Thinking about buying this...

[Kronkality]

Was hoping for some input on this game.  What do you guys think about it and how does it rate vs other P&Ps?

Is it like Mage or Vampire or D&D? play style/rules and so on that is.

[sinker]

Fate is VERY story oriented. If you like games that emphasize good storytelling, role-playing, etc then DFRPG is great. If you like games like D&D 4th ed, or GURPS that are much more rules oriented then you might have a hard time with this.

[Nyarlathotep5150]

  The basic mechanic for spellcasting is very similar to Mage:the Awakening, but thats about the only thing about it that resembles any other game I've played.
   The system is much more about telling a story than elaborate combat rules, and unlike most games, its about storytelling as a group (rather than the standard setup of, "GM creates the setting and story and the players simply react to it" of other games).
   Also, the system of applying aspects to scenes and characters, rather than having to remember a hundred different situational modifiers is an amazing idea.
   Its hard to explain the rules here, but for my money, it is hands down the best story based (or for that matter modern fantasy/horror) game I've ever played. 

[UmbraLux]

Was hoping for some input on this game.  What do you guys think about it and how does it rate vs other P&Ps?

Is it like Mage or Vampire or D&D? play style/rules and so on that is.

It isn't much like either of the games you've listed IMO.   

Mechanically, FATE is a simple / light game where you roll a trait + 4df (think a d3-2 so the range is -1 to +1) and add aspect modifiers by spending a fate point.  Aspects are unique concepts / attributes about your character which may be used for bonuses or compel you to do something.  DFRPG adds a fairly robust stunt / power system onto the core FATE rules.

In play FATE often seems very meta-game oriented at first - in part because of the way aspects work and in part due to the explicit input players have in building the story.  It is very much a game of building a story rather than telling a prewritten story.

DFRPG itself is the best fiction to RPG conversion I've read.  It does an excellent job of playing like the books read.  The heroes are going to get beat up and compelled before they come back and stomp on the bad guys.  I highly recommend it!

[Ryan_Singer]

DFRPG itself is the best fiction to RPG conversion I've read.  It does an excellent job of playing like the books read.  The heroes are going to get beat up and compelled before they come back and stomp on the bad guys.  I highly recommend it!

I think ts is the operative advice. In DFRPG, early in the adventure, characters are heavily influenced by their nature and personality. Later on, they use the story points they've saved up to take control of the narrative and accomplish their goals.

It's currently my favorite RPG. I used to be a heavy Mutants and Masterminds player, which has a similar but less fully formed mechanic: The Hero Point economy.

[JesterOC]

A few points.

1) While it is a story game, it is not pass the stick stuff, Combat can be quite deadly, and while the PC's will have a hard time getting killed that does not mean that they can't get their butts kicked by even mid level opponents.
2) Players who want complexity can play wizards, players who want simplicity can play pure mortals. And there are nearly limitless options in between.
3) If you ever bought a game just to read the rules BUY this game now, it is a great read, wonderfully put together and damn funny at times.

JesterOC

[Khrage]

Buy it.  Run it.  Your players will love you for it.

I ran it for the first time yesterday to a group of players with heavy experience with DnD (OE through 4.0 edition players), White Wolf (currently in a crossover game with them based in NWoD, but everyone started in OWoD, and also play Exalted and Scion with them), Rifts, Champions...heck, most systems.  All four players were floored by the game and have completely bought in.  The most difficult to please/discerning player stated it very well might be her favorite system. 

I found it to have a great ease of flow to the game.  Fate points help you out in so many ways, its not even funny.  Players were trying to find ways to compel themselves to get more of them. 

The rules aren't very crunchy (though magic is somewhat complicated), but they have enough meat on them to make a good game.  Having said that, we screwed up several rules yesterday during play.  The more we play it, the better I expect the experience to be, but even screwing things up it was a lot of fun. 

I suggest going out and listening to some of the many podcasts that are out there that have actual game play.  It is a fun, collaborative system, well worth the purchase.

[TheMouse]

Dresden Files RPG is comparable in complexity to WoD using one of the splats (ie not just mortals out of the core).

The basic system is dice + Skills versus difficulty (or opposed roll). The distribution is similar to 2d6. Stunts (think D&D's feats) add in rules exceptions and static bonuses. Aspects (player defined traits that dictate narrative truth) add in modifiers when someone at the table thinks it's important or interesting that they do so.

You can check out a really stripped down version here:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4v1xSux57vyMjU4NmRmM2ItZGIwOS00ZTUyLWI0NmMtMjQ4MmEyNmFjYmIz&authkey=COW2_dYB&hl=en

This version isn't DFRPG specific, and it cuts a lot of rules out to simplify things. It should be enough to get a very basic idea of how the system works, though.

Among people who don't like DFRPG and other Fate based games, the biggest complaint is that the rules are intrusive. There's a meta-game resource aspect to the system that bothers some people. If the idea of spending points and negotiating things at the table sounds awful to you, then the game might not be for you.

[tymire]

To continue Jester's 3rd point: 

It really helps if you have read the novels (as far as getting all the jokes and references contained in the RPG).  Pretty much the books are written by one of the main characters openning up the "other side" and explaining it in RPG terms.  It has notes and comments written in the margins from 3 of the other characters as far as what changes to make on the final printing and making sure everything is right.  It's a great read.   

[Kronkality]

Now to find people willing to play lol

[deathwombat]

Buy it. And Good luck finding folks.