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

I think the suggestions for elements on here already are really good and that's what I'd go with. You're going to have to be a bit more creative, or know much more about science than I do, to come up with the 'reasonings' behind your 'spells'. I mean, Harry launches a jet of flame because he pours some will into his blasting rod and shouts a word in Latin; a science-mage is going to be pointing at a big group of atoms and telling them all to jump up and down really fast.  Once you get into forces like the strong and weak nuclear force I'm not sure how you can apply them to spell effects but if you can work it out, go for it. I can't see True Believer being right for this concept unless you want to make new powers to replace Bless This House and Guide My Hand and if you do, why be a True Believer? I think the fact that science is called a religion in the Dresdenverse is more due to an unreliable or biased narrator than anything else. as for the Hexing, I agree that the science-mage should still have some trouble with hexing sensitive equipment. A lot of his work can be theoretical in nature so he uses pencil, paper, chalk, chalkboards which should be fine. You could also give him an aspect or a a focus/enchanted item that helps with the problem. Maybe a Technology is my Friend aspect or an enchanted item that 'soaks up' a hit of hexing with each use of the item. Enchanted lab coat perhaps?  Dang, new character idea!

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

Well what I'm trying to accomplish here is explain why beings like faeries, vampires etc... don't have to Lawbreaker stunts and things like that. Obviously they still have to suffer consequences for using black magic but for most of those creatures those consequences are part and parcel of being a monster; since they lack the capacity for true, meaningful choice and are beholden to their natures it doesn't really make much difference to them if they kill you with magic or with claws.  I'm also looking at a lot of people who are making Emissaries of Power and using sponsored magic and things like that and wondering why, how or if Lawbreaker should apply to them and I think not.  The user of sponsored magic still has obligations and suffers consequences for their actions and use of magic but those are all set by their sponsor and his/her/its agenda. Someone on the boards here, apologies for not getting the name, said something similar in that the equivalent of Lawbreaker for a character using Sponsored Magic:Seelie magic is coming closer to choosing to be Fae as opposed to human which I think makes perfect sense.  I guess what I'm setting out here is that I'm in the camp that sees the Laws and Lawbreaker stunts only applying to mortal practitioners (wizards, sorcerers, focused practitioners, etc...) who have free will (a positive refresh); all other groups either don't really care all that much (vampires) or have their own set of obligations (faeries).

So I've just had a small brainwave about the way the Laws of Magic, sponsored magic and the Accords interact with each other.  Consider that the Accords define specific 'groups' like the White Council, Summer and Winter, the Freeholding Lords, etc... and each of these groups then set their own policies for internal affairs while the Accords handle external relations.  The White Council is a group that strongly believes in the power of magic being shaped and guided by mortal will and thus set up the Laws of Magic to preserve that belief and to keep their own potential for destruction in check. These Laws have been around for so long and the White Council has been believing in them and in the effects of dark magic for so long that these beliefs have actually changed the way mortal practitioners interact with and use magic.  Its almost as if there are now two kinds of magic; mortal and non-mortal.  The White Council 'group' and mortal users are bound by the Laws because they believe that they are and they believe in the backlash black magic provokes and, for them, this belief is true. Other 'groups'; fae, dragons, vamps, whatever; do not suffer from Lawbreaker penalties because they don't really believe in the Laws and don't even consider the fallout from black magic. For them, the Laws just aren't real.  JB and Bob mention a number of times throughout the series that magic is a quirky thing that changes over time and I can readily imagine the focused belief of countless mortal practitioners changing things enough that, for them only, the negative effects of black magic (heck, even the concept of black magic) comes into being and they create the Laws to protect themselves.  Well, there you have it. Just my 2 copper.

One thing I've always like about London is the way the underground zones split up the city into manageable chunks. Try focusing on just Zone 1; that's got most of the big stuff.  Its a bit east of your location but its a thought. Otherwise just stat up your neighborhood/district as you would any other city and see how that goes.

I haven't finalized the setting, might be Des Moines or might go with a bigger area. I think Des Moines could definitely be Dresdenized although it might be harder than some other cities.  Hmmm... I sense a challenge!

So, anyone else think that with just a few tweaks here and there this system could work for the Codex Alera, JB's other great work?  I mean all you'd have to do is alter some skills and redo some types/templates, fiddle with the stunts, take a look at the powers, ummm...rework almost everything. But still, it would work! hehe