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Friday, September 6, 2013

Blake Chronicles (Option 2)

It is Chicago, 1926.  The prohibition era is in full swing and criminals jockey for position in the seedy underworld that is this iconic city of the past.

Not all of these criminals are human.

The players take on the roles of individuals devoted to dealing with the supernatural.  This is a continuation of an ongoing campaign that most of the players in our group have played already.  For information about who is who, and what is up, visit the campaign on Obsidian Portal: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/blake-chronicles

This will be using the Dresden Files RPG system with is a variant of the FATE system.  There are few, if any, house rules, and mostly deal with how Fate points are awarded.  We are all familiar with the system and would be ready and willing to teach the new guy the ropes :)

9 comments:

Jayson said...

I would be game for playing this game. I would like a bit more freedom though in character creation. Meaning, we design the idea and how it works using the written rules (regardless of how absurd it might sound...afterall, absurdity is relative to perspective and opinion...thus it really doesn't matter, especially when this is all fantasy anyway)...and the GM gives limits according to the rules (e.g. that can only be done once per scene, once per session, or that will cost a Fate point to activate). Furthermore, again its fantasy...throw physics out the window for the most part. I think we got too technical too much. Lastly, don't make us roll for everything. It seemed that we were using Fate points for the most trivial things. Like Henry having to use a fate point just to know anything about a Vampire, despite the fact that we was a Vampire Hunter. We should only be using Fate points on crucial points in the story.

Apart from those points, I love this game! I am excited to play Knighten Foraine again.

Richard Craig said...

There were quite a few things I didn't make you roll on. The issue was not what I was having you roll on, but instead the difficulty I assigned to the roll. The point is not to determine how difficult it is for you, but how difficult it is for the average Joe with a given skill.

If I set the difficulties right it will be a more realistic result. Remember, though, that the main problem with Henry knowing things was that his skills were out of order for it. He build more like a bruiser than a thinker, and the rolls reflected this.

As far as characters are concerned, the main limitation is how many points you actually have at the beginning. If you want to rework Knighten from the ground up, I am game. We could figure everything you want the character to be. Then, we have to assign points. The problem occurs when what you want costs more than what you have.

In my other DFRPG game I found that providing options for reducing cost worked better for the players, and I did help them craft their characters in the method you describe.

This all being said, there is a certain amount of 'science' to the magic of the DF universe. That being said, DFRPG is more about results than about method.

What you need to be able to do is tell me, simply, what you want the spell to do. EX: I want to hit the enemy hard.

Ok, so you want a single target attack. You define the magic you put in, and pay the cost.

Then you have to roll to control.

The cost + the total roll = the result.

Jayson said...

Good points. I totally agree about the magic part. Those points listed in the book should be GM driven, not player. They are more of guidelines, so if the GM decides to make it cost more or less, I as the player am not arguing. Rather, I am taking it as is and rolling those dang dice and finding a way to make the roll work. I would recommend greater use of the Rotes, since they simplify this process.

I agree that so of the skills were set too high and Henry really did not plan for those skills. Having said that, I still think Fate points should be reserved for more drastic parts of the story...but I do realize with house rules the Fate points were pretty easy to get. I might recommend not giving Fate points for logs. I would rather find more Skill Points and Refresh rewarded for that. This means that only through compels someone could get Fate. This would make them a bit more special. This may just be my opinion though.

Nathan Bingham said...

While I like the idea, wouldnt it be better giving the players something that they have not seen. Then again, something familiar could be pushed further. I have mixed feelings on this option.

Jayson said...

Would you still play the character Henry "Darkness" Sutter if we played? Or would explore something new to you?

AZ RUNE said...

This system would be new to me, but I have never shied away from conflicts or challenges. :-)

Richard Craig said...

I'd like to note that this is not a back-room method for me getting Jon into the game. If people want him in to play Kyle, ok, if not, ok too. No, I am simply suggesting bringing Blake back.

killervp said...

nWhile I am not opposed to playing a Dresden game, I am not a big fan of bringing Blake back.

Jayson said...

I am currently reading Dead Beat. I thought it would be cool to play during WWII in Nazi Germany where the main Villain (besides the obvious Hilter) would be the Necromancer Kemmler and his Kemmlerites.