How different is Britain as a setting for the Dresden Files?

[Katarn]

While I'm not from Bristol (or the UK), its wikipedia article gave me a few ideas:

First and foremost,
STONEHENGE

White Council-  as has been said, Eurocentric and (relatively) close to Edinburgh
*Warden of Bristol- seems very likely, unless your game is immediately post-DB.
*Chandler- could have a larger role in an UK setting.  If you have specific time frame in mind for the game, keep in mind Chandler might be part of the newer Wardens (described by Dresden in TC as young).

White Court- GS Spoilers: 

(click to show/hide)

We know the Raiths have some UK presence, maybe Felicia depending on the time frame of your game

Fae- as has been said, fae should be plentiful (perhaps as ruthless business "people")
*Luftwaffe raids in WWII (maybe someone made a deal to save the city from total annihilation?)

Ley Lines- because they're fun, and probably symbolic to the area.

Old Deities- check our archaic deities from the greater UK- there are a lot of unique, creative ideas to be had

"Virtute et Industria"- city's motto (Virtue and Industry)- definitely some types of supernatural businesspeople (plentiful fae), perhaps an occult order of knights or peacekeepers or people-for-the-good-of-mankind (Justicars, Knights Templar, Illuminati, etc.)

Old History- the area had human activity 60k years ago, and the Romans were nearby as well.  Brycgstow was a trading centre with a mint, and even repelled Irish invasions.  Jumping ahead,
*Part of the Triangular Trade
*Great Western Railway
*University of Bristol/U of the West of England

[Lanodantheon]

Most of the previous response have given the advice I'd give.


The only Canon about Europe from the Novels is thus:


I can't find the book but once Dresden says, "The Old World is the home of the old school of Wizardry." He mentions that Wizards in Europe "Keep their heads down" and keep the supernatural out of the lime light at all costs.


Harry also mentions the Castles previously brought up. He mentions explicitly in one book that more than one of his European Wizard Contacts have their bases in actual Wizard Towers. Which would be cool.


The only other things I wonder about is A) What was Kemmler doing in Bristol if he was ever there? and B) What did the Bristol Blitz do to the supernatural community?

[Thaumologist]

Go and read Neverwhere, by Gaiman. It has, if I remember right, a large amount of British/European supernatural beasties, and a few ideas that could be fun (IE, The Floating Market).

[DanteMVH]

I see you've already started, but this is an interesting topic, so I'll throw in some concepts in case anyone else has similar thoughts.

Increased White Council presence - As others have said the White Council is in Edinburgh. It's the other end of the country in Bristol, but you can still get between the two in as little as 7 hours even on mortal transportation.
Increased Black Court presence - As the oldest and most 'classic' vampires, with roots in Europe, they're the most likely to be found in the UK.
Increased Fae presence - The Dredenverse Sidhe are heavily based on Celtic folklore, so it stands to reason they'll be more powerful in the UK, especially in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Decreased Red and White Court presence - Their powerbases are in South and North America, they're likely to be far less important in the UK.
Weapons are more restricted - The UK has very harsh gun and knife laws. Isolated rural types may have an old rifle or shotgun, and connected criminals might be able to get their hands on modern guns, but they're likely to be rare, expensive and really hard to explain if you're found carrying one. Our regular police don't even carry guns! (although specific armed police can be called in, SWAT style) Something to remember if anyone wants to make a cop character.
Religion is different - This is an odd one. Unlike the US the UK actually has an official state religion (The Church of England) but it isn't anywhere near as powerful or vocal as in the US. Most people seem to default to agnostic. That said, a very old and organised Church would have a lot of resources.
Immigration is different - Like the US, the UK is a melting pot, but it has different ingredients, which might influence what lore and organisations you draw on. There are far less Jewish people in the UK, for instance, so an ass kicking Rabbi would be a little out of place. There's a very high rate of immigration from South Asia, so it might be worth looking into Indian folklore for monsters, or using a Muslim or Sikh character in place of the traditional Catholic Priest to represent religion.
Britian is really old - Seriously, really old. Most cities will contain several buildings that are significantly older than the US as a country. There's a huge amount of scope for spirits etc that are way, way older and more powerful than the kind Dresden is likely to face.

[mdodd]

I don't play RPG's anymore but what about the Roman cities being the ley line points for the NeverNever?

[mremann]

Wow, didn't realise someone had necro'd this thread. Thanks for a few more idea's, game is already under way (see my sig) but some of the idea's here are certianly interesting.