How would you describe the Dresdenverse?

[marrer]

I'm planning on starting a campaign, and am trying to get people interested in joining; however, most of the people I've talked to Don't really know what The Dresden Files (I know it is a crime against everything that matters) let alone what the world it takes place in is like.  Hence, I've been thinking about how to go about describing things to them: like how magic users can affect technology, the different vampire courts, what the White Council is, etc..  I'm curious to know how you all would explain it so that maybe I can draw from you to give those whom I talk to about this a better, clearer understanding.  Because I had a big long discussion with one guy who wanted to play a technomancer--no not the music  , but rather in the sense of technology.  I explained to him about the oil and water effect casters tend to have with technology, and redirected him with a few possible ways he might get an idea like what he's thinking through an alternative route, but that isn't really important heheh.  Interested to see how you guys respond.

[Vargo Teras]

It's an urban fantasy world which draws heavily from myth, including the fact that plenty of myths don't line up. There are at least four different kinds of vampire and five different flavors of werewolf, not counting the various Fair Folk that could pass for one or both. While there are large overarching societies of the supernatural, most problems and solutions are local, and if you were buddies with someone before they learned magic and you turned into a wolf-man, you'll probably still be buddies afterward.

This is mostly to differentiate it from the World of Darkness, the most well-known urban fantasy gaming world, and to highlight the things I particularly like about it from a gaming standpoint.

[Lavecki121]

There actually seems to be a grey area when it comes to technology. From my understanding (which could easily be wrong) it seems like you're understanding of technology directly effects what you muddle up. Regardless of whether that is right or wrong I would still say that it is possible to play some sort of technomancer, they just may not be able to influence tech as much as they want. someone who uses electricity for example could make use of devices that channel and store electricity in the form of enchanted items or focus items.

[Deadmanwalking]

A non-mortal magician could also easily be a Technomancer, since only mortal magic screws it up. I'm a fan of Scions of Hephaestus for this, but almost anything could work.

[JDK002]

In addition to everything mentioned above, it's also a good idea to mention that it has a very comic book feel to it.  That the player characters are flawed super heroes.  That it lends itself to fairly over the top situations, and isn't as dark and dreary as a lot of work in a similar setting.

For sake of compairison, I usually reference Buffy the Vampire Slayer as very similar in tone and pace.

[HumAnnoyd]

How about using Harry's own words?

The world is getting weirder. Darker every single day. Things are spinning around faster and faster, and threatening to go completely awry. Falcons and falconers. The center cannot hold.

But in my corner of the country, I’m trying to nail things down. … I don’t want to live in a world where the strong rule and the weak cower. I’d rather make a place where things are a little quieter. Where trolls stay the hell under their bridges, and where elves don’t come swooping out to snatch children from their cradles. Where vampires respect the limits, and where the faeries mind their p’s and q’s.

My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I’m in the book.

— Harry Dresden in Jim Butcher‘s Storm Front

[Richard_Chilton]

I'd say:
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,22372.msg966827.html#msg966827.

Richard

[Aminar]

Once upon a time a secret group published Bram Stoker's Dracula as a method to inform the world of Vampire Hunting Techniques.  For a time this held the supernatural forces back.  Now it's rising again, and somebody is putting out a series of fantasy novels as a guide to the Supernatural.

Doesn't explain much but is a great hook for the series.  And once somebody reads the first book they're hooked. 

That or what I did.  Write a session based around bashing Twilight, and tell your friends you have a real funny one shot you want to run.  They'll be hooked.  All my players are DF fanatics now.

[InFerrumVeritas]

The world is a scarier place than you think it is.  Your mind blocks it out, forgets the trauma, and rationalizes the things it doesn't want to explain.  But do you still remember how scared you were of the wicked witches and evil fairies in the stories your grandmother used to tell you?  Do you remember how you hoped those children could beat those monsters because it meant that you could too?  You were smarter then.  Those monsters are real.  All of them.  Ghosts, goblins, vampires, gods, devils, fairies, and wolf-men.  They're exactly like the stories you remember, except they're so much worse.  You've only got one advantage in a world where you're a pawn or food for beings you can only begin to understand: they're afraid of you too.  That's why they hide in your closet, under your bed, and only bump in the night.  But they don’t want to hide anymore.  They're coming for you.  Be careful with magic, know its cost.  Don’t take gifts or favors lightly.  Speak carefully or hold your tongue.  And don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[cold_breaker]

With regards to technomancers: There are auqamancers, why not technomancers? Limitations on magic are not necassarily consistant depending on who the mage using it is.

That said, I've heard people call it a mix of Buffy and Charmed, and I'd personally like to tie it to Lost Girl - A Canadian series that really gets the Fae aspects - different but similiar politics (and some great ideas for supernatural baddies that haven't popped up in Dresden yet!) - The only thing those shows don't touch on yet that I'd like to highlight is the concept of free will vs. power that seems very important to the Fate system and Dresden himself.

My first adventure with the party I'm putting together right now will definitely have to highlight that if I'm going to acclimatize a group who've never read the series to the Dresdenverse.

[JDK002]

With regards to technomancers: There are auqamancers, why not technomancers? Limitations on magic are not necassarily consistant depending on who the mage using it is.

That said, I've heard people call it a mix of Buffy and Charmed, and I'd personally like to tie it to Lost Girl - A Canadian series that really gets the Fae aspects - different but similiar politics (and some great ideas for supernatural baddies that haven't popped up in Dresden yet!) - The only thing those shows don't touch on yet that I'd like to highlight is the concept of free will vs. power that seems very important to the Fate system and Dresden himself.

My first adventure with the party I'm putting together right now will definitely have to highlight that if I'm going to acclimatize a group who've never read the series to the Dresdenverse.

If you're trying to stay strictly canon, there is a problem with the technomancer/hydromancer compairison.

In-universe there is a subtle difference between say fire conjured via magic and actual fire (this was established in Summer Knight).  While not explicitly stated yet, it's fair to assume the same principle applies to water evocation.  That it's not actual water in a scientific sense, thus won't ground out magic or disrupt the energies that gve demons and ghosts coporial form.

[cold_breaker]

If you're trying to stay strictly canon, there is a problem with the technomancer/hydromancer compairison.

In-universe there is a subtle difference between say fire conjured via magic and actual fire (this was established in Summer Knight).  While not explicitly stated yet, it's fair to assume the same principle applies to water evocation.  That it's not actual water in a scientific sense, thus won't ground out magic or disrupt the energies that gve demons and ghosts coporial form.

Where is this established in Summer Knight? I think I missed something here. I will mention that the whole idea of using water in magic is a concept that even confuses Harry, but supposedly Bob has some big, confusing explanation. My interpretation is that technomancy would use technology in much the same way. Technology would cease working the way it should, and the mage would be able to do anything with it that he understands as being possible with technology, albiet on a much more powerful level.

That said, a technomancer would admittedly go a long way toward ruining the mood and theme most people would be after running a DF game, and I'd probably disallow a PC from those abilities (although not necessarily an NPC)

[JDK002]

Where is this established in Summer Knight? I think I missed something here. I will mention that the whole idea of using water in magic is a concept that even confuses Harry, but supposedly Bob has some big, confusing explanation. My interpretation is that technomancy would use technology in much the same way. Technology would cease working the way it should, and the mage would be able to do anything with it that he understands as being possible with technology, albiet on a much more powerful level.

That said, a technomancer would admittedly go a long way toward ruining the mood and theme most people would be after running a DF game, and I'd probably disallow a PC from those abilities (although not necessarily an NPC)

When Harry finds out Grum is immune to fire magic (or was it all magic?), so proceeds to light him on fire using "plain old vanilla fire".  This shows that on some level that normal fire and magical fire are not exactly the same.  It's fair to assume the same of all elements conjured with magic.

[cold_breaker]

When Harry finds out Grum is immune to fire magic (or was it all magic?), so proceeds to light him on fire using "plain old vanilla fire".  This shows that on some level that normal fire and magical fire are not exactly the same.  It's fair to assume the same of all elements conjured with magic.

I think you're reading into it too much.

One example I'm thinking of is in Dead Beat, when Harry uses fire magic to pull heat out of water and Freeze it, causing a car slick in a car chase scene. In this case, he uses magic to manipulate existing elements.

Technomancy in my mind would be similiar. Conjured technology would be incredibly crude, (and it might be slightly different then real technology, as you pointed out) - but might take the form of conjured tactical weapons (I imaging conjuring a heat seaking missile of sorts, or saw blades popping out of walls) while more subtle magics (evocation) might allow doing powerful technology based stuff, like hacking into closed circuit cameras and such.

That said, I would try to figure out a way for the hexing disadvantage to appear anyways. I'm sure normal mundane running water wouldn't be completely ineffective against an aquamancer, so... yeah. Perhaps a different disadvantage?

Again, in this case I wouldn't allow it on a PC, more for thematic reasons then actual balancing reasons.