Comments on: DFRPG Q&A 3

By: What's He On About Now? » DFRPG Q&A 4

What's He On About Now? » DFRPG Q&A 4 — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:10:58 +0000

[...] have been some more comments on this on the previous post. Thanks to Chad and Fred, once again, for pitching in and keeping me [...]

By: Selenio

Selenio — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:45:37 +0000

Hi Rick, thanks a lot for all this work your are doing, it’s like a birthday gift for us all.

I’ve decided to run one or two games of Dresden Files RPG in the biggest game convention in my city (Barnaludica it’s the name). Unfortunately the convention is on late May so it’s pretty unlikely for me to have the books already on that dates (even with possible preorders). Therefore I’m going to try and run it with a simplified system based on the FATE I know through SoTC and the details you, Fred and Lenny Balsera are giving us. I suppose I can sort something out of all your posts.

The only thing I don’t know how to do is the city creation thing (I want to Dresdenize the city of Barcelona for the local players). Can you please explain more about the City Creation steps (not all the details obviously, just some kind of steps list or anything). Thanks in advance.

Selenio.

By: Rel Fexive

Rel Fexive — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:51:20 +0000

I have to say that everything I’m reading about the magic system here makes me believe I’m finally going to see The Perfect Magic System that I’ve been hoping for for many years. The one that fits almost every idea I have about how I want it to work. Even down to the thing with Lore as a limit of what spells you can do on the fly, above which you need to do some research to figure out how to do it.

*crosses more fingers*

By: Tush Hog

Tush Hog — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:51:53 +0000

Thanks, Lenny! I really like that.

By: Tim "Your Personal Undead" Popelier

Tim "Your Personal Undead" Popelier — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:49:33 +0000

First off, I am looking forward to this, I have always been somewhat adverse to playing games based on anything, but something written by such a fellow geek as Jim really can’t evade my “want to play need.”

Anyhow, gushing aside, I was wondering how well the more dangerous surroundings are handled. The top of speeding trains, sinking boats, and harries favourite: burning buildings!

I am only vaguely acquainted with the faith system so I was wondering how variedly the system can depicts these hazards and perils without them feeling the same.

By: Fred Hicks

Fred Hicks — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:00:59 +0000

Nope. That’s from his Superb Conviction.

By: Iorwerth

Iorwerth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:51:39 +0000

I noticed on Harry’s character sheet that he has an extra mental minor consequence – is this from his Wizard’s Constitution?

By: Lenny Balsera

Lenny Balsera — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:39:04 +0000

Tush Hog: No, the skill assignment is columnar, a structure waaaaay back from Fate v2 we felt would more suit an extended campaign game.

So, what that means is, to have a skill at a certain level, you have to “support” it, by having one skill at each level below it. So, to have a Good skill, you must have a Fair skill and an Average skill. You can’t have 2 Good skills without also having 2 Fair and 2 Average skills. Etc.

But you can make that as “narrow” or as “wide” as you want. It takes 30 skill points to have two “Superb” columns (that is, two skills at each level from Average to Superb). But that same 30 skill points could give you three “Great” columns (that is, three skills at each level from Average to Great), five “Good” columns, ten “Fair” columns, or (if you want to be absurd) 30 skills at Average. So you get a choice there, between being a character with fewer skills but higher peaks, or being a character with more skills and lower peaks.

By: Tush Hog

Tush Hog — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:11:15 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions! I found the different starting power levels interesting. If you have a cap at Superb, must you have a Superb stat? Also, must your skills form a pyramid (1 at 5, 2 at 4, 3 at 3, etc…)?

By: Rick Neal

Rick Neal — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:53:02 +0000

Bob as an NPC ally – which, incidentally, is the way he’s handled in the rulebook – would work just fine. It would lead to more in-game interaction, and would allow the GM to have more control over him and the situations in which he is useful. Bob as an Aspect and set of Stunts should also work just fine, but it would put the control more firmly in the hands of the player. So, with Bob as an Aspect, you could spend a Fate Point to get a +2 shift to your Lore check preparing a potion. With Bob as an ally, you’d have to negotiate with him to get him to help you – possibly using one of your interpersonal skills to make a declaration that he Owed You One, possibly just through roleplaying, possibly through Social Conflict inflicting a consequence, depending on how you and the GM wanted to handle it.

And either one could be nabbed by bad guys; the only difference is that, as an Aspect, the GM would probably give you a Fate Point for depriving you of access until you get him back.

This is one of the things I like most about the game system – there are multiple good ways to do pretty much anything. The one you pick really depends on your vision of what you want the precise effect and flavour to be.