Noob seeking... pretty much everything...

[BlackMage]

Hello to the forum! 

As the thread title might inform you, I'm totally new at this.  Never played a tabletop game of any sort, but I've been hungry for some Dresden Files RPG ever since I heard about it being in development ages ago.  The Dresden Files being one of my favorite things ever has a lot to do with it.

There are a couple of problems for me though.  For one none of the people I intended to play it with are in my life anymore.  For another, obviously I have no idea how the whole thing works, exactly (I do not even have my copies of the materials yet).  Definitely gonna get Our World and Your Story either way to complete my Dresden collection, but was wondering if there is anyone else with similar issues regarding a lack of folks to play with about (I've been told this game works fine with OpenRPG).

[crusher_bob]

You can try getting into a play by post (pbp) game here on the forum.  The pbp section of RPG.net also occasionally has Dresden Files games.  I'd assume some other high traffic RPG forums also occasionally do DFRPG pbp games too.

It'd probably help if you asked more specific questions too.  Since, 'tell me everything' is a pretty tall order.

[BumblingBear]

OP,

Since Fred sanctioned it, you should check out the copy of "Your Story" on google books.

It's not the whole book, but it will give you an idea of how the game is played, and show you the templates you can choose from and most of the powers.

That portion will also explain how skills work.

As for players, I found most of my players on meetup.com.  I also have one that I'm dating, one that I knew previously, and one that I found on the boards here.

[Crion]

When it comes to figuring out how the system works, BumblingBear is off to a good start. If you want to get a better feel for how the rules mechanic works, I would suggest looking up the System Reference Document (SRD) for Spirit of the Century or any other Fate system. While The Dresden Files is different in some ways, you will realize that the general approach to the rules and the thoughts on roleplaying will generally be the same.

Now, when it comes to finding a group, you have a few options:

1) Find a local brick and mortar store. Comic shops, hobby shops, and various game shops may already have an RP night in the works, and you'd be amazed at how many people you would find that way. Even if you won't play the DFRPG right from the get-go, you might find some that may be interested.

2) BumblingBear and crusher_bob are on the right track: use the internet. There are many Play By Post boards, as well as RP groups galore. Go out and have fun!

3) If you are a college student, see if you have some form of gaming or anime club. Many of those people travel in the same circles, and you'd be amazed at how these people pass their time, but be warned: working with them may be like herding cats (I should know; I'm the advisor for the combined Anime Gaming and Roleplaying Organization at my campus).

4) After you get your books, grab some of your friends, even if they aren't entirely into either Roleplaying or Dresden, and just host a game night. Read up on the rules, snag the Neutral Grounds adventure, and let it loose! One-shot nights are always a blast, so keep that in mind.

[BlackMage]

Yo, sorry to everyone who responded that I didn't shoot a reply back sooner.  I was out and about most of the day.  I am annoyed to report that I could not get my stuff today as planned, as apparently no one in my area sells any form of tabletop game materials except D&D.  So, looks like its gonna have to be the internet to the rescue... except I live on cash, with no credit cards/bank accounts at present.  So yeah, might take me a bit longer to get into this than I'd hoped.  I'll just have to be patient... again.

Ok, not gonna bother to "@so-and-so" as I respond to more specific in the thread atm, you all know who you are I'm sure.  I do apologize for not being more specific in asking about the ways of the tabletop game.  When I said "noob" in reference to myself, I meant it.  I literally do not even know where to begin asking.  Did not mean to make anyone think I literally wanted them to tell me everything all at once.  That'd be a tall order indeed.  But, matters of learning the game can somewhat be put on the back burner for now since I have no game to learn.  In the meantime I may look into the suggestions about looking into the SRD of some other Fate based game and the bits of Your Story on Google to at least get some concepts of the mechanics. 

In searching for a place that sells DFRPG, I did come across a gaming shop/meeting place.  They don't carry this game, but still might be worth looking into.  The Dresden Files are awesome enough I can easily see getting someone interested even if they'd never heard of it before.  Aside from that possibility though RL is pretty much out of the question, since I have virtually no social contacts outside of the internet at present.  Still, I am sure I could find a good play by post as suggested, or seduce some of my online friends into the ways of Dresden and get a game going with them with OpenRPG/skype or play by post.  That, even more than learning the mechanics, will have to wait till I can actually play the game of course.

Thanks for the responses guys.   

[WillH]

In searching for a place that sells DFRPG, I did come across a gaming shop/meeting place.  They don't carry this game, but still might be worth looking into.

Even if they don't carry it they should be able to order it for you. Tell them it's distributed by Alliance. Even if they have never heard of the game they should be able to figure it out from there.

[Crion]

Yo, sorry to everyone who responded that I didn't shoot a reply back sooner.  I was out and about most of the day.  I am annoyed to report that I could not get my stuff today as planned, as apparently no one in my area sells any form of tabletop game materials except D&D. 

Honestly, that's a good start. Take WillH's suggestion and have them order the books for you, because if it is a smaller brick and mortar, it should be possible.

Also, this is a good start for that social side of things. I know that at my local brick and mortars, they only play certain games, but sometimes, just showing up to learn or talk to people is enough to get a group going. Give it a try, see how that works.

Good luck!