Advice for a New Campagin

[Gaelicwolf]

Hello all.

I'm starting a new campaign for the Dresden Files RPG and I thought I would post some information here to see if anyone had and ideas and/or advice that could be helpful. I've run a Dresden Campaign before, although due to issues with players and uncomfortability with the system, the game sort of fell apart. I've run several other campaigns before, and I'm pretty used to GMing on the whole, but I figured since I haven't touched the system since then, I would see if you veterans might be able to offer any aid.

The campaign (named Echoes of the Leviathan), is set in the Mid 1940s to the early 1950s in Brooklyn, New York. It's a Horror/Noir game, meaning that the focus will be on atmosphere, and the game should definitely have a mysterious and creepy air about it. The players are playing with 9 Refresh to start (so that they can play whichever template they like), but advancing will be a slow process for them. One of my major concerns is that I have 8 players.
(I must have gone insane for a few days to invite 8 people to play my game.)

The campaign's main villain is going to be

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an Outsider God who was partially summoned through to our world between 1000-2000 years ago, who has a Cult serving him, attempting to complete his summoning to this world. The Cult has a lot of Native American influences (as it was a group of Native Americans who originally summoned them) and Wendigo are going to essentially be the lieutenant bosses to the cult. A Naagloshi will end up being one of the last major bosses before they have to face the Outsider God itself. The Outsider God's bailiwicks are Terror, Corruption and Decay, as well as being a creature of the Deep Oceans (as far as we can understand it)

.

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Jabberwocky]

Generally speaking, Fate is better with cinematic action that mysteries. This article is dealing with that issue. Otherwise, I can't imagine myself GM-ing eight people but this can be only me.

[Kennifus Prime]

What advice are you exactly looking for?

Just general advice on GM'ing a game?

I had never GM'd before, and had never played FATE or DFRPG, when I started GM'ing my weekly games for some friends. We broke one year of playing back in January and are still going strong. None of them were familiar with the FATE system and only 2 of the 5 had read the books at the time (now 3/5). I found the game mechanics and system itself (other than magic) to be extremely simple and flexible in all the right ways. Keep in mind this is a storytelling system, at least in my eyes, and it lends itself to sessions built as such. I worry a lot less about intricate maps and such and a lot more on characterization and PC/NPC/World interaction. The biggest piece of advice I could give to anyone who's going to GM a FATE based game is do not plan too much. The system is all about PC choice. They can do a LOT between ritual magic, declarations, and the like. What I do is make the NPC's, the locations, the plot hooks, and design scenes in a "What do I want this scene to accomplish?" kind of way. If you try planning too much of a "railroad system" you'll find it going south really quick. Have a mansion the players need to break into? For the Burglary part stop there. Let them figure it out. Don't design some special security system, because undoubtedly a Wizard will hex it. A super cool lock system? A PC will scale a wall and go in through a less secure window.

Base your scenes, sessions, and entire campaigns on "skeleton ideas". What you want to accomplish and how you want the story to develop and then let that magically happen during your game nights. It might require you to think fast sometimes, but it'll be worth it.

Hopefully this helps, but if you have more specific questions let me know. :-)

[dragoonbuster]

The system is all about PC choice.

Singled out for specific emphasis. FATE and the Dresden Files are NOT your D&D.

Eight people is probably too large a group. You might consider splitting into two groups.

[pencilneckgeek]

I play in a group that sometimes has eight or more and we still have a good time. But, yeah, it sometimes gets a bit hairy GM-wise and we have to split into groups from time to time. Still, it's doable.

[Kennifus Prime]

Just keeping track of the 56 Aspects for 8 PC's for Compels/Invokes alone would be intense. Throw in Aspects for Locations, NPC's, Temporary ones, etc. and your brain may explode. Or perhaps you just have some handy-dandy list with all of them on it and do fine. Party splits will likely be a big issue. It happens in my games and we only have 5 PC's. The system lends itself to them with the ability for PC's to "do whatever they like", but if not managed well you can end up with the PC's not in the current Scene being bored. Not saying it isn't doable, just likely difficult and stressful on your part as the GM.

[Sanctaphrax]

Welcome to the forum, Gaelicwolf.

8 PCs sounds rough. To make it easier, I recommend you have your PCs share Aspects and agendas. Fate works best when the player characters generate plot, and 3 people pulling in different directions can be really cool, but 8 people pulling in different directions is unworkable.

Might also be a good idea to give each player 5 Aspects instead of 7, like in Fate Core.

If each PC has 5 Aspects, and everybody has one along the lines of PROTECT THE INNOCENT, and half the players also have something like DIRT POOR, then you've only got about 30 Aspects to track. That's way more manageable, especially since you can easily engage the whole group by endangering some innocents.

[Gaelicwolf]

Thank you all for the advice. I'll keep in mind the idea of limiting the number of Aspects and such people take.

[Shaft]

In our Montreal-themed game, Wendigo are

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members of Winter Court, including Changelings, that have been touched by Outsiders/Chaos and gives them a Hunger track that can only be satisfied by eating the flesh of sentients.

[Gaelicwolf]

In our Montreal-themed game, Wendigo are

(click to show/hide)

members of Winter Court, including Changelings, that have been touched by Outsiders/Chaos and gives them a Hunger track that can only be satisfied by eating the flesh of sentients.

Hmmm, that's a really interesting idea. It's a great way to do Wendigo actually.

[Gaelicwolf]

If anyone has any cool ideas for a game set in the 1940s as well, i'd love to hear them. I've got a bunch of stuff figured out for my game, but new ideas always can always help make things cooler.

[blackstaff67]

If anyone has any cool ideas for a game set in the 1940s as well, i'd love to hear them. I've got a bunch of stuff figured out for my game, but new ideas always can always help make things cooler.

Different from mine but I like it.  I'm using the Aspect "Wendigo walks these hills" for the Iron Mountain range for my Minnesota game.  I view Wendigo as a creature attracted to an entity with an appetite or addiction that cannot be sated; those hills are not safe for those of a certain mindset. 

[AgentSchneider]

Well if it's going to be late 1940's-1950's then maybe you could tie in the aftermath of WWII in some way. Are your PCs going to potentially be globe-trotting or are they going to be locked into New York?

Some ideas:
Former Nazi scientist who was working with Outsider magic tries to spring a ritual on the city (could tie in to your horror/noir theme if you were thinking of Call of Cthulu-esque escapades). This could also give your PCs a hint as to who the real Big Bad is.

House Malvora tries to orchestrate a second Great Depression following the war to generate more Despair, feed, and increase their power while making a move on House Raith for supremacy.

Also how do you plan on incorporating the Native American aspects into it?

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Naagloshi tend to only roam on sacred ceremonial ground and NYC doesn't seem to have a lot of that. Are the Wendigo going to be conscious or just mindless eating machines? I think if you're going the Wendigo route working in some Ghouls into the cult would make perfect sense. Maybe at some point a Ghoul clan makes an assault on the city to spread Terror (one of the Gods bailiwicks) while the cult does something to progress the ritual.

If you're trying to make a mystery/noir game then working in "mysterious disappearances" seems to be a safe way to get the mystery going and make the PCs get invested in figuring out What Lies Beneath. Maybe the cult is kidnapping people? Maybe ghouls are kidnapping people? Maybe a rift is opening up/being opened up in the NeverNever that is close to The Outside.

[Gaelicwolf]

Well if it's going to be late 1940's-1950's then maybe you could tie in the aftermath of WWII in some way. Are your PCs going to potentially be globe-trotting or are they going to be locked into New York?

Some ideas:
Former Nazi scientist who was working with Outsider magic tries to spring a ritual on the city (could tie in to your horror/noir theme if you were thinking of Call of Cthulu-esque escapades). This could also give your PCs a hint as to who the real Big Bad is.

House Malvora tries to orchestrate a second Great Depression following the war to generate more Despair, feed, and increase their power while making a move on House Raith for supremacy.

Also how do you plan on incorporating the Native American aspects into it?

(click to show/hide)

Naagloshi tend to only roam on sacred ceremonial ground and NYC doesn't seem to have a lot of that. Are the Wendigo going to be conscious or just mindless eating machines? I think if you're going the Wendigo route working in some Ghouls into the cult would make perfect sense. Maybe at some point a Ghoul clan makes an assault on the city to spread Terror (one of the Gods bailiwicks) while the cult does something to progress the ritual.

If you're trying to make a mystery/noir game then working in "mysterious disappearances" seems to be a safe way to get the mystery going and make the PCs get invested in figuring out What Lies Beneath. Maybe the cult is kidnapping people? Maybe ghouls are kidnapping people? Maybe a rift is opening up/being opened up in the NeverNever that is close to The Outside.

Wow these are all really great ideas, thank you. I'll probably incorporate the idea of Nazi's tapping into Outsider power, because that is just a great image in my head. And the idea for House Malvora is great too, because I wasn't sure how I was going to work them in (as one of my players is going to be playing a member of House Malvora).

As for working WW2 in, I've been trying to find ways to do so without it overtaking the tone of my game, but first section of the campaign is set during late WW2. It'll give the city this sort of tense and almost abandoned feel, because all the mortals are distracted by a war an ocean away. The monsters are left far more unchecked than before. But I figure it'll be a mixture of the game is set primary in New York, but they might have the occasional adventure outside the city.

As for the Native American aspects,

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the Outsider God was initially summoned by the local tribe (whom the other tribe eventually exterminated and pretty much erased because they were playing with *very* dark forces), but a few of the last surviving members form that tribe are still around. The Daughter of the Outsider God (conceived off of a specific line of Medicine women as one of the most horrific acts of the Outsider God's Cult), is the immortal leader of the cult and has essentially kept a small portion of "sacred" land to her cult in New York that the Naagloshi who follow this Outsider God and his Daughter live on.

The idea of Ghouls in the cult as well is really great, actually.

[AgentSchneider]

As for the Native American aspects,

(click to show/hide)

the Outsider God was initially summoned by the local tribe (whom the other tribe eventually exterminated and pretty much erased because they were playing with *very* dark forces), but a few of the last surviving members form that tribe are still around. The Daughter of the Outsider God (conceived off of a specific line of Medicine women as one of the most horrific acts of the Outsider God's Cult), is the immortal leader of the cult and has essentially kept a small portion of "sacred" land to her cult in New York that the Naagloshi who follow this Outsider God and his Daughter live on.
 

Ok that makes sense then. Any idea where you were going to put this portion of land? I'm not familiar with NYC but maybe there are some areas that have a reputation for being avoided or a history of violence? Also glad that I was able to be of assistance. I've always liked the idea of Nazi scientists working with Outsider magic.