History TabletopGame / TheDresdenfiles

* {{Diary}}: Refers to these as "case files," to justify the characters referring to the books by name.

''The Dresden Files Role-Playing Game'' (DFRPG) is Evil Hat's TabletopRPG adaptation of the popular UrbanFantasy series of novels. After the events of ''Small Favor'', [[DirectLineToTheAuthor Billy Borden and the Alphas have set out to make a monster-slaying manual for the 21st Century with the help of Harry Dresden, framing it as a roleplaying game so that people who are unaware of the supernatural won't reject it outright.]] Their efforts produce two mud-splattered spiral-bound rough drafts with Harry, Billy, and Harry's spirit friend Bob having conversations in the margins and on sticky notes about the rules, the setting, and whatever else happens to pop into their heads. The resulting commentary manages to be simultaneously informative and side-splittingly hilarious, making the books a worthwhile read even for those not interested in playing the game.

* BreathWeapon: One of the available powers, though the description is deliberately broad enough to include any self-generated projectile, such as the flaming poo used by [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys the Shen demons]].

Under the hood, the DFRPG uses the [[TabletopGame/{{FUDGE}} FATE 3]] rules originally seen in ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury''--in fact, that game was created to test Evil Hat's third edition of FATE in preparation for this outing while it was stuck in DevelopmentHell due to continual tweaking. As a FATE 3 game, the DFRPG mechanically rewards people for roleplaying their characters' traits ("Aspects") for good (granting rerolls or bonuses) or ill (giving you the Fate Points you need to power those rerolls and bonuses). Additionally, it focuses more on replicating the feel of a supernatural adventure novel than on faithfully modeling reality, allowing players to use their Fate Points or skills to cause a ContrivedCoincidence to aid (or hinder!) the party. Aside from adding supernatural powers to replace the mad science from ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury'', ''The Dresden Files RPG'' also standardized (and lowered) the power level of non-magical characters, avoiding the feeling of PlayerCharacter invincibility that plagued its predecessor.

* FamousLastWords: Because of the game's mechanics, while the winner of a physical confrontation decides ''what'' happens, the loser decides exactly ''how''. This means in mortal combat, the loser almost always gets the opportunity to give some last words. And in the case of wizards, this includes [[TakingYouWithMe Death Curses]].

* FaceHeelTurn: "Our World" suggests that, if the players don't want to kill of Harry, they could have a different version of him that's either an anti-hero or a straight-up villain. The two scenarios with the most potential chances are Harry joining the Denarians or him marrying Lara Raith and becoming her thrall. [[spoiler:This becomes either HilariousInHindsight or HarsherInHindsight as by the end of Battle Ground, Harry is Mab's [[TheDragon Winter Knight]] and has been ordered to marry Lara to strengthen the powerbase]]

* DevelopmentHell: The Dresden Files tabletop RPG had been in production for years, but was finally released in June 2010. Mocked in one of the introductory comments, where the game suffered this in-univers, with Harry apparently regularly finding a passed-out Will in his underpants, surrounded by note cards.

* FaceHeelTurn: "Our World" suggests that, if the players don't want to kill of Harry, they could have a different version of him that's either an anti-hero or a straight-up villain. The two scenarios with the most potential chances are Harry joining the Denarians or him marrying Lara Raith and becoming her thrall.

* AllThereInTheManual: Well [[UnreliableNarrator not all there]] but a great deal of information can be gleaned from reading the RPG books. [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis It's written in character.]] Most of it is theory minded though.[[UnreliableNarrator So he could still be wrong.]]
* AlternateContinuity: By WordOfGod, the RPG rulebooks were [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis written]] in a slightly different version of Dresden's world--for one, Billy, as the writer, knows about things that Book!Harry would never, ''ever'' have told ''anyone'', at least at the point in the storyline where the rulebooks were written. Most of this information comes with a margin note by Harry along the lines of, "You can't put this in, Billy, or [whoever it is] is gonna be pissed."

* ExternalRetcon: The licensed RPG, [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis written by Billy the werewolf with help from Harry and Bob]], has the three authors discussing this in [[FootnoteFever margin notes]] as well as how this very book could likewise be used to help {{Muggles}} against other supernatural predators.

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: William wrote the RPG for the same reasons Creator/BramStoker, in the books, wrote ''{{Dracula}}'': To provide a manual for killing monsters. The rulebooks are framed as being a first draft written by Billy and company which he has given to Harry to look over. See PaintingTheMedium.
** The Accelerated RPG has Ivy as its writer (and Kincaid as her AudienceSurrogate), who was requisitioned to write a dossier on the supernatural world and its major players as a favor to someone she is grateful to, heavily implied to be [[spoiler:Marcone]]. The RPG ruleset is in-universe designed for the recipient as a hypothetical exercises on dealing with various supernaturals.

* PaintingTheMedium: The rulebooks are full of marginalia where Harry or Bob has made some comment about the contents, as well as the odd sticky note, and there are a couple sections Harry crossed out in Sharpie ([[EasterEgg which, if you have the PDF, can be highlighted and copied into a word-processor to read them]]). In one place, he had just grabbed the nearest piece of paper to write on and the details of a completely irrelevant minor case are scribbled in the margin, and in another, he accidentally got his [[OhWaitThisIsMyGroceryList grocery list]] mixed in (it had "[[NoodleImplements Lawn gnomes]]" on it, for some reason). The pictures are all a little crooked because they have been sticky-taped in and the "weathered paper" background that seems to be contractually obligated for tabletop RPG books is because Billy dropped it in a puddle while in wolf form. [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis It is wonderful]].

** The Accelerated RPG has Ivy as its writer (and Kincaid as her AudienceSurrogate), who was requisitioned to write a dossier on the supernatural world and its major players as a favor to someone she is grateful to, heavily implied to be [[spoiler:Marcone]].

''The Dresden Files Role-Playing Game'' (DFRPG) is Evil Hat's TabletopRPG adaptation of the popular UrbanFantasy series of novels. After the events of ''Small Favor'', [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis Billy Borden and the Alphas have set out to make a monster-slaying manual for the 21st Century with the help of Harry Dresden, framing it as a roleplaying game so that people who are unaware of the supernatural won't reject it outright.]] Their efforts produce two mud-splattered spiral-bound rough drafts with Harry, Billy, and Harry's spirit friend Bob having conversations in the margins and on sticky notes about the rules, the setting, and whatever else happens to pop into their heads. The resulting commentary manages to be simultaneously informative and side-splittingly hilarious, making the books a worthwhile read even for those not interested in playing the game.

The initial two volumes, ''Your Story'' and ''Our World'', provide rules, advice, and setting/character information based upon ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' up to ''Small Favor''. A 2015 follow-up book, ''The Paranet Papers'', adds rules expansions and updated setting information from ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes'', as well as suggestions for alternate campaign styles (small-town, historical, on the road). In 2017 came out ''The Dresden Files Accelerated RPG'', a lighter version of the old game with a simplified system and more new contents, built up to ''Skin Game'' with Ivy and Kincaid taking over for Billy and the Alphas.

The initial two volumes, ''Your Story'' and ''Our World'', provide rules, advice, and setting/character information based upon ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' up to ''Small Favor''. A 2015 follow-up book, ''The Paranet Papers'', adds rules expansions and updated setting information from ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes'', as well as suggestions for alternate campaign styles (small-town, historical, on the road). In 2017 came out ''The Dresden Files Accelerated RPG'', a lighter version of the old game with a simplified system and more new contents, built up to ''Skin Game''.

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''The Dresden Files RPG'' (DFRPG) is Evil Hat's TabletopRPG adaptation of the popular UrbanFantasy series of novels. After the events of ''Small Favor'', [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis Billy Borden and the Alphas have set out to make a monster-slaying manual for the 21st Century with the help of Harry Dresden, framing it as a roleplaying game so that people who are unaware of the supernatural won't reject it outright.]] Their efforts produce two mud-splattered spiral-bound rough drafts with Harry, Billy, and Harry's spirit friend Bob having conversations in the margins and on sticky notes about the rules, the setting, and whatever else happens to pop into their heads. The resulting commentary manages to be simulatenously informative and side-splittingly hilarious, making the books a worthwhile read even for those not interested in playing the game.

%%* CaliforniaDoubling[=/=]StargateCity: Referenced in the city creation section, where Billy suggests simply making up the layout of the city, or basing it on a city you may be more familiar with. He mentions that [[Series/TheDresdenFiles some shows set in Chicago]] have used Vancouver in this method, while Harry thinks that wouldn't work.

The initial two volumes, ''Your Story'' and ''Our World'', provide rules, advice, and setting/character information based upon ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' up to ''Small Favor''. A 2015 follow-up book, ''The Paranet Papers'', adds rules expansions and updated setting information from ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes'', as well as suggestions for alternate campaign styles (small-town, historical, on the road). In 2017 came out ''The Dresden Files Accelerated RPG'', a lighter version of the old game with a simplified system and more new contents.

* AudienceSurrogate: Mechanically, Harry, who often asks questions about game mechanics the audience might have so that Will can explain and clarify. Flavor-wise, Will, who requests clarification about the setting from Harry and Bob. In ''The Paranet Papers'', it's Murphy who fills Harry's role [[spoiler: because that book was ostensibly compiled by Will and Butters after Harry got shot.]]

* TheCity: A central part of game planning is creating the game's city, usually including several aspects, locations, and "faces" for the player characters to interact with. The core gamebooks include write-ups on Chicago, where the main series takes place, and Baltimore. ''Paranet Papers'' adds Las Vegas, 1918-Russia, Las Tierra Rojas (Red Court territory, noted in the margins as a more convenient name than “South and Central America, along with parts of Mexico.”), and a small Everglades town with the Fountain of Youth nearby.

The initial two volumes, ''Your Story'' and ''Our World'', provide rules, advice, and setting/character information based upon ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' up to ''Small Favor''. A 2015 follow-up book, ''The Paranet Papers'', adds rules expansions and updated setting information from ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes'', as well as suggestions for alternate campaign styles (small-town, historical, on the road).

** Pre-made character Evan Montrose is a walking one to ''Literature/TheCaskOfAmontillado''. It turns out one of his ancestors changed the family name from Montresor to Montrose in order to get away from a smear campaign orchestrated by [[Creator/EdgarAllenPoe some hack writer]]. Of course, there is no evidence that said ancestor is more reliable, and no-one has set foot in parts of the family mansion for a very long time...

* Face-HeelTurn: "Our World" suggests that, if the players don't want to kill of Harry, they could have a different version of him that's either an anti-hero or a straight-up villain. The two scenarios with the most potential chances are Harry joining the Denarians or him marrying Lara Raith and becoming her thrall.

* CaliforniaDoubling[=/=]StargateCity: Referenced in the city creation section, where Billy suggests simply making up the layout of the city, or basing it on a city you may be more familiar with. He mentions that [[Series/TheDresdenFiles some shows set in Chicago]] have used Vancouver in this method, while Harry thinks that wouldn't work.
** Harry's right, actually. That series was filmed in Toronto, not Vancouver.

Under the hood, the DFRPG uses the [[TabletopGame/{{FUDGE}} FATE 3]] rules originally seen in ''SpiritOfTheCentury''--in fact, that game was created to test Evil Hat's third edition of FATE in preparation for this outing while it was stuck in DevelopmentHell due to continual tweaking. As a FATE 3 game, the DFRPG mechanically rewards people for roleplaying their characters' traits ("Aspects") for good (granting rerolls or bonuses) or ill (giving you the Fate Points you need to power those rerolls and bonuses). Additionally, it focuses more on replicating the feel of a supernatural adventure novel than on faithfully modeling reality, allowing players to use their Fate Points or skills to cause a ContrivedCoincidence to aid (or hinder!) the party. Aside from adding supernatural powers to replace the mad science from ''SpiritOfTheCentury'', ''The Dresden Files RPG'' also standardized (and lowered) the power level of non-magical characters, avoiding the feeling of PlayerCharacter invincibility that plagued its predecessor.