RPG books...

[matthew]

I have a question.

I never played an RPG before...and i have no intention of doing so.

But the contents of the second volume of Dresden Files RPG seems interesting...so my question is...will i miss anything if i only buy the 2nd volume...should i buy it, even if i don't have any intention of playing...its quite expensive for a student like myself...so any suggestions will be appreciated, especially from anyone who bought them already.

[matthew]

anyone 

[Genhuman]

I generally don't do PDF format RPG books, so as soon as the physical book comes out, I will let you know.

[Fyrchick]

I was going to do the same thing. I hadn't intended on playing the game initially, but as with everything Dresden, I can't stay away. Its JimCrack, I tell you!

I have seen the .pdf's of both books and read a fair amount of each. I think the books won't be very different than the .pdf but its kind of irrelevant.
If you have no intention of playing the game then you will be fine without Your Story. 

If you change your mind then you can buy it later. But I wanted the first book for reference too. They are both fun, and I bet if you get Your Story you'll want to play... 

[iago]

Best asked in the DFRPG forum board, which is why this didn't get seen and answered. I'll be moving the thread over there so you can get multiple opinions.

My take is you won't get the discussion we have of the laws of magic and other stuff like that we have in Your Story, but that Our World makes for a very good general fan guide for the first ten books of the series by itself.

[Crion]

My take is you won't get the discussion we have of the laws of magic and other stuff like that we have in Your Story, but that Our World makes for a very good general fan guide for the first ten books of the series by itself.

iago probably said it best with the above, but I'll toss my own two cents into the mix.

If you are looking at Our World as a guide to the characters of the series, setting notes and information on the spin on Chicago of the Dresdenverse, then you are spot on. There are some rules-specific things in this book, such as the character sheets of various characters that Harry has run into, but you can ignore that.

You also get some basic information on the Vampire Courts, The Accords, other supernatural entities/organizations, and even a bit of history. It doesn't go too horribly in depth (which can be good or bad, depending on who you ask), but my friends and I are finding it as a great resource when we can't put our finger on the differences between various groups, or when we want to know about a certain character. "Our World" really is a nice looking one-stop shop for Dresden references. Full color, plenty of artwork, and notes on various characters and monsters; what more could you want?

Besides, with the book, you'll have a new short story entitled "AAAA Wizardry," in addition to random flavour text/commentary by Billy, Bob and Harry. And let's not get into the other dashes of humor that is only seen in the Dresdenverse.

If you only want "Our World" as a reference to the series, it is a good one. You will be missing out on some notes (i.e. iago's reference to the Laws of Magic is one of them; there are also references to the various approaches to/thoughts on magic and hexing, notes on human choice versus "monster" nature, etc), but I don't see it as mandatory to purchase "Your Story" if you only plan on using it as a Dresden reference guide.

Long story short: if you want a "Dresden Encyclopedia" (as my friends have so endearingly called it), snag a copy of "Our World." As long as you skip over the character sheets and the references to rules/powers, you'll be fine.


Again, just my two cents. Feel free to take the advice if you choose.

--Crion

[El Diablo]

I preordered the books and have been reading the PDF's, and there seems to be a lot of "fill" that explains why Dresden is always getting beaten about. So if you're interested in fleshing out your knowledge, I'd say go for it. I myself pre-ordered it because I think JB's printing future Gold now, and anything signed off and dedicated to the series and first edition will be worth some case. That said, I have my old group reading the books because I'mm gonna step out of d20 land and try running this FATE stuff.

Expanding, The books seem more solid now, and I have I think a better idea of what JB's thinking when he's writing the books. There is a lot of humor, and some spoilery stuff too.

Which begs the question - how Canon is this? For instance, the blacked out part after the pyramids in Egypt definitely refer to a scene in Changes.

Does the fill and explanation in the book equate to WOJ status?

(but yes, get the books)

[ahunting]

Of course you should buy the Book !!!
I mean really, its awesome. I must say, it is sad you don't ever plan on playing some table top RPG. Its a lot of fun. But we all must do as our heart tells us. But you will certainly get your money's worth out of Our Word. It has greatly expanded my view of the series.

GL!

[Esoteric Wombat]

Which begs the question - how Canon is this? For instance, the blacked out part after the pyramids in Egypt definitely refer to a scene in Changes.

Does the fill and explanation in the book equate to WOJ status?

From what I understand, most of the setting material in the DFRPG was written by a really cool guy named Chad Underkoffler, who did a lot of reading and research to get to know the Dresden canon. Everything he wrote was reviewed by Priscilla, who is a alpha reader and generally knows everything. When something was ether unknown or too vague they would go to Jim for answers.

So I don't know if it's WOJ. Stuff like the exact mechanics of feeding dependency aren't going to be *exactly* like in the book. But I think that the flavor text should be considered canon, because Jim would potentially say something if he objected to part of the text. Either that or he would just rub his hands together and laugh maniacally. This is Jim we're talking about...

[iago]

It is not Word of Jim, but it's close.  The blacked out stuff that folks can discover in the PDFs are 4th wall breaking stuff, mainly an in joke for people who figure out how to read it. Beyond that there are elements of the text that are at least slightly inaccurate or more often incomplete because the rpg as presented is being filtered through Billy -- a version of Billy who was more clued in prior to Turn Coat, so the rpg itself is at least a little alternate universe in its conceit.  But regardless we made it as close to the spruce material as we could manage, because we wanted the setting parts of it to work as a legitimate fan guide too. 

[luminos]

The blacked out stuff that folks can discover in the PDFs are 4th wall breaking stuff, mainly an in joke for people who figure out how to read it.

And yes, I did feel clever.

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

My wife was reading changes when I read the blacked out bits, so I didn't get it. 

She did look at me strange when I went "NO WAY! hahahah" while reading changes.  So I had to explain it to her so she would understand I wasn't insane . . . yet.

[iago]

Awesome. The text was written with a cutoff of Small Favor, but I didn't see why when doing the layout I could put in a few bits of fan service, like the note Billy drops in the rpg text about

(click to show/hide)

Kirby leaving his cell phone over at their place

and some of the bits under the blackout. But that's largely me just having fun as a fan and a book designer.