France, 1st of January 1942

France has been suffering under the yoke of the Germans for almost two years. Daily patrols still march through the streets of Paris to keep order, their territories all but considered safe.

Of course, that is far from the truth. French resistance has been strong almost from the beginning, and the expansion of the British SOE, given orders by the Prime Minister to ‘set Europe ablaze’ has contributed to their efforts even as German control tightens.

Of course, this is the war as it exists to those not privy to its true nature. To those who are, these are even darker times. Demons prowl the streets at night, necromancers perform their grisly work on the many casualties of the war, and monsters take advantage of the chaos and the violence to grow ever stronger.

The supernatural nations of the world are involved in as complex a web of allegiances and wars as the mortals whom they prey on. The White Court attempts to use the confusion to spread its influence throughout Europe from their relatively safe Italian holdings, the Faerie Courts have closed off their Ways as they seemingly declared neutrality, and the Kemmlerites, disciples of the greatest necromancer in human history, pursue their dark work under the umbrella of the Third Reich even as the White Council attempts to deal with the problem of Heinrich Kemmler once and for all.

Today is also the day where the City of Lights receives an important visitor - a German sorcerer, there to find a quiet place to perform his experiments. It remains to be seen whether Paris is as peaceful as he thinks, or if the things that go bump in the night have finally met someone with the stones to light some fires.

Welcome to ‘‘Blitz Krieg,’’ a forum RP set in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, only, as you have probably wisely inferred, during World War II. As such, you will play as various supernatural participants in the great conflict. Whether you’re a minor magical talent faced with the dual horrors of the mundane and supernatural worlds in conflict, or perhaps one of the White Council’s Wardens, trying to face down the onslaught of demons and dead? Perhaps some power, be it fae, divine, or otherwise, is throwing you into the conflict for their own nebulous reasons? In any case, the stage is set, and just waiting for its players.

The character generation template is here, graciously provided by that other Dresden Files RP. Please be as in-depth as you can when signing up. The more interesting characters, the more fun it is to rip and tear at them, and the more fun it is for everyone. Especially me. Don’t be too worried about power levels. One of the joys of freeform roleplaying is finding something for everyone to do. Don’t be squeamish with concepts, just be aware that I will comment on ones that I might not agree with and ask you to change some things.

Similarly, I’d like to request that people, if they have access to the rulebooks, run their characters through the basics of Dresden Files RPG character creation and note down the plausibility of the character within the game’s system. This can be a good way to make a character a little more ‘rounded.’ Information from the RPG books might be used, but they are by no means a requirement to play, since the game itself is mostly freeform.

Accepted Characters:

Edit: I botched the title. Because of course I did. It's supposed to be "Krieg", not "Krig."

I apologize to all the German-speakers of the world.

edited 10th Mar '15 3:57:35 PM by math792d

I'm in! Freeform huh? Is there some kind of power level cap, though? I mean, otherwise we might end up with a bunch of Knights of the Autumn court in possession of a 'good' rebel Denarius who is actually a Scion of Odin and Haruhi Suzumiya...

Name: Damien Akar

High Concept: Hellborn Super Soldier

Trouble: A Hell of Mommy Issues

Background: Born to a Denarian Host somewhere around the turn of the last century, Damian was inducted as squire into the Order of the Blackened Denarius literally out of the crib. As during pregnancy, the presence of his birth mothers Fallen had influenced his development, turning him into something slightly more than mortal. He was faster, stronger and more dangerous than other humans, a behavior his „mother“ actively encouraged. By the time he was eighteen, he had risen to become a wetworks specialist for the Order, taking out priests and other impediments for his mothers plans. Then World War One hit full stride and Damian found himself cut off from support in the trench lines. There, surviving the gas and bullets while all around him people died he realized something…he didn’t want the apocalypse. The war he was trapped in was already senseless slaughter, how would it be if the plans of the Fallen came to fruition? What was the point of it, save as a fuck you to the White God? As he finally returned from the battle he tendered his resignation...by shooting his birth mother, though her coin managed to vanish before he could dispose of it.

Since then he has spent his considerable martial talent both for hire as well as for causes he feels strong enough about. Recently, this meant joining the British Special Operations Executive and fighting against both the Nazis and the Kemmlerites in league with them.

Personality: Damien is...affable. Almost always casual and relaxed, even in battle he always has a snarky tendency. While he has no big concern for individual humans, he considers humanity as a whole to be a great thing. Despite this he has some demons, pardon the pun, of his own and is remarkably close lipped about his past. He also believes strongly in doing whats he considers right and damn orders. Also, if he's in combat and stops snarking...run.

Appearance: Early 20's-ish. Tall, very muscular, somewhere between „very tan“ and dark skinned, usually wears glasses (despite not needing them) and nice hair to the point of running gag in his interactions with his former colleagues. Slightly unsettling green eyes. Speaks with a British accent, Estuary to be exact. Favors casual, semi military clothes.

Job Class/Expertise: Soldier/Mercenary/Assassin

Skill Strengths: Being raised from birth to be a fighter, his skills reflect this. While a above average swordsman, his true skill lies with firearms, especially rifles. He is also skilled with explosives, infiltration, etc. He also has a certain "seen it all" attitude toward fighting, having an instinctual grip on firefight tactics and the like. He is also surprisingly literate, reading a lot when on downtime.

Skill Weaknesses: Damian's natural talent for warfare is a issue during peace time. He is the guy who draws a gun at someone letting a can of beans fall in the shop. While he has no issues with R&R, he has tried and failed repeatedly at long term inegration into peace. He also has an aversion to driving something heavier than a motorcycle, citing a incident with a tank.

Powers/Abilities: Being born to a host of a Fallen Angel has granted him a few abilities beyond what would be considered human. These are not inherited, but rather the product of the Fallen Angel actively manipulating his development in the Womb. He is stronger, faster, more dexterious and has higher endurance than normal humans. He also has a certain amount of healing factor, allowing him to come back from most injuries he survives in a few days time (given rudimentary care) as well as very slow aging. He also has a measure of Hellfire he can call upon, but rarely does as he is aware of its anger fanning tendencies.

Items:

• Webley Revolver
• Sawed-Off Shotgun
• Sten SMG
• Bren Machine Gun
• Bajonet Sword
• An Assortment of Soldier equipment and tools.
• He has a bullet into which he scratched in the symbol of his birth mothers fallen, as a reminder of its inevitable return.

He does carry either the Bren or the Sten (depending on situation) and the rest is backup.

Generally, reason and common sense is the power level, but the "Submerged" level of DFRP is a good rule of thump.

edited 10th Mar '15 4:42:56 PM by 3of4

This is Tvtropes. What is this 'reason and common sense' you speak of?

Well, just because you write this crazy chars doesn't mean they get accepted. And while I can't speak for math, experience in ET has taught me that patience in this is not a thing to extend a lot.

edited 10th Mar '15 4:50:04 PM by 3of4

Name: Marrione “Merry” Jones

High Concept: Naturalist Were-Velocirapter Sorcerer

Trouble: “FOR THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC!”

Background: Born to a well-off but relatively unimportant minor English Nobility, Merry was just a child when she watched her 4 older brothers go off to the Great War. Only 3/4ths of one came back. A 'Spirited girl', she devoted herself to her studies. This led, among other things, to studies of the occult. She got her first taste of the nature of the hidden world of magic when several very strange and outrageous kept trying to get at a book of otherwise innocuous poetry she had bought as a gift for one of her sisters. After a very unpleasant week that involved being kidnapped, several buildings set on fire, her first lesbian experience with a changeling, and a misguided attempt by someone to create an undead dragon, Merry found herself with a useless book of poetry, a gun, and the sure and certain knowledge that the world was more interesting than she thought.

She devoted herself to the study of magic, but found she only had a minor talent for it. She skirted the edges of the 'spiritualist' movement, and barely avoided being recruited by several unsavory cults and personalities, managing to keep from devolving into the cliché of sacrifices and demonic pacts by treating her studies as a scientific endeavor. Eventually, she met a friendly Italian who taught her some minor magic, and set her on the path of learning how to be a werewolf while she sought to find a way to harmonize the naturalist philosophies of the sciences with the esoteric arcana of magic.

She didn't become a wolf.

Then the war happened.

Personality: a 'spirited young woman', Merry was raised to be a proper lady by her kind and mildly indulgent parents. After the war and the loss of her brothers however, her parents were too distraught to really object when her 'spiritedness' led her in some odd directions. She's studious and analytical, with a quiet personality that she carries with hauteur. She gets excited when she hears of new instances of both magic and science, and in her mind there is no difference between the two. Under threat of harm, however, she immediately turns to violence, in the not-unreasonable assumption that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Appearance: In her thirties, she is a small, flat, quiet woman with a plain face and dark hair who is easily forgettable.

Job Class/Expertise: Naturalist/Scientist Socialite Sorcerer Were-velociraptor.

Skill Strengths: skilled in navigating the currents of high society, she is skilled in riding, painting, sketching poetry and other things ladies are expected to know. In addition, she knows how to use the scientific instruments of the time, as well as a passing familiarity with certain industrial machines. Possessing a broad range of knowledge in both mundane matters and basic magical principles, she is primarily a thinker, though she knows a few minor spells, such as this very energetic fireball she learned from an American while visiting the city of Dresden. Her faith is not very strong, as she has not been able to muster much since she lost her brothers as a child, but her experiences have made her will resilient. It is not an iron sword that never breaks, but a rubber ball that bounces back no matter how it is struck, though it can get bounced around a while...

Skill Weakness: She's not very strong physically and while she carries a revolver, she's not a very good shot at it. Imminent and obvious danger to her makes her react violently, perhaps unreasonably so. Despite this, she is devoted to trying to be a pacifist, as the loss of her brothers has given her an aversion to death and injury. Weak aginst beautiful women.

Powers/Abilities: can change into a velociraptor, whose abilities she based on her paleontological studies and that old zombie 'dragon' she encountered. She also possesses minor spells, like a tracking spell, a fireball, a veil, and other, mostly slight of hand a distractions. For some bizarre reason, she can tell gender on skin contact.

Items/Tools: a notebook with all her notes, her writing kit, her sketchbook, field sample kit, chalk, salt, holy water, crucifix and Bible, and a revolver, well-maintained, that she can't use very well. Also a whip.

edited 10th Mar '15 5:25:09 PM by SCMof2814

I'd point out that Weresaurs are *incredibly hard* to pull off, because beyond skeleton we have zero idea how their innards looked. Also, how exactly do you start to werewolf and end up as Weresaur? We have zero evidence for "teach a, become b" being a thing. If someone teaches you to be a werewolf, you end up a werewolf as evidenced by the Alphas. If you make up a "new" wereform you probably need to do the same level of research into it as any shapeshifter has to do, which would preclude Dinosaurs again.

Also, Sorcerer+Weresaur would pretty hard break the aforemented "Submerged" Powerlevel (Sorcerer is -7 refresh, afair and and most wereforms come in at -5 at least)

I'd finally point out that in ET we have had bad experience with characters who go for the strange and crazy concepts, because those tend to not play well with plot or party. Its fun making jokes about it, that doesn't mean it will work. You are playing in a story, not partaking in "Dresdens most awesome character"

And at last, a cursory google search makes me doubt there was enough Velicoraptor fossil to even get the basic skeleton info clear.

edited 11th Mar '15 12:33:12 AM by 3of4

What does submerged mean?

Basically, the Dresden Files RPG (that is, the non-freeform version) works on a principle where there are different campaign "levels" that determine what kinds of characters you can make.

For example, a full-blown White Council wizard would only be playable on the highest refresh level, 'Submerged.'

Basically it just means that the campaign operates with Wizard-level characters, but not much beyond that.

Oh. Not having the rpg book, that term went over my head.

Yeah, the basic version is 'don't make characters that would be blatantly overpowered.'

Case and point. Also, it feels kind of incongruous with the setting's tone. I'm not planning to go complete War Is Hell, but having a were-dinosaur running around a Nazi-occupied Paris in the middle of the most bloody war in history is kind of absurd.

edited 11th Mar '15 7:10:32 AM by math792d

Also, out of curiosity but don't the Fallen cut out the tongues of their squires?

Not sure what I'll go for - though the idea of a former Knight, now some Parisian resistance guy, does tickle me.

I assume they do it with people who aren't on their short list for Fallen-dom, because a tongue ain't something you grow back, son.

I'd headcanon this as Nicky mostly. Also the fallen in question may have groomed him as backup host.

Is it alright, if I make a Tengu enforcer for the Yakuza?

Sure, if you can explain what a Japanese spirit working for a Japanese organized criminal organization is doing in France during war time.

....yeah, I got nothing. I got confused and thought this might cover the all different factions in the war.

I'm probably going to whip up a Skavis when I have the time.

Ooooh, this is cool. I'll write up a character in a bit.

EDIT: Here's mine.

Name: Antoni Entrerios.

High Concept: Spaniard water mage even taller than Harry.

Trouble: I got a feeling, somebody's watchin' me...

Background: Antoni grew up in a small town in Catalonia, Spain, which was located between two rivers that split before they entered the town, then became one again as they left, making it a pseudo-island. The rivers were enchanted almost 500 years ago, giving the people of the town, who mostly got their water from them, minor talent with water magic. Antoni wasn't any different in that regard, except for one thing: even when standing in the middle of a river, he could do magic just fine. In fact, it strengthened his magic. He lived happily in this town, practicing his magic and taking the good-natured jabs about his height with equally good grace, until he was 18, about a year ago. When he came back from practicing his magic downriver one night, he came back to find that the entire town had vanished. He was the only evidence that the town had ever existed - even his clothes were from another nearby town, called Matadepera. Not knowing what else to do, he set out to Matadepera, where he tried to explain what had happened, only to find that nobody remembered the town or its inhabitants, though they did let him stay in an inn for free out of pity. Antoni woke several times in the night, each time feeling as though something was watching him, and once even hearing a growl that sounded like nothing he's ever heard before or since. He left Matadepera early that morning, after filching some food and a pouch to carry it in, and he's been wandering Europe ever since, trying to avoid whatever horror is stalking him. Lately, his travels have taken him to Paris, where he has to evade Nazis as well...

Personality: Rather awkward, but nice. Tries to please everyone, except those he has to steal from, of course. He's eternally paranoid about whatever is following him, and accordingly has developed a nocturnal sleep cycle, sleeping during the day and traveling at night. If he's awake during the day, he's probably had some coffee recently.

Appearance: Preternaturally tall (almost 7'), and far thinner than anyone has any right to be, with bones showing against his skin almost everywhere, short brown hair, a mild tan, a large, pointed nose, and an eternally nervous expression. Most people that meet him assume that he's starving, rather than merely having barely enough skin to go around. Generally dressed in shabby but clean clothes.

Job Class/Expertise: His official job is vagrant, but he's a dab hand at water magic, and prefers to stay in places with at least one river nearby.

Skill Strengths: Antoni generally uses his water magic to disrupt and drain, using water whips and suchlike to mess with his opponents until they either give up or exhaust themselves, at which point he usually drives a water jet through their skull. Dealing with bandits is never fun. His mastery of water can also extend to ice and water vapor, though with less effect.

Skill Weaknesses: He's not especially good at actually killing people, unless they're unsuspecting or being held still. He also is really bad at resisting certain types of magic, like lightning and certain types of earth magic.

Powers/Abilities:

• Water Whip: Antoni's favorite spell, this causes a long, thin stream of water to form and lash out at an opponent. He can wrap someone in it and keep the water that makes it up moving, making any magic-casting rather more difficult.
• Water Shot: The killing blow. Antoni shoots a small, compressed bolt of water at someone with enough force to cave in heads. This takes more out of him than it should, for reasons even he doesn't know.
• Water Breathing: Antoni can breath underwater for a few minutes at a time, which is useful for hiding or escaping via water.
• Ice Shiv: Antoni coats his knife with ice, giving it a nastier edge and a chance to inflict hypothermia if he can make it cold enough.
• Home Field Advantage: If Antoni is standing in any body of water, but especially a river, his magical power increases twofold. This also occurs if he's on an island, but to lesser effect. If he's at the site of his Doomed Hometown, his power increases even more.
• Water of Life: Antoni can use his water to heal other's injuries. This has useful applications, since he can throw water at an ally, then use it to heal them long-distance.
• Walking Laundromat: Very much a Mundane Utility, Antoni can keep his clothes clean without the aid of a washing machine.

Items/Tools:

• A small knife, made in Toledo and with a small enchantment making it more effective when used at night. Can also be used as an impromptu flashlight, since it glows silver during nighttime.
• The clothes he was wearing when he discovered that his hometown was gone. Ever since then, he's found that they improve his healing capabilities when he wears them. If he just happens to have a hand on them, then he's a bit better, but if he's wearing them, he can heal people that much better.

Other: He can speak Catalan and Spanish fluently, and can speak some English. He's picked up a few French and German words from his travels, and one of his favorite curse words is the Polish word kurwa.

edited 3rd Feb '16 5:04:37 PM by Tojin

What language does he actually use for his magic?

I thought I was missing something. He uses Basque.