New GM Requesting Help

[Aubri]

My group and I have spent the last couple of weeks putting together a city and characters for a DFRPG game, which I'm to GM. And I'm a little worried.
It's not that I'm new to running games. I've run D&D for years... but I'm starting to feel like that's more of a hindrance than a help! I'm having some trouble putting together a plot and a proper villain. This is really, really different from what I'm used to.

First off, I ran through the process in "Building Scenarios", but I'm a little bit confused about what to do after I have a general idea of the plot. Should I just write down what happens without the PCs' intervention, and watch them monkey-wrench it all to hell?

Second, I don't understand the rules of thumb in "Scaling the Opposition". My group is Waist Deep: two pure mortals, a changeling, and a were-form. For a single villain, the Mixed Groups sub-heading says I should "add up the total refresh the PCs spent on powers, but then subtract the total number of refresh they spent on mortal stunts."
What does "powers" refer to? Do you total the spent refresh and subtract stunts, leaving you with just the refresh spent on supernatural powers? Or that you add up only the supernatural powers, then subtract the stunts? Because doing that leaves me with a grand total of -1 refresh for my baddie.
(In case anyone cares: mortal cop, -5 in stunts; mortal scientist, -4 in stunts; changeling, -6 in powers; were-form, -4 in powers. The changeling has sponsored unseelie magic.)

[devonapple]

First off, I ran through the process in "Building Scenarios", but I'm a little bit confused about what to do after I have a general idea of the plot. Should I just write down what happens without the PCs' intervention, and watch them monkey-wrench it all to hell?

You have many options for getting the players started.

In Media Res: Compel one or more of the PCs' Aspects and land them into a "currently in progress" firefight/chase/social situation which directly leads into the plot. Backfill as the game progresses.
NPC-based - Help: Make sure you have an NPC who is a) impacted by the problem, and b) linked to one of the players, and have them hit up the player for help.
NPC-based - Aspect Conflict: Make sure you have an NPC related to the problem - or who could benefit from tension between a player and another player/NPC - then figure out a series of short-term goals that NPC can use to take advantage of the situation.
PC-based: Find a way in which the current problem impacts one of the PCs, preferably one of their Aspects, and then make something happen to the PC.

If you are able to share: what are the Aspects you assembled to make the Scenario?

[Crion]

My group and I have spent the last couple of weeks putting together a city and characters for a DFRPG game, which I'm to GM. And I'm a little worried.
It's not that I'm new to running games. I've run D&D for years... but I'm starting to feel like that's more of a hindrance than a help! I'm having some trouble putting together a plot and a proper villain. This is really, really different from what I'm used to.

Heya Aubri, welcome to the madness of running the DFRPG! It is quite the different beast when compared to games such as D&D, but if you can wrap your mind around it, you may find a lot more to enjoy. Let's see if I can't offer a few thoughts that may be of use.

First off, I ran through the process in "Building Scenarios", but I'm a little bit confused about what to do after I have a general idea of the plot. Should I just write down what happens without the PCs' intervention, and watch them monkey-wrench it all to hell?

My personal favourite thing in this situation: I only write out general concepts and themes, potential aspects, and let my party do what they will. I have a list of what they could do and where they could go, but nothing written out in full detail. This is why I love FATE so much: the players can give you anything you may need.

So, in a way: yes, write down what has happened and what is relevant, and gauge what happens next based on what the PCs do, whether or not it directly impacts what you are writing about. I used a similar tactic in my old D&D games, just in case they went after the "wrong" villain or did something unexpected, so that I would have a way to put them on target or offer them new opposition at a later time.

With my current game, I only have a framework of what is going on, a timeline that they must follow ("You now have seven days to foil her plans and call off the wedding!"), and sample aspects of the places that are important to them or the people they may meet. That's it. I let them paint the picture for me, and you'll be amazed at how often their assessments and declarations can change the board for you.

Second, I don't understand the rules of thumb in "Scaling the Opposition". My group is Waist Deep: two pure mortals, a changeling, and a were-form. For a single villain, the Mixed Groups sub-heading says I should "add up the total refresh the PCs spent on powers, but then subtract the total number of refresh they spent on mortal stunts."
What does "powers" refer to? Do you total the spent refresh and subtract stunts, leaving you with just the refresh spent on supernatural powers? Or that you add up only the supernatural powers, then subtract the stunts? Because doing that leaves me with a grand total of -1 refresh for my baddie.
(In case anyone cares: mortal cop, -5 in stunts; mortal scientist, -4 in stunts; changeling, -6 in powers; were-form, -4 in powers. The changeling has sponsored unseelie magic.)

I personally am not a fan of the rule of thumb for "Scaling the Opposition." If you have more mortal stunts on the board, you end up losing so much of that "oomph" that a major villain should have; in your case, that is the exact problem, as you have 10 in powers versus 9 in stunts, leaving you at a net value of 1. At that point, I just build a single villain that is equal to the power of one the players, then add a few more "tricks" up their sleeve.

In my game, for example, I am running at Chest Deep. Since I know I have a collection of spellcasters, I've made the current cats-paw villain like I would any other character with magic. I gave her Channeling (Air) and Ritual (Crafting), added a few levels of of Refinement, and lobbed a few stunts her way. I then gave her some henchmen to work with to supplement her low combat skills (typical mooks), four Aspects that were fitting for the character, and voila, instant opposition!

My major opposition, on the other hand, has more work behind it, and is currently still unstatted beyond a few powers and some important skills. The players aren't supposed to meet this guy yet; he's the equivalent to a lower-end Cowl in my game.

Again, just a few scattered thoughts. Hopefully, that cleared up a few concerns instead of making things murkier!

--Crion

[UmbraLux]

First off, I ran through the process in "Building Scenarios", but I'm a little bit confused about what to do after I have a general idea of the plot. Should I just write down what happens without the PCs' intervention, and watch them monkey-wrench it all to hell?

Once you have a general idea, create a couple interesting antagonists and give them goals to fit.  Then throw the PCs into the mix!  The events ("what happens") are easy to come up with and tailor to player actions since you know the goals - "why it happens".  With FATE, you can tailor the entire plot to the PCs by taking aspects into account.  Potential NPC allies should support one or more aspects while opponents trigger self compels.

[Richard_Chilton]

I find that I have the major NPCs drawn up, then the others that are invented as needed. I sometimes keep a list of names nearby so I can quickly assign names to any "spur of the moment" NPCs the game needs.  If the PCs do something unexpected - say try to talk to random goon instead of fighting him - there's a name ready for him to use.

This game has more of a narrative flow than D&D.  If a PC rolls an investigation maneuver and declares "I find a clue" then they find one, even if you didn't include any in that scene.  In effect the players are adding plot elements as they go.  This means you can't really have everything mapped out (because the PCs will change stuff on you) and large amounts of the plot will have to be improvised.

How improvised? I make notes during the game so I can remember how the plot has shifted.

When it comes to the rules, the hardest adjustment a hard core gamer has to make is that the rules aren't really written in stone - if it's cool then go with it.

For example: at our last game the PCs were going to a beach that was used for rites - but only sometimes.  Other times it was just a beach and they knew that sometimes other supernatural creatures used it because the wall to the Nevernever was weak there.   Someone with Average investigation decided to do an investigation maneuver and declare that someone connected to the villain would be there tonight.  Then he rolled 0---.  Tagging an aspect for a reroll he came up with ----.  Someone joked that with a roll like that the opposite thing should happen, and I went with it - one of the other things that used the beach (a Fairy Lady who is into collecting kids and has the title "The First Frost of Fall") was there having some fun with a mortal (the type of fun that could lead to conception).  She was a bit offended to see the PCs there because it was "her turn" to use the beach.  They ended up questioning her and learned a few things (like why the boarder is weak there), but that wasn't what I had planned on happening.

I had planned that they might find a lead to a bar that the villain hangs out at but since the players wanted the "opposite" of what the player who rolled was going for I changed things and shifted in an entirely new direction.  And no, I didn't have that NPC's character sheet handy (they weren't supposed to meet her yet - she's going to be in the next story as someone who steals kids) but I remembered enough of it to fudge along in a non-combat situation.  If combat had broken out she would have fled to the Nevernever.  Why use her at all? Because it was the first "opposite" thing I could think of.

So Dresden is less "structured adventure" and more "here's the starting place and the setting - where do we go now"?

Note: It's not just the GM that needs to make the shift.  The players have to get used to declaring things.  We're still working on that at times.

Richard

[Aubri]

So, in a way: yes, write down what has happened and what is relevant, and gauge what happens next based on what the PCs do, whether or not it directly impacts what you are writing about. I used a similar tactic in my old D&D games, just in case they went after the "wrong" villain or did something unexpected, so that I would have a way to put them on target or offer them new opposition at a later time.

I personally am not a fan of the rule of thumb for "Scaling the Opposition." If you have more mortal stunts on the board, you end up losing so much of that "oomph" that a major villain should have; in your case, that is the exact problem, as you have 10 in powers versus 9 in stunts, leaving you at a net value of 1. At that point, I just build a single villain that is equal to the power of one the players, then add a few more "tricks" up their sleeve.

That's a lot of help, actually. Thanks! I'll just get my "rogue" "pyromancer" (he's technically neither) statted up and work up a timeline for the adventure, and that should be enough to start.

Note: It's not just the GM that needs to make the shift.  The players have to get used to declaring things.  We're still working on that at times.

I'll try to remember to remind them of that. Thanks a lot!

[sinker]

Another thing to remember when you're trying to scale the villains to the party is that consequences can make a huge difference one way or the other. When I was still getting the hang of how much power any given villain ought to have I found that I could shorten or lengthen any combat by adding or removing consequence slots during the conflict. That way if it seems like the PCs are steamrolling the villain you can give him a little more life, and if it seems like the conflict is dragging then you can cut it short.