After a month and a half of cons, vacations, natural disasters and technical difficulties, we finally get a chance to sit down and play us some Dresden Files RPG by Evil Hat. This first session is our second try at city creation. The first time we decided on Anchorage, AK, and this time around we go a very different direction with Washington, D.C. A few changes have happened since our last run though a game. We got Jen back on the show as a regular, we lost Dan due to Real Life (aka. work schedule conflicts, but he’ll still be doing the Comics Cast) and for this game we’ve got the return of Troll, whom you may remember from our Dread Halloween Special.

Relevant Links

• Dresden Files RPG
• Evil Hat
• Dresden Files TV Show
• Dresden Files Books, comic, and audiobooks, and short stories
• Jim Butcher’s Home Page
• Fables
• Dexter
• Burn Notice
• Miami Vice
• A-Team
• Deadlands
• Nightwatch
• Deadwood
• Spoine
• Yakov Smirnoff
• H.P. Lovecraft
• Freakanomics
• Roe vs. Wade lowering crime
• The Library of Alexandria
• The Centurion (Dr. Who)
• Gilgamesh
• Dolley Madison
• Indiana Jones
• Emeritus
• Ley Lines
• George Washington (7 Feet Tall…)
• Rifts
• Pierre Charles L’Enfant
• Chowda!
• Cheney and Google Maps
• Roanoke
• Sir Richard Grenville
• Hopping Vampires
• Legion of Superheroes

Crunchy Bits

• Intro music from “The Wizard” by of Idle Thumbs
• Outro Music “The Man With the Hex” by The Atomic Fireballs

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CJ takes the reins as GM this round and much fun was had by all. By this session we’re all pretty comfortable with the rules and conflict flows quickly and freely. This session would prove to be Brandon’s day, as his now-corrupted character from last session wrecks an impressive swath of havoc and madness across two countries, laying low the armies of the Crimson Khan. Despite Dan, Kevin, and CJ all ganging up against him, his dice were too hot and the Maw of Madness consumed all.

Oracle:  The God Kings of War

Dan chose: A staff of white wood, summoner of lightnings and the War Magus who wields it.

The very first time that a certain young soldier, impressed against his choice and wanting nothing more than to return to his home, has killed.

A flock of hunterbirds, sharpbeaked, clever, and dreadful, and their master.

A token indicating that its bearer speaks for the high general.

Roles

Dan: Rafa Ban, Genius of flame.
Particular Strength: The complete metaphysical understanding of all forms of fire. (Double Potent)
Best Interests: To persuade the Mouth of the Abyss to consume the lands of the Crimson Khan, my sworn enemy, and burn the enemy army to cinders and scatter their ashes.

Brandon: Zaheil, the Maw of Madness
Particular Strength: Touch of the Abyss (reality bending powers) (Potent) (Far Reaching)
Best Interests: To eat the Storm Magus and release the Old One residing in his Staff. A descendant of an old enemy is near, he will be consumed like his ancestors finally were.

Kevin: Ekurzakir War Mage of the Crimson Khan, Master of the Stormcrows.
Particular Strength:  Staff of Lightning (Potent) Stormcrows (Far Reaching)
Best Interests:  Steal the secret of fire from Rafa Ban, Direct the wrath of the Abyss unto the heretical Uesirans.

NPCs

Adar, Descendant of the mighty Ninja Dervish Darius.
Particular Strength: Wakizashi (Potent)
Best Interests:  Complete my duty and find my way home. Preserve my homeland.

Relevant Links

• In A Wicked Age
• Lumpley Games
• Ramuh
• Confucius Hat
• Palpatine
• Fables
• Trail of Cthulhu
• Monster Burner

Crunchy Bits

• Intro and Outro Music from The Prince of Persia by Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwood published by Ubisoft.

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We’ve all been champing at the bit to dig into Vincent Baker’s games, and due to its popularity as a one-shot party game, the crew decided to go with In a Wicked Age first.  These sessions were an absolute blast, and everyone came away a pretty big fan. For IAWA, we changed up our format a bit: we all GM’d one session each, starting with Kevin.  Check it out!

Oracle: God Kings of War

A cask of honey wine, tribute to a fierce bandit queen.

The arrival of unexpected and improbable allies, in darkness.

A genius of flame, imprisoned within a brass mirror.

The campsite of a traveling army, not long deserted.

Roles

Dan: Rafa Ban, Genius of flame.
Forms: Covertly d4, Directly d12, For Myself d6, For Others d6, With Love d8, With Violence d10
Particular Strength: The complete metaphysical understanding of all forms of fire.
Best Interests: To get free of the mirror. To burn Eric’s twisted soul to ash.

Brandon: Kadashman-Enlil, leader of a destroyed army, holder of the brass mirror.
Forms: Covertly d6, Directly d10, For Myself d4, For Others d8, With Love d6, With Violence d12
Particular Strength: The last of the divinely infused royal bloodline, who can draw from the strength of the people to Inspire, Lead, and Overcome the worst odds.
Best Interests: To remove Eric the Bitter from the land.  The bandits will take advantage of my defeat; I must end the bandit-queen’s tyranny when she shows her face.

CJ: Zahir the Blade, the Bandit-Queen’s Champion and lover.
Forms: Covertly d6, Directly d6, For Myself d8, For Others d4, With Love d10, With Violence d12
Particular Strength: The Training of the southern assassins.  A series of complex meditations culminating in a single strike.
Best Interests: To convince Kadashman-Enlil that we will help him. To steal the mirror and trade it to Eric for our safety.

NPCs:

Ku-aya, the Bandit Queen
Best Interests: Kill Kadashman-Enlil while he is still weak.  Use the foolish noble remnants to drive Eric from the land.

Eric the Bitter, icy warlord, with his warhammer Gutar-Mag
Best Interests: To smash the prison of Rafa Ban, sundering his spirit.

Relevant Links

• In A Wicked Age
• Lumpley Games
• Cadash
• Story Games Names Project
• Planescape: Torment (Ignus)
• The Darksword Trilogy
• “A little too close to Narnia”
• The North Wind from Fables
• A Song of Ice & Fire
• Wheel of Time
• Final Fantasy X (Auron)
• Green Lantern: Blackest Night
• The King-Priest of Istar and the Cataclysm
• Prince of Persia (the new one)

Crunchy Bits!

• Intro and Outro Music from The Prince of Persia by Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwood published by Ubisoft.

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I met Edward “Sabe” Jones at Forge Midwest 2009, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. A few weeks back he was in town and we sat down to play his game Blazing Rose: A game of romantic rivalry. Joining us is Sabe’s girlfriend Misha and fellow local podcaster from Diagonally Through the Woods. This was Jason’s first experience with a GMless storygame, and he had a great time with it. This is a full session of BR, covering setting, beloved, and character creation and then one round of narration. After a bit of discussion, we decided on a Fables/American Gods “mythical creatures in the modern day”. After the session we talked about how Blazing Rose was different from games Jason had been playing (mostly 4E). Stay tuned for that next week!

Relevant Links

• There’s Something About Mary
• To Heart
• Grumpy Old Men
• The Village of Hommlet
• Poison’d
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• Amistad
• Harem Anime
• Fables
• Neil Gaiman
• Mayan Calendar “Doomsday”
• Piers Anthony
• Bruce Campbell
• Burn Notice
• In Nomine
• The Sword in the Stone
• Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog
• Metatron
• Mists of Avalon

Crunchy Bits!

• Blazing Rose Actual Play: 3 and a half hours.
• Intro music by , Outro Music by Chitlins, Whiskey, and Skirt: “Increased Chances”

Broken down into 3 parts:

• Part A: 1 Hour
• Part B: 1 Hour
• Part C: 1 Hour 30 min

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