First off - I love the Dresden files game.  I've been reading it since it came out, and even ran it a few times.  These few instances were usually for family and friends though, and my FLGS has opened up a game center where people can play and run RPGs.  The problem that I've run into is thus, the more and more I've been reading, the more and more I realized that this system will be very difficult to teach newbies.  Fate is pretty simple to begin with, but the magic system of DFRPG is just ponderous.  It's heavy.  Normally I wouldn't mind that so much if it was just some esoteric part of the system that wasn't very central to the game - but let's be honest, Magic is what makes the Dresden files cool! 

When Evil Hat's big kickstarter came out, I was elated to find out that they were doing an Accelerated version of the DF rules.   However, the more and more I'm reading different versions of Fate, I can't help but imagine - how the hell is it going to work?

How is Fate Accelerated going to handle the Dresden Files magic?  Is it going to be just kinda handwaving?  Will there still be the stamina cruch?  Will they manage to keep the feel of the game while smoothing out the sheer pagecount of rules?

I don't have my books on me, and i'm in the middle of having a discussion about Maneuvers... Is there anyway anyone here could refresh my memory with a reader's digest version of what I need to know about them?

how are they applied in a fight?
How many successes are required to place one though evocation?
How long do they last? (both though traditional maneuvers and through evocation-style ones).

What else do I need to know about them?

Also as an additional question - how powerful can you make a compel from a maneuver?  I understand about causing someone to drop their weapon by placing the "disarmed" maneuver on someone, but what if you threw sand in their eyes and compelled them not only to miss, but to shoot someone else by accident?

I'm a little confused with the wording around diminutive size?

The way I'm reading it, does it mean that you can never inflict more than 1 stress with an attack unless you have a weapon or the like?  If you had a character with diminutive size and say - claws (A wereraven is a good example)  Would that mean they'd never deal more than their claws allow (two stress?).   Does this simply mean that any extra shifts you have left over after your opponent's defense roll don't matter?  what about foes protected bar armor? 

Any help you'd have is appreciated.

I have a player who talks about how they are planning on playing an exiled Fey who works at a desk job at Seattle PD.   He says that said fey will be relitively powerless, with the exception of being able to put people to sleep as an attack.

How do i even begin to fit this idea into the system?  I'm pretty sure sponsored magic would be able to cover this, but said player has already stipulated that he wants his character to be separated from the court (hence, no sponsored magic).  Could it be available as a minor power?  It might be the ability to use a maneuver in combat to put "sleeeepy" on a foe.  Invoke said aspect to make them pass out - I could use some help here on clarifying this?  Could you use the ability on a foe a number of times equal to their endurance to FORCE them to pass out?  If they spend a fate point to keep from going Toes to Jesus, would they still miss a turn shrugging it off?.

There's the other challenge of playing a Fey.  I feel like their inability to lie and having to follow agreements SHOULD merit a point of refresh back.  I know any practitioner knows the importance of keeping oaths promised "on their power" and whatnot, but it's a much bigger deal for fey.