A few questions that I have, or places that I would like some help are:


Should the Albanian protectors be more like the Magi from the Mummy, i.e. essentially mundane mortals with stunts sworn to protect the gate? Or should they be supernaturally gifted, one idea was a group of werebears (black bears)?

Anybody have any suggestions on aspects or themes/threat? Since I'm the only person with the rulebook a lot of the phrasing work and "rules" fell to me and I came up with things the best I could. We all discussed the ideas, but sometimes the "choice" was left up to the one with the rule book.

Should "Dionysus" be a fae that was believed to be a Greek god? Especially since satyrs and centaurs are already established as fae. Or should he be a Sidhe that has since identified with that concept?

Saving room for other questions

Then we went on to Locations and Faces. We created 9 Locations, and then made a Face for each one. Because the two werewolves are faces for both Locations and the Threat, we have since thought of another one or two Faces it would be nice to have.

Location: The Arch – currently houses a portal to the Nevernever brought to St. Louis in the 90's by Albanian refugees (the real reason for the war in Kosovo).
Face: Bresian Agolli – Leader of the Albanian refugees that protect the Arch gate. Only really cares about keeping the gate safe and unused by mortals. Ignores anything else going on, even if its at Lacledes Landing.
Theme: Albanian refugees will do anything to keep the gate free of mortals
Aspect: Guardians of the Gate

Location: Sugar Creek Winery– home to the Summer Court presence in St. Louis.
Face: Dionysus – High Sidhe of the Summer Court that presides over a small court at Sugar Creek Winery. In some way related to the Greek god Dionysus (whether the god himself or a sidhe grown from part of his court). His “court” is essentially a continuation of the Bachus.
Theme: In some way there is always a party going on at Sugar Creek Winery, and the party participants can get pretty crazy.
Aspect: Where the Wild Things Are

Location: Missouri Botanical Gardens – public gardens where many summer court changelings have found a home and established a clique as changelings and not Fae or Human.
Face: Annabelle – gardener and outcast changeling, wants to be human, but afraid of what the choice will mean. One of the only changelings that is willing to interact with humans at the gardens.
Theme: The Botanical Gardens are filled with meandering paths that wind all across the grounds, providing many hiding spots and means of getting to anywhere.
 Aspect: Just a Stroll in the Park

Location: Union Station – home and hide-out to a gang of Lycanthropes. Ex-mallish, ex-train station.
Face: Alejandro “Lobo” – Leader of the lycanthropes. Wants to clean up North County and remove the werewolves
Threat: Half the stores and locations are closed and empty and not much real business is done. The ex-train station is cavernous, but not well populated.
 Aspect: No One Hears Your Cries

Location: St. Ninian's – Catholic Monastery in St. Louis city. Gothic church and monastery. Includes crypts and passages that may have played a roll in the Underground Railroad.
Face: Brother Hubert – new member of the order that resides at St. Ninian's. Somewhat in the know and tries to help others as much as possible. His superiors constantly contradict him or deny his pleas for help
Theme: Its usually possible to get some form of shelter or assistance from Brother Hubert.
 Aspect: Refuge and Retreat

Location: Uncle Vinny's B&B – abandoned motel and “B&B” that serves as the hang-out for the werewolves in North County.
Face: Brock – Leader of the werewolves. Originally the gang felt left behind by society and gained a little power to take back their home. Since then the Skavis have pushed them into feeling more isolated and therefore more violent.
Theme: Uncle Vinny's was originally built in the '50's in much safer and happier time. Since then it failed and has been left empty and abandoned for the better part of half a century.
 Aspect: Relic of Another Time

Location: Precinct 9 – Also known as the Downtown St. Louis Police Unit, Precinct 9 is the de facto center of the Skavi controlled police department
Face: Nina Skavi – Lieutenant of the St. Louis branch of the Skavi family. Her primary job is keeping the Skavis in power and keeping her patriarch happy.
Threat: The Skavis have been using there presence in the police department to invade corrections facilities, monitor competition, control politicians, and maintain their own power base.
Aspect: To Serve and Despair

Location: Ameristar – Modern and enormous “riverboat” casino on the Missouri River
Face: Leonard “Leo” Articus – White Council Warden assigned to St. Louis. He has been here almost two centuries and grown complacent and disillusioned. He has decided that the enemy you know is better than one you don't, and as long as the White Council doesn't give him orders, he would prefer to gamble and drink.
Theme: The Ameristar provides a continual distraction for many people from their real lives. The casinos are there, and they are always involved in legislature.
Aspect: Fancy Distraction

Location: Fox Theatre – Century old movie theatre remodeled as a performance hall. Home to a spirit that resides in St. Louis and hides in the threshold of the river.
Face: Chadwick Busch – young nephew of the Busch family involved with the restoration of the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Outspoken critic of “modern” musicals and performances. Sometimes host or puppet to the Spirit of the Theatre.
Theme: There is a sleeping spirit that has been drawn to the emotion of the theatre.
Aspect: What Dreams May Come

I think allowing social skills in physical conflicts as maneuvers and blocks, but not attacks is probably the best way to do it. Intimidation just seems like it fits physical conflicts. And Harry is always using his intimidation in combat to piss off bad guys and cause them to make mistakes.

So far I think most of these are a little over the top for Spiderman. Though he has been part of the Avengers, and fought with some of the bigger guys, in and of himself he is fairly low powered. Most of his abilities are at the inhuman level. Frequently he fights mundane people or other very minor bad guys, and so his abilities seem magnified, but inhuman speed and supernatural sense can give enough of a bonus to alertness and athletics that he always seems to go much faster than most of the guys he is fighting. His web shooters were not anything inherent to him, nor are they really something that should come up as an item of power. Most of the time they are a function of an aspect being invoked for a maneuver or description to his attack. Actually, since there are frequently times when he can't afford to make the adhesive for the web shooters it would be more appropriate not to be an item of power.

Somebody like Quicksilver would have mythic speed, but not much else. Wolverine would have mythic recovery and/or toughness and the claws power. Daredevil would have a bunch of stunts and maybe supernatural senses. Even Captain America would fit pretty well at 10-15 refresh.

I think a lot of people want superheroes to be SUPER OMG!!!! KILL YOU ARGH!!!!, but many of the marvel heroes at least, are well within the bounds of the Dresden Files. We have seen Thomas do enough to go toe to toe with any of the Marvel Knights and some of the Avengers. Harry suffers at least as much of a beating as most comic book heroes and comes out on top with nothing more than Wizards Constitution.

I think that Dresden Files might actually model a lot of superheroes better than some superhero games because of the way powers are split up. In DC Heroes or Necessary Evil, for example, something like Luke Cages physical immunity or Wolverines healing are not possible as player character without building up to it.


Now DC comics are a completely different beast and play complete havoc with anything resembling consistency or playable concepts. Superman would have an ability called:
 Yes! (-100) - When under the effects of a yellow sun superman has whatever abilities he wants. When his player asks if he can do something the answer is always "Yes!"
Human guise (+1)
The Catch (+?) Kryptonite: Superman loses his Yes! ability.

Part of the ceremony in Grave Peril was Bianca becoming a Red Court Noble. This was not only a ceremonial thing, but an actual supernatural event. Before then, Bianca did not have the ability to create other vampires. So, not all Red Court vampires can create baby vampires. I think that to create a new vampire you have to be a noble, keep them alive, and do something special/different when you feed.

In the books, especially Changes

If you have read the young adult Percy Jackson novels by Rick Riordan, he uses a supernatural quality called the Fog if I remember correctly. Basically it lets ogres, and minotaurs walk around without being spotted as long as they don't draw attention to themselves. Its been a little while since I read them, but if I remember correctly some of the "good guys" could control the Fog enough to make mortals interpret things a certain way.

I'm gonna have to say that this is a topic that confuses me. I think one of the accepted realities of Dresdenfiles is the way in which the laws of magic work. For your game you are more than welcome to change whatever you want. You can remove hexing, change the speed of thaumaturgy, make the Red Court all sunshine and puppies. Each one is a move away from the theme of the setting that Jim Butcher set. Not that any of them are wrong, and not that there aren't a lot of people in the Dresdenverse that break the rules all the time.

On the topic of specifically towards PCs, as long as there is open communication, it should be fine. If the character has the intent to break the law (not I know the speed limit is 45, but I'm going to go 60 anyway; but I am going to go as fast as I want). Molly didn't intend to break the law, but she did intend to mess with someones mind. It has also been shown that she still wants to mess with people's minds and finds it an expedient answer. That means it has changed who she is.

What about if we go with some country?

"Real Good Man" by Tim McGraw

Real Bad Boy, But a Real Good Man
Invoke: Endurance, Athletic Pursuits, Getting into Trouble, Picking Up Ladies
Compel: Getting Into Trouble, Social Situations

"Pray For You" by Jaron and The Long Road to Love

I Pray For You
Invoke: False Face Forward
Compel: Pissing people off, holding grudges

"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins as a trouble
Invoke: Getting guys attention, social actions against men
Compel: Getting guys attention

"Save a Horse, Ride A Cowboy" by Big and Rich
Invoke: Social interactions with woman,
Compel: Social Actions with men, getting in fights, behind the times