Inspiration for the uninitiated

[Lanodantheon]

I'm looking to run a DFRPG one-shot with my normal gaming group. I have one problem though: Most of my group hasn't read TDF or seen the show and don't have the time, energy or incentive to do so.

Rather than be a jerk and rag on them to read the books or watch the show, I want to make some pre-gens based on what they've already been exposed to.

So, let's make a list. A list of TV shows, books, movies, comics etc that are "in the Ballpark" of the Dresdenverse. They don't necessarily need to be urban fantasy, they can just be a stepping stone.

This list can serve not only as inspiration for the uninitiated but also as a way for everyone to get new ideas.

I'll start. Starred* entries mean, "With Magic" or "with more magic"


30 Days of Night
Angel
Blue Seed
Brimstone
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Charmed
CSI*
Devil Hunter Yohko
Devil May Cry
El Cazador de La Bruja
Full Metal Alchemist
Fushigi Yugi
Get Backers*
God of War
Howl's Moving Castle
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
NCIS*
Princess Mononoke
Ranma 1/2
Read Or Die
Saiyuki
Sanctuary
Sin City*
Sleepy Hollow
Spirited Away
Supernatural
Those Who Hunt Elves
The X-Files
Vampire Hunter D
Yu Yu Hakusho

[Archmage_Cowl]

umm okay let me toss a few in. If i can come up with more i'll throw them in later. and ill continue the * meaning with magic.  Im not sure if its important but these are all basicly pg 13 at least.
any of the persona games(video games)
most final fantasy games(video games)
castle*(tv show)
human target*(tv show)
lie to me*(tv show)
code breaker(manga)
negima(manga)
defense devil(manga)
dark hunter series(novels)
anita blake series(novels)

Thats all i got right now ill add more later if i can think of them.

[Lanodantheon]

Dang it, I forgot a clear cut one:

Inu Yasha

[Bosh]

*Anything directed by Park Chan-uk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chan-wook)
A Tale of Two Sisters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_tale_of_two_sisters)

[Ihadris]

The Night Angel Trilogy* (books)
Doctor Who (2005 onwards) (tv)
Assassin's Creed 1+2 (video games)
Prince of Persia Series * (video games)
Sweep* (Wicca in the US) (books)
The Black Magician Series* (books)
Shannara Heritage* (books)
Supernatural* (tv)
Strange* (tv)
Primeval (tv)
Torchwood (tv)

[finarvyn]

I think this is tricky because the list, while exhaustive, has so many different flavors. Telling one player to watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and another to read "30 Days of Night" might create a disfunctional gaming team since they have such different notions of what a vampire might be in a Dresden campaign.

As such, I would try to limit the list to the essentials rather than expand it to everything which could be somehow modified with magic to become Dresden-ified.

When I talk to my non-enlightened players I list off a few key sources, with the idea that popular is better than obscure.

They could watch (pretty much in this order):
1. Dresden Files (TV series)
2. Charmed (TV series)
3. Supernatural (TV series)
4. Buffy and/or Angel (TV series)

If they want to read about this kind of thing, I add a few books (pretty much in this order):
1. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (duh)
2. Diana Tregarde trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
3. Vampire series by Fred Saberhagen
4. Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison
5. Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton

Again, long lists can be neat if you are trying to come up with every idea you can use to create a campaign, but for players I'd try to limit to a small list of the best....

Just my two cents.

[Archmage_Cowl]

Again, long lists can be neat if you are trying to come up with every idea you can use to create a campaign, but for players I'd try to limit to a small list of the best....

Just my two cents.

Yeah i agree with you if your trying to get the player's to figure out how specific things work a long list like that probably isnt the best, but i figured we were just working in more of a ball park area saying "this isnt how it is but we could probably make it that way" or "it's not insane to think something like that could happen"

[Lanodantheon]

Yeah i agree with you if your trying to get the player's to figure out how specific things work a long list like that probably isnt the best, but i figured we were just working in more of a ball park area saying "this isnt how it is but we could probably make it that way" or "it's not insane to think something like that could happen"

That was the exact working I was looking for. More like, "In the Dresden Files, this *point* is possible to do". Getting people in the ballpark of "Fantasy in the real world" Where the real world means that although Harry has the magic to move mountains(or at least make holes in them) he still can't pay his rent on time.

Part of me would actually find a True Blood game of TDFRPG very amusing for a slightly different take on things. 

[Lanodantheon]

The other reason for this list is so that I can show them the list, they check off what they've seen and say,
"Oh, from this list you've only seen...Get Backers.
...You like Genji Amano? He'd be easy to do as an Electromancer.
Ban Mido's a Minor Talent, even easier.... "

Also, this list is for GMs and players who need inspiration for characters, adventures or even entire campaigns. Your mileage will vary, but you never know.

If my players knew I was contemplating a Haruhi Suzumiya adventure, they'd probably put me in the dumpster on garbage day morning.   

I also think that if you did a Castle campaign in TDFRPG, you could totally play up the White Council's attempts to sue for exploitation.

[Saedar]

Something I mentioned elsewhere, if any of your players have read Elric. Elric himself is someone who specializes in rituals/thaumaturgy. Not a terribly ripe source of information but there is a little cross-over and can point to a few very specific aspects of DF.

[Bosh]

How about:
*The Maltese Falcon
*Chinatown
*The Big Sleep
*The Long Goodbye
*The Postman Always Rings Twice
*The Killer Inside Me

[MFeeney]

funny I was thinking Hitchcock movies and film Noir as well

[breaker]

.

If my players knew I was contemplating a Haruhi Suzumiya adventure, they'd probably put me in the dumpster on garbage day morning.   

 

Wow... this just went off my nerd-ometer... I'm gunna have to make it go to 11 from now on...

But seriously, if this makes any progress, inform me.