides should have wizards, history shows us that societies often ostracize subgroups in ways that do not benefit them. So, as a resource, Wizards may have been squandered or even eradicated in certain instances.
There might for example be societies in which only one gender is allowed to embrace magic. Societies in which all magic has been hunted down and destroyed. Societies where those with Magic are exalted and become a ruling class.
People do it now, they did it in the past, and they will continue to do it in the future, ostracizing sub groups, excluding folks based on gender, religion, whatever is the prejudice du jour.
So, you can look at it as being fully balanced, or not. I think the not is more likely and more interesting.
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You are correct to an extent, Blaze.
Remember that one Societies' Wizard is another Societies' "Heretic".
Another thing to remember is that whenever one groups seeks to destroy another, one of two things happen: They either succeed in killing all of the other group, or the losing group goes into hiding.
Which is why that "Slave" listed for my example game was a Sorcerer PC. Slaves cannot be Wizards, since they would never recieve the level of training to become a "Wizard".
Even if this Sorcerer was somehow accepted by the North White Council as a member, he would still be a Sorcerer - and the title of Wizard does not change that fact. At least not until the PC spends enough time in Game, and then the EXP to upgrade themselves to a Dresdenverse "Wizard" status.
As the GM, I would enforce the rule that other North White Council Wizards would not trust the new "Wizard" (Ex-Sorcerer) and would deal with that PC only when needed. PCs could get past this, but not NPCs. Kinda like what happens with Harry in the books.
By the way, I am enjoying this Debate.
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Oh yeah, me too. I am enjoy this debate, and I mean it all in the most open and thoughtful way. When you role play, especially with older and or better educated gamers.
My gaming group consists of a bunch of people who have actually built a trebuchet, and an arbelist, used them in siege and battle... People who understand tolerances for materials, chemistry, anatomy, architecture (we are old and over-educated here.)
So, I am use to looking at all sides of an adventure before I run it, because I never know when someone will pull out some really bizarre, but quite feasible concept and I will have to deal with it in a calm and even demeanor.
This sort of discussion helps with that.
Ever sit and talk about the boxcar theory of time versus the spiral or string theory? LOL I have, and found that fun!
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Which is why that "Slave" listed for my example game was a Sorcerer PC. Slaves cannot be Wizards, since they would never recieve the level of training to become a "Wizard".
By the way, I am enjoying this Debate.
I'm enjoying the debate, too. Which is why I'm going to point out that Slaves in the US were some of the more magically oriented people in our history, usually following the voauden traditions. In fact, even the slave owners would at times come to the slaves for spells, charms, and cures. Sure, they may not fit into the White Council, but I wouldn't want to mess with them!
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Most likely Red Coat Officers would be Red Court, with mundanes in the rank and file
- with "working their way up the Ladder" being promoted to vamp?
This would keep the lower-ranked officers in line, since replacement is very easy.
Drygon, that's such a cool idea. I might run a game using your idea, or maybe do some sort of time travel thing where my modern-day characters get thrown into 1776....
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Drygon, that's such a cool idea. I might run a game using your idea, or maybe do some sort of time travel thing where my modern-day characters get thrown into 1776....
Awesome. I really wish that you guys lived closer me (or the reverse). So hard to get really good players. sigh.
But, remember that 1776, is when the USA delaires - and is granted - Independence.
Hence all the 4th of July parties.
But to give those PC a real chance to affect the war, start around 1770.
Since the Boston Massacre was what really kicked things off for that War.
Here's a twist - a Red Court Vampire "Renagade".
Is he really tired of being Low Man on the Totom Pole?
Or, is he trying to become the next Great Man - like Lord Cutler Beckett? (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)
Or, you could go back to 1765, and the founding of the Sons of Liberty...
Here's a website to use for info:
http://www.multied.com/revolt/causes.html
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This is great fun!
Ok, ready for me to mixx the KoolAid a little more? LoL!!
You are correct that the Slaves were steeped in Magic.
Don't forget that there were also several other Ethnic Groups that were also.
Like the Irish, that the North brings in to fight in the Yankee Army against the South, with promises of citizenship and land grants - out West !!
Or the "French" mercs that the South used in their Rebel Army. Note: French and Spainish nobles just sent money!!
And that's just those Ethnic groups that I can think of off the top of my head, before bed!!
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Okay, and now I am envisioning a Wild West (or Alaskan Gold Rush) town where the local Ladies of Ill Repute are all French White Court Vampires. LOL
Your local chapter of the SCA (http://SCA.org) might be a rich ground for finding fellow sharp players.
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Nice!
But keep in mind that each Society can have their own versions of the various Court Vampires.
How would each be different, and would these different "Human Soceity" Vampires get along, behind the scenes?
Like Black Court, Red Court, and all three of the White Court - in America, South America, England; Spain; "Mexico", China. Etc
Make a list of how they would be the same as their "Countrymen" - and another for how they would be different, and a third for how they get along with other Vampire Courts.
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And don't forget that during the Civil War is when Brigidere General Joseph Hooker "hired" women to be "Personal Caretakers" for his men, and thus the terms of both "Johns" and "Hookers" were coined.
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I will also add that although Women did not have the kind of personal power that they enjoy today, Women still had what I tend to call Quiet (or Hidden) Power. Mothers would teach their daughters how to "choose" a good boy, as well as ways to "infuence" that boy. Fathers would normally teach their sons to be Tough Guys that were "Kings of the World" - and in this way could easily impress his Girl's Father, but remember that said boy still had to impress his Lady Love's Mother.
Also, a lot of Legends are listed where those that truely had the Magic, were..... Mortal Women!!
Sure there were Men that had the same kind of power, but - like Harry - they got it from their Mom !!
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One thing that must never be overlooked as an Antagonist, is The Catholic Church. even today, they affect the beliefs of a lot of People.
This institution has held a lot of Power - in Money, Land, Politics, and "Magic".
Yes, the Church allows the use of "magic" (which some "faithful" believe are Prayers), but not unless a person was either a scantified Priest, or an annointed and appointed True Believer.
All other Practicioners of "Pagan Magic" were Demon-worshipers and Heritics, to be hunted down, and either Converted, or killed.
But, not all members of the Church believe this way, and so you could have a "Renegade Priest" that is very much like a Wizard.
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Did you know that prior to the use of the Paris Meridian (recently made infamous by the DaVinci Code for its connection to the Roseline) as the Prime Meridian, Europe used "Ferro's Line" so named for the island it referenced, western most known in the Old World (now el hierro, one of the canary islands off the coast of africa).
Gee, I wonder who lived there?...
Also fun to note that in 1634 Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu (rulers of france) declared it as the reference for all maps. Do I smell a Three Musketeers story?
ALL FOR ONE....
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Another idea might be one set around the time of the Revolutionary War in the Boston area...
An interesting resource for this might be a (new?) RPG called Colonial Gothic which uses the notion that there are supernatural nasties in the 1776 era.
I ordered a copy on a hunch, but it might turn out to be a dud. It uses a game system I'm not familiar with (with a d12) but I'm hoping that the book itself provides useful period information.
If there's interest I can look for a link, or review the book once I get it.
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Link would be good...
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Link would be good...
Okay, here goes: Colonial Gothic (http://www.rogue-games.net/1776a)
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To me the Dresden Files are very much about the city. Whilst Harry Dresden is at the centre of the stories, Chicago is the other major character and the stories are about Urban Corruption and Politics - and as such although I'd love to run an historic Dresden game it would have to be in a true city settings. Preferably a city in a civilisation at its height, slipping slowly into decadence. As such there is whilst the American Civil war is an interesting setting I just don't see it as a suitable Dresden setting.
There are however several settings which do spring to mind.
I could see an incredible Dresden style story told in 1930's Berlin. Christopher Isherwood novel 'Goodbye to Berlin' would be great source material for this sort of campaign, as would the film Cabaret (1972).
Better still would be Victorian London? In fact the late 1880 or 1890s would be perfect for a Dresden game since Jim Butcher has already provided some details. We know that there was a War between the the White Council and the Black Court and that the release of the Novel 'Dracula' was the White Council's masterstroke - putting a vampire fighting manual into the hands of mortals.
Also the Victorians obsession with all things Spiritual makes for an interesting setting. Harry advertising in London would not raise nearly as many eyebrows, although he would still have lots of sceptics.
Consider some of the fictional and real events you could work into the plot - maybe some of the stories were accounts of real events or based on misunderstood accounts and are partially true:- 1886 - Fiction: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. (Could he have been a Lycanthrope? Maybe it was something else)
- 1888 - Fact: Jack the Ripper murders (four women were murdered in Whitechapel and Spitalfields, the fifth nearby in the City - and you can invent your own reasons)
- 1896 - Fiction: Dracula came to London - possible plots involving the formation of the Red Court? (Was there a real event to back this up, or was it really just a monster killing handbook)
- 1897 - Fiction: Hawley Griffin, also known as The Invisible Man (Could this have been the Black court striking back at Veiled Wizards using the Wizards own tactics?)
Moving back further Roman at the height or early decline of the Roman empire might be an interesting setting. Again we are looking at an impersonal corrupt urban setting with all the associated politics.
Going back even further how about an Ancient Mesopotamian campaign set in Nineveh around 630BC ? History tells us Sennacherib made Nineveh a truly magnificent city around 700 BC, with a "palace without a rival". Its elaborate system of eighteen canals was at the time very forward thinking and at the time with close to 150,000 inhabitants it would have been among the largest settlements worldwide. a century later the Assyrian empire began to show signs of weakness, and Nineveh was brought low through internal politics was significantly weakened - and ready to fall to the Medes, the Babylonians and Susianians in 612 BC
Setting a campaign 20 years before the end, in a city which less than a century before was a leading beacon in the world, but now suffers from the downward pull of its own corruption could make a very Dresden like setting even though its set 2500 years before our familiar modern day Dresden's Chicago.
Going back even further still, how about the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Unfortunately we cannot even be sure they existed - archaeologists don't even seem to agree where they would have been. The Bible indicates they were located near the Dead Sea but that could apply to a lot of places.
For the sins of their inhabitants Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim were destroyed by "brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24-25).
If this doesn't suggest plot lines to you I don't know what will. What were the sins which brought down God's wrath? We are told that there was at least one righteous person living in Sodom, Abraham's nephew Lot. I cant help wondering how one righteous person might respond to being in such a place. Very much like Michael in Desden's Chicago, I would imagine. Could the twin cities offer a possible origin to the White Court? Its an interesting setting and offers possibilities, but its also one I'll probably leave on the table though. Roleplaying already has a dubious reputation with some religious groups. Trying to explain why we were playing a game based in Gomorrah would be difficult, and the explanation that we were playing characters opposing the evil in those cities probably wouldn't carry much weight.
Now looking to the future as an alternative setting - I'm not sure it would work. First of all Dresden is based in our own experience. You may not know the dread of being followed by a vampire, but you definitely know the feat of being followed down a city street - or at least wondering if the guy behind you is following you. When Jim talks about a particular type of club you know what he's talking about. Its grounded in our reality. The further we go from that common context the less it will probably resound with us, and the harder it will be to hold the grim noirish feel. In addition I suspect the Murphyonic field would become a major hazard going into the future. Would you let Harry Dresden into a flying car? How about a space ship? Do you feel Wizards and life support systems would mix well? Imagine how much fun mixing Harry Dresden and Teleport devices could be? That's one uncontrolled talent I definitely wouldn't mix with Sci-Fi.
Cheers,
R00kie
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We are now exploring a mix of Wooden Ships and Iron Men meets Harry Dresden.
Can the wiley white court pirate Shirtless Tom and his brother Harried Harry stop the slave trade, save the Lady and thwart the Sea Hag and still manage to get Bob that weekend at the brothel Harry has been promising?
Cue the Calypso Music.
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~blinks~ Holy crap....
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;D
and UnHoly Crap, too.
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Hello all,
I'm new here, and I don't really have time to post very often. But I am a big fan of the books, and I've got a few ideas for the game.
If we're talking about historical events to set a game around, I think a crisis might be a good idea. That way, the timescale can be more like the books, for when people want a shorter campaign.
A setting in the Cuban Missile Crisis would be awesome. You have a group of five wizards, but they're split up. Two are in D.C., one is in Havana, and two are in Moscow. They can communicate by shortwave, but they can't easily work together. Their overarching task is to avert nuclear war - maybe they are compatriots of major government officials, or maybe they can find and leak important information to the press/U.N..
Though all the wizards are working together, they all want different resolutions to the crisis: the Cuban wants the missiles to stay, the Soviets want the U.S. to remove its missiles from Turkey, and the Americans want the missiles out of Cuba. This could lead to some intra-group tension. As a Diplomacy player, I see that as a plus - I don't know what others think about it.
Of course, the wizards shouldn't just be fighting the paranoia and inertia of the superpowers. Some group of villians (Denarians? Black Court Vampires? Some sort of pulp-sci-fi-ish "Cult of the Atom"?) should be working to cause war while the wizards prevent it.
Maybe a more old-timey setting would work better. The year is 1914. It's July 10 or thereabouts. Archduke Ferdinand has been shot and the armies of Europe are mobilizing. The White Council has called upon your team of wizards to save the peace of Europe. Meanwhile, the Red Court wants WWI to distract the White Council from its interference in Latin America.
Latin American political wrangling would be an awesome setting for a game. Maybe the Mexican Revolution is a populist uprising against the Red Court. I always thought Jim was making a political statement with the vampires as big landowners - the patrons and barons of Latin America drain the lifeblood of the working class! Maybe this is too much to assume, but having the players fight for land reform somewhere in Latin America with Red Court and possible U.S. opposition (see Guatemala, 1954) would be a neat spin on the setting.
Do any of these make any sense?
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My group had a surprisingly good game a little while back. We were set in New Orleans, and the weather was really starting to pick up, getting worse and worse.
The GM did a great job of NOT telling us that Katrina was on the way, just letting it happen. It was a wild game with pressure from all around.
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Howdy Mr. J.
Interesting situations there.
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I'm more of the "quiet threat" kind of GameMaster: With adjustable degrees of Challenge.
For example: In Grave Peril: there were lots of homeless people vanishing from the streets.
Now, Harry knew where they were most likely being taken and what was likely to happen to them;
but he felt that he was not in a position to do anything to help them - at least not until later.
So, the year is 199x, The Red Court is throwing a shindig and there are more and more runaway kids vanishing off the streets.
And while "cool" vampire stories like The Lost Boys abound - the reality is a lot worse.
The Goal of the Players' Characters is: Find a way to save them!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psP1bKKEtHg
(For those that need help now, as well as those looking - Keep trying.)
Create your Characters as per instructions, and give them some Background.
Who your parents are, and where you lived up to age 15-16.
Is your Character a Runaway? If so: Explain why.
And if not, explain how your PC would get involved in the events about to happen.
Begginer Level:
This level of Challenge usually starts with the PCs getting picked up and taken to the "Party".
For the PCs - Things should start out be a great deal of fun.
Speed the party up when one of the PCs are either attacked
or the Party Members see another kid (NPC) being bled dry.
Remeber to allow the Players every chance to do something, but don't lessen the Vampires abilities.
Someone like Harry shows up and deals with the Vampires, at the end of the night.
Expert Level: For those that the GM knows are experierenced.
This time, the PCs are tracking down where the Kids are being taken.
There are clues and NPC informants ment to aid the PCs.
At this stage, the PCs can still be rescued, as above.
Master Level: For those Players that the GM knows are very experienced.
Fewer clues and no willing informants make finding the Secret Location for the "Vampire Party"
extreemely difficult. Adding more false leads and needed rescues
- all of these are with time limits for all of it.
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An interesting point of note on this is that there is some question during the series as to how the technology vs. magic situation works.
There is at least some evidence that magic's effects on technology is dependent upon the magic-user's beliefs about it and/or their view of technology.
I don't remember the specific lines, but Harry wonders at one point about Ebenezer and how well he deals with technology, being older and of a different mindset.
This also makes me wonder: if a wizard from the far future were to show up, would he not have any problems with technology because it is, to him, so antique and simple? For that matter, do TOOLS count as technology, or just electronics? I expect that no matter how new the technology of a sword or armor, for instance, might be, there just aren't as many possibilities for it to not work as there are for electronics. Though it might shatter, and I wouldn't, as a wizard, want to stand around while a smith was forging it. :)
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Another thing that got me thinking was, magic should be stronger in earlier time periods due to the lack of technology. I was rereading "On Stranger Tides" and that was one thing that got me thinking about earlier time periods and the strength of magic..
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Chicago -- the future: An enormous space ship hovers silently over the city. Can Harry and his pals thwart an alien invasion? It is Sci-Fi versus PI.
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Couldn't he just say Hexus and be done with them
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Couldn't he just say Hexus and be done with them
Alien Race based on advance Magical based Technological applications. Runs on magic, not electricity and such. and they need wizard blood for fuel, so they team up with the Reds.
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Couldn't he just say Hexus and be done with them
Not unless you wanted a gajillion pounds of Spaceship crashing on the greater metropolitan area. ;D
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Not unless you wanted a gajillion pounds of Spaceship crashing on the greater metropolitan area. ;D
So what your saying is that Harry will somehow have to figure out how to stop a Hex thrown by Cowl, while the badguys are trying to kill him for trying to stop them, the aliens are trying to kill him for trying to save them, and the good guys are trying to kill him for seeming to help the aliens because they are too stupid to look up and remember how Newton's Apple works.
Well, it fits his luck. ;D
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Pretty much exactly that.
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An interesting resource for this might be a (new?) RPG called Colonial Gothic which uses the notion that there are supernatural nasties in the 1776 era.
If you're looking for something set in colonial America using supernatural, try Witchhunter from Paradigm Concepts (http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/). The system is relatively easy to learn, the setting is rich and well developed with lots of secret organizations and incorporates the "real world" of late 17th century western civilization very well. They also have a world wide campaign that runs at gaming cons called Dark Providence (http://darkprovidence.net/).
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A campaign I thought would be interesting is early age of enlightenment:
Hello, allow me to introduce my self. My name is Charles Whycross, I'm an apothecary in London. I'm part of a dying breed, because I'm also a wizard. It's funny in a way that I should make my living in what is so obviously a "magician's" profession. I say it's funny, because not so many years ago I lost a lot of people who might have been wizards and witches and warlocks. Between the publication of "The Witch's Hammer" and the Inquisition I've lost most of my family and friends. Even those I still have don't see much of each other. We're scared to be seen together for fear that someone will think we're a gathering coven.
Things are getting better though. A few years ago, Isaac Newton published some papers on theories of motion and gravity. He kind of kicked off a movement. Nowadays they call it "The Enlightenment". Science, they say, can explain everything in the world: why things fall, how the body works, how to capture the power of nature. It seems popular, people like what it tells them. maybe in another hundred years or so, everybody will have forgotten about magic and wizards and consorting with the devil. Of course, that's also the problem.
You see, part of the strength of magic is belief. If everybody believes in magic, it's more potent, it's everywhere. If people stop beleiving though, the fabric of magic will weaken. Sure, it'll never go away completely. There will still be things that go bump in the night, and places of power. After all, it's not like we won't have fire and wind and water, but the air won't buzz with magic anymore. The White Council tells me I don't know what I'm talking about, that magic is elemental and ever-powerful. But I see it, I feel it in my fingers, I sense it in the fey I deal with on occasion: the magic is weaker than it used to be.
Who knows, maybe I'm just getting old and cynical, maybe I need new scenery. I suppose I could always go to France and see if the new king needs a court philosopher. It worked out pretty well for Nostradamus, and the air in France is a lot cleaner than it is here in London.
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If you're looking for something set in colonial America using supernatural, try Witchhunter from http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/ (http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/). The system is relatively easy to learn, the setting is rich and well developed with lots of secret organizations and incorporates the "real world" of late 17th century western civilization very well. They also have a world wide campaign that runs at gaming cons called Dark Providencehttp://darkprovidence.net/ (http://darkprovidence.net/).
Ive played Living Arcanis since 2003, my gaming group was on first-names with the entire paradigm staff, etc. I have to say they are some of the best creative minds Ive met. The stories that came out of the Arcanis world (a political heavy, roman-esk Fantasy setting) still rank as some of the best ive seen in literature, not just DnD.
That being said, I would strongly advise against joining one of their Living Campaigns. They are frankly hopeless at running the thing. They cant make a deadline to save their lives, retcon things constantly, and while they are great at story, they consistently fail to provide power balance in the rules, and in attempts to solve it they just throw more and more special case rules at the system until you can barely see the light of day. Ive had 14 game sessions that had my heart racing and me on my feet cheering on a set of bloody dice. Then Ive also had 4 hours where 3 of them where spent arguing over which rule applied to the Psionic character (an interal part of the world story-wise, but slapped on the side with their own rule-set for the crunchy bits).
Bottom line, their worlds and stories are fantastic. In a home game.
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I agree, Living Campaigns suck compared to home campaigns. Unfortunately, for some of us it is about the only option we have. My gaming group is stuck on medieval high fantasy. There's one other guy who is interested in Witchhunter, but two people does not a gaming group make. The likelihood of my getting any of them to even think about playing Dresden are slightly worse than that of Harry and Karrin getting their romantic timing right.
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ROTF -- that good, huh? ROTF ;D
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I agree, Living Campaigns suck compared to home campaigns. Unfortunately, for some of us it is about the only option we have. My gaming group is stuck on medieval high fantasy. There's one other guy who is interested in Witchhunter, but two people does not a gaming group make. The likelihood of my getting any of them to even think about playing Dresden are slightly worse than that of Harry and Karrin getting their romantic timing right.
I feel your pain. My group was fanatically stuck on D20. I tried so many times to get an Exalted game, and later a Scion Game going.
Scion BTW works really well in a Dresden type setting. I was pushing it when I first read the series and started seeing the Blasting Rod as a Birthright relic with the Fire domain. It was awesome.
If you are willing to brave teh Living Campaigns, a surprisingly fun one is Living Death. Set at the turn of the century and vaguely Cthulu, it is great in that dark and dirty sort of way. Drucula was suppose to rise on schedule (by Bram Stoker's timeframe) and for equipment anything in the vintage Sears Roebuck catalog is fair game.
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Except for the fact that Living Death is now a dead campaign. :-\ On the upside, most of the LD staff are now working on Dark Providence.
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...Damn and Sweet respectively.
I need to get back to the cons more. Damn you 8-5 job! Damn you Real World!!!
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Eldrwyrm[/b]– Early Age of Enlightenment is indeed interesting.
I have not tried Witchhunter, and would need to find more players to try it.
I only have a very few players that are interested in trying Games not of the D&D or D20 style.
Remember that Campaigns must split the Spot Light with all the Player's Characters.
So that a good Idea for a Main Character will not work for a group.
A lot of Game Sessions end up being more like “Friends” or “Charmed” - where the group is the main focus, and each Character might have the spotlight from time to time.
Harry Dresden-style writings (including the one you gave) make for great books, but for bad Campaigns.
Getting a Mature enough group of Players that can accept the “Back Seat” is extremely hard.
Need a better example? Ok, you get a group of friends Dresden fans together and you have
established the basics – Who is the GM, and The fact that only one person gets to be 'Like Harry'
– IE the main game focus. The GM assumes the role of “Bob”, so as to be able to pass on
important information to the main PC.
Ok, I'll go ahead and list everyone that could be a PC, instead of just a background PC.
Harry(Duh!), Murphy, Micheal, Billyand Geogia(?), and Thomas.
People like Kincadand McCoyare important enough to be a Character, but not in the main stream.
Would be like a good RP Player showing up for a Game once a month, or so.
Problem: With the exception of Murphy, who is the most re-occurring non-center Character
in the Dresden series (and even she is not in every story), what do you have the other players do while waiting for their Character to be introduced into the game?
A lot of the Characters around Harry are background people that enhance the believability of the story, like a lot of the SI Cops.
Book 1 (Storm Front) – only Harry and Murphy are really seen. Everyone else is background.
Book 2 (Fool Moon) – meet the Werewolves!
Book 3 (Grave Peril) – Super Important Vampire Party and Holy Knight, Batman!!
Book 4 (Summer Knight) – Not until the end of the story does anyone really get to be involved.
Book 5 (Death Masks) - Dual with a Vampire Warlord and still have to stop powerful baddies.
Book 6 Blood Rites - Find unknown Kin.
Book 7 (Dead Beat) – Necromancer Invasion!!!
Book 8 (Proven Guilty) – Apprentice?
Book 9 (White Night) – Sneaky Assassins and a Grand Challenge!
Book 10 (Small Favor) – Murphy gets a Job Offer...
Now, I'll take Thomas, since he's a prime example of what I'm talking about here
– he is not introduced into the story until Book 6
– what the heck is his Player going to do for at least that many Gaming Sessions?
But, onward!
I have always preferred Home Games to Convention Games. Don't get me wrong, You can have a great amount of fun at a Con, but it's like saying that you have fun at World Of Fun. Something that you do once in a great while. Home Games have longer lasting impact on those involved. Cons show how the World is affect by what everyone did.
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With the exception of Murphy, who is the most re-occurring non-center Character
in the Dresden series
Bob. He's the only Character besides Murphy and Harry that has appeared in every Books 8)
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Well Mister would fall in that also...
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Even if you chose to play the plots from the books in a straight recreation... and I don't think most gamers would do that (Players being the chaotic creatures that they are) remember that they re all told from a first person point of view, which means that all the characters are there and busy, just not where Harry can see them.
That is what allows someone to develop their own take one the other characters in an RPG. The vision we get from Harry is only how he sees those people. And, unless he has soul gazed them... well, what he sees is only the tip of an iceberg.
So, all the characters can be busy all the time, you just need a good GM/Story Teller to handle the diverse scenarios.
I think I would prefer creating new scenarios tailored to the player, but that is just me.
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Empirial Rome would make for an interesting setting. One has to wonder how many of the gods who have temples in the city are supernatural beasties building cults for themselves. Some of the emperors were, uh, obviously influenced by outside forces.
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Empirial Rome would make for an interesting setting. One has to wonder how many of the gods who have temples in the city are supernatural beasties building cults for themselves. Some of the emperors were, uh, obviously influenced by outside forces.
Id like to know what sort of bargain with Divinity the Egyptian pharaohs made to be called god-emperors.
Or how about something centered a major figure in history and the magic that didnt make it into the books; like a game in the warcourt of Alexander, or Genghis Kahn.
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Hm, Pharoh as bearer of supernatural mantel is a pretty good one. I can imagine sun god powers wreaking merry havoc with the Red and Black Court vampires.
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Bob. He's the only Character besides Murphy and Harry that has appeared in every Books 8)
Well Mister would fall in that also...
I really don't count Bob – who is an NPC Advisor that avoids any kind of combat at all costs.
This tendency, more then anything else, is why I classify him as a DM-PC.
Nor do I really count either Mister or Mouse – Mister is seen only rarely, and neither talk to Harry.
It is possible for a Player to be something like either of these two, but they are not really very important Characters, IMHO.
Mister is usually an early Warning System for Harry, and we are still learning about Mouse.
Even if you chose to play the plots from the books in a straight recreation... and I don't think most gamers would do that (Players being the chaotic creatures that they are) remember that they re all told from a first person point of view, which means that all the characters are there and busy, just not where Harry can see them.
That is what allows someone to develop their own take one the other characters in an RPG. The vision we get from Harry is only how he sees those people. And, unless he has soul gazed them... well, what he sees is only the tip of an iceberg.
So, all the characters can be busy all the time, you just need a good GM/Story Teller to handle the diverse scenarios.
I think I would prefer creating new scenarios tailored to the player, but that is just me.
It is possible to do, just a pain in the arse to achieve – and I've tried it several times, and succeeded only a few.
What works best for me, on those extremely rare times that I can attempt doing it, is that I shall have each Player be the
FOCUS of the Game, and have them doing things that may - or may not be - normal; at the same time, I will have the other Players choose either premade Characters or just free-form various people (NPCs - like the mailman, busdriver, metermaid, etc).
Or in the case of The Dresden Files, the other Players might assume the roll of Least/Lesser Gifted (like those seen at Mac's Pub) and have them meet and react to the Focus PC. It can be a great deal of fun.
But, I must also warn you that it can be a greater disappointment.
Id like to know what sort of bargain with Divinity the Egyptian pharaohs made to be called god-emperors.
Or how about something centered a major figure in history and the magic that didnt make it into the books;
like a game in the warcourt of Alexander, or Genghis Kahn.
Great, just what I need, another Yu-Gi-O! storyline..........ARG!!
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But, I must also warn you that it can be a greater disappointment.
BTDT!
I have an older more experienced crew of gamers that I have been playing with off and on for decades, and while they will happily play pregens or insta-characters, if there is any way that they can see to bring in the main character that they want to play we immediately enter into debate forum until mutual resolution. That is why I go for parallel play. I can have Murphy across town doing something, and Thomas delayed somewhere by an incident... and then have all those threads tie in together with each of the players having found out a clue or component necessary to complete the plot, that works better for my group.
A lot depends on your players.
(Our first ever debate in RPGing was why a female character couldn't have an 18 strength. LOL We decided it was because of misogyny on the part of someone who will not be named here, and we never used that rule. Yep. We beta tested D and D. No one paid much attention to our comments.)
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BTDT!
What does this mean ?
(Our first ever debate in RPGing was why a female character couldn't have an 18 strength.
LOL We decided it was because of misogyny on the part of someone who will not be named here, and we never used that rule.
Yep. We beta tested D and D. No one paid much attention to our comments.)
LOL. I have had the same debate, and I ruled that sinse there were RL women that had this level of strength, it was therefore possible in D&D.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
http://mon371.proboards107.com/
http://www.ironfeats.com/
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BTDT = Been There Done That ;D
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BTDT = Been There Done That ;D
Thanks!!! There are still a few of these that I don't know.