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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Odd Man Out on April 25, 2010, 05:50:47 PM
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I love the Dresden Files and have a game set there in the works. Still, the baseline system looks easy enough to tweak for a number of other settings and I'm curious to know which ones people are looking at and why.
Exalted looks like a pretty good match, you'd have to figure out a way to change spell durations and alter some price/benefits on the various forms of magic. Fate Points keeps the resource management alive while Compels/Invocations largely take the place of stunts.
Negima might be a good match; you'd have to increase power and durability but all the base effects are handled by the system.
There's any number of JRPGs that might fit as well; Shadow Hearts, Breath of Fire, and Star Ocean holding dear places. Of the three, Shadow Hearts is almost possible to create without adjusting things all that much; Yuri and Co. just have really high Refresh Costs. Breath of Fire is pretty much the same; older dragons seem to line up in terms of power for each.
So, what would you try to run with it and which parts would you tweak?
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I've been working on a late copper age, early bronze age setting for a while now, so I decided to use that for the first DFRPG campaign. So far it is the easiest time I've ever had taking a system from the time period it was written for and moving it to a different time period. At some point, I would love to see how it handles in a far-flung future setting.
The current campaign is soon going to be focusing around Deities and the struggles between them, so I'm going to be supplementing a lot of the "Plot Device" level beings in DFRPG with stuff from the In Nomine setting. Its focus around story telling should make transition to DFRPG fairly easy.
I'm also planning to port a lot of the original World of Darkness setting into the later parts of my campaign. I especially want to increase the variety of vampires by breaking them up into clans where appropriate and introducing new vampires where they don't fit the Dresdenverse courts. I personally don't foresee any problems with these ports either as when you get down to it, both systems are Skill vs. Difficulty based, the difference just being how the result to compare to the difficulty is calculated.
I'm not doing it now, but at some point in the future I'm sure I'll run a game in the AD&D Forgotten Realms/Spelljammer setting.
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Last Airbender.
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Actually, I'd like to see fate hammered into a D&D setting. Not literally, of course, but a swords and sorcery setting would be a lot of fun. My group is currently using 3.0/3.5 rules, but there are still a hell of a lot of limitations. We tend to think outside the box, so not being able to call a shot or pull off a maneuver that isn't 100% standard is a pain. And the magic system sucks.
So Evil Hat, when you catch your breath, you up for reinterpreting the classics?
You could even call it Arcanos ;)
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Star Wars - seems very well suited to it, in my opinion. Force handled by magic system.
D&D type fantasy - also think this could be a pretty sweet combo.
If I didn't like the A Song of Ice & Fire system so much, I would do a Westeros conversion. That system pretty much nails the setting, but Aspects would very cool - what with all the nicknames :)
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Actually, I'd like to see fate hammered into a D&D setting.
I did a one shot FATE D&D game this past Tuesday night. It was really stripped down and really rules light. There were just the 6 Abilities with 5 Aspects (one of which was race + class). Fate points were multiplied by 100 and called XP (although you spend them in units of 100); the multiplication let me give out minor experience awards for entertaining role play. Very good fun.
Anway, to answer the OP, I plan to run Buffy. Most of the stuff I want is right there out of the box. I mostly just need to keep a restriction on magic. Much of what I'd need is covered by mortal stunts and by physical supernatural powers, with the rest rounded out with a few other tricks.
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Right now I'm trying to adapt the game to an intruigy game based around conspiracies and psychic powers. Evocations work pretty well without much in the way of adaptation. Right now my only issues are figuring out an appropriate refresh cost for the various psychic disciplines, which I stole from GURPS. I'm also dithering about whether to incorporate elements of thaumurturgy.
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My GM and I were just saying today that this system would probably work for Codex Alera as well. Almost like it was planned. ;)
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Not any plans right now, but I think it'd make a wonderful system for Buffy/Angel...
Vampires = Black Court
The spellcasting is roughly the same, both evocations and thaumaturgy
just a thought...
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I sort of surprised no one's come up with this one just yet...
And with the current RPG for it not withstanding...
Doctor Who.
Granted, his Scholarship would be at least Epic level, if not Legendary...
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I've been running a homebrew game entitled "Purana" for a while, set in various mythic Indian vistas. I've mostly been adapting SOTC, but I look forward to adding a more streamlined stunt mechanic and supernatural powers to it from the Dresden Files.
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I'm tempted to try Shadowrun with it.
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Fullmetal Alchemist, I think the flexible magic system would work good as alchemy system.
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Knowing my regularly group, probably goofy over the top swords and sorcery. The basic setting concept would be that all lyrics of all heavy metal songs are true.
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Simon R green's The Night Side would fit this rule system rather well i think.
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It might be interesting to try to use the system for Sanderson's mistborn setting.
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Yeah, I second both the Nightside and Mistborn settings. I could also see it used for lots of other urban fantasy settings. Like the Kate Daniels setting, or Nocturne City.
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This would be awesome for the Dante Valentine Setting.
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I definitely have an inkling for a Firefly game in this system, especially after the way of looking at it that DFRPG brings as opposed to SotC. I was trying to do a Fate based version of the system at one point, but I was doing it based on Spirit of the Century and it didn't work quite so well as the Dresden Files RPG version would do.
I would probably add in a Secret aspect to the High Concept and Trouble aspects because, as the Cortex version of the game indicates, secrets are important to how the game works. Or have that as a suggestion for another option for the Background aspect. Something that you define with the GM that's between the both of you and will come out to the other players in play. This might be handy for character's like Shepherd Book. Unless they want to do an open Background aspect, which would be more appropriate for characters like Wash.
It would actually slide over pretty wholesale other than changing up a few of the skills and having a lack of supernatural powers in most, if not all, cases. Have a free pair of stunts and then be able to pick up up to Refresh/2 more stunts. Freedom is very important in the 'Verse and ain't something you should be able to give up without talking your GM into it.
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I'd like to see any write-ups for:
The Night Side
Full Metal Alchemist
Last Airbender
I'm still working through the rules so I can't chime in with anything else right now... ;)
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I dont really think youd have to change anything mechanically for the nightside setting. its already a very over the top dramatist feal to it. the laws may or may not apply, i could honestly see an argument for either. you'd stat the droods as people with items of power, john tailor is a scion of lillith, walker is an emissary of power etc etc.
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Personally, much as I love the Nightside, I don't think the DFRPG is the system to use to reflect it. The Nightside is too high powered a setting, too over-the-top for this particular iteration of FATE (which is much more gritty) to properly reflect. I'd use a higher powered game like Nobilis or Mutants and Masterminds if I was going to do the Nightside.
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Nah, nothing has the same ... completely narrative driven mechanics, that fate dose. the power levels are easy enough to do by just allowing higher refresh, though if you really look at the numbers im pretty confident i could stat most of the main charter's for less then 10 refresh [at least for there first appearances] keep in mind that john tailor has had about as many books to grow as harry Dresden has. Most of the "really baddass" npcs in the nightside are extreme specialists and that makes it much easier to stat them.
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How, precisely, would you stat John's gift? Which, by the way, not only allows him to find anything, but to kill anything (up to and including deities) as well. More or less instantly. And has been with him since his first appearance. Or his bullet-stealing trick? I could likely manage the second, but the first is...difficult. You could probably do something with the Sword of the Cross's "I Am Your Catch" as a basis...but it's still going to be really expensive to buy as an ability. Even one costing Mental Stress. And very jury-rigged to say the least.
But the most damning point (for me) is the opacity of the system. Why x costs 3 and y costs 8 is not inherently clear (and in many cases isn't a coherent plan, just the result of playtesting). That makes statting up a lot of the Nightside really hard.
Now, this isn't a condemnation, and I'd bet money all of the info needed will be in the generic version of this edition of FATE, but it wasn't needed for this game and, that being the case, it's not here.
I'd absolutely use the DFRPG system unaltered for other urban fantasy (True Blood and the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs leap immediately to mind) but the Nightsde are EPIC!!! Urban Fantasy, with ebverything dialed up to ELEVEN!!1!!1 (And that, too, is not a condemnation, I love them for it) and that's outide the RPG's capabilities without so much house ruling you'd be better off using another system (adding Aspects to Mutants and Masterminds is pathetically easy and likely what I'd do).
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Personally i think that fate is the only rule system that is over the top enough, id use cj carella's witchcraft[in one of its half dozen flavors] for nearly any other urban fantasy setting.
Quick and extremely dirty
John Tailor
The sight -1
Find anything -1 supplemental stunt to the sight
Allows harry to use the sight from a birds eye view and hone in on anything he can name / identify. [this could also simply be a divination spell that uses the sight as a focus]
Lilithian sponsored magic -5 [similar to soul-fire] explain how much it hurts him to use, and how he can use his "gift" to damage anyone. as mentioned previously most bad asses in the nightside as super specialists, meaning that even gods aren't likely to have much other then there shtick, thus a good solid strength 12 or so hit after weakening them will likely put them down, which is entirely possible at the end of a novel when john has a handful of fate points.
Rote Got your bullets creates a 6 strength block verse all guns in the area. or creates a sticky aspect on the scene Out of bullets. when he uses this "trick" to attack people ie steal there fillings, its just a strait weapon 6 attack that isnt ever used to inflict "serious" injury's.
Inhuman recovery -2 gets from diluted werewolf blood latter on.
This is extraordinarily sloppy and meant only as a five minute mock up, Im not really sure how we have so completely different views, but yeah in my opinion fate is an extremely over the top system that's not gritty or realistic at all...
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Let's just say I both disagree and find that the Powers and Dominations in the Nightside are a bit sturdier than you do, and leave it at that.
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Fair enough, was in no way trying to pick a fight.
I do strongly recommend cj carellas witchcraft [Armageddon, all flesh must be eaten, buffy,terra primate] though its in my top 3-4 favorite systems. Elegant simple, balanced, and designed specifically for urban fantasy games.
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You know what RPG setting would probably work pretty well with DFRPG?
Deadlands.
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Deadlands.
This.
As for going with a more over-the-top take to Fate ... seriously, dudes ... take a look at Spirit of the Century. It is the same basic system with other trappings on top of it. It is a good gorram over DFRPG in general grittiness. They have some ridiculous powers too. Heck, you start out with a BASE of five stress and can get more. Not to mention that there are stunts that makes stress ROLL DOWN instead of ROLL UP.
Seriously, track down some info on it. You can go way, way, way in any direction with the basics of Fate.
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Oh, absolutely! I expect generic FATE, whenever it comes out, to be my go-to game for the Nightside. But SotC lacks detailed rules for supernatural powers, while DFRPG lacks the prerequisite level of over-the-topness...and mixing and matching the two is tricky at best. Hence my unwillingness to do that setting in this system at the moment.
I should also note that I agree with most of the other suggestions being pretty damn good fits. Just for the record.
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A few modifications and you could run some wicked Harry Potter games. :P
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I definitely have an inkling for a Firefly game in this system, especially after the way of looking at it that DFRPG brings as opposed to SotC.
You definitely want to check out Diaspora (http://www.vsca.ca/Diaspora/), too.
I'm looking at DFRPG as a possibility for reviving my long-dormant Freeport D&D game. D20 was sucking up way too much time prepping stats and not enough prepping story.
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I ran a short 4-session campaign of John Constantine: Hellblazer with the pre-order. All my players keep gushing about this system. I really love the idea of a FATE based fantasy sytem.
Seconded for ARCANOS!!!
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The City Watch Series would be an amazing environment for the fate system (Night watch day watch twilight watch final watch.) It is a good system. I do like it a lot.
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Seconded for ARCANOS!!!
Hah! Another true believer!
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While in the shower, I had another idea for a game that could translate over to DFRPG pretty nicely: Nephilim, the Multisim/Chaosium RPG in which one plays eternally reincarnating spirits that possess human hosts over the course of history.
System-wise things match up okay. Using Aspects to build your mortal character, and then having "Past Lives" be related to important previous reincarnation ("guest starring" other Nephilim in the troupe) would work out really well.
There is already the distinction between Spells (Evocation) and Alchemy/Summoning (Thamaturgy) in the system. The elements match up okay with Nephilim's Ka Fields- earth, air, fire, and water, and moon as spirit/fifth element. Nephilim has more elements, like Solar Ka, Orichalcum, and Black Moon Ka, but some of that can be handled as Aspected Magic of different flavors.
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Malazan book of the Fallen
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Malazan book of the Fallen
Aspects include:Tiste Andii/ Three straight chapters of whining, then killing
Tiste Edur/ Three straight chapters of being fooled, then killing
Tiste Liosan/ Occasionally seen, always humiliated
Jhagut/ Extinct(ish)
T'lan Imass/ Fun with ethnic cleansing
K'chain Che'melle/ Long tails are ill
Forkul Assail/ Happy! Crazy! Death! Love!
Assorted Erickson Characters/ Jar-Jar impersonaters
Everyone Else/ Total F!@#$*^g Badass
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The beta version of Dresden has really got me into the FATE system, I really like it. It could be very quickly replacing Cortex as my favorite system... That being said my monthly supernatural game may be taking a change from Cortex to FATE.
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The beta version of Dresden has really got me into the FATE system, I really like it. It could be very quickly replacing Cortex as my favorite system... That being said my monthly supernatural game may be taking a change from Cortex to FATE.
Cortex buddies for the win! I ran a Serenity game in it and am running a homebrew fantasy game at the moment.
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Cortex buddies for the win! I ran a Serenity game in it and am running a homebrew fantasy game at the moment.
Currently I'm playtesting Smallville for them (and thus is all i can say), I tested Leverage as well. My group rotates through 4 games a month, meaning each game setting is a monthly session (and we have another dozen or two settings we still want to run... damn the lotto for not giving me money and allowing me more game time!) Currently 3/4 of the games we are running is cortex (Supernatural, Firefly) or Cortex+ (Leverage), the other game is a Rifts game (nostalgia ftw), Dresden will be replacing our Firefly Campaign.
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i was thinking of trying psyren for this. Its an awesome manga and i think this would work awesome for it.
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I'm pretty certain that if i wanted to run a superheros game, I'd probably start with DFRPG. It would definitely require some tinkering, but I think most of that would be in dialing the number up higher, and re-flavoring some of the mechanics.
For instance, 8 refresh for a low powered, e.g. Daredevil, supers game, going up to 20 or more for Justice League/Avengers level play. Global Supers level play, 20 refresh, 60 skill points, skill cap Epic (+7).
Lore covers super-science, such as gamma radiation, alien tech, fusing adamantium to someone's bones, Time travel, etc. Other minor tweaks to the skill list would probably be in order.
The refresh and compel system gives us a good way to answer the question "How can Batman and Lex Luthor be in the same league as Superman?" Because superman spent about 18 of his 20 refresh on powers, while Bats and Lex have nothing but "normal human" stunts, and probably a pile fate points left over, including the +3 (at least) "normal human" bonus.
It also does great job of giving "With great power comes great responsibility" a mechanical punch.
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Anyone want to GM one of these other settings as a Play By Post game? Although I love the Dresden Files, I'm a FATE fan first and foremost and I'd love to try out the rules in a different setting. The play by post game I'm GMing has settled into a nice groove now and I'd like to give playing a shot :)
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As i mentioned previously i have so many games i want to run and so little time.
A zombie survival game is one that we are all pretty excited about, and yet to do. the game would be us, the players, and take place in our town. Originally we planned to use Cortex but I think FATE would work WAY better.
Also a Gargoyles game (ya know the old Disney cartoon) with a setting mildly altered to allow a wider plot-base for the game as well as character design.
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I'm planning on combining DFRPG magic with Legends of Anglerre to run a fantasy based game in the World of Midnight.
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I plan on using this for WEG's old World of Bloodshadows setting. Very much a "Cast A Deadly Spell" feel to it, with a lot of pulp action also.
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Seconded for ARCANOS!!!
Thirded! I picked up the Legends of Anglerre rules and was decidedly underwhelmed. I really think Evil Hat could hit another one out of the park with a fantasy license FATE game.