One Shots : The Dresden Files

(Oh Murph, you're such a badass)

So, it's time for me to write up another of our one shots. Now, this post is rather late, seeing as the game in question was played over a month ago back in September, and we've since played another one shot that I'll be writing up in the next week or so. Oops.

Before I cut to the chase I'd just like to make clear that unlike the other One Shots we've played so far this one was not a pre-written adventure from a published source. Instead this one was written by InfinityCircuit, who previously contributed his ideas for Tyranid transport creatures to this blog.

With that said, let's crack on shall we?

The Setting :

As you might expect the Dresden Files RPG is set in the universe of the Dresden Files series of novels by Jim Butcher. They're an urban fantasy series set primarily in and around Chicago with the main character being a private investigator and professional wizard by the name of Harry Dresden from who's point of view the stories are written, with a handful of exceptions. I and most of my immediate gaming group are fans of the series, mostly due to its mixture of drama, humour, and internally consistent world building along with Jim Butcher's talent for writing sympathetic and compelling characters.

A lot of the world and its contents could be considered fairly clichéd, with all the usual urban fantasy archetypes such as changelings, mages, vampires, werewolves (this is starting to sound rather familiar...) and the like being present. The various tropes and supernatural entities present however are subject to enough interesting little tweaks and alterations to make them feel unique, with a much closer eye to their folkloric sources than most literary representations.

I'd personally thoroughly recommend the books, whilst they're admittedly fairly light reading they are also very much entertaining reading, something that a lot of people seem to look down on these days. In any case before continuing to the meat of this write-up I'll give a brief overview of the main power groups in the Dresden Files setting, a vague understanding of which may give you a better understanding of the adventure itself.

• The White Council : The White Council are this settings ruling body of Wizards. Humans manifest many different types and power levels of magical ability, with Wizards being the most powerful and versatile of them all. Some "gifted" individuals may be able to control electricity, talk to ghosts, or perform divinations, but Wizards are at least capable of almost anything given enough time and experience. The White Council are an organisation that regulate the use of magic amongst humanity, ensuring that their "Laws of Magic" are enforced and that human magic users are protected from other supernatural powers.
• The Wardens : The Wardens are the White Council's enforcers, they make sure magic users follow the rules, and when they don't they either arrest them or use their ensorcelled swords to put them down. They also protect the members of the Council from supernatural threats and make sure that the other power groups don't overstep their bounds.
• The Vampire Courts : Vampires in the Dresden Files universe are split into several "Courts", each being composed of a different type of vampire, the main three being the Black, Red and White courts. The Black Court are the most corpselike and inhuman, also potentially the most deadly though they also have the most weaknesses including all of the classic vampiric vulnerabilities. The Red Court are blood drinkers and infiltrators, naturally hideous but capable of cloaking themselves in a seductive "Flesh Mask" and spreading their curse through their bites. The White Court feed on emotions and have the fewest vulnerabilities, though their most notable vulnerability is to true love. It's not as sappy as it sounds I promise.
• The Faerie Courts : These come in the classic Seelie and Unseelie variety, the courts of Summer and Winter each with their own Queen and Knight, the latter of which is a supernaturally empowered mortal chosen by the current queen of that court. One of the things I enjoy about this series is that it delves more heavily into classic faerie mythology with the Fae being fairly alien beings in terms of mindset, their morals and mores shaped by their own system of oaths, allegiances and contracts rather than human societal constructs.
• The Church : In the Dresden Files universe the church is active with regards to the supernatural, sponsoring their own organisations who protect their flock from supernatural predators whilst sponsoring smaller groups such as the Fellowship of St Giles and the Knights of the Cross.
• The Fellowship of St Giles : A church sponsored organisation, these folk take in those who've been bitten by the Red Court but who have not yet turned. An Infectee doesn't transform fully into a Red Court vampire until they feed and the Fellowship helps them to deal with their cravings whilst simultaneously training them to fight against the Red Court and those who serve it. This includes the inscription of magical tattoos on its members which help them control themselves whilst likewise changing colour from black to red the closer the infectee gets to losing control.

The Mechanics :

The Dresden Files RPG uses the Fudge system, the rules for which are very much freeform compared to most other systems, with an emphasis on roleplaying and player interaction with the story and in-game environment as opposed to hard rules or realism. The system utilises it's own special six sided dice each with a pair of + symbols, a pair of - symbols, and a pair of blank faces. For test resolution the player rolls four Fudge dice and adds together the total number of + symbols, subtracting any - symbols and potentially adding further bonuses or penalties depending on the character or antagonist's stats.

The primary numerical component of any characters stats are their Skills, each rate from 0 (Mediocre) to +5 (Superb), with that being the number added to the results of that players dice roll. Coincidentally this rating system also determines the results of any test, with the result's ladder being extended to range from -2 (Terrible) to +8 (Legendary). Players roll their dice, apply any modifiers, and then compare that to this range of results to determine how well they did. For example if a player rolled +, +, +, - on their dice with an appropriate skill rating of +1 they'd get a result of 4 (Great). Opposed tests, such as those required by combat or any other circumstance where two parties come into conflict, subtract the lowest rolling parties result from that of the highest rolling party to determine the level of disparity between them.

Damage takes the form of Stresses, split in a rather WoD fashion between Physical, Mental and Social stresses, with the number of boxes for each determined by the Endurance, Conviction and Presence skills. If a character finds all of their Stress boxes for a particular category filled they take a Consequence, such as Broken Arm, Battered and Bruised, or Wounded Ego. It's important to note that Stresses are not just caused by damage, but by any source of, well, stress. Characters taking part in an intense debate might for example accrue Social stresses as it wears on, with consequences like Flustered and Humiliated coming into play until somebody suffers sufficient Stress and Consequences to render them unable to continue. It's an interesting way of dealing with "damage", one that I'd like to have more of a play around with in the future.

Obviously the complete rules are a little more complex, but I personally find the core system to be very solid and easy to understand, making this an excellent system for new players or those with little experience with tabletop RPG's. More advanced players may find it a little lacking, but as I mentioned earlier this is a system that focuses on the story rather than the mechanics, so to complain about it doing exactly what it claims to do would be both pointless and churlish.

The Fudge dice aren't the only interesting part of this system though, there are also the concepts of Aspects, Fate Points and Tagging. Aspects are descriptive words and phrases that are for the most part applied to characters, but can also refer to situations and locations and can be either permanent or temporary. For example one of our players had the aspect Stubborn as a Mule on their character sheet, describing a facet of their nature. In the course of play the players and GM may "Tag" these aspects in order to further the story, though whether this is done in a beneficial or detrimental manner depends on who's doing the tagging.

Players can tag one of their own aspects to gain some sort of mechanical benefit, likewise they can tag the aspects of opponents or locations for the same reason. In the same vein the GM can tag a players aspects in a detrimental manner or tag those of NPC's in order to benefit them. Following on from my previous example the player could tag Stubborn as a Mule to gain a bonus against an opponent attempting to intimidate or seduce them, meanwhile the GM may tag the same aspect in order to force them to continue with a particular course of action even when the player (and indeed character) know they're on the wrong track. Likewise characters can add aspects to a scene, such as declaring that there is a car leaking petrol from its damaged engine on the road they're luring a vampire down.

Tagging and Declaring aspects requires players to expend Fate Points, which they have a small pool of that is refreshed at the start of each gaming session as well as during play. It's important to note that the GM cannot FORCE a player to act against their will. When the GM tags a players aspect they offer that player an extra fate point which that player can choose whether or not to accept, if they do so then they must act in a manner determined by their aspect. I like how this works, it encourages the players and GM to play around with their characters personalities as well as the world around them, it also rewards creative thinking on behalf of the players with regards to the clever tagging and declaration of Aspects. I'd like it if more RPG's had a similar system, perhaps we'll see more of that kind of thing in the future.

The last aspect of the rules that I'd like to talk about before moving on to the adventure proper is how character and city generation are handled. Yes, that's right, one of the most interesting parts of this game is that the players and GM cooperatively generate the city in which their stories will take place with all of the players working together to determine what power groups are active in the city, what mysteries and secrets there are, as well as the overall themes and conflicts that shape the site of their adventures. Likewise character creation is also done cooperatively, with part of the creation process incorporating the players working together to determine how their characters know each other and what adventures they've had together before the campaign begins. Together these help to get the players more invested in the setting as well as dealing with the age old issue of why this group of strangers are willing to work together, something that plagues a lot of game systems.

Well, at least it doesn't assume that the players were all offered a quest by a hooded old man in the local tavern. It's never worth it. I'm a big fan of these aspects of the game, they very much accentuate the RP aspects of the RPG and I for one cannot fault that despite the difficulties that can arise if one or more players is suffering from a case of creators block.

Again, as stated earlier there's a lot more to the rules than this brief overview and they're very much worth looking into if you've the time and inclination. Now, on to the adventure itself!

The Characters :

The player characters for this adventure were as follows, each of them having been written up by Infinity Circuit save for the aforementioned sections of character creation where the characters determine their prior adventures together, which we went through together. For each character I've given a basic overview as well as noting down their High Concept, the initial and usually most important part of character creation.

Gareth Hawthorne : A Focussed Practitioner (a magic user who's abilities are tightly focused upon one particular ability or subset thereof, in this particular case the manipulation and generation of electricity) determined to make his own way in the world. He suffers from chronic hero syndrome, something that has brought him to the attention and into the occasional service of the Fellowship of St Giles alongside the other party members.

High Concept : Electromancer Mechanic.

Jul Omer : A Palestinian scholar and a gentleman with a love of learning in all its forms. Something of a black sheep with regards to his family it was whilst being educated in England that his fae parentage came to light along with the reasons for his families apparent disregard for him. He prefers to find non-violent solutions to his problems, as well as those that do not require the embrace of his supernatural aspects, but also enjoys the thrill of seeking out forgotten knowledge and hidden lore.

High Concept : Fae Born Academic.

David Bancroft : A charismatic werewolf (in this setting, anyone who has learned to magically shape shift into the form of a wolf, as opposed to Loup Garou who are the cursed, silver hating type) with a list of bad habits as long as his tail. A good natured chap who is unfortunately easily distracted by a pretty face or an intriguing puzzle, both of which have led him into trouble on many an occasion. Played by yours truly.

High Concept : Werewolf About Town.

Jamie Maxwell : A Red Court Infected and full member of the Fellowship of St Giles, having been tattooed with the mystical marks that allow him to better control his vampiric nature. A good man at heart he nevertheless has rage issues, only exacerbated by his fervent faith and hatred of those that he sees as abominations in the sight of the lord.

High Concept : Post Modern Inquisitor.

The Adventure :

Note : For those who have actually read the books, I should make it clear that this game took place during late September and early October 2002, around the time of a certain dramatic event and subsequent conflict...

The adventure began with David, Jamie and Jul on their way to the village of  Horton in Berkshire. The party were travelling in Jul's car having been asked by the Fellowship of St Giles to investigate the disappearance of Aaron Slater and several other members of the fellowship, who had been sent to the village to establish a safe house and base of operations in the area. After arriving and a short planning session the party went their separate ways to try to gather information about the missing cell of Fellowship agents.

Playing to their respective strengths Jul made his way to the village hall whilst Jamie headed for the local church and David for the pub (what can I say, my DnD instincts kicked in). After searching through the records Jul discovered that Aaron and his band had been looking into the purchase of some property in the area, making use of the law firm Garret and Davies to acquire a field on the edge of the village. Jamie failed to learn anything of import, though he did manage to give an old lady a heart attack due to the surprise of turning around to find a 6ft something heavily tattooed and menacing young man stood directly behind her, after which he called for an ambulance and followed it to the hospital to ensure her safety. A good start in my opinion. David also failed to discover anything about the missing agents, but he did learn that there had been some disappearances in the area, specifically a pair of local boys who had gone missing just over a week ago.

After gathering for lunch the party booked into a local camping site and took the chance to rest, the next day continuing with their investigations and visiting the property that Aaron had been looking to purchase before deciding to stay at a B&B due to the worsening weather. Jamie again made his way to the hospital to check in on the elderly woman he'd hospitalised, finding to his relief that she was awake and would with a little luck make a full recovery. Whilst visiting the field in question they met its owner, a local farmer who told them that Aaron had visited repeatedly to view the area before simply informing him that he'd changed his mind and wouldn't be going through with the purchase, with no other reason being given.

The next day the party set off to Windsor, the nearest town, to visit the offices of Garret and Davies as well as continuing their investigation. Sadly the receptionist was unwilling to provide us access to confidential information, though she readily agreed to accompany David to a local restaurant for dinner and drinks later that evening. Whilst he kept the young woman in question entertained Jamie and Jul decided the best way to continue gathering information would be to break into the building and go through their files. Although Jul was spotted by the police and escorted away Jamie managed to get inside and raid their files, learning that Aaron had purchased a lot at the King Edward shopping centre here in Windsor.

After rendezvousing with a pleased looking David the next day, they set off to the shopping centre. David persuading the manager that they were looking into the purchase or rental of one or more lots and gaining access to a set of keys that would allow them to look around the building without hindrance or escort (a small bribe ensuring their privacy). Making their way to the lot that Aaron had purchased David noted the smell of blood in the air, causing the party to regret that they weren't carrying any weapons save for Jamie's fists and David's wolf form. Nevertheless they pressed on, deciding that if someone was in danger they didn't have time to retrieve their gear from the car, entering a shuttered and closed down store where they found a badly beaten but still living man hanging by his wrists from the ceiling. Naked save for his injuries and an incredibly tacky tie.

The gentleman in question identified himself as Gareth Hawthorne, one of Aaron's cell, becoming somewhat more communicative once Jamie had been sent to collect the parties equipment from the car as well as to purchase for him some clothes from one of the open stores. According to Gareth he and the rest of his cell had decided to assist the boys in their escape after coming across them whilst investigating potential purchases of property. They'd decided to abandon Horton and establish a safe house in Windsor during which he'd become separated from the rest of his band and accosted by two gentlemen who'd proceeded to beat him senseless whilst trying to ascertain the children's location. Gareth had previously sent them to hide in the abandoned sections of the shopping centre, something he had refused to reveal to his captors who had presumable intended to return and finish the job later. He'd been unable to identify his attackers, though he had noticed that they'd seemed.... strange.

It was at this point that the Hot Fuzz quotes began in earnest.

Accompanied by Gareth the party collected the boys and piled into the car, returning them to London and handing them over to the care of the Fellowship before returning to Horton with the intent to confront the parish council. According to the boys (who had been very cooperative once safely ensconced within a Fellowship safe house and provided with hot food and drinks) they'd decided to scarper after overhearing their parents talking about them being handed over to someone as a tithe in exchange for "protection". Incredulous but not wanting to take any chances they'd made a run for it before encountering Gareth and then the rest of the party.

The party arrived back in Horton in the early evening, with Jamie and David heading for the Vicarage whilst Gareth and Jul made their way to the church, both groups intending to find out anything they could before gathering to decide on their next course of action. This plan was scuppered when, enraged by the actions of the council on what he viewed as holy ground Jamie stormed into the Vicarage, kicked the front door in, marched into the meeting room and flipped a solid oak table over onto several of the council, injuring them badly as David followed him inside in wolf form. Jamie proceeded to berate the council members, full of righteous fury as he was, whilst David kept any of them from leaving or calling for help having to at one point resort to menacing the vicar when he tried to reach the phone. Realising that claiming ignorance was pointless the council members (including one of the childrens mothers) told the party that this had  been going on for generations, and was necessary to keep the village, and indeed the world, safe from something imprisoned below the church.

Meanwhile Gareth and Jul had reached the church and made their way inside, finding the undercroft open and the other members of Aaron's cell (though not the man himself) tied to chairs in the subterranean chamber with a pair of villagers standing guard with shotguns as well as a cat eyed gentleman of obviously fae origin.

Though Jul attempted to defuse the situation (despite his anger at the gentleman's mention that they'd taken Aaron home with them, as well as the apparent compact they'd established with the villagers) things rapidly deteriorated when Jamie arrived, dragging the parent of one of the children along with him, a rather annoyed looking wolf dogging his heels (yep, there were puns, many, many puns). The fae's smug, condescending manner didn't help matters nor did his demands for the children and insistence on insulting and belittling the party. Eventually David completely lost his temper and attacked, hurling himself bodily at the Fae who fled chuckling into the Never Never, leaving the party facing a pair of terrified villagers wielding shotguns.

A few rounds of buckshot, punching, biting and parishioners being thrown at each other by an angry Red Court Infectee later both villagers were restrained and the captured cell members freed, though one had taken a shell full of buckshot to the chest. Fortunately the injury was not lethal and he was stabilised whilst the rest of the party investigated the room, specifically the rune inscribed stone slab dominating the centre of the floor. Knowing full well they were out of their depth the party decided to kick the problem upstairs and made a call back to the Fellowship, who in turn followed channels of their own...

Later that night, after the parishioners had fled to their homes and the party had treated their injuries they were joined by an intimidating looking woman in a grey coat carrying a sheathed longsword. After a brief conversation with the party she thanked them for their work and dismissed them, informing them that this was no longer their problem.

With that done the party set off back to London, the missing cell members (except for Aaron) having been rescued along with the pair of runaways, the issue of whatever was lurking below the church now being a problem for those better qualified to deal with it, namely the Wardens of the White Council. All in all, a successful mission that nevertheless left the party with more questions than they'd started with, as all good adventures do...

In Conclusion :

This adventure was a lot of fun, I enjoyed the GM's ability to manipulate the players via the medium of Fate Points as well as the simple and effective rules system. I'd love to have a bit more of a play around with this system from a players perspective, though it's unlikely that I will ever GM it due to my own issues with running modern fantasy games (something that came to light when I was running Scion a few years ago). I'd certainly recommend giving it a go, if nothing else its a good system to use to take a break between heavier games.

On a related note it's looking likely that one of our upcoming campaigns will be for the Dresden Files, once we're done with the Tyranny of Dragons, again with Infinity Circuit at the helm. I will of course make sure to chronicle said adventures on this blog as well as the Character and City creation steps of the campaign which I'm sure will prove interesting.

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael