Your Dresden Files Adventures

[lokisdottir]

Allegedly there was a thread almost exactly like this before, but a search turned up nothing so here goes:

You know you're already thinking about your Dresden Files adventure. Maybe you've already run/played one or more. Dish! I think it'll be a good way to share ideas and just have fun. Here's one:

Untouchable

People, particularly young and vulnerable ones, keep dying and disappearing after hanging around a famous model and actor/tress. It's suspicious enough that the police and media have asked around, but all investigations and more than one career have been dashed by the Powers That Be. Plus, cause of death is just weird and it's hard for even the most dedicated investigator to establish culpability. The player characters knew one of the dead people and/or the family, and are enlisted to find out the truth and bring the alleged perpetrator to justice.

The celebrity is a White Court vampire, of course, one that has gotten a little too arrogant about how untouchable s/he is. Problem is, it's not something the mundane authorities can really deal with. Causation is impossible to establish and the White Court has too much influence, as the stories of a washed-up cop, former district attorney, and former up-and-coming reporter who all had their careers ruined chasing this case will make abundantly clear. This influence will presently make itself known to the PCs' lives in the form of threats and smears. To mix it up a little more, the White Council doesn't want them pursuing this case because the vampire has been giving inside information to the Council when it suited his/her interests.

Resolution could take a lot of different forms. I'll probably have several different NPC's suggesting or trying to pursue different solutions. It can range from killing the holy heck out of the vamp to manipulating the White Court's political machinations to cut him/her off from its protection. Probably there will be a related plot going on that pertains to the war with the Reds.

An alternate, slightly less White Night-like possibility is to make the vamp a reformed baddie who came to see the light, but was set up to feed fatally on a mortal after working against the White and Red Courts. Now the White Court is using its influence to destroy its black (heh) sheep's reputation and life, and the Council has no more use for the vampire since the source has been compromised. Then the PC's would have to decide whether to save this repentant vampire or to let him/her go down. Perhaps in this case the vampire or a mortal parent is a friend or associate of one or more PC.

I'm really excited to start my campaign when the game comes out. In the meantime I'm just dreaming up plot seeds, and I'd like to see others', too. On a related note, this thread about weird real-world events is a gold mine of ideas.

--Hel Lokisdottir

[Bosh]

"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."
Genesis 9:4

In the PCs' city, (probably Seoul) one of the main movers and shakers of the criminal underworld is the local Red Court Lord. A few of his enforcers are vampires, but he tries to keep their numbers low and mostly of the dumb muscle type in order to keep his grip on power secure. One of these enforcers took out a local business man and his family over unpaid debts and due to some sloppy work on his part, he accidentally turns the businessman's 10 year-old son.

The boy vampire doesn't have any real supernatural knowledge, (or knowledge about who the vampire who killed his family was working for) but he's damn smart for his age and is good at figuring out his capabilities. He's taken to lying low in a Cyber Cafe and has addicted a bunch of elementary school-age kids who frequent the place with his narcotic saliva. He wants to get revenge on the vampire who killed his family and then maybe start killing whoever he considers bad people. His intentions are basically good, but his vampiric nature will inevitably corrupt them.

In order to get revenge, the boy decides to anonymously send the PCs whatever information he thinks would lead to them killing the vampire that killed his family. If the PCs take the bait and take out the vampire then they end up head-first in the following complications:
-The boy vampire is overjoyed that his plan worked and decides to sic the PCs on other people he doesn't like. Perhaps his old elementary school principal who used to beat him on occasion. In order to keep tabs on the PCs they'll be constantly trailed by his spit-addicted side-kicks.
-The business associated of the boy vampire's dead father, after a police investigation that went nowhere, hired a private eye who was on the right track and was snooping around the murderer when the PCs decide to confront him.
-The vampire crime boss is not happy about people killing his underling, especially if it appears that they knew that he was a vampire. No, not happy at all.
-If the PCs don't cover their tracks the police will start (ineptly) investigating them.
-If enough blood hits the water other factions will start circling like sharks.


Poor, poor PCs.

[lokisdottir]

In the PCs' city, (probably Seoul) one of the main movers and shakers of the criminal underworld is the local Red Court Lord.

Did you say Seoul? And a Red Court crime lord? Are we the same person? Because my DF campaign will be set mainly in Seoul, and I want to have a Red who is also a Jopok (Korean mobster). But otherwise your story seed examines ideas I never thought of, disproving the we're-the-same-person theory... I think. I especially love the scary kiddies angle, because everyone who is Korea-literate knows Korean elementary schoolers are utterly terrifying. Talk about your enfants terribles...

Anyway I may have to totally steal this, with some customization. Other craziness that could erupt: The Council-Reds war gets mixed in, the members of the Fellowship of St. Giles show up, the child is intentionally misled about who the murderer was working for and goes after a White Council ally (maybe a Fellowship member), a hard-nosed Warden wants to just kill the pint-sized vamp already, and one or more of the PC's objects because the kid may be a vamp but he's also a child, etc. Yeah, maybe the PCs shouldn't have gotten out of bed.

[Ihadris]

I've been planning one out for a while and its not completely set in stone yet but the main idea revolves around the city where we all go to Uni. The place has an exceptionally low crime rate which means a lot of the normal Dresden-verse stuff that we see running around Chicago in the books just doesnt happen. Unless the low crime rate is the supernatural goings on!

[EDITED]: Found out one of my players has started reading up on the RPG and I dont want him finding out planned twists for the first adventure before hand!

Ihadris

[Bosh]

The culmination of his efforts would take place that night in the form of a ritual intended to seal off the city from outside supernatural influence using the recently installed tramlines that completely encircle the city and the PC’s would get there just in time for a real throw down.

Damn, now you're reading my mind. I was thinking of exactly the same sort of thing happening (building what amounts to a giant threshold around the entire city) in my game

Did you say Seoul? And a Red Court crime lord? Are we the same person?

Well my way of thinking was that a Dresden Files games deserves a big city as a setting and Seoul is the only city I know well enough to do justice to. I also think that Seoul has a lot of features that would be fun to riff off (massive forests of identical apartment buildings, insane educational system, grubby small businesses, the DMZ being so nearby, the American garrison in Yongsan and the surroundings, etc.) that are pretty different form the standard Detroit-style urban decay that you see in so many Urban Fantasy settings...

In any case we could put our heads together to give Seoul a good Dresdenization.

I want to have a Red who is also a Jopok (Korean mobster).

Hmmmm, don't think I've heard that term but then my Korean vocabulary isn't as good as it should be, I think 깡패 (Ggang-pae) is the more common term. Since the Korean mafia in Seoul is pretty weak actually I was undecided about weather the Red gangster should be Korean or foreign (Russian or Nigerian) since the foreigner ghetto around the US army base on Yongsan would be a fun adventure location or possibly a Korean with some foreign muscle who uses the Raz al-Ghul trick (the boss who pretends to be just a translator).

I especially love the scary kiddies angle, because everyone who is Korea-literate knows Korean elementary schoolers are utterly terrifying.

Exactly Also kids make a frighteningly-effective spy network (especially if they all have cell phones) since they're so cheap that you can have them pretty much everywhere.

The Council-Reds war gets mixed in, the members of the Fellowship of St. Giles show up, the child is intentionally misled about who the murderer was working for and goes after a White Council ally (maybe a Fellowship member), a hard-nosed Warden wants to just kill the pint-sized vamp already, and one or more of the PC's objects because the kid may be a vamp but he's also a child, etc. Yeah, maybe the PCs shouldn't have gotten out of bed.

Exactly. Basically its a "you killed my father, prepare to die" plot that just goes horribly, horribly wrong with the PCs stuck in the middle of it and with the vampire gangster as the probable final boss fight (although if someone told him that his underling was turning random kids against his orders he'd probably be happy that someone put him down).

[lokisdottir]

In any case we could put our heads together to give Seoul a good Dresdenization.

Sounds like a lot of fun! I've been doing a bit of thinking about Korean native religions, mythology and how those could interact with the more Western-oriented DF cosmology. The non-Korean's view of Korea could provide a nice interface between the two.

Hmmmm, don't think I've heard that term but then my Korean vocabulary isn't as good as it should be, I think 깡패 (Ggang-pae) is the more common term. Since the Korean mafia in Seoul is pretty weak actually I was undecided about weather the Red gangster should be Korean or foreign (Russian or Nigerian) since the foreigner ghetto around the US army base on Yongsan would be a fun adventure location or possibly a Korean with some foreign muscle who uses the Raz al-Ghul trick (the boss who pretends to be just a translator).

깡패 is the more generic term, and 조폭 is the more specialized term for members of an organized crime gang, 조직폭력배 in full. Since that's usually the term for home-grown organized criminals, the foreign gangster will probably be called something else, like Russian Mafia. Yongsan and surrounding areas sound fun, and also maybe the port cities where (so far as I know) there's some foreign gangster activity. But I guess it's also good to focus on Seoul, much like the Dresden Files are focused on Chicago. (Although that may change with Changes.)

[SaintAndSinner]

I've run a few scenarios at cons.  This is the best one so far (thanks Fred for the idea)

Dog Daze
I've run this 6 or so times, I flesh it out based on what the players seem most interested in engaging

In the this, Queen Mab comes to Harry's office when each of you ended up there worried about Harry.  She's cashing in one of his favors he owes her...but oh no Harry's not here.  She's disappointed and intimates that he will end up more deeply in her debt or dead.  Of course the players (each for their own reasons listed in their pre-gen aspects) has to help.  She tells them a girl has lost her puppy and they are to find it and return it to her before dawn.

They're given an address and she leave.  Lots of creeping them out once they know who she is.  At the address the girl is staring at the TV occasionally screaming incoherently.  The Mom think at first they've come from the church to help (Dad's out of town at work).  Investigation leads them to understand the girl is souless, she was one of identical twins and the other died on her birthday a year ago yesterday. 

The puppy was a gift from a lady that sounds a lot like Mab that had seemed to help the girl feel better.  The girl was found by mom in this condition this morning but the dog is gone.  Looking around outside there's evidence of someone coming over the 8 foot wooden fence who wore boots.  The dogs chain is snapped off and there are scratches on the top of the fence.

Tracks outside look like they lead to a van.  Several characters have means to track this or investigation may lead them to understand who did it.  The dog was taken by a gang called Fenris' posse (a group of lycanthropes).  They are known to have a territory on the other end of town. 

Rushing there they rumble with the left over members in the street outside the small warehouse they use as a base.  Inside they find the van missing.  A voice message comes through on the phone while they are there blasting them for not having the dog to the drop off on time.  Reminding them where to meet and how to proceed. 

They meeting spot is a graveyard across town.  Its now past midnight and they have to rush again.  Getting there they find the gang killed by a dessicated thin aristocratic appearing man and his snivling minion (a Black Court vampire and his Renfield).  Pulling this off requires everything these guys have got but luckly the vamp is in no mood for a fight having been harassed earlier for no apparent reason by some faeries (winter court of course), and its getting close to dawn. 

Getting the little girls dog back by dawn requires a trip through the Never Never kicking off a mad cap in and out of reality chase by the Wild Hunt.  The dog once returned breath in the girls face and she slowly calms down.  Something screams in quadralateral atonal harmony as she awakes.

Finally they finish the mission and Mab is pleased.  Spooky but pleased.  Unfortunately this doesn't count as one of Harry's favors since he didn't do it himself or order it.  She won't be in debt to any mortals though so each are to ask for a boon or deal with her undying enmity. 

Backstory is the other twin didn't die but is being held by Queen Mab.  The girls are 'The Gate and the Key" whatever that means.  If together something supposedly bad will happen.  Mab gave the dog to the girl to protect her and to keep her connected to her sister.  Breaking the binding that Mab has made nearly killed her and allowed her soul to get lost.  Even now she's still scarred by something that was chasing her in the outer dark...

Last few time this has run like a charm.  Can't wait to have the full book to play some more...

[Ihadris]

That does sound like an amazing campaign SaintandSinner! How did you handle the having to rush from place to place? Im assuming there was no chance they were going to show up too late for the party!

I wouldnt have thought about introducing Mab so early either but Im loving the "key and the gate" idea.

[SaintAndSinner]

That was one 4 hour con game. I've run it 6 or so times. It's pretty well baked by now. Early on in the game I just set up the next scene. The last mad dash is a full out chase with a stress track dead ending at dawn.

[Bosh]

I've been doing a bit of thinking about Korean native religions, mythology and how those could interact with the more Western-oriented DF cosmology. The non-Korean's view of Korea could provide a nice interface between the two.

Exactly. Also there's plenty of more modern beliefs to draw from like 동학/천도교 and the Heavenly Mother (하나님의교회 세계복음선교협회) wackos. I especially want to learn a bit more about Korean Geomancy, especially after reading an historical article about how after their occupation of Korea the Japanese drove iron spikes into several Korean mountains to screw with Korean geomantic energies. Having people be able to do things like that to alter geomantic energies would be a great source of plot hooks and a good reason to get people to travel to strange locations.

깡패 is the more generic term, and 조폭 is the more specialized term for members of an organized crime gang, 조직폭력배 in full.

foreign gangster will probably be called something else, like Russian Mafia.

The Russians and the Nigerians are probably the biggest foreign organized crime groups (although I'm sure there's a decent number of connections with Chinese and Japanese groups). For example a good number of stolen cars end up getting shipped to Vladivostok.

[lokisdottir]

Hey Bosh, I moved the Seoul discussion into a separate thread.

Also, the Dog Daze adventure sounds awesomely awesome. I'd love to play or run it.

[SaintAndSinner]

Also, the Dog Daze adventure sounds awesomely awesome. I'd love to play or run it.

I'm tempted to run it (or a serial to it at Gencon this year).  Don't have the energy to reprint all the playtest stuff though so I'm hoping to get a print copy to run the thing...

[iago]

I'm tempted to run it (or a serial to it at Gencon this year).  Don't have the energy to reprint all the playtest stuff though so I'm hoping to get a print copy to run the thing...

Won't be able to say for sure until we're much closer to Origins.

[SaintAndSinner]

Won't be able to say for sure until we're much closer to Origins.

I'm just thinking to myself.  I'll be more energetic closer to the con.  Plus I have to put the things in the system now.   

[SaintAndSinner]

I just put myself down for Dog Daze (see above) Friday 2-6pm at Gencon.  I'm also putting together a new Dresden game called Mad Mab on Saturday 2-6pm. 

"Some day you'll laugh about this.  Right.  That is if she leaves you a mouth to laugh with... How did you get yourself in this deep?  You owe something to Queen Mab that you just can't pay.  Now she's offering you a way out.  It's likely a trap but you must get free.  So, how do you kill a wizard?"