I admit I like the idea of a core game, with the other games being expansions. Crossovers were always a headache under the old system and it was silly to have half the book dedicated to the exact same rules that were in every other WoD book.
Yeah, but there are lots of these types of games on the market that would be as sutible (or more) for a
Harry Dresden campaign than the WoD system.
*
Unisystem (Eden games) has been done for
Witchcraft,
Terra Primate (planet of apes),
All Flesh Must Be Eaten (zombies),
Buffy/
Angel,
Conspiracy-X (x-files),
Armaggeddon (angel/demon),
Army of Darkness,
Spacefarers and Prairie Folk (Firefly) and probably more I have forgotten. There are settings with modern-day magic and supernatural critters, and I think it's a lot easier to run than WoD.
*
GURPS (Steve Jackson) is by definition designed to allow for characters of any setting. It's a bit clunky sometimes, but the magic system is pretty logical (lots of easy-spell prerequisites in order to acquire advanced spells) and could be adapted to fit Harry's world. Lots of modern-day weapons and skills and such already generated.
*
d20 Modern (WotC) has an
Urban Arcana setting for modern-day magic. The spell-casting system is similar to D&D, which isn't really much like Jim's magic system, but other elements of the game are pretty close. Also, the basic d20 game system has been worked through various eras including
d20 past,
d20 future,
d20 post-holocaust,
D&D fantasy,
Star Wars RPG,
Adventure (pulp),
d20 Cthulhu, and the list goes on and on.
* Fred & Rob's
FATE system (and Fudge in general) can be used in many settings, such as Cthulhu, King Arthur, dungeon crawl, Amber,
Spirit of the Century (pulp), eventually Harry Dresden, and probably many that I have't thought of.
My point is not to bash
World of Darkness, but simply to point out that the idea of a core set of rules that fits multiple settings isn't that new. True, many of these will include at least a short-cut version of the core rules in each volume, but often these only fill up a couple of chapters in the front with the remainder devoted to setting content.
I've looked at the
WoD game system and it's okay, but certainly isn't my first choice if I want to run a Dresden game.
Just my two cents.