Baltimore and Other Possible Dresdenverse Cities

[Wordmaker]

I live in Ireland, but while I know I could do a lot with that (a veritable battleground for Winter and Summer, not to mention Bram Stoker was from Dublin) I've decided to set my campaign in Boston. I like the Old World vs New World themes from games set in America.

At the moment I've decided that Harvard used to be a White Council stronghold until the local Warden commander was killed by the Red Court. The Cathederal of the Holy Cross operates as an East Coast HQ for the Knights of the Cross, and there's a coven of Focused Practitioners based in Salem, who used to be watched closely by the Wardens, but now that the White Council's power in Boston has been weakened they're more free to get into trouble.

I'm thinking about Boston being, up to now, relatively pleasant compared to Chicago or Baltimore in the Dresdenverse. Lots of secrets and themes of the corruption of forbidden knowledge, and the idea of it being more a good place coming under growing threat, that needs to be protected, rather than a fallen city in need of saving.

[pfloyd]

Myself, I'm pretty likely to Dresdenify the town I'm living in, which is Amherst MA. The town has about 35 thousand natives, with almost as many students living in the dorms but claiming legal residence elsewhere. In the town, you have both some of the most densely populated areas you're likely to find in the States and open stretches of nothing.

Now this is something I'd be interested in seeing, having been one of those temporary campus residents at the Zoo for three years in the early 90s... my duster probably a few years before its time in this case... *heh*

[pfloyd]

My current plan is to do Worcester, MA, where I've been living these 30+ years, and include the entire central Massachusetts region. I'm sure that there will be some overlap with Boston, as well.

Of course, the White Council rep will be this wizardly investigator character that I've been working on in my head for the past, oh four or five years... a cross between Harry and the 10th Doctor, with a touch of Shaun Spencer and the Michael Westen (Psych and Burn Notice, respectively) voice-over. ("When you're a wizard...")
Of course, the way that I see him in his first story, he's more on the power level of Harry after the fifth or sixth book...
And some of his friends are also a bit high on the power level, but not without drawbacks.


My research into central Massachusetts folklore and such hasn't turned up too much, but I figured I'd be beefing up what's already there and creating a few other things...

[luminos]

I want to set a game in Vancouver, just so I can make a bad pun about the Vancouver method.

[rodnunley]

What do you guys see as the pluses or minuses of San Francisco VS San Diego?

I feel like San Diego is close enough to Mexico to open up a lot of options.

[Cajun Guy]

I think an interesting place would be Memphis, TN. You have multiple rivers, barbeque, the blues, a huge gang epidemic. Major international shipping hub (Fedex headquarters), the rock and roll museum, and.. oh yeah A GIANT FRICKIN PYRAMID...  All you need are some sharks with laser beams and your all set.  

[Rel Fexive]

My ideas for New York so far are:

a) The High Line park is Summer territory.

b) The Deviant Crimes Unit, formed during the Satanist scares of the 1970s, is always called in to deal with anything (apparently) involving "weird cults" or "serial killers".

c) The highest Fae "authority" in the city is the Duke and Duchess of New York, ex-changeling twins, one Summer and one Winter, who alternate control by which Court is currently dominant.  The 'position' was first established soon after the first European wizards reached the New World.

d) The Rossville Boatyard is home to a number of unfriendly beings, including one that is either a boggart or a redcap.

e) The rivers that surround Manhattan make it something of a sanctuary, as the flowing water all but cuts the island off from the rest of the world in many ways.

f) An out of the way hotel (I don't have a good name for it yet - I figure it must be something Dutch) is Manhattan's primary accorded neutral territory.  As well as having a good restaurant and bar for anyone just wanting to drop in, it is sufficiently off the beaten track that most mundane folks steer clear of it.


Just some Vancouver-y sketch work so far 

[svb1972]

Btw, in relation to the Playbypost for the Baltimore game?

The Baltimore Police Department has over 4000 employees.  Civilians, Police Officers, and aux Police officers.
There's no way that any random cop knows the personal motorcycle of any other random cop.

[danielfelts]

I think an interesting place would be Memphis, TN. You have multiple rivers, barbeque, the blues, a huge gang epidemic. Major international shipping hub (Fedex headquarters), the rock and roll museum, and.. oh yeah A GIANT FRICKIN PYRAMID...  All you need are some sharks with laser beams and your all set.  

I've been working on a Memphis setting for a little bit now.  I'm figuring out which neighborhoods would be home to what supernatural element.  I'll be posting the finished product on here.

[Buscadera]

Considering I'm going to college in Miami, I'm trying to put together a group so I can Dresdenify it. I've got some decent ideas for how to supernaturally spice up the city so far, including:

• The White Court having a controlling interest in South Beach, living off both the despair of the drug trade and the lust generated by the clubs
• Merfolk, the spawn of humans and aquatic denizens of the Nevernever, who take on characteristics of the sea creatures they spend their time with
• The Loa playing a major role in the local spiritual politics, maybe with somebody like Baron Samedi taking himself a "horse" and setting up his own little fiefdom
• The Summer Court having the upper-hand and taking a particular interest in students at the University
• The Winston, a supernaturally-charged dive bar based on my favorite watering hole, complete with a half-ogre doorman and a storyteller druid

[Fedifensor]

My wife and I are definitely looking to put stuff together for Denver. We've been working on stuff for the past several weeks and hope to have something together by the time the RPG rolls off the shelf. Lots of great city ideas posted out here so far!

Well, the RPG has rolled off the shelf.  Care to share what you came up with? 

[Remy Sinclair]

Albuquerque, NM is where I am running my game. There is the Warden training area. Ghouls in the area according to a short story I do not have or know the name of. There is the skinwalker from Turncoat he could be from the area. The Aztecs were here. Lots of mysticism and new age beliefs. There tensions between illegal immigrants, the Indian Reservations and local people.

An area we call the War Zone, which is a high crime rate area mostly Middle American and South American gangs. Lots of history from the Wild West to modern day. The casinos here in the area and the Hard Rock Cafe Casino opening up soon.

I have lots to play with.

[JosephKell]

What do you guys see as the pluses or minuses of San Francisco VS San Diego?

I feel like San Diego is close enough to Mexico to open up a lot of options.

Why is so important about being geographically close to Mexico for a DF campaign?

The Nevernever opens up all sorts of trafficking alternatives.

[knnn]

I'm going to be doing Knoxville/East TN.

Two cities I would like to see done (I'll probably find a way to incorporate them into mine some how) are Rome and Jerusalem.

Especially Jerusalem.

I could probably do Jerusalem, but it feels like a big project right now.  My plan is to work my way up to it through San Francisco and Vienna -- once I get my grubby little hands on the books.

[lankyogre]

I've really wanted to do St. Louis. It seems like a historically important city, but nobody ever remembers it any more. I think there could be a lot of interesting aspects and stories to tell. Also, McCoy lives in MO, Butcher himself lives in MO, and Michael went on at least one Wild Goose Chase to STL.