Why The Dresden Files RPG Is Not For Me
This corresponds with a positive review of The Dresden Files RPG that I have posted on Gnome Stew today. There I explain in detail why The Dresden Files RPG deserves all of the praise that it has received. I truly believe that the Your Story and Our World books have some of the most impressive layout work and overall design qualities that I have ever seen in an RPG product.
Unfortunately the game is just not for me, and that paradox of recognizing the quality of the product being so impressive while at the same time not being strongly compelled to play the game is what I will attempt to explain here.
The Product is Great…
The artwork, game design, and overall theme of the work is top notch. The writing is well done and interesting. Having run the game once it plays smoothly, but I cannot say for sure if that is because I am experienced with running Fate and Fudge games or if it is how the mechanics themselves are presented.
Regardless, no one has to defend to me why this game is receiving awards and nominations. The overall quality is obvious.
…But It Is Not My Cup Of Tea
I was given copies of the game to review by Fred Hicks following my article on why I had not bought The Dresden Files RPG. What I had originally written in that article was proven to be true. The price for the PDFs is too high for my liking compared to competing products that I am interested in. Receiving free copies was a nice surprise, but if I had not received the complimentary copies I probably would not have bought the books on my own. I probably would have found others running the game instead and I would have joined one of their games.
The other factor was the size of the books. It took me weeks to find the time to read both books all the way through and really understand them. I just do not have that kind of time to invest into reading an RPG anymore. While the books were entertaining I felt that they could have been a lot shorter. It might not be a fair comparison, but I felt that Icons captured a lot of what The Dresden Files RPG has to offer in terms of game play with only a quarter of the page count. This is not to say that the shorter product is the better one, but that I want shorter products.
In an odd way this shows how accurate the product was for me to assess as a consumer. My instincts were right, and the product is not misleading. If you have picked up the books and thought “I might like this.” then you probably would.
A Few More Things
The Dresden Files RPG is a Dresden fan’s dream for a licensed RPG product, but I am just a casual reader of the series. The problem that I encountered is that in reading the books I may have spoiled the later books if I choose to read them. This is actually a testament to the books, because they are very detail rich when it comes to the setting.
Something that I did not like about the PDFs is that even on my tablet notebook with a 12.1” display the PDFs are a bit cramped in appearance. This was not an issue when I read the PDFs on my 19” LCD screens rotated to the vertical layout position, but when I run the game at the table I use the tablet. Again, in a way this is a testament to the books because there is a lot of content on every page.
The last observation that I have is that as a fan of Fate and Fudge I did not feel that the game is as groundbreaking as others that I talked to claimed it to be. This comes back to personal experience though. I’ve played a lot of variations of Fudge, and I have tried out a ton of my own tweaks with the rules. My friends whom I spoke with about the game were introduced to Fate through The Dresden Files RPG. What does this say about the game? I have no idea. I just found that to be interesting.
Your Mileage May Vary
Some people might be saying “Really? That is why you don’t like the game? The price (which you did not have to pay), and that there was too much content?” To which I respond with “Yes.” Deal with it.
I do not expect anyone else to feel the same way as I do, and I doubt that my experience with The Dresden Files RPG is going to hurt its sales anytime soon. The game is selling strong from what I have seen, and it is already a solid success. I am actually very happy to see that, and I hope that more people are introduced to the Fudge game system because of it.
So that is my take on The Dresden Files RPG. What about yours? Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below and let the rest of us know how you feel.
[…] that it is receiving, and over on my personal blog SinisterForces I am going to share with you why I do not care for the product for personal reasons. Read one of the two reviews, or read them both, but remember that my reasons for not liking the […]
So can I get your copy of Dresden then? I’d hate to see it go to waste!
Kidding. Only sort of.
Yeah the only reason I don’t have this book on my shelf (and I am pretty harddcore Dresden fan) is the pricetag. I saw it last year at Orgins and wanted it but there’s just no way for a geek on a budget.
Same reasons here – The size of the books really threw me off, especially when Fate is supposed to be a relatively simple system. And while the books are indeed beautiful, the cost necessary to produce that much art is somewhat prohibitive.
I wonder if being a parent has anything to do with my hesitation to buy big expensive gaming books? (Stupid question, really. Of course it does.)
That said, were I to be tempted to run a Fate game or a ‘modern wizard’ setting, I’d pick this up in a heartbeat.
@Kitty Schwanitz: If I could give the product to a geek in need I would, but because it is electronic and there is a sort of unspoken agreement not to giveaway PDFs that you are given to review I cannot.
Part of me wonders if DFRPG is going to be the last of the great big full color hardcover books produced in this hobby. More and more I just don’t want huge hardcover books at high prices.
@Telas: These books are great. I can honestly say that even though I am not thrilled by them. You could not go wrong if you picked them up for the reasons that you described.
Of course, then they would have to revoke your membership in the card-carrying clan of “Savages” now wouldn’t they? 😉
Mmm, here’s kind of the trick about that, at least for my group. I do own a copy of the first book in hard copy, but not the second. It might seem like a fairly steep investment off the bat, but you only really need one copy of the book to run the thing, and there aren’t any expansions to it, being self contained.
I didn’t pick it up right away, and ended up buying it after I found space for it in my funbucks budget.
The size of the books is pretty chunky, having the whole Boston campaign setting in the back of the book, and being able to virtually cater to someone that doesn’t have any Dresden experience is needed. Can’t just presume that people have read the books. Probably the owner of it has, but new players being looped into the game or what-have-you need the setting pretty explicitly laid out. Particularly the magic system, which does take up a fair amount of the book.
That being said, the large full color graphics are awesome, but take up a lot of realestate. The margin comments are cool too, but cut down on what you can get on the page. I think that the word count in the book probably could have been slammed down into a much smaller book. I wouldn’t be as pleased with the outcome.
I was able to get the mileage out of the money I spent, because I have rabid players who love that Dresdenverse. I would have trouble spending that type of money on say, the Song of Fire and Ice RPG. I have players that like the setting, but aren’t clamoring to play it as an RPG.
I respect your opinion, and as of late understand that having to fit it into my budget rather than maybe just buying the thing is a change in modus operandi from where I have been before. Games like Lady Blackbird appeal because it’s not the same old make a character and play it until the interest in the game runs out formula that everyone else seems to have. (The solution? Shorter games, defined lengths, more of them. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. 😉 )
@James Orr: Good points. The problem is that with any discussion regarding price we have the actual value which is the same for all involved, and the perceived value which is different for everyone. Even though I can buy DFRPG:YS in PDF format for $25, I don’t feel that it is worthy of my $25 despite all of the great qualities. I can spend $10 and get other fun games in PDF format (or the Explorer’s Edition of Savage Worlds in print) and I would be more satisfied with my purchase. This is true despite the fact that I am lucky enough for $25 not to be a great deal of money given my current financial situation.
[…] Adventures in Time and Space By Patrick Benson | Published: June 29, 2011 I shared with you why the Dresden Files RPG is not my game of choice. Now I want to focus on another licensed RPG that comes in at a similar price point that I am […]